Hello everyone! It is Andrea here today and I want to share with you a fabulous mini-album/planner that I made using the Domestic Bliss collection from Simple Stories. I am loving this collection and this project because it really helped me to both get organized and also to stay motivated with all the things that I have to do around the house. It is also a great way to document a huge portion of my life.

I spend most of my life at home. By far! As a disabled person, and with the specific condition that I have, I am constantly stuck inside and in bed. I have limited mobility and am constantly in pain, so it is hard a lot of the time to try and get out of the house. However, despite this, I notice that the majority of my photos are from when I do get out of the house and am dressed up and somewhere fun or special, celebrating something, or going somewhere cool. These days that I often photograph though do not represent most of my life.

And while I do document days at home every so often in things like “week in the life” albums and other “daily” sort of projects, it occurred to me that I don't really have a mini-album that only talks about days at home like this and really focuses on life at home, in bed, doing my daily “work from home” work as well as average around the house things like cleaning, organizing, etc. And this is strange, because this is most of my life. It was nice to rectify this situation by finally making an album that documents this kind of thing. And Domestic Bliss is made to document the “home life” so it makes sense to use it for this.

I really like that this album serves both as a piece of documentation and memory keeping that is a scrapbook mini...but also a planner that can help me stay organized...AND also something to help me stay motivated and inspired! That is the beauty of this collection. I like how Simple Stories scrapbook stuff and Carpe Diem planner stuff in collections like Domestic Bliss, can be used together to make a project like this.

It has been hard to be motivated and inspired lately since this month has consisted mostly of me being stuck inside and in bed and in pain. This kind of thing happens sometimes. And on the really bad days, when I can't even sit up at my “bed desk” and do my work in bed (scrapping, planning, writing, designing, etc), I start to feel quite down on myself. I feel like I am not doing good. I feel like I am falling behind and that I am going slower. And I notice things piling up...especially things like laundry and cleaning up. And so I start to get frustrated and feel disappointed in myself. Even though I know I shouldn't and that I cannot control everything.

I think that I am not the only person that does this. I think a lot of us get down on ourselves, whether or not we have health conditions, with everything on our plates and the high standards to which we hold ourselves. Particularly women. And particularly creative women who do things like scrapbooking and planning. Perhaps this is because we are constantly documenting our lives and in that documentation, we compare what we do to what everyone else is doing and also to the perfect picture of how our lives should be in our mind.

My life is beautiful and I love it and I love the work that I do, but for whatever reason, some days I feel down on what I am not able to do, instead of focusing on all that I do actually do. I like this project because the pics and decorative elements in it all serve to remind me of all the great stuff on those bad days and in the moments when I need a reminder.

I don't want to make myself feel bad about not doing enough or being good enough. I want to not feel this way and I shouldn't because the truth is I do a whole lot! Even if I was a healthy person, I would still be considered to be doing a whole lot by most people's standards. So, frankly, I should be proud that I do so much particularly when I do it despite having a disability. And I do feel proud some days, but I should feel that way everyday.

I should be proud of all I do and how hard I work. I made this album in large part to remind myself that in addition to having to do so many things, I am doing them. I am working on so much and accomplishing so much. And just because things might take me longer than I would really like, this doesn't diminish my accomplishments.

I made this project so that I could plan and document the days at home, doing my “work from home” work and also things like chores and other things to do around the house...but also so that I could have little notes of inspiration in there that would remind me that I am doing great.

This album is filled with inspirational notes that remind me to keep believing and dreaming and that I can do anything! I love this project! And I think it is a great idea for all of us to make something like this so that we can all be reminded of how much we actually do and to be proud of it and to keep moving towards our goals, big and small!

I hope you are inspired by this mini-album/planner hybrid project! And I hope that you are inspired to grab your Sn@p pocket pages, pocket cards, album, some stickers and other embellies, and a Carpe Diem planner set in the Domestic Bliss collection, and create something similar! It is important to document our home and work lives. But more importantly, I think we all need to be reminded sometimes that we are capable and amazing human beings who try our best and there is really nothing more impressive than that!

Hello Violet here, and I am wanting to share this month's page insert in my Carpe Diem planner. I will also share my Dashboard and pockets using the Summer Days collection. As I open up my planner it’s like I feel a small reminder of lazy Summer days. I almost can smell the suntan lotion inside. All the floral and retro bits and pieces, mint green, red, shades, bikini top, shorts and the beautiful sunshine make me just want to plan a getaway to soak up the sun!

My main focus was on my dashboard. What a perfect way to have your summer planner set up with some adorable flip flops! A Summer time must. I made them out of the collection kit paper and Decorative Brads.

'Good times & tan lines', is one of the element card quotes and I absolutely love it!  I stuffed my pockets with Bits & Pieces die cuts and more little flip flops. I used most of the brads on my ephemera. This is a cute way to embellish them. I made a divider and I just couldn’t pass up the cutest little camper element card. It was the perfect focal point of the divider.

This month is special, due to the fact that it is my son’s and granddaughter’s birthday and it’s on the same day! This month inserts are perfect for keeping track of all the important dates. I added a photo of my son and granddaughter in the birthday corner and a scripture in the important section. I love the variety Carpe Diem gives to us planner girls. It makes planning so much fun!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to stop by the blog. I hope I was able to inspire some of you. May you have a beautiful August!

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Hello again, It's Emma.  My blog today is all about making dividers using the fabulous new A5 Carpe Diem hole punch!   I've chosen to use the Cabin Fever collection for my Marigold planner. 

I have to admit that this collection is not the style or colours I would normally turn to but that being said, I always like to try to push myself out of my comfort zone and explore new ideas!

This collection, as all the Simple Stories collections, is positively overflowing with products.  The first thing I did was cut the element pieces from the 12x12 paper collection kit, pop out all the chipboard stickers and fill this handy tray with everything I needed, so it was all at hand.

I picked out the coordinating washi tapes I wanted to use, filled a section with the bits & pieces and was all set to start creating!

The 12x12 papers are just perfect for divider making as they are double sided and a good quality cardstock so there's no need to laminate.

I choose the Marigold planner for this collection as the colours work perfectly with it.

I chose a selection of chipboard elements, bits & pieces and cut up some of the papers to fill the front pockets, I also used a border punch on another piece of co ordinating cardstock and tucked it in the large front pocket, I like to do this just to tie in all the colours. I do also like to keep the sticker sheets tucked in this large pocket so they are always to hand when I'm setting up my weekly pages.

The dashboard is one of the first things you see when you open your planner and I like to imagine it being like the front cover of a book, it's what makes you want to look inside and turn the pages!

Now, I just can't tell you enough how awesome the new A5 CarpeDiem punch is!!...I've tried using many different punches over the years and had many disasters!! This punch is so easy, there's no messing around trying to line it up as it does it all for you, literally slide your paper in until it won't slide any more, this means it's in position, punch, and away you go!!

Making these dividers was an absolute pleasure using the punch!

To make the dividers I draw round an existing divider on the cardstock I want to use to get the size and then I cut out with scissors, this is purely because I'm useless with a trimmer!!  I use a tab punch but it's really not necessary, you can again just trace the tabs and cut by hand.  I make the holes in all the dividers before I begin decorating. 

You'll see from the pictures that I like to use lots of layers on my dividers and I also like to mix the designs up by using differing techniques, for example I may layer with papers that are cut with nice clean lines for one divider but on the next I'll use papers that I have ripped roughly.

To make the different layers pop I like to add 'faux stitching' around the edges, and I'm quite happy to do this with quite a rough, some might say 'messy' finish, but the homemade effect appeals to me. 

We all have our own styles and that's what's so nice about making our own dividers because we have free reign to make them however we like!

So to say this planner is very different from my usual style I actually really like the finished look! ...it just shows, we should all try and push our boundaries and try new things!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and possibly taken a little inspiration, if you would like to see more of my projects then please pop over to my Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/heartsbyemma

Hello friends! It's Dorymar back on the blog today! I am so excited to share with you a beautiful mini album I designed with the spectacular Say Cheese III collection! Last July, my family and I went on vacation to Orlando, Florida to celebrate my girl’s 15th birthday at the Disney World parks! Among the places we visited, Magic Kingdom was our favorite and this collection was perfect to document such a wonderful time and important occasion in my daughter’s life! 

¡Hola amig@s! ¡Es Dorymar nuevamente en el blog hoy! ¡Les presento un hermoso mini álbum con la espectacular colección Say Cheese III! El pasado mes de julio estuve de vacaciones con mi familia Orlando, Florida celebrando los 15 años de mi jovencita, entre los varios lugares que visitamos, Magic Kingdom fue uno de mis favoritos y esta colección está perfecta para documentar este maravilloso e importante momento en la vida de mi hija.

I decided to create a mini album that recreates a View Master. Remember these? So much fun! You will find several view masters in the Say Cheese III collection. To design the mini album cover, I drew the view master from the collection and I used the Silhouette cut file "viewfinder" from Simple Stories for the pages.  The collection is super fun and colorful; it invites you to design and create! For each one of the pages of this mini album, you can see how the elements of the collection go so in tune with the classic photos that you take when you visit the magic world of Disney!   The mini album consists of 5 pages filled with lots of interactive elements. Inside the cover, I used die cuts, stickers, enamel dots and part of one of the journaling cards. To add a personal touch and enhance the elements, I used "glitter glue" and enamel dots. 

Decidí hacer un mini álbum que recree un “View Master”. ¿Los recuerdas? Eran muy divertidos. Si observas, vas a encontrar varios view master en la colección de Say Cheese III. Para crearlo dibujé el “view master” que tiene la colección y para que se observe más original utilicé el archivo para cortar” con la silhouette “viewfinder” de Simple Stories.  ¡La colección es super divertida y colorida, te invita a diseñar y crear! Pues en todas y cada una de las páginas de este mini álbum, podrás observar como lo elementos de la colección van tan a tono con las clásicas fotos que tomas cuando tienes la oportunidad de visitar este mundo mágico.  El mini álbum consiste en 5 paginas llenas de mucha diversión. En el interior de la portada puedes observar el uso de varios elementos como los “die cuts, stickers, enamel dots” y parte de una de las tarjetas de “journaling”. Para darle un toque personal acentúe alguno de sus detalles con “glitter glue” y “enamel dots”.

I used all the papers of the Say Cheese III collection to cover part of the pages. On the other half of the page, I used the reel designs that I cut with the silhouette. Around the photo, I created some small designs using the die cuts and the stickers of the collection. I am soooo in love with these papers! 

Utilicé todos los papeles de la colección Say Cheese III para forrar parte de las páginas de este mini álbum, en la otra mitad de la página, utilicé los diseños de carrete que corté con la silhoutte. Alrededor de la foto creé unos pequeños diseños utilizando los “die cuts” y los “stickers” de la colección. ¡Estoy súper enamorada de estos papeles!

On this page, I used a 4 x 6 Photo Booklet. Super fun! It gives you the opportunity to add more elements to the page; I placed several photos and cards from the collection. I also used glitter glue on this page and drew lines on the 4x6 card to further accentuate the details. 

En esta página utilice un Photo Booklet 4 x 6. ¡Super divertido! Te da la oportunidad de añadir más elementos a la página porque pude colocar varias fotos y tarjetas de la colección. También utilicé nuevamente “glitter glue” y tracé unas líneas sobre la tarjeta 4 x 6 para seguir acentuando los detalles.

On the following pages, I followed the same pattern combining the fun papers with the elements, mixing journaling cards, die cuts, stickers, chipboards, and other elements of the collection. I used everything on this collection! 

En las páginas siguientes seguí el mismo patrón combinado los papeles con los elementos, fusionando el uso de las tarjetas de “journaling”, “die cuts”, “stickers”, “chipboards” y demás elementos de la colección. ¡Utilicé todo de esta colección!

Here I used the "chipboard sticker" of Mickey's ear as a template to make both ears in a glitter paper. I added the "die cut" of the Minnie Mouse bow so when you put them together, you can recreate her ears. 

Aquí utilicé el “chipboard sticker”” de la oreja de Mickey como molde para hacer ambas orejas de en un papel de brillo. Añadí el “die cut” del lazo de Minnie Mouse para que al unir ambas cosas simule las orejas de ella.

To embelish this page, I added "sticky notes" and put them between the "die cuts" and the "decorative clip". I wanted to add a photo of the main Disney characters so I looked it up on the Internet, printed it and used it on this page. 

Para decorar esta página añadí “sticky notes” que intercalé entre los “die cuts” y el “decorative clip”. Quería añadir una foto con los personajes principales de Disney, lo que hice fue buscarla en internet, imprimirla y utilizarla en esta página.

Here with one of the 4 x 6 cards I made a pocket where I put several journaling cards and used ribbon to decorate. To add dimension to the project, I used 3D foam tape to glue the die cuts and stickers. 

Aquí con una de las tarjetas 4 x 6 hice un bolsillo donde coloqué varias “journaling cards”. También utilicé cintas para decorar y siempre para añadir dimensión al proyecto coloco los “die cuts” y “stickers” en tape dimensional.

This is a very fun page because inside every flap you’ll find photos and elements. I like to use chipboard stickers and place them looking like three-dimensional pieces. 

Es página es una muy divertida porque entre flap y flap vas encontrando fotos y elementos. Me gusta utilizar los “chipboard stickers” y colocarlos que al mirarlo parezca una pieza tridimensional.

Here I used a 3 x 4 Photo Booklet. I love them! You can adapt these booklets to any type of project and include more photos and beautiful cards from the collection. 

Aquí utilicé otro “Photo Booklet”, pero esta vez el de tamaño 3 x 4. ¡Definitivamente los amo! Se pueden adaptar a cualquier proyecto y te permiten utilizar más tus fotos y las hermosas tarjetas de la colección.

I purposely placed the elements on this page thinking of key things when you visit Disney world: the “view master” sticker, which inspired me to create this project, the Disney World castle in the "decorative clip", the heart that symbolizes love, the world globe sticker and the “magic” die cut. This collection is so perfect to capture all those amazing when you visit the magic world of Disney. 

La forma en que coloque los elementos en esta página tienen un significado muy importante, utilice las cosas claves que puedes observar en el mundo mágico de Disney: el “view master” en “sticker” que fue el elemento que me inspiró a crear este proyecto, observas el lugar más importante del parque de Disney World, el castillo en el “decorative clip”, también observas el corazón que simboliza ese amor que despierta al instante en las personas, otro elemento es el globo del mundo en “sticker”, donde el mensaje describe lo que cada persona experimenta al visitar este hermoso lugar, la palabra magia en “die cut”, pues esto es todo lo que encuentras en este mundo mágico de Disney. Esta colección está perfecta para plasmar el recuerdo de esta maravillosa experiencia.

Here I continued placing the elements in different dimensions and used the phrases and letters to highlight this beautiful experience. 

Aquí continúe con la técnica de colocar los elementos en diferentes dimensiones y utilicé las frases y letras para resaltar esta hermosa experiencia.

For the last page, I cut the camera from one of the 4x6 cards and made a pocket. Inside, I put 2 4x6 cards to add my journaling. In the background, I used the "Magical Memories" paper, a phrase that expresses well what our experience was and what I wanted to preserve forever in this beautiful mini album. 

La última página observas una cámara que corte de una de las tarjetas 4 x 6, con ella hice un bolsillo en donde coloque 2 tarjetas 4 x 6 para el “journal”. En el fondo utilicé el papel “Magical Memories”, frase que expresa lo que fue nuestra experiencia y lo que queda plasmado en este hermoso mini álbum.

Hope you liked my project and that it inspired you to create with the stunning Say Cheese III collection! Thanks for visiting the blog today!  Have a great week and happy crafting! Blessings! 

¡Espero que les haya gustado mi proyecto y que te inspire a crear con esta maravillosa colección de Say Cheese III! ¡Gracias por visitar el blog hoy! ¡Que pasen una feliz semana! ¡Bendiciones!

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Hey, everyone! It’s Lori, marketing manager at Simple Stories, and summertime activities have been in full “swing” here at the Simple Stories offices! Every summer, we host lots of fantastic retailers and shop-owners during the Crafters Home tour where we socialize a little, create a little, and we all have a great time.

This tour takes place during the SPC show, which is a local tradeshow where we announce our beautiful new summer releases! This year’s party theme was a summer ballpark party, complete with popcorn, nachos, hot dogs and other delicious goodies!

Store owners arrived ready to have a great time creating with our marketing director, Layle Koncar, where they each made a fabulous 6x8 SN@P! Album project featuring our new Vintage Blessings collection. 

After class, we had time for photo ops (yes, that’s our CEO, Kevin, photobombing our retailers), shopping, and a local favorite, Zeppe’s Italian water ice. Yum!

We’re so thankful for all of our retailers and store-owners, and for their support of Simple Stories! It was a great week of fun and friendships. We can’t wait to see all of them again, soon!

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