May 2018 Blog Posts

 

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Howdy!!  Layle with you today for the final day of our Spring/Summer Reveal week!  We kinda like to think we saved the best for last - are you ready to see some awesome new Carpe Diem products?!  Kicking off the new release are three brand new 17 month Spiral Planners!  Dated August 2018 through December 2019, gold or ROSE gold metal accents and gorgeous designs, you're going to want to pick oneof these beauties up soon!

Of course, we just had to introduce new coordinating A5 Sticker Tablets to go with them!

Who doesn't love washi?!  We're introducing three new washi designs to coordinate with the three new spiral planners AND, to top it off, each 'design' includes not one but THREE coordinating rolls!

Last, but certainly not least, we're thrilled to introduce stamps!!  These clear, photo polymer stamps are made in the good ole USA and are sure to dazzle planners and non planners alike ;)

 

So there you have it, our brand new Carpe Diem products, shipping to retailers in late June!

Now for some fun!  How about a chance to win a Spiral Planner and an assortment of stamps before you can buy them?  You have 3 chances to win - 

First, simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget below -

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second - PIN TO WIN!  Just pin your favorite(s) of the Carpe Diem images in this post, tag your pin with #carpediem, then leave us a comment on this blog post telling us that we've been pinned and include your Pinterest user name.

Third - follow us on Instagram at simplestories_  and carpediemplanners for additional chances to win all of our new releases! 

I'll announce all of the winners throughout the week in one giant celebratory post here on Thursday the 7th, so make sure to check back then to see if you're one of the lucky winners!

Good luck - we can't wait to hear what you think about the new Carpe Diem!

Hello Simple Stories Friends and Fans!

Nathalie with you today with a new project that is all about color and GOOD VIBES.  I love taking pictures of my kids and their little cousins together, especially since they get along very well despite the large age gap between them.   Sometimes it is hard to document these pictures, but  the new Simple Stories' GOOD VIBES collection was perfect to convey the feel of this memory.

I wanted to use as many of the papers and colors of this collection, so my choice was to create a large title using a JustNick Studio cut file, and then used papers from the Good Vibes collection to back the letters.

To have all the details pop on the page, a bit of mixed media -Vicki Boutin's Art Crayon- was added to the b-side of a Sn@p! Birch/white grid paper.   

Once the title was added to the page, it was time to start embellishing!  Since there are so many fun and colorful icons, I chose to color block the clusters so that they match the colors in the background.

The picture was then backed with one of the papers from the collection, and placed next to the title.   Once again color block clusters were created around the picture.   Just love all the icons and how perfect they work in these color clusters.

Totally loving the GOOD VIBES on this page.  I hope this serves as inspiration to check this new Simple Stories collection.   You are going to love how fun and versatile the new Simple Stories' GOOD VIBES collection can be! Til next time!

Supplies

I started with an antique-style metal clock frame and covered the inside and back walls with See The World. The inside and front were decorated using a variety of stickers, chipboard pieces and die cuts, all from the Travel Notes collection. I wanted to capture the essence of life in motion within this timepiece. The car and scooter buzzing by, the plane flying above head and all the little travel accents make me want to pack a bag and take off to anywhere! 

Does a hot air balloon ride suit your fancy? Are you a road trip lover? How about globetrotting aboard a jet plane to see all the wonders of the world? Whatever your pleasure, you'll find your ticket to paradise right here! 

And the buck stops here! Thanks so much for stopping by today and allowing me to share my altered clock with you. I hope you've been inspired to create something marvelous with the Travel Notes collection today! Until next time, happy trails!

Supplies

Hi there it’s Emma back with you, this month I wanted to share how I’ve used the ‘Oh Baby!’ collection by Simple Stories in my personal sized Blush Carpe Diem planner. 

My aim was to show how the whole collection could be used without even the slightest nod to ‘baby’! You will find beautiful butterflies, fabulous florals, bewitching bows and heavenly hearts, and see how the colours are perfectly soft & delicate! 

You’ll see how I have been able to fill my planner pockets with so many of the pretty elements and does it look like a ‘baby’ theme???...no, it sure doesn’t! 


 

I have carried the soft, feminine feel onto the dashboard and through onto the divider set. 


 

The divider set was so easy to make, I used papers from the 6x8 paper pad and the personal size divider templates, then dug in to the stash of gorgeousness to decorate. 

On each of the dividers I have included a touch of the wood grain, this was to tie it all in and I think it helps give depth to the varying items I’ve used. 

When a collection has so many wonderful products, it’s an absolute breeze to find all the details you want. There’s the snap pack, chipboard stickers, bits & pieces, washi, stickers, all perfect for adding decoration to your dividers!

So, I do hope I’ve been able to inspire you a little to perhaps look at collections differently, don’t just read the title, look closer and you’ll be amazed what you find! If you would like to see more pictures using Simple Stories products then checkout my IG account  https://www.instagram.com/heartsbyemma

Supplies

Hello! Jennifer on the blog today to share a page I created using the fun Good Vibes collection!  This line has something for just about everyone with its bold colors and patterns mixed in with muted grays and pastels! You could scrap an "every day" kind of event, spring, or summer vacations!  For me, I wanted to document a favorite photo of my teen daughter. I sometimes "steal" pictures off her Instagram since she's not too keen on having her photo taken LOL

One of my favorite prints of Good Vibes is the grey/woodgrain and white chevron print of "Be Amazing" so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into my page! I  adhered strips to each side  along with both prints of "You Got This"! Using my sewing machine, I added stitching through the strips. 

The 6x12 Chipboard Sheet has many fun pieces to choose from to accent your page! I used the hot pink "good vibes" script along with the multi-colored heart for my title.  The bright colors are eye-catching as well as bring the prints together! You can also spy the coordinating Aztec Washi Tape that ties in with the paper as well as border strip on the Combo Sticker Sheet!


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The Bits and Pieces pack has many different sized accents for your page such as this circle journaling spot and fun sentiment!  I   added a small flag from one of the 4x6 Sticker Sheets as well.  Anyone else out there starting to hoard the Carpe Diem Roller Stamps? They are so fun to use on scrapbook pages or in mini albums! I  used the I  Am Roller Stamp to accent my journaling as well as on other spots on my page. 

​To the left of my photo, I layered different embellishments to create a semi-border and used pop dots where needed. I  did not have any certain rules on whether the embellishments had to touch; just whatever looked right. Sometimes a finished page is by a bit of trial and error! I  am known to rip items off my page until it looks "just right" LOL

​Showing more of the layers including this floral cluster and cute nail polish bottle! Adding in smaller stickers such as hearts or the circle sentiments from the 4x6 Sticker Sheets is a nice accent.  

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!  You can visit the Products page to see the entire Good Vibes collection, as well as what Simple Stories has coming up!  Have a great day!

Hello friends, Iris here with the super, cutest baby layout I've ever made, thanks to the Oh, Baby! Collection.  All the papers are so adorable, it was difficult at first to pick which one to use for my background.  But I finally decided to go with one of the woodgrain patterns (Cuddly).  Those swirly frames are just so cute, and echo the theme of framing my photo.  

Speaking of the framing, when I picked a photo of my baby sleeping (she's 12 now by the way!), I was inspired to use the moon and star clear stickers directly on the photo, like a mobile hanging above her.  That lead to the idea of a circular cut-out over an enlarged photo, as if we are peeking into the crib through the cute mobile stars and critters swirling around her.

Framing the cut-out is a wreath I grabbed from the Simple Stories selection at the Silhouette online store.  (Design ID #214849) Originally released for an autumn line, I cut it out of the aqua dotty paper (Sweet Dreams), and it really is a sweet addition to my page.  One of my favorite techniques when I have circles and wreaths is to stitch multiple times around them to add texture. I did most of the stitching before adding the wreath, then took a pass over the it.

My daughter's lovey since she was a baby is an elephant and she still collects them, so naturally I gravitated to the adorable mama and baby elephant from the Bits & Pieces pack.  I tucked them under the cut-out.  Then I surrounded the photo with more die-cuts, chipboard, and stickers, and I used more stars, both die-cut and clear, scattered like I would normally use enamel dots. 

To fill in the blank spaces on the photo next to the top and bottom clusters, I picked a couple of sentiments and hearts from the Clear Stickers.  They, along with the little word strips from the regular 4x6 Stickers , serve in lieu of journaling.  Sometimes just those little sentiments are enough. And the chipboard banner serves as my title. 

The Oh, Baby! Collection is just so delightful!  My older daughter is now requesting some pages about her as a baby with this collection! I didn't get much scrapbooking done during those early baby years, so this collection will be perfect to document all those baby moments. Hope everyone enjoys scrapping their baby pictures with this collection too.

Supplies

Hi everyone! Tara here with Secretbees Studio  Babies are definitely the perfect tiny blessing and it is always such a joy picking out the perfect gift to celebrate them. Although there are so many adorable baby gifts available, I want to give you some inspiration to create a sweet handmade present that anyone would love!

The 'Oh Baby' paper collection from Simple Stories is full of soft colors and sweet sentiments perfect for a boy or girl. This mini dresser, cut from an SVGcuts file, is charmingly decorated with the lovely patterned papers of the collection and then further embellished with the sweet stickers, chipboard and Bits & Pieces! 

Both drawers pull out and are large enough for small gifts. I stuffed the top drawer with an adorable teddy bear chipboard sticker and made a gift card holder from more of the beautiful paper, adding a couple of the charming stickers as well. The onesie, part of the Bits & Pieces, has it's own little hanger and hangs perfectly from a knob- too cute!

The top of the dresser is loaded with more of the adorable accessories from the collection. I almost couldn't stop my self from adding more they are so sweet! I dressed it up with a small doily and some miniature diapers embellished with more of the patterned paper.  The framed picture is one of the 4x6 stickers and I mixed chipboard, stickers and Bits & Pieces for a wonderfully jumbled look! The coordinating card was simply created with a couple of the adorable 4x4 element cards and embellished with sweet stickers.

Even though there is plenty of pink and blue mixed in with the other pastel colors, this collection is beautifully gender neutral. There are the most darling animal images in this collection as well a delightful mix of butterflies, hearts, flowers and bows. Everything you need to make a beautiful gift for a beautiful baby!

Supplies

Hello Simple Stories friends! Marcia here today with another Simple Stories layout using the awesome new Hello Summer collection. Last Summer my daughter took a trip with girlfriends to Sunset Beach in Florida. She had just graduated from Veterinary Collage and wanted a little vacation before diving into her internship. This collection was perfect for scrapping those beach photos.

I went with a big title that I could back with different pattern papers. This is a great way to include lots of patterns and colors on your layout. I wanted that title to make a big statement. After a long winter there is nothing better than soaking up some glorious sunshine at the beach. The chipboard Hello layered on top makes for the perfect title "Hello Beach".

To create the illusion of water on my layout, I added some watered down blue spray mist to my background using some plastic packaging. Next to my photo, I added this fun flamingo from the 3x4 Elements paper and layered lots of fun chipboard stickers,Bits & Pieces die cuts, and phrase stickers.

I added a strip of washi tape to the top of my layout then layered the pennant banners over the top. The colorful banners at the top of my layout add balance to the colorful title at the bottom.

The Hello Summer collection is perfect for documenting more than just your beach photos. With the watermelons, pineapples, suns, clouds, and flamingos, this fun collection could be used for picnics, playground outings, or any outdoor summer fun activity. What fun memories will you be making this summer?

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