Hello Simple Stories fans! It's Lisa Dickinson here today, and I'm excited to share some new layouts with you featuring two new lines from Simple Stories, Very Merry and Oh What Fun!

When it comes to inspiration for my scrapbook layouts, I have numerous go-to sources. From Pinterest boards to billboards, magazine ads to menus, clothing catalogs to car brochures, I can often find art elements to replicate on my pages. But sometimes inspiration is more easily found - like in the scrapbook product right in front of you!

For the Christmas-y page below I was inspired by the packaging on the new Very Merry Collection Kit. The vertical snippets of patterned papers perfectly displayed the array of colors and patterns and inspired me to do a similar treatment in my design.

I simply cut eight 1.5" wide pieces of paper and arranged them across the bottom of my layout, much like they were set up on the packaging.

After topping the patterned strips with a paper ribbon & twine, I layered a few tags and ephemera below the bow to serve as both my embellishments and title.

It was a page that came together quickly without a lot of fuss, thanks largely to the inspiration provided by the packaging!

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On another page, I took a cue from the 3x4 Elements paper in the Oh What Fun line and printed my photos the same size (3x4). This made it easy to arrange a page design using alternating photos and journal cards:

To help my title stand out, I cut out the "Oh What Fun!" circle from a larger (4x6) journal card and mounted it with foam adhesive. The circular shape helps soften all the straight lines in this design, and the bold black & white really pops off the page.

I typed my journaling on another 3x4 block and embellished it with a simple sticker across the top edge.

A bit of baker's twine, a few chipboard snowflakes, and some white brads are all that was needed to complete the page. 

So the next time you're stumped by how to begin a page, look no further than your scrap table. You just might find inspiration in your favorite scrapbooking products!