Howdy!  Layle here with you today.  Welcome to Day 5 of the Simple Stories & The Cut Shoppe Product Swap! 

Both design teams have swapped products and will be sharing on our blogs all week long.  Join us for some great inspiration as well as a chance to win a prize package from both The Cut Shoppe & Simple Stories! 

Today design team member Ashley Horton wraps up our week with The Cut Shoppe with 2 fabulous layouts!  And hey, did you know she's also the talent behind The Cut Shoppe?!
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Hi my name is Ashley, and I am addicted to my Silhouette Cameo!  It's true...not a layout goes by, that doesn't incorporate some type of die cutting, using the Cameo.  I love creating fun, modern cut files for The Cut Shoppe and I'm excited to share two layouts with you today using some of the Fall sets in the Shop along with the We Are Family and Pumpkin Spice collections.
 

One of my favorite looks to use on a layout, is a large die cut backed with multiple patterned papers.  I started this layout by cutting the I Heart Plaid cut file from the So Very Loved patterned paper in the We Are Family collection.  Once the heart finished cutting, I used a mix of patterned papers from the collection to back the inside shapes of the heart.  This is a great technique if you're using papers from a 6x6 paper pad, or have a lot of scrap pieces that you want to use up!
 

 

After I finished backing all of the open spaces on the heart, I added it to the center of the layout.  Then I backed the words in the title, that I also cut on the Cameo, with some of the same patterned papers.  I wanted to add a positive and negative look to the title around the heart, so I also cut the word "Heart" from the Tall Type cut file set.  I wanted the word to stand out, so I enlarged the letters and cut them from the Making Memories patterned paper.
 

 

When the title work was finished, I added my photo to the center of the heart.  I like to layer my photo and embellishments over the die cut elements, to give dimension to the layout.  I also like to draw attention to my photo, by clustering various embellishments, so I added some of the Bits & Pieces, stickers and wood veneers from the collection.
 

 

 

On my second layout, I used the Tall Type cut file to create a large title element.  I cut the title letters from the Pumpkin Spice Simple Basics Apple Cider/Gingham patterned paper.  Then I placed the title and photo on the Acorn/Gingham background paper in a vertical design.
 

I wanted to balance the vertical look of the title and photo, with a horizontal embellishment grouping.  I placed several different types of embellishments from the Pumpkin Spice collection on both sides of the photo.  Once the embellishments were in place, I added some machine stitching to add texture and interest to the embellishing.
 

 

And here's a fun side note about something on this layout.  See the patterned paper triangles in the corner?  Those were left over from the "Fall Is My Happy Place" layout from last month.  My first round of triangles for the quilt design on that layout, ended up being just a bit too large for the design.  So I thought it would be fun to add some quick machine stitching and place one of the triangles in each corner on this new layout.  That's why it's a good idea to keep things like that lying around for future layouts!
 

 

I hope you've found some inspiration today for using die cuts on your layouts.  It's a great way to add your own unique look to a project, and some patterned paper from your favorite Simple Stories collection + your electronic die cut machine can go a long way in creating fun looks on your projects!
 

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Now for even more fun!!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and we'll draw one lucky winner on Sunday to win a Pumpkin Spice collection pack!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you enter, head on over to the The Cut Shoppe blog to see what their team has created.  Make sure to enter there as well - they're giving away a $25 gift certificate to their store!

Want to follow The Cut Shoppe and keep up with all of their great projects & products?  Here you go!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCutShoppe?ref=ss_profile

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecutshoppedigitalcuts

Instagram: thecutshoppe

Blog: http://thecutshoppe.blogspot.com

We hope you've enjoyed the swap this week with The Cut Shoppe and have been inspired!!