Simple Stories

Hello everyone! Anya here today and it's my turn to share creations that were made with the Magical Birthday collection. I made two cards and a little mini book in a shape of a gift box. I've had this idea for a long time and this paper line seemed simply perfect for that.

I used a downloadable cut file and a Silhouette to cut the pages and a large bow. For the cover, I've cut a large bow and added machine stitching to it. I decorated pages with element pieces, ephemera and other decorative elements. Having a mini book ready will save me lots of time. I'll simply fill it with photos and stories when time comes!

For the cards, I used one of my favorite techniques: using two complimentary patterned papers for the background, adding a lighter center piece and decorating it with popped up elements. This collection has so many fun pieces to play with! I used some of my girls' favorites for these cards.

Thank you for visiting Simple Stories and stop by again soon!

Have you ever looked at a a patterned paper and been inspired to recreate it on a larger scale?  As I was looking through the 4 X 6 Elements Paper in the Summer Farmhouse Collection, I was completely inspired to recreate the pocket piece!  So I set off into the collection to figure out how to do just that!  Christine joining you today with a colorful Summer Farmhouse layout!

I have really been drawn to incorporating the 6 X 8 paper pads lately and today was no exception.  My actual pocket for the layout was cut out from one of the papers in the 6 X 8 pad. I created a pocket template on my own and then used that to cut this one out.  Then I went over the printed stitching and added actual hand stitching to the pocket.

I wanted to have lots of flowers overflowing from the pocket.  But I had to approach this somewhat cautiously - not wanting to go overboard.  A combination of cardstock stickers, stickers from the 4 X 6 sticker book, ephemera, and chipboard all make up this bouquet. I did use a variety of adhesives in order to add dimension as needed.

The Washi tape in this collection is gorgeous and was perfect to add as a boarder on the layout.  I also incorporated lots of enamel dots throughout the layout.

Although I love the words on the original pocket - I opted to stick with what was printed on the sheet from the 6 X 8 paper pad.  

Having already used words in a big way on the layout - I only added some little word stickers to the bottom of the layout. I didn't want the other elements to get lost to text.  If you'd like to take a closer look at this layout you can catch my process video on my YouTube Channel

Thanks so much for joining us at Simple Stories today!

Hi! Odessa here with a project I’ve been working on with the new Simple Stories Birthday Blast. It was just what I needed to go with some photos of my two boys. Packed with bright bold colours, fun patterns and lots of balloons and streamers and banners, I was excited to get embellishing.

I used the Birthday Blast 6x8 Pad to decorate the cover of my Teal SN@P! Binder. I used the fun rainbow plaid as the base and then used different blue patterned cardstock from the pad on the top and the bottom of the page set at an angle. 

I added an extra strip of each of the edge cardstock paper and then used some big word stickers from the Combo Sticker Sheet with s cheery balloon Chipboard Sticker. I finished it off with a couple of the banner stickers from the Combo Sticker sheet. It’s was really easy to put together with just a few stickers and some cardstock.

I kept the angle layers going on the inside, echoing it on a photo and journal card. I decorated the page with all the colours and patterns from Birthday Bash. In the middle I used one of my favourite SN@P! page protectors, It has a 2x8 pocket on the inside edge and if you cut it apart from the rest of the protectors it’s great to use as a divider. It’s a fun way to separate things, add more layers or just embellish more.

Inside my little divider with all kinds of stickers and enamel dots. I sealed it up with the scalloped border from the Combo Sticker sheet with washi stuck to the back and put a big chipboard sticker Happy Birthday Banner on top.

I love instant photos so I used the fun plaid pattern on the Wish Big! Cardstock to make an instant photo inspired frame to go over my photo. I used the deep blue Birthday Boy cardstock as the background and added a ton of embellishments. Those glitter enamel dots are a favourite.

This photo had an ugly air conditioner hanging out in the back so I used the It’s My Party cardstock just like on the cover to hide it. I added a splash of Bits & Pieces, Chipboard Stickers, Enamel Dots, Brads and more to make it extra cute. The balloons in the 3x4 Element next to it matches the rainbow stripes perfect. Birthday Blast was just what I needed to go with these photos.

Make your little guy's next birthday party a blast with the "Birthday Blast" Collection! Today I'm sharing just a few ideas for party favors and decorations...let's take a look at the complete ensemble:

I started by making goodie bags featuring the adorable robot stamp:

The image was stamped (onto Neenah cardstock) with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and then colored in with the Copic markers shown above.  Next, I die cut the image with a 2" circle and then layered it onto a larger die-cut shape.  The bags were simply crafted from  6" X 12" strip of patterned paper.  For this 4" X 6" X 0.5" size I scored at 4", 4.5", 8.5" and 9" and then turned and scored at 0.5"

After folding the bag into the shape and securing the edges, I added a pipe cleaner for the handle!  I also stamped the "Thanks a bot" phrase onto the orange balloons paper and used a tag die to cut out.  

Next is a set of 2X2 flags for paper straws! I cut apart select squares from the "2X2 Element Sheet" and used a standard hole punch to make a hole at the top and bottom.  The straw threads easily through the holes and done!

The chair banner is great for photo-shoots and can also be used as a wall or high chair banner.  I started by laminating one of the 6X8 papers from the paper pad.  Next, I punched two holes at the top right and left corner and tied on a yard of ribbon at each side (use more or less as needed).  Paper strips in various widths and lengths (1.5" wide with lengths ranging from 4" to 6") were attached to the back of the ribbon with hot glue.  The banner can be tied around the chair or across a window...this is such a versatile project!

Finally, I decorated a wooden picture frame with a layer of patterned papers, chipboard pieces and enamel dots; looks so cute as a tabletop decoration or photo prop!

Other ideas: popcorn covers, paper hats, dress-up photo props, mini scrapbooks and guest journal cards (have guests write messages on 4X6 journal cards and add them to an album).

Thank you for joining...now wasn't that a blast!?!

Shellye

Hello friends! It’s Jen today with a new layout using the amazing new Color Vibe papers and alphas. I can’t even with how amazing the textured cardstock is – pair that with the accompanying alpha stickers and you have just what you need to create beautiful projects.

For this layout, I pulled colors from the Basics, Bolds, and Brights papers to match the colors in my photo along with the Simple Stories Wreath (214849) and Butterflies (58850) cut files from the Silhouette Design Store. With only a few pieces of paper and some stickers, I was able to create a project with a lot of impact.

Once I had determined which colored cardstock to use, I began cutting wreaths from each piece. One of my favorite parts about the textured cardstock is that one side is plain while the other has polka dots, which is what I used on this project.

To keep everything from disappearing into the background, I used the Cedar woodgrain patterned paper from my SN@P! Basic papers. Choosing the dark background really makes the bright colors pop.

With all of the wreaths cut, I set about machine stitching them onto the patterned paper. Doing this allowed me to fold the leaves up and added just the right amount of texture.

The butterflies were cut next using the scraps from the same papers I used to cut the wreaths. To give them a bit of variety, I stitched the opposite sides together and then folded the wings upward. These were adhered to the wreath using foam squares.

When placing my photo, I chose not to back it or use embellishments since the wreaths and butterflies are already so prominent – I didn’t want it to get too busy.

Next was the title, and I used the foam alpha stickers in coordinating colors with the Alpha Sticker Book – Basics.

In the bottom-right corner of the layout, I used the tear strip from the woodgrain paper and my manual typewriter to note the occasion and date. A few enamel dots from my Simple Stories stash completed the project.

Here’s one more look at the finished layout.

If you haven’t picked up the Color Vibe patterned papers and alpha stickers yet, be sure to do so. The possibilities are endless and they coordinate with the other Simple Stories collections beautifully. Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope you are inspired to create.

Hi there and welcome!  Its Tya here and it is my turn to share my latest batch of handmade cards! I created 5 cards using the awesome new “Color Vibe” papers and stickers! This collection makes great basics that can be used with any of the numerous collections that Simple Stories has. So when I was assigned to create my cards using “just” the Color Vibe products, I was a little nervous… would I miss all my beloved bold, pattern paper and ephemera? Could I create cute cards using just paper and stickers? Challenge accepted! I hope you like what I created!

One of my favorite ways to use basic type pattern papers is to make my own die cuts so I turned to the Simple Stories library over on the Silhouette Design Store. There are so many cute cut files over there so I decided on a few basic shapes and then got to creating.

My first card features the “Lights” paper and stickers. I cut out 5 different sized hearts using this cut file over on the Silhouette Store (Hearts – shape #83043).  Using the offset feature duplicated the heart 5 times in different sizes. I then backed each of the hearts 5 different papers. The pattern papers have a solid side and the other side has tone on tone dots. I used the dot side of the papers. I then turned to the ‘Lights” Alpha Sticker Book for my sentiment by mounting the letter stickers on some white cardstock and then trimming it down and adding it to the card base. To finish off the card I added some enamel dots in the same shade of the paper to the hearts.

This card is so bright and fun! I got creative and made my own striped “pattern paper” by cutting strips of each of the 6 papers from the “Bolds” paper. I then turned to the “Best Year Ever” Combo sticker and used the navy dot scallop border sticker on the top and bottom edges of the card. These colors matched perfectly! To create my sentiment I cut out the “Hello” using this Silhouette cut file (Hello Script – shape #188029). I turned to the black type stickers from the “Basics” Alpha Sticker Book. I then grabbed some heart stickers from the “Best Year Ever” Combo Sticker and the 4x6 Sticker Book. The “Best Year Ever” collection has some great basic shapes that worked really well as little accents for my cards.

I have had this cute embellishment of cream colored flowers with cardstock “buttons” in the centers on my Pinterest board forever and so I thought I’d recreate it with the Color Vibe papers. I made the flowers from the “Cream” Color Vibe Basics and then the centers are from the “Lights”, “Brights” and ‘Bolds” papers.  I used this Silhouette cut file to create the flowers and the flower centers. (Flower – shape #58854). I cut a scallop rectangle using a metal die and some of the “Black” Color Vibe Basics paper. I then mounted the flowers on some white cardstock and then glued that to the scallop rectangle. The sentiment on this card is made from the “Black” letter stickers from the “Basic Alpha Sticker Book.

This cute card was super fun to make and just in time for Mothers Day. I loved the color combo of coral, black, cream and grey so I cut out this floral cluster using this Silhouette Cut file (Happy Haunting Halloween Flowers- shape #301886) and then papers from the “Basics” and then “Bold” papers. I layered these together and glued them to the bottom right corner of my card. I added a cream button to the center of the largest flower and tied some coral twine to the center. To make my sentiment I used the cute and fun “Coral” Foam Alphas. I spelled out the word “Mom” with the foam stickers and added them to the card base. I wanted to add a little bit more so I turned to the “Basics” Alpha Sticker Book. I love the type stickers so I spelled “love u” with the cream type stickers.

My last card is super bright and bold! I of course used the “Brights” Color Vibe Basics to make this card.  I cut out 2 popsicles using this Silhouette Cut File. (Orange Popsicle – shape #62886). The cut file is of a solid popsicle, but I wanted some striped popsicles so I cut out a base from the “Cream” paper and then cut 4 other popsicles using the Pink, Orange, Yellow and Teal papers. I simply snipped off the colors I wanted, in the order I wanted, and then glued them down on the cream base. I wanted a really vivid background to put my popsicles on so I created my own background using some Distress Oxide Inks in Pink, Orange, Yellow and Teal. I blended them together and glued my new colorful background to my card base. I then cut a stitched rectangle from some of the Pink paper and placed some white cardstock to the center. I mounted my popsicles to this part of the card with foam tape. The sentiment was made using the “Brights” Alpha Sticker Book. I liked the mix of the type stickers and the tall, bold stickers. I needed a few finishing touches so again turned to the “Best Year Ever” Cardstock stickers and 4x6 Sticker Book for the sun and hearts. I tied some orange bakers twine along the bottom and added 2 clear sequins to the popsicles for a little shimmer.

I truly had so much fun making these cards.  It really made me stretch my creativity to use just the few items that I did- and I kind of like how they all turned out!  I hope I have inspired you to create some cards of your own using the “Color Vibe” papers and stickers! They are great basics and I know I will use them over and over again! Thanks for coming by and Happy Crafting Friends!

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by today! It’s Kylie back with you to share a brand new layout I have been working on. Even though it’s almost Winter here in Australia, doesn’t mean I can’t dream of Summer and recall sweet moments! The Summer Farmhouse collection was perfect for a layout I wanted to create.

When I first saw the papers’ I was immediately drawn to the “SIMPLE PLEASURES’ paper and the cute pinwheel graphics. It was from this paper, that I knew I wanted to include a pinwheel into my design!

From a 4”x 4” square, I cut and folded the pinwheel from the “SWEET SUMMER” paper and added a second one behind from the “BACKYARD BBQ” paper. To centre my pinwheel, I added one of the gorgeous decorative brads.

For my background page, I layered together the “CHOOSE TO SHINE”, “SUNNIES AND SANDALS” and more of the “SWEET SUMMER” papers. Using a decorative punch from my craft stash, I added a strip made from white cardstock.

I think a large title can add so much to a layout, which is why I chose the ‘SUMMER’ title from the chipboard stickers.

I added a 1.5cm strip of the “SWEET SUMMER” to the lower section of my page, for a little added colour balance. I layered my two photos into the bottom right hand corner and embellished them with some of the die cuts. Some were added with foam tape to give a little more dimension.

To complete my design, I added the sweetest sun and cloud die cuts, positioned above my title. The finished result screamed Summer and I loved the bursts of colour.

Thanks so much for taking a look at my layout. I hope it has given you a little inspiration for your own Summer layouts!

Take care,

Kylie

It’s Mik with you today and I bring you an inspiration using the beautiful Hip Hop Hooray collection!

Spring is almost over, I know, but for me it is the most beautiful and expected season of the year, so it’s never too late to make a spring album. When I think of spring, I immediately think of outdoor walks and picnics. So, I decided to braid the Hickory / Cream Grid 12”x12” paper, which you can find in the Sn@p! Wood Basics collection. This braid reminds me of a picnic basket, and I thought it would be perfect to make my cover background. I used a spring cut file from Paige Evans and I backed it with blossoms paper. Next I glued it in the center of my page using 3D foam adhesives to add some dimension. With this done I started to embellish my Sn@p! Binder.

Embellishing is always fun. I added flowers from the 6x12 chipboard and some ephemeras. To finish my cover, I used enamel dots on the flowers and butterflies.

For the first page of my album I decided to use the so sweet paper. I cut it at the height of the album and folded the sides so that it was closed like a window. To link one side to the other, I used a card that you can find on 4x4 elements paper. I picked combo sticker stickers to decorate it. When opening, you can place a 4x6 and a 4x3 photo on it.

As you know I like to leave a page with lines to be able to write about my photos. I love to add photo flips, so on the lines’ page I also added a photo flip with a card.

Adding unbound cards is also something I really like. That must be part of my "planner soul". I think that it makes each album more fun and colorful.

Here I used one of the kraft dividers, to make a page where I can place a 5x5 photo.

Except for the binder stripe, all 6x8 Sn@p binders come with 10 pocket pages (4 -6 x8”, 3 -4”x6”, 3 -3”x4”/4”x6 ”), but here I used the 3”x3” pocket page, which enables me to put smaller photos and make it more cute.

Did you know that the sheets that come in the 6”x6” basic pad have their backs ledged, gray or dotted? This makes it much easier when we want to do journaling. I love it!

So, I created a journal card on a 3x4”/4x6” and 6x8” pocket page.

Doesn’t looking at this page remind you of a picnic? If the answer is “yes”, prepare a super picnic and take lots of photos to remember that even if we have to stay at home, we can make a delicious snack and enjoy beautiful family moments.

I hope you’ve got some inspiration from this idea and enjoyed it! If you have any questions, would like to talk some more about Sn@p! come and check out my IG account.

Thanks for stopping by and have a creative day!

Hi beautiful Simple Stories friends, Cristina here with you today to show you a new project I made with the brand new Simple Vintage Coastal collection. When I saw this collection I immediately wanted to use it to make a mini album. A vintage-style summer theme full of marine elements but not the usual ones that are proposed for the summer it would be perfect.

For a long time I wanted to give a gift to a dear friend who travels a lot. She has no way to collect all the photos she takes during her travels so she leaves them on the phone or computer. So I decided that this collection would be perfect for her day in Terracina.

I chose a 5x7” horizontal size so and I made the pages a 4x6” size. I added two 3x4/4x6 Sn@p! pocket pages. I cut one at the middle to have two horizontal pocket pages, one 4x6 and one with two 3x4 size pockets.

Then I cut the inner pages for my mini book choosing those papers with patterns and soft colors in order not to create too many contrasts with the colors of the photos. I wanted to create the contrast on the cover by choosing a wood-effect paper from the Sn@p Wood Basics collection and which was perfect as a combination with the colors of Simple Vintage Coastal collection.

I think the designs in this collection are really beautiful and unusual for a summer collection, I loved them a lot especially for this. Pastel and delicate colors, scenarios that inspire silence and relaxation that made me dream of being under one of those palm trees perhaps abandoned on a rowboat in the middle of the sea.

To create some sentiments I used the beautiful foam alphabets available in all pastel colors suitable to be combined with this collection. They are so so amazing and come in an uppercase font and a very high foam quality. Then I had so much fun adding chipboard, brads, stickers, ephemera, frames, and so on. This collection is really full of everything you can desire to have to decorate your projects.

You don’t need to have anything else because all the embellishments are full of many elements to decorate your pages, mini book or anything else your creativity inspires you to do. So if you didn’t add the Simple Vintage Coastal to your own stash yet, this is the right time
to have it.

I hope you are inspired by my project! Thank you so much for joining me today and see you again in my next post.
Bye.
Cristina xxx
 

Hi Friends!  Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you are having a great day and the sun is shining wherever you are! Today I’m sharing EIGHT cards made with the Simple Stories Summer Farmhouse Collection. This collection is sure to make you smile with images that are reminiscent of a simpler time. 

I live in a small town in Indiana and this collection feels right at home to me.   We still sit on the front porch in the summer and drink lemonade while we chat with neighbors and everyone is welcome. 

The patterns in the collection have a comfortable feel too!  Honeycomb, stitched denim, calico, and gingham are right at home with the summer fruits and flowers.

The collection has papers available in 12” and 6x8”.  For card making I prefer the 6x8” pad because the prints are a bit smaller and by cutting the pad sheets in half I can cover two A2 card fronts.

The die cut pieces are fun to mix and match.  I love adding the chipboard stickers to add dimension.

The Journaling Bits and Pieces include lots of sentiments as well as the stickers in the 4x6” pad. 

The collection has lots of embellishments too – three different patterns of washi tape, enamel dots, and decorative brads that shine like candy for the eyes!

I’m going to use these cards for personal notes for friends and family that I send throughout the summer.  I think this one would make a great invite to dinner – on the back porch of course!

There’s a little bit of something for everyone in this collection.  It will make you want to recapture the summers of your youth and share them with the newest generation.

Hey everyone, Michelle here today with a new layout to share using the  Birthday Blast collection.  This collection has everything you would want from a birthday collection, the bright colors, the fun embellishments, quotes and saying...  It's a must have!

I rolled up some pattern paper to make some candles for my cake layout.  I then hand cut some flames and added them with pop dots. 

I went a little crazy on the stitching for the first layer of my cake.  I think I tried all the different settings on my machine.  I like the fun look it created!

This layout is fun and bright.  A little busier than my usual but I love how happy it looks!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hello again, hope you are all well, Emma with you today! I’d like to share with you how I’ve started using the beautiful Coastal collection by Simple Stories. 

I’ve used one of the stunning 12x12 papers to cover the front of the 6x8 Robins Egg sn@p! binder and then used a chalk ink around the edges to finish it off. This print is so gorgeous I didn’t feel the need to add anything else. 

I really enjoy decorating the chipboard dividers that come with the sn@p! 6x8 binders! I thought it would be fun to show how easily you can get three completely different colour ways, using the 12x12 basics papers. 

For each divider I’ve cut out a 6x8 size of paper and then layered it with a coordinating patterned paper & cut a part image. 

And then below I’ve used a smaller piece of the patterned design and one of the banners out of the ‘Bits & Pieces’ pack. ...oh, and of course, edged each piece with my ‘trademark’ black ink faux stitching!, and a few enamel dots! 

I love making large designs to fit in the full 6x8 pocket pages, these pineapples were screaming out to be used! I layered up the images and used some foam dots for the die cuts. 

On this large design I cut some lined paper from the sn@p! Basics 6x6 paper pad, to use for journaling and layered it up on one of the floral designs out the 6x8 paper pad. 

If you’d like to see more of how I use simple stories products, pop over to my IG page.

See you next time! 

Hi everybody! Welcome back! I’m so excited to show my new project! Would you like to create something sweet and beautiful to keep your summer memories? This is going to be a very special summer… I´m Celes from GuiadeManualidades.com and I want to share with you this lovely mini album!

Summer is coming and as we are all living in a very special situation… This summer is going to be different. Looking for a design in the Simple Stories Store in the Silhouette Design Store, I found this beautiful house from the Happy Together collection. You will find it HERE. So I decided to use it to make a mini book.

The collection for this project is called Summer Farmhouse and its all new! It’s full of lovely details and colors that shout "summer" and make you feel happy and ready for a picnic… Let's get started!

The first thing you need to do is to edit your cut file and separate all the house pieces. I recommend you to edit the house silhouette and modify the base of it (make a straight line). Then, separate all the other pieces without modifying them.

My final project is around  6 3/4” w x 8 1/4” h. I cut 2 pieces of the house silhouette in stable cardboard adding 1 piece of 2” w x 3 3/4” h.

I used two of the collection kit papers for the mini book. One of it to cover all the structure and the other one for the inside. I cut the inside paper using the same house silhouette file.  But, you have to wait to add the inside paper until you prepare the spine.

I made a basic spine. For making it I cut a piece of yellow cardstock paper from the Color Vibe “Brights” Kit of 10 1/4” w x 3 1/4” h. Then you have to scored it in 1 ½”, 2”, 2 ½”, 2 3/4”, 3 1/4”, 3 3/4”, 4” , 4 1/2”, 5”, 5 1/4”, 5 ¾” 6 1/4”, 6 1/2”, 7”, 7 ½”, 7 ¾”,  8 ¼”, 8 ¾”.  As a result you are going to have a spine with 6 hinges. Once it´s ready, you can glue the spine and then add the interior papers. The spine is smaller than your structure. Just leave 1/4” up and down.

Now we are going to work on the cover. We need to prepare all the pieces. You need white cardstock paper, charcoal cardstock paper from the Color Vibe “Basic” Kit, vellum and three of the collection kit papers. For the windows we are going to prepare something special. For each window you need to cut: #1- 3 pieces of the structure of the window in white cardstock paper, #2-  2 pieces of the base of the window:  1 in vellum and 1 in one of the collection kit papers.

Glue 2 of the white paper pieces, the add the vellum piece and add the last white paper piece on top. Finally, add the piece of the design paper at the back. Repeat the process with all the windows.

Besides the windows, you will have 2 pieces for the roof of the house and 1 piece for the fireplace. Cut them in charcoal cardstock paper from the Color Vibe “Basic” Kit. Use one of the design papers to cut the door and another one to cut the front house shape.

Once you have all ready, you can start to assemble the cover. Add the front house shape with 3d foam and then the rest of the pieces. I didn’t use the plants cut file. I preferred to use some of the chipboard for it. Then I added one of the die cuts and some enamel dots to complete the cover.

Let´s go to the inside! We are now going to make special pocket pages… we are going to cut the same house silhouette file for making our pages. Cut all the design papers you like and then add them to the spine.

For doing it, you have to glue them together but leave a “small pocket” between them. You will use that “pocket” to glue the page to the spine. It’s easy! Just check the alignment of the page with the structure. Repeat this process with all your pages.

IMPORTANT: If you are planning to make some inside structures as a cascade or anything else, you have to add them before you glue the pages together. The same thing must happen if you are planning to decorate with some brads as I did.

To decorate the pages you can use all you have. Die cuts, stickers, chipboard, enamels dots and washi tape.

I hope you like this idea! Play with papers and your cutting machine and create something beautiful.

See you next time!
 

Hi there Simple Stories friends!

Nathalie with you today to share a fun and colorful layout all about celebrating those magical birthdays. I always think of birthdays as a cheerful day, and the new MAGICAL BIRTHDAY collection  from Simple Stories is filled with small details that will help you document your special day.    

I love the colors and designs in the papers, but the reason  i pulled this picture of my niece for the layout is all due to the eight candles that come in the 12x12 sticker combo, call it serendipity.   I used a cake cut file from Handipaper and cut it three times from white cardstock.  These were stacked and glued together so that they add dimension to the page.

All the colorful papers made it so easy to back the cut file.  I pulled the It's Your Party, Birthday Girl, 3x4 Elements, as well as the 6x8 paper pad to bring color to the cut file.  To construct the layout, i cut a 12"x5" white cardstock strip and attached it to the center of the Hey Crafty Girl basic paper.  I fussy cut a scalloped strip from the HB2U paper and layered it under the white cardstock along with the sticker border from the 12x12 sticker combo.

Embellishing this layout was so fun, literally fun.  My idea was to recreate the party in the page, so i started by adding a few of the banners at the top right corner of the layout.  That foiled star banner from the ephemera pack is amazing!  Then i added the picture (i backed the picture with some of the collection papers) then added a few more decoration to the top of the picture ( thinking of the party decor).  Then added a few stickers around the picture.  The brad was perfect to hold the stickers together and bring texture to the page.

I placed all the presents embellishments at the bottom of the cake, and then used the beautiful foil foam stickers to create my title.  A few enamel dots and gold foil stickers complete  the page.

I love how this page came together with the beautiful MAGICAL BIRTHDAY collection, it is a must for your Birthday documenting!!!

XO

Hello friends, it’s Dorymar today and I am super excited to show this fun Sn@p! Album I created using the lovely Magical Birthday Collection.  These pages were especially fun for me to create because I'm a mom of two girls.  Pink and girly themes are my favorites, and this collection has such a mixture of beautiful colors and gold in the lovely graphics and the designs.

This time I used my 6x8 Pink Sn@p binder in a different way, I decided to use it the horizontal way and I loved it. The binder design is made to be used vertically, but I think this way is a little different twist on a Sn@p! Album and the result is the same, a beautiful project to document my memories. On the cover, I created with the new Color Vibe Lights collection and made four rosettes to mix up the beautiful patterned papers and goodies from the Magical Birthday Collection. I selected different pieces from the ephemera and chipboards stickers and for my title, I selected one of the 4x4 cards included in the 4x4 Element paper. All the pieces were adhered with foam tape to create dimension.

Since my cover is horizontal, I wanted to create my pages and dividers in the same way.  To start, I painted my chipboard dividers with white paint to match perfectly with the papers in the collection. Then I used papers from the 6x8 paper pad to decorate them and add the layers. I just love the way they turned out.

This collection includes the fun new foam stickers, I am delighted with them. I used them to create the titles on my pages and others to highlight pocket pages. I always love to incorporate different textures and add things that will highlight the collection, in this case, I added a lace ribbon and created some beautiful bows with threads and decorated them with the beautiful brads from the collection.

As you know I adore adding pages of different sizes in my albums because this gives an added touch to the project. In this case, I reduced one of the pages included in the Snap binder to 6 inches, then with one of the flower papers included in the 6x8 paper pad,  I made a pocket to house different cards to add photos and journaling inside.

Below you can see some of the beautiful pages of that this lovely project includes.

The 2x2 insta-pocket page could not be missing in my project, I love it too much. I put several of the beautiful 2x2 cards included in the collection and made some shakers to give it a gorgeous look. Many, many beautiful goodies from the collection. I’m totally in love with them.

The cards included in the Elements papers always include messages in vertical as well as  horizontal designs. It's so easy to just slip a card into one of the pocket pages to finish off the design.

I hope you love this project as much as I do and it has inspired you to use the beautiful Magical Birthday Collection and also to try to use your Sn@p! Binders in another way. In my opinion, the result was wonderful, and I think it will be the first of many that I use horizontally.

Stay safe and happy!

Hello everyone! Are you enjoying this warmer weather? We absolutely love it! Doesn't this kind of weather makes you think about past vacations or the ones you are planning to take this year? Anya here today and I am really excited to share with you a mini book I created using the gorgeous Simple Vintage Coastal collection. I used this fabulous little book to record one of our vacation trips to Myrtle Beach.

As soon as I saw those round chipboard Layered Frames I new I would be doing a mini album with a shaker on the cover. I filled the shaker with tiny white sequins and decorated the cover with additional stickers, chipboard, brads and enamel dots. 

When it comes to decorating the page spreads I like to pick a main color and stick to that color palette. Also, my favorite part in decorating mini books is adding as many 3x4, 4x4 and 4x6 elements as possible. They perfectly coordinate with patterned papers and provide a great decorative piece to any page. I always adhere them to a folded piece of white cardstock first, which adds them a nice border and provides additional space for photos.

By spreading pages apart about 1/4” every double page, it gives me room to add more layers and lets me use bulkier items like chipboard and brads for decoration. This is what I like the most about handmade mini books – you decide how big or small, skinny or wide it will be. My mini book measures about 5x7” and has a 1.5” binder; it includes 12 full pages and a lot of flips and pockets.

Thank you for visiting Simple Stories blog and stop by again soon for more inspiration!

It feels like life lately has had us getting back to the basics.  Perfect timing to create a layout with some new basic products from Simple Stories, the Color Vibe collection! This collection has basics to help supplement your patterned paper collections or to take out on it's own.  Today I am going to show you how I used it on it's own!

When I am working with simple patterns, I often go to cut files!  Today was no exception!  For this layout I used an older viewfinder cut file from the Simple Stories store.  By enlarging it to fit on a 12 X 12 layout, I was able to add a lot of pictures to it!  

The Color Vibe papers are textured with one side being solid and one side have dots.  I love the dots as an added option!  I utilized that side for my entire layout combining both the Basics & Bolds paper collections.

One advantage to working with Color Vibe is that you can totally tailor the colors to match your photos exactly!  Having a lot of reds, yellows, and blues in my pictures; I opted for those as my main colors!  I cut out stars and the title in those colors.

I also used the Foam Alphabets in coordinating colors to add "7" to my spots without pictures.  This was a nice way to add in a meaningful element!

If you'd like to check out more of this project and how it came together you can find more details in my process video here

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

The Simple Stories Summer Farmhouse collection is packed with bright colours and everyday summer fun! I had so much fun revisiting some summer adventures with this collection. The bold yellows popped out at me so I used the Yellow SN@P! binder with Summer Farmhouse

I was really inspired by the quilt-like pattern of the Simple Pleasures Cardstock and used that inspiration to decorate the chipboard cover of the Yellow SN@P album. I took a few of the papers from the Summer Farmhouse 6x8 paper pad and the regular 12x12 cardstock and cut up a bunch of squares which I then made into triangles. I played around with different quilt inspired configurations and settled on a simple starburst. The different patterns in Summer Farmhouse worked great to make a quilted album cover. It’s so much fun! I then used a bunch of the Bits & Pieces, stickers, enamel dots and brads from Summer Farmhouse to add some embellishments to the cover. I finished it off with some thin strips of the Backyard BBQ cardstock to frame my paper quilt. I really like how it turned out!

Inside there is lots more fun and bold yellows with sky blues accented with perky pinks and primary reds. The journal Bits & Pieces had just the right touches to add some words to my pockets and the Summer Farmhouse 4x6 sticker book has some great little tabs like that cute pink and red heart tab I added to a photo.

To fill this 4x6 pocket I used a handful of the Summer Farmhouse 2x2 Elements adhered to a piece of 4x6 cardstock. I like the cute patchwork effect that ties it in with the cover of the album.

This page is popping with fun! I used the Summer Farmhouse Simple Pleasures cardstock here for more quilty fun with a simple 2x2 Element added to it. My photos all had a lot of sky blue so I used a lot of the yellows from Summer Farmhouse to balance it out. These fun colours and icons are just so cheery!

On this photo I used the new Colour Vibe Foam Alpha stickers in Yellow for a bold accent on my photo. These new Foam Alpha stickers are an instant favourite for me because they come in all of the classic Simple Stories colours and are easy to coordinate with different collections. The yellow on the blue sky goes perfect with the cute 3x4 lemon journal card above it. To balance the bright yellow stickers I added some of the Summer Farmhouse red gingham washi along the bottom with some phrase stickers and a cute Decorative Brad

This pocket is probably my favourite and was the most fun to put together! I cut out a 4x6 piece of the Sunnies & Sandals cardstock and covered it with all things summer. I used a word die cut from the Summer Farmhouse Bits & Pieces in the middle of the pocket and arranged various Bits & Pieces, Chipboard Stickers, Decorative Brads, Enamel Dots and stickers from the 4x6 Sticker book and Combo Sticker sheet. I spent a bit of time rearranging everything just perfect, but it was worth it.

If you need some cheer right now, the bright colours of Summer Farmhouse and some photos of summer fun might help!