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05.28.15
Hi everyone, it's Audrey, here to share a couple of cards with you today made with the super fun and functional Lovely SN@P! Pack. 
If you like pocket scrapbooking, you are going to go crazy for the SN@P! Packs. Each SN@P! Pack collection contains well over a hundred pieces of pre-cut journaling cards and die cut ephemera, perfectly measured to fit most standard pocket page systems. Talk about making things a snap! But as fabulous as the SN@P! Packs are for pocket pages, that's not all they're good for. They are also super fun to use for regular scrapbook layouts, cards, and so much more. 
Both of my cards today were really fast and easy to put together using journaling cards and die cuts from the Lovely pack. For my first card, I pieced together several of the 4x6 journaling cards to create a fun background in a mix of polka dots and stripes. All you need to do is cut down a bit of length on each journaling card, and you have the perfect fit for a second layer on a standard A2 card base. How easy is that? 
I adhered a few of my pieces with pop dots for some extra interest. Wrapped a bit of matching ribbon around the bottom of one of the panels, and then embellished with die cuts from the Lovely Pack. Enamel dots from the I Am collection add a final little touch. 
Also included in the SN@P! Pack collections are these adorable little 2"x2" journaling cards, so fabulous for creating quick and easy blocked designs, and small enough to work perfectly on cards. 
At 2" square, these little journaling cards would fit on any number of card base sizes. For this card, I layered four 2"x2" SN@P! cards onto a panel of white cardstock, and then onto a 5"x5" square card base made from I Am Important 12x12 Paper. Boom! Instant blocked grid design. Seriously doesn't get any easier than that. 
One of the best things about SN@P! cards, of course, are the pre-printed images and titles that are great for journaling, but also make fabulous instant card sentiments, too. Love that these cards are all double-sided, for even more creative possibilities. I added a few more Lovely die cuts, a bit of twine, and enamel dots, and another super easy, but super cute, card is complete. Enjoy!
05.27.15
Keepin It Real
I love to use SN@P! cards to build my layouts! This layout began with my picture and my title card chosen from the Life Documented collection; I added in a few other 3x4 cards to further build upon my theme of daily learning. I then chose the camera paper as my background for my cluster of cards/photo because it continued my theme of documenting the everyday moments.
I snuck in a few Bits & Pieces and even a chipboard frame from the Say Cheese II Collection to add some layers and depth into my page.
A Clip and Bradz added a little more interest to my page and the final touches were the wooden stars which I added from the Enchanted collection.
I AM Simply ME
I had pieces scattered everywhere on my desk from my last layout and all of the leftovers from previous pages and one combination caught my eye and it fit so perfectly with my picture that a layout was born.
I chose the DOC paper from more of my leftovers and it added just enough interest to my picture grouping and it gave me a place to build my title. Since the collections match so well I was able to pull in some of the wood veneers from the I AM collection and a frame from the Say Cheese II collection.
I added in some strips of patterned paper on a slant to further energize my layout and to provide the finishing splashes of color.
I hope you were inspired today to play with some of the older collections and to mix in some of the new products! Thanks for joining me today, see you next time.
05.26.15
Hey There! Rebecca Larson here to share a layout using one of Simple Stories latest digital kits “Sea to Shining Sea”. On the tails of a patriotic holiday here in the United States, I was excited to find a way to use this beautiful kit. I love the classic red, white, and blue, but throw some aqua in there and I am all over it!!
At my son’s school, after they complete the US history unit, they have a wonderful field day living the life of Colonial America. It is filled with games, crafts, a yummy dutch oven lunch, and a much need break from classwork! I knew that this special day was one that my son would want to remember.
I wanted to use one of the 3x4 pocket cards as a scaffolding for the photo that I had chosen. To give the photo more of a framed up look, I selected the ticket portion of the card, copied it onto a new layer, and stacked it right up on top of my photo. This gives it additional dimension, and draws the eye to the picture that I had chosen. I then lined everything up, and cleaned up anything existing from my crop.
Because of the detail of the elements surrounding my photo, I opted to leave a lot of open space to not make the layout overly busy. I added some quick journaling, flattened and saved it and sent it to my local print shoppe. I am so excited to add it to my book!
05.21.15
Hello Simple Stories fans! Nancy here with simple summery page using the I AM... collection. I love this flowery pattern, it reminds me of the tropics and has such a great summer feel. It was perfect for this story!
I started with a 4x4 photo and then built a large white mat to frame out the photo and separate the flower pattern from the yellow and white border. A few white one white layers of text paper, envelope, clips and stickers add texture while remaining neutral.
The final pop of color was created with three frames from the I AM collection that were backed with triangles of patterned paper in matching hues. This creates the perfect frame for the wood veneer title.
Did you know that we have free printable planner pages?! You can find them here on the Project Downloads page. They are a great addition to the Life Documented Planner! The 3 free printables I use below are all found in the Life Documented Free Printables - March download.
One of my favorite printable is this Project Planner page. I use these to map out layouts I want to complete. It’s a great spot to gather ideas, sketch out designs and list products you want to use. Some black and white washi tape for decoration and a little bit of graph paper make it functional.
I also keep a running list of books I want to read and plan to read. This list also includes a “movies” column, but I covered that up since I’m not much of a movie watcher. Instead, I use this space to jot down takeaways from the books I’ve read.
Hello Spring cleaning! I’m using this list to keep track of things that are need of a great big purge. It’s going to feel so good to check all of these off (one day).
05.20.15
Hi Everyone! Marie here today to share my latest pages using the Fresh SN@P! Pack. These sets are such a great value. I think this is my third set of pages with this pack, and I still haven't run out of cards and embellishments!
It recently occurred to me that we are going to have a lot of house guests this summer, and our house isn't quite looking put together. I decided to embark on a 30-day organization plan and get things ready room by room.
I am using my SN@P! album to document my progress, as well as a place to write out my to-do lists. I think it helps to have a visual plan of what I need to get accomplished. The bright pops of color in the Fresh SN@P! Pack are a great inspiration for how I want my home to look.
I added an insert in between my pages with some notes on things I want to accomplish.
The back side of the insert shows a couple more areas I need to get organized, including my car.
The best part of using a SN@P! album to document this project is that the 3-ring binder system will allow me to add more pages in as I get farther along with my plan. I've also been using some of the Life Documented stickers in these pages, because the colors coordinate perfectly with Fresh.
I hope you've enjoyed seeing the beginning of my organization plan. I will be adding to it for the next month. If you have a big task ahead of you, I highly recommend making a visual journal of your plan with a SN@P! album. It will make the whole project more fun and rewarding!
05.19.15
If you have a teen daughter, you most likely have plenty of photos lol...some you have taken, others she has snapped while with friends...there really is no lack of photos in our house. While I love some that I have taken, it ends up being the ones that she shares with me of good times had while we aren't around that really share insight into her world at 15. I had several that had been piling up and decided to slip them into one pocket page, paired up with the I Am... collection.
These photos weren't taken in the same week. Heck, I think they may be from two different MONTHS...I could care less. Not once has my family ever called me out on silly things like timelines...they seem to love that the moments they assumed were insignificant ended up being quite the opposite. They remember the birthdays, the holidays and the vacations. But the day to day stuff? The photo of a new hair cut or the one taken immediately after a muddy soccer game? Those may have slipped their minds.
Until they showed up on this pocket page. ;)
The generic theme that pulls this page together might be the start of her sophomore year, but the photos + words actually tell more than that. Enjoying Friday night football games with her friends is part of her world but the photo I included from the game isn't showing the scoreboard or even the field. Instead I used the pic she sent me of her sitting in the stands after she and her friends took a few bottles of paint and 'wore' their school spirit proudly, lol.
Just a reminder, not every pocket has to be a masterpiece...or filled with enough words to be worthy of a Shakespearean sonnet. I am perfectly ok letting a lovely card stand all on it's own, as seen above. A few flicks of spray mist were all I added, and I love the sentiments on both of these cards.
Bottom line?
This shouldn't be stressful.
ENJOY!
05.18.15
Hello there, Simple Stories friends! Shellye here to bring you a sweet "Welcome Baby" basket brimming with paper flowers and baby's info; such a wonderful keepsake for a new mom!
For this project I have used the "Enchanted Collection"...it's ideal for any of those little girl projects, even to welcome baby. The wooden box is one that I found at Michael's and measures approximately 4.25"W X 5.5"H X 2"D. I traced the front and back of the box onto a piece of the "Rose" Simple Basic paper and then cut out. Adhesive was applied with the Xyron Creative Station and attached to box.
To the front, one of the printed sides of the 3X4 SN@P! cards was edged in green ric rac and embellished with a sentiment cloud from the Bits & Pieces pack. A butterfly was attached to a pixie stick straw and attached with a glue dot.
From the 6X6 paper pad, blooms were punched using the Floriana punch by McGill. Two blooms were layered together and then attached to a paper straw. Floral foam was inserted into the box and the flowers arranged in a staggered fashion. The baby info was printed off using my home printer and then cut into strips and glued to the straws. Various Bradz, Bits & Pieces and chipboard stickers were added to the centers of the blooms.
The sides of the box were covered with strips cut from 6X6 paper and satin bows were glued to the sides.
This would also make an adorable centerpiece for a baby shower or a nursery decoration!
05.16.15
With the summer sitting just along the horizon, I couldn't resist working with the Under the Stars Digital Simple Set to get into a summertime adventure frame of mind. My family loves to go camping and each year we try to find new places to visit and explore. Last summer we were able to take a longer weekend and visit one of our favorite places in northern Minnesota. I knew I wanted to use some pictures from that trip on a layout featuring Under the Stars.
I started with a sketch (credit: Traci Reed Designs) that allowed me to feature a bunch of the beautiful patterned papers in the simple set. I grabbed a kraft paper from my digital stash (credit: Jenn Barrette Designs) because I wanted something basic and neutral that would allow the colors in this set to shine.
Once I got my papers situated, I layered on elements and added a simple title and some journaling to remember the day. I wanted to add some faux tape to my layout, so I clipped a paper to some digital tape from my stash (you could just as easily create a square and clip a paper to it, then adjust the opacity of the layer until you can see a bit of the layers below through it). I used a trick to make the tape look a bit more realistic that I learned from a tutorial I watched awhile ago (credit to One Little Bird designs), using the dodge and burn tools to create shadowing effects.
And I loved the way the layout came together! This is the perfect kit to document summer memories and nights spent under the stars!
Have a great day!
05.15.15
Hello Friends!
It's Kristine with you today and I am here to share a pocket page spread featuring a variety of collections today. I used Say Cheese II, and I AM Collections. I have the month of April in my spread today. April was a quick month for me, I was able to enjoy time with friends at a crop and some much needed time with my sister and her kids.
My spread is colorful this month. I used lots of colors to feature the pictures and to make it a fun spread. I love color and these colors in the collection are so bright and cheerful.
A fun thing to do in a pocket page is confetti! Lots of fun elements to create a great " interactive" pocket!
I included a few diecuts, some silhouette cut words and numbers, punched out confetti as well as wood veneers. It's fun to include these items in a pocket page spread! Have you ever created a confetti pocket? Don't forget to sew the top of the pocket so your items don't fall out ;-)
Here are a few close ups of my spread.
I hope you enjoyed my Life Documented post today and I hope you enjoy creating with your favorite Simple Stories Products!
05.14.15
Hi there! Today I have 2 layouts to share with you using some of the recent collections.
PLACES WE GO:
The first layout that I'd like to share is about my trip to England with my Mom. We went last September and had the most gorgeous weather the entire trip! It was wonderful. We saw many sights, where my mom was born, visited family & friends and just had a great time. We even toured through Buckingham Palace and then enjoyed Tea in the backyard of the Palace.
I used the Enchanted collection along with the diecuts shapes, and wood veneer embellishments.
The die cuts were perfect for my layout.
The wood veneer shapes add texture and dimension to a project which I like!
I used my Silhouette CAMEO and the Places We Go cut file by Simple Stories for the title. I continued the title with some alpha stickers.
I also added a bit of punch in colour with the black photo stickers.
The second layout I'd like to share with you today is about me & my coffee! Yes, I do love my coffee. But mostly in the morning!
I used the Fresh SN@P! Pack for this page. There's so many funs little bits & pieces to this mini collection.
I typed my journaling onto one of the small 2x2 squares cards that came in the collection. Added a few more small circle die cut pieces, some photo stickers (heart) and some enamel dots.
Love the ampersand and had to use it for my title.
I also dug out some of the DIY burlap stickers (heart & arrow) to add some texture & warmth to my page.
Thanks for stopping by today.
05.13.15
Hi everyone, it's Audrey, and today I have a couple of bright and happy, spring-inspired friendship cards to share with you, made with the adorable I AM... collection. 
Today's cards are all about the polka dots. To me, there is nothing quite as happy and fun as a bunch of polka dots. So I decided to really focus on them with these card designs, and have combined a ton of dots here using prints from the 12x12 and 6x6 patterned papers and prints from the SN@P Cards. I've even thrown in some dots from the I Am Washi Paper Tape. One might not think that all those dots would work together, but I think they do. And what could be more fun? 
My first card is a sweet friendship card for those friends who live far away from you. The map prints on the chipboard globe and frame are fabulous images for long distance friends, and paired with the perfect stamped sentiment, you have a winning combination. I added a fun print from the 6x6 paper pad behind the chipboard frame for extra detail, and a Bits & Pieces die cut flower trio on top of the books to create lots of layers and depth. And a fun tip for you... This chipboard frame had a printed sentiment on the bottom that didn't work with my design, but was otherwise perfect. An easy solution is to just cover up the part that doesn't work with one that does, like I did with my stamped sentiment strip here. 
And on to the polka dots! As you can see, I used a ton here, including a large-scaled 12x12 print for the card base, and two pieces of dotted SN@P Cards for the second layer. I loved the printed postcard image on this SN@P Card and thought it worked really well with my smiles across the miles theme, but it, too, had printing on it that didn't work with my design. So I covered up the bottom portion with a second journaling card, and strategically placed the chipboard frame to cover the rest of the printing. A bit of dotted washi paper tape placed across the middle seam helps blend the two edges. 
My second card also features lots of polka dots, in a simple and playful CAS card design. 
This card is a mini card at 3.5"x5", and is a more clean and simple design, yet still packs a lot of charm with all those happy dots. I love mixing different scales of prints, like I did here with the smaller sized dots for the main panel and the larger dot border at the bottom. It's a really easy and effective way to add interest to a design with very little effort. 
This card uses a mix of papers from the 6x6 paper pad and the SN@P Cards. Don't forget to look at the back side of the SN@P Cards for design possibilities, too. The flip side of this ombre polka dotted 3x4 journaling card was just exactly what I needed to balance the pinks from the top of the card to pull the whole thing together.
05.12.15
Hi there! Vicki here with something a little different for my post for the day. This past weekend I taught an I AM... 6x8 N@P! Binder workshop to a bunch of fabulous ladies. As we chatted throughout the class and played with a great mix of I AM... product, I fell in love with this line all over again. The ladies kept commenting on how pretty the I AM... collection is and what a great color combination it has. It was so much fun spreading the Simple Stories LOVE!!
The class was on Saturday and Sunday was Mother’s Day. I was greeted with some handmade gifts from my daughter and a lovely wrapped present. My family had purchased me a FitBit! I was so excited! I have been wanting to track my steps and they were thoughtful enough to get me just what I had been hoping for.
All of this background story was leading up to my project for today. I wanted to create something that I can journal in and track my food and movement down. So I covered a notebook in some goodies from I AM. 
These two go hand in hand!! I can jot down all the details from my journey to a healthier me! Take a closer look at the notebook…
I love that the I AM...collection was the perfect fit for something other than my traditional scrapbooking projects. It was just what I need to create a little something pretty to collect the list and notes I love to make! Thanks! Have fun creating something special to document your I AM story!
05.11.15
Hi there, Simple Stories fans!
Teri here, and I'm happy to be bringing you some fun cards I created with the I AM... collection.
This collection is so fun! It's got a beautiful color scheme and such a fun feminine feel about it! I love the gold, the flowers and all those hearts in it.
When I look at this collection, I want to scrapbook with it. There are so many great phrases and icons to use to make scrapbook pages. But many of the elements can also be used to make cool encouragement, thank you and, even, graduation cards.
This first card is a thank you card.
The banner was actually part of a larger chipboard banner. I set it on my card and then snipped off the ends with my scissors so it would fit on the card. One of the things to remember about stickers and chipboard is you can always alter them and use only part of them.
To sauce up the banner a little, I added a couple enamel dots and a heart Bradz. I love that the Bradz have adhesive on them. Gone are the days of having to poke holes through chipboard to insert brads. It makes using brads so much easier! Hooray!
This card is a little more on the simple side.
I built it around the house SN@P! card. I add the chipboard word, enamel dot and heart to it, just to give it a more personalized touch.
I think I am going to use this card as a graduation card for a friend who just graduated from college.
I just love the words on the SN@P! card I used for it. So inspiring.
You might be wondering about those little stripes coming from the globe? Those are just a couple pieces of Washi Paper Tape stickers.
Pretty fun, huh?
My final card is just a fun card with a lot of different elements from the I AM collection.
I just made sure every little square had some kind of fun element added to it, whether it be a piece a chipboard, a Bradz or an enamel dot.
I think it just turned out fun!
Well, thanks for stopping by today! I'll see you again soon!
05.08.15
Hi Simple Stories fans! Wendy here today sharing some SN@P! Happy layouts I created.
My first layout was a simple layout using 2 4x6 cards from the Happy SN@P! Pack. I used a few of the die-cut pieces to build up my embellishment clusters, which you can see create a visual triangle.
Each cluster is built on something, such as the first cluster is built on a frame.
My next cluster is built on a doily.
And finally my last cluster which actually became my title for my page was built on the 4x6 card.
Since I already had the Happy SN@P! Pack out (and everywhere) I began my next layout with some of the cards that caught my attention.
Then I went to my Enchanted collection to find some papers that would work well with my pictures. The die-cuts added just the right touch to my different groupings which formed a diagonal on this page.
Another doily that was sitting out from my last layout and a frame.
Some fussy cutting gave me my large cloud with the saying and then a few smaller items completed the group.
Thanks so much for joining me today, I hope you have been inspired to play with the fun SN@P! Packs that are available in multiple colors/designs!
05.07.15
Hello everyone! It’s wonderful to be back sharing some pages I have created, with a bit of focus on my little girl. Settling beautifully into life in ‘big’ school, it’s with awe that I see her growing before my eyes, taking on board the new challenges that life has to offer. A bit of nostalgia led to the creation of my first layout. We must be having fun, because time feels like it’s flying!
I have started this page using a beautiful, bright ‘I AM’ Important 12x12 sheet. I’m sure you have seen (and maybe even bought!) the new Sn@p Packs. I absolutely love them! I find them super versatile and love creating pages with mine, as they have pretty much everything you need, including die cuts! For this project, I have worked with the ‘Lovely’ Sn@p Pack and taken inspiration from the beautiful floral prints. My base layer comprises of a 6x4 card as well as some leftover Sn@p sticker remnants, which have been positioned in the centre of the page.
Next, using a 12x12 stencil, I went over specific areas with some Impasto to give a bit more texture to the page as well as continue the floral theme. I have used Impasto because it dries clear, which I love, as it doesn’t distract too much from what going on in your project. Here is a step by step pic. Note: It takes a fair bit of time to dry. Heat guns can speed this process up, but don’t apply the heat too close as it will bubble and spoil the surface. Once fully dry it will be transparent.
I then went about layering lots of little elements, including the pretty flower die cuts and some filigree leaves that I cut using my Silhouette Cameo.
I also created some simple paper roses which add a bit of rustic charm.
‘Life with you’ was cut out of a 4x4 card and as a final flourish, I’ve added some resin flowers and a couple of small enamel dots.
My next page is all about that all-important first day of school! When I saw this ‘Year in Review’ paper from the Life Documented collection, I knew it would be perfect for documenting each of my children’s first day. I love the way Erin’s has turned out!
Full of ‘busy-ness’, (just like the thoughts that were running through her head at the time, I’m sure!) I love that the paper already has prompts printed on to it. It gave me a great jumping off point to get down lots of aspects of the day.
She was strangely obsessed with a little cat-shaped notebook that I had bought her the day before. She insisted on taking it with to school and drew little pictures for her new classmates. I saved one she brought home that afternoon and scanned it, printing it off onto white cardstock, to make a little embellishment.
The larger image on the page opens up to reveal a small mini album containing messages of support she received via my Instagram account. This was made easy by using a 3x4 accordion file from the ‘I AM’ interactive elements.
The decorative clip holds it closed and can be removed to reveal more pictures inside as well as some screen grabs that I printed off to fit.
The printed numbered list proved very useful to jot down her thoughts on the day’s events and she added her own personal touch like proudly writing the numbers 1-10 (I love how some are backwards!) and a small note to me.
Thank you so much for stopping by. If you would like to see more of what I get up to, you are most welcome to pop by and say hello on Instagram @chantallemcdaniel.
'Til next time!
05.06.15
Hey Friends! Rebecca Larson here to share some of the latest goodness available now in the digital shop!
There must have been something “written in the stars” this month with the release of 4 new digital kits! The Simple Stories powers that be must have known I needed something to show off a recent family trip to beautiful Southern Utah! The vibrant orange, lime green, and navy of the Under the Stars Digital Simple Set were calling my name. Not to mention they coordinated almost perfectly with my photos of the fiery red rock that draws travelers from all corners of the earth.
I had several fun pictures that I wanted to highlight, and knew the best way to pull them all together was to use the recently released 12x12 Digital Pocket Page templates. Not only was I able to fit in all my photos, but dragging and dropping the elements and cards from this yummy kit was a snap!
I even took liberty with using 2 slots for 1 photo, to highlight the enormous canyons that we were hiking in!
Here is the 2 page spread in its entirety. Cant wait for our next camp trip!
