Shellye McDaniel's Blog Posts

11.21.14

Hi, it's Shellye!  Today I'm sharing a trio of cards that focus on the brand new "Life Documented" Collection.  The collection is a series of bright colors, trendy patterns and cute icons...perfect for a set of cards!

First up is a 6X6 card entitled "Hello"

I was inspired by the diagonal patterns on the backs of the 2X2 Insta Squares cards.  I arranged them in a grid pattern and added a strip of the woodgrain washi tape to the sides of the two pieces on the right.  I focused the design on the left by simply accenting with a cut-out portion of the "hello" 3X3 card, a couple of chipboard pieces, enamel dots and matching polka dot bow.

Next up is a 4X6 birthday card showcasing the Washi Paper Tape:

 

I cut a swatch of paper that was the same width as the 3x3 "1 great year" card and then applied various strips of the paper washi tapes to it.
The banner chipboard sticker was the perfect divider and just says CELEBRATE!

Lastly is a heavily layered card that features some of the softer, feminine sides of the collection:

Squares, squares, squares!  Using the three different sizes of squares found in the Insta Squares Pack made this a really quick card to put together.  Again, I trimmed out the speech bubble sentiment and added a few cute chipboard stickers around it.  
 

Supplies
10.20.14

Hello!  Shellye along with a "Thankful" Mini Album/ Journal using the beautiful "Sweater Weather" Collection and a pumpkin shaped die.  My inspiration for this type of album/journal derives from the "thankful" posts that I've witnessed on Facebook!

After die-cutting the cover pages from heavy chipboard, I dressed them in patterned paper and then distressed around the edges with a walnut ink pad.   

I matted the journal card and added some machine stitching for an extra-homespun feel.  Before attaching to the front of the album, I added the cute brad banner embellishment.  

The inside of the album can be made up of patterned papers cut to size, journal cards, pockets, etc.  

The pockets and tags were constructed from the Kraft A2 Card Bases & Envelopes.  The envelopes were trimmed down to a height of 3.75", leaving the width as is.  The cards were cut in half along the crease and then to a width of 5.25".  I also added punched tabs to the top of each tag.  

I used a ruler and fine tip black pen to add lines to the backs of the envelopes...great spot for extra journaling!  

 You may chose not to add bulky embellishments to the journal cards if you're planning on adding photos to that area.  On the pocket page fronts, I only embellished the top or bottom corner so that there is plenty of room for small pictures.  


When planning the page's embellishments, keep in mind how the opposite page will lay against it.  A bulky embellishment placed against a page with a bow may cause damage to the more delicate piece.
 
 

Get input from family members and let them each have a tag to write what they are thankful for or their favorite Fall memory!  

 Keep it simple by allowing the beautiful artwork of Simple Stories do the work!  

Add even more pages if you plan on keeping a "12 Days of Thanks" or a "November Gratitude Journal"...you may even wish to adapt this idea to a SN@P! Binder...what fun!

Thanks for joining me today at Simple Stories!

Supplies
09.24.14

It's beginning to look a lot like a DIY Christmas!  Hello, friends...Shellye along today with a quick home decor project and even quicker card using the new "DIY Christmas" Collection from Simple Stories!

First up is a 3-D distressed star that I purchased from Hobby Lobby; they have some really beautiful wood pieces available that require no painting, just a little embellishing :)

There are a couple of different ways that you can go about getting the right size star for the inner-part of the shape.  Press a piece of wax paper down into the shape and then use a stylus or pencil to trace the pattern onto the wax paper.  For mine, I used a piece of vellum and stylus for tracing.  Cut the shape out and then transfer onto your favorite DIY Christmas paper.  And if you're inclined, add a trim of baker's twine around the edge of your shape after you've glued it in place...this will help to hide any imperfections.

 Next I made a trio of basic paper-pleated rosettes by cutting two strips of 1.5" paper for each.  Score the strips at every 1/2" mark and accordion fold.  Glue the two strips together, end-to-end.  Punch a 1.5" circle for both the front and back of the rosette and glue in place at the center.  Place a heavy bottle of glue or small punch on top of the rosette until it has dried. 
 

I embellished around the backside of the rosettes with a silver tinsel trim that I found in the Christmas aisle at Hobby Lobby.  The poinsettias were made using the "Layered Poinsettia" dies from Spellbinders.  To the centers I added one of the larger enamel dots from the DIY Christmas Collection.  There are so many ways that you could decorate such a star...just have fun experimenting with this crafty Christmas collection!

Lastly I have a quick, quick card!  This quick card was made even quicker with the new DIY Christmas A2 Kraft Card Bases!

Using the 6X6 Paper Pad from the collection, I cut the chevron paper to 4"X5.25" and then trimmed away a portion of the chevron pattern.  Next I cut a matching sized paper from the holly pattern and adhered it to the card front.

The chevron paper was then lined up with the holly paper (top and bottom) and attached with foam adhesive.  I used some of the baker's twine from the Tags & Twine and made a border along the edge of the cut chevron...I like to use a fine-point glue pen for this.

You will find really cute tags and die-cuts in the DIY Christmas Tags & Twine set, the A2 Card Layers and Chipboard Stickers.  Make an assembly line of prepared card bases and have the kids and grands help decorate the fronts!

I hope that you've enjoyed the spotlight on this ultimate papercrafting collection!

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