Tara Chaussee's Blog Posts

12.26.19

Hi everyone! It’s Tara with Secretbees Studio.  Christmas is over and now is the time to start thinking about those New Year's resolutions. One that is always good and productive is keeping a journal but wouldn't it be more fun to keep track of your art journey?!

The new 'Hey Crafty Girl' paper collection from Simple Stories is full of vibrant and fabulous patterned papers and the cutest embellishments for any craft you can think of! I took all of these papers, along with the coordinating Simple Basics paper pack, and made this art journal that is perfect for documenting my crafty endeavors throughout the year!

The front and back covers, which are made from heavy weight chipboard and measure 6.24" x 8.75", feature four different patterns of the gorgeous paper. It was so hard to decide which ones to use! I loaded up the front cover with a combination of chipboard, stickers and Bits & Pieces and layered them over a charming 4x6 element card. I even tied on a sweet tag at the top!

Inside are 30 patterned paper and white card stock pages. Four of them are tabbed dividers which have been highlighted with some fun sentiment stickers to help keep me organized. They, along with all of the other pages, have been decorated with the phenomenally cute embellishments, stamps and stencil of the collection. There are pockets galore, journaling pages and plenty of room for photos or mementos! Below are some of my favorites in the journal!

If you are a crafter of any sort, this dazzling collection is for you! The possibilities to create are endless and the papers and every other adorable piece of this collection will definitely put a smile on your face! I'm so excited for the New Year to start documenting my art journey! If you want to make an art journal of your own, please visit my YouTube channel for a tutorial and look through the entire journal!

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12.03.19

Hi everyone! Tara with Secretbees Studio! It is never too early to start craft projects. You never know what is going to come up and besides, all the beautiful paper is out just waiting to be made into something even more awesome!

Now that all of your Christmas decorations are up and your presents are wrapped (Ha!) you need something to do with your time. This mini album, made with the gorgeous My Valentine paper collection from Simple Stories, can go right on your to-do list!

This sweet album is 6 inches square and the base is chipboard, two covers and a spine, that were covered in some pearly faux leather along with some of the charming patterned paper. I took one of the layered frames of the collection and made it into a shaker filled with flowers, gems and pearls for the highlight of the cover. I then added in some Bits & Pieces, stickers and chipboard for even more pretty dimension!

There are five sections inside the album and they are all attached to the spine with coordinating twine.   All of the sections unfold to reveal more space for photos or mementos and there is a large double pocket section in the center. Each page has been beautifully decorated with the stickers, chipboard pieces, frames and Bits & Pieces of the collection that add even more charm to the gorgeous papers! Here are a few of the pages.

I'm sure you have your hands full with all of the things we do during the holidays but make sure you take time out to checkout this amazing collection from Simple Stories. You will not be disappointed and you will probably want to add it to your Christmas list! There is a short walk-through video on my YouTube channel that shows this sweet mini in more detail!

Supplies
11.12.19

Hi everyone! Tara here with Secretbees Studio.  Cold weather and snow may be here again (ugh!) but that means staying inside and crafting with beautiful paper collections like Winter Farmhouse. It's full of rich colors and great patterns in wonderful wintry images.

To show off this gorgeous collection, I made an adorable mini album that also adds charming Winter decor to your home! This tri-fold mini measures 6x6 square and folds out to three sections on each side. It will hold a total of five large photos of your favorite snowy memories! Here is a photo of the album opened up to the inside.

The other side has the cover and two additional sections for photos. Each page has been decked out in a mixture of the gorgeous patterned paper and embellished with the darling winter themed stickers, chipboard and sentiments!

Once you have viewed all of the photos in this super cute album, just fold it back up and display it with your other winter decor. It is created with a fold at the bottom so it stands perfectly and looks awesome!

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