Simple Stories, Good Stuff

The Simple Stories, Good Stuff collection is just that - good stuff! Actually, great stuff! This collection features 12 fantastic pattern papers for the 12x12 scrappers and on the B side some amazing cut apart cards in 2 sizes for pocket scrappers. There is even a 4x6 calendar card for each month of the year for the project life folks too. 

When the Good Stuff goodies showed up at the door in my Scrap Shotz happy mail, I went straight for my fun and bright photos! The collection is all pinks and peach and mustard with pops of black and green. Fun photos it is. 

Numbers? Yes Please. 

Many of the Simple Stories collections have numbers in the Bits & Pieces (die cuts) set. They are so fun to play with. I have done a jumble of Simple Stories numbers before as an anchor for a photo and they are a great jumping off point to journal things like: # number of favourite moments from that memory or # reasons that you make me laugh, etc. For this layout I tucked in some journaling titled ‘12 weird things I love about our family’. I was laughing as I wrote them out. 

Pretty simple approach to this design. I added some white acrylic paint splatters to the pattern and used a film strip punch with vellum to anchor my photos. From them I literally tucked and played with the die cut numbers to make a jumbled mess around the photo, added some of the stickers form the 12x12 collection pack in and around the numbers and some of the enamel dots. 

To break up the busy green polka dot, I ripped a slim strip from the side and stapled on one of the stripe patterns to fill the gap. I love using this technique to bring in another, contrasting pattern. Tip: this is a great way to use a full length pattern branding strip you have left over! 

Envelopes? Of course. 

For my next layout I wanted create a ‘overflowing with cute’ design. So I reached for some fun filtered photos of my niece and made some little envelopes with the pattern paper from the collection. 

I don’t have an envelope punch board or die, so just took apart a small envelope I had in my scrappy space and traced it onto the pattern paper, cut it out, and folded it into an envelope-like shape. They are not perfect but I added so many die cuts you can’t tell. Tip: there are no imperfections on a layout, just opportunities to add a die cut! 

I prepped my background with a little Tim Holtz, Distress Ink in Picked Raspberry and the Heart Spiral Stencil from Peartree Cutfiles, and then a few white acrylic paint splatters. 

From there, I added my envelopes to the layout sort of overlapping each other a little to the left, and then started tucking and layering. I put a square or two of pattern papers in each envelope along with the photo - sort of a off kilter photo mat but also like a multi page letter. Then added all the floral bits from the die cuts and stickers,  some phrase stickers, and a few more die cuts to top it off. The finishing touch was the brads in a few little spots around the envelopes. 

Just before I set it aside, I felt the pink background was a bit too much - so ripped off a thin strip on the right and added a touch of a different pattern behind. Just like I did on the green polka dot layout above. Tip: if there is a design element you love, bring it into all the layouts your want. It’s not repetitive, it’s your signature touch! 

More pages in the making … 

Well I am off to make more good stuff with Good Stuff! If you are interested in playing with this collection, there are lots of goodies to choose from in the Scrap Shotz shop. Pop over and check them out at Simple Stories, Good Stuff 

Playing with Photoplay, Wicker Lane

If you were lucky enough to get your scrappy hands on the new Wicker Lane collection from Photoplay from the Scrap Shotz shop then this post is for you! This new collection is another example of Photoplay’s fantastic skills at creating colorful collections - so bright and fun. 

For my first kick at the Wicker Lane goodies I played with the diagonal stripe pattern ‘our house’. I sliced the paper up to get just the actual stripes to use as an anchor for my title and photo. This photo is a family portrait drawn by one of my little siblings! 

From there I found all the little embellishments that made me happy in the collection and added the puffy hearts and title from Vicki Boutin’s Color Study, The Details Puffy Phrase Stickers  and some black splatters touches. I love how colorful but also how much white space there is too on this page - might be a new go to design. 

From there I moved on to playe with the fantastic camera ‘moments’ pattern paper. I love this pattern so much I had to think of a design that would show off as much as possible - insert the ‘zipper’ design. Well, ok not sure thats an official design name but it’s the best name I could think of. Zipper it is folks! 

I used all of the frames in the collection ephemera package to build on the photo theme and then grabbed the Vicki Boutin phrase puffy stickers creating a title that sort of follows the cascading pattern of the frames down the page or zipper. 

Final touch? These adorable pics of my pup Bella Bean (the Jack Russell) and her bestie Lola the pup of one of my close friends. So cute! 

For this next one, I fell in love with this cut apart 3x4 pocket card from the collection and let it inspire the page design. ‘A little bit of crazy, a little bit of loud,  a whole lot of love’ describes our pup perfectly. Thanks Photoplay! 

I wanted to keep the page design really simple - this one is all about that saying and the cute pic of Bella Bean. A little Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Black Soot blended through a stencil, a couple pattern layers behind the photo, title and all the little puffy colour dots from the Vicki Boutin puffy phrase stickers to create a blast wee bits of colour from that cute furry face. Really easy to create this design and I love how it turned out. 

These layouts will create a great pop of colour in my albums - lots of fun to work with so many coordinating, fun patterns! 

If you played with Wicker Lane let us know - pop a post up in the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group on Facebook or tag us on Instagram so we can ohhh and ahh!