Beautiful - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Meadow Flowers Collection

Hi everyone, it's Rebecca with you today sharing my second layout created with the gorgeous Simple Vintage Meadow Flowers collection from Simple Stories. I always adore the Simple Vintage collections, and this one is no exception. You can find the full collection in the shop here. 

To start, I cut a section of the Dream on, Dreamer patterned paper, tore the bottom and distressed all the edges to add some texture. To the centre of this, I added my photo, raised up on foam and with a large frame behind it which I'd selected from the Ephemera packet.

Either side of my photo I adhered some ticket stubbs, some from the Ephemera pack, and one from the Sticker Book. I raised the tops of these up with foam to introduce some dimension to the page. To build on these clusters, I added a sprig of lavender from the Chipboard Stickers and a floral die cut from the Floral Bits & Pieces. To help extend the right hand cluster higher, I layered in some florals from the Sentiment Bits & Pieces.

For my title, I wanted something bold and dramatic, so I selected the word 'beautiful' from the Chipboard Stickers, and positioned it just under my photo.

Flicking through the Sticker Book, I noticed a horizontal branch of dangling purple flowers and the colours matched my layout so perfectly that I just had to use it! I added it above my photo extending to the left just like my title.

Underneath my title I had an empty area of patterned paper that was really bugging me and so I positioned two stickers from the Cardstock Stickers on foam pads there to fill the gap.

To finish off the layout, I added a couple of butterfly die cuts from the Floral Bits & Pieces and some Glitter Enamel Dots. 

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this layout. 

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

Outdoors Adventure - Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Great Escape Collection

Hi everyone! 

It's Rebecca with you and today I am sharing my second layout created with the fun Great Escape collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. You can find the collection in the shop here.

When I first saw this collection, my eye was immediately drawn to the Happy Camper paper with all the different coloured flags and an idea started forming in my head. This layout is me getting that idea out of my head and onto paper! To start, I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes and set metal eyelets at 6 points on a sheet of Premium White Cardstock. Through these eyelets, I threaded some white embroidery floss going vertically down the page in 3 lines.

Using my Cutter-Bee scissors, I fussy cut several flags from the Happy Camper paper, and some stars from the Star Gazing paper and positioned them along the line of the embroidery floss. 

To the centre line, I placed a small, circular photo and underneath it, the word 'Outdoors' from the Puffy Title stickers.

I built up the clusters, following the lines of the embroidery floss using pieces from the Die-Cut Ephemera and Chipboard Stickers, making sure to have one circular piece in each line.

To the longer central line, I added the word 'Adventure' from the Chipboard Stickers. I love how this title is mutlicoloured and echos all the colours on the layout.

To finish the layout, I added several of the star Puffy Stickers, keeping them tight to the cluster lines.

I hope you've enjoyed this layout and it inspires you to use the Great Escape collection. 

Until next time, take care!

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

Simple Stories - Flea Market - Welcome Home

Hi there,

Claire here today sharing my second layout with you using the Flea Market collection from Simple Stories. 

I am loving this collection - the colours are just perfect for Spring. So vibrant and happy. 

For my base, I used a piece of Premium White Cardstock. I applied a thin coat of clear gesso as I planned to add watercolour to the background. 

Whilst the gesso was drying, I cut three 3.5" squares of patterned paper and added a row of machine stitching around each one, distressing the edges for extra texture.

I used:

• All the Things
• You're My Fave and
• Oh, Yes Please

For the square holding my photo, I applied a double mount, also using a piece of pink Bazzill cardstock from the Matchmaker Pack.

I placed the squares roughly on my page and drew a light pencil outline to mark where the papers would sit before applying two different shades of watercolour paint with a brayer.

Once the paint had dried, I adhered each square with foam pads, laid them diagonally down the page and began to embellish.

I pulled out lots of florals from the Floral Bits & Pieces pack - there are so many in here! 48 pieces in total and they're all a decent size so are quite impactful, making the pack go a long way.

I created three clusters - at the top, middle and bottom of the design, using a mix of florals and leaves.

Some are adhered flat to the page, whilst others are raised on foam the give the clusters height. I added the leaves with Glossy Accents, sliding these in amongst the flowers and curling the leaves for dimension.

I used the bottom square as the anchor to hold my title.

To create it, I used the word Home from the Chipboard Stickers, and teamed this with the key from the same pack. For Welcome, I used some Puffy Alpha stickers from the Pinkfresh Studio Life Right Now range, which complement the colours in the Flea Market collection beautifully.

As a final touch, I added a few extra embellishments around my photo. I selected a colourful tag and small sentiment saying  'So Cute' from the Journal Bits & Pieces Pack. I sat it along the top edge of my picture, helping tie in all the colours together.

I hope you've enjoyed this quick and simple layout. It really was a pleasure to create as the patterned paper and floral ephemera make such an impact, it really didn't need lots more.

If you haven't seen it already, i'd recommend you check this collection out in the store. You can find it here. The photos really don't do it justice - it's absolutely stunning in real life.

Until next month, happy scrapping!

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

Simple Stories - Flea Market - You're My Fave

Hi everyone,

Claire here today, sharing a layout made with the Simple Stories Flea Market collection.

This range is packed full of beautiful colours, patterns, ephemera, icons and oodles of beautiful florals - the scrapping possibilities are endless! It's such a versatile collection and the colours are gorgeous.

I couldn't wait to get stuck in, having a blast with the patterned papers, florals and icon ephemera and I love how this layout turned out.

I started with a piece of Coconut Swirl Bazzill cardstock from the matchmaker pack. It's a really lovely cardstock that feels quite smooth and silky to touch.

Using 2 pieces of torn patterned paper (You're My Fave - a and b sides, and Tell The Story), I layered the across the top of the page to create real texture, definition and a bright pop of colour.

I wanted to offset my photos, and build some layers to draw attention to them against the bold patterned paper.

Using frames from the Journal Bits & Pieces I mounted my photos and added two layers of foam, making sure they'd sit flat against the ruffled edges of the paper.

Once the photos were in place, I began embellishing.

I picked out some pieces I considered to be travel themed, as we were in Italy when these pictures were taken. The camera and the globe from the Chipboard Stickers were perfect. I layered these with some of the Journal Bits & Pieces to create small clusters.

And then came those stunning florals - Wow - this Floral Bits & Pieces pack is full of gorgeous florals! There are 48 pieces in total and they are stunning!

I created a cascade of flowers around my photo, to reflect the patterned paper at the top.

T o create depth, I layered some on foam, and mixed the cardstock pieces with chipboard to create extra interest.

To create my title, I was hugely inspired by a yellow tag that says 'You're my fave' and just had to use these words for my page. I used some Pinkfresh Studio Life Right Now Puffy Alpha Stickers to recreate the title - they're a perfect match for this collection - and that was my page finished.

I have to tell you, I'm a little bit in love with this collection. It is incredibly versatile and could be used in countless layouts about pretty much any topic. I'd highly recommend it.

I'll be back again with another layout in a few weeks so see you then :)

Claire xx

@Scrappysoulmate

Fall - Simple Stories - Harvest Market Collection

Hello, Rebecca here sharing another colourful layout created with Simple Stories’ Harvest Market collection. I am really enjoying this collection and I’m so glad that I have an abundance of photos still to scrap with it! The full collection can be found in the store here.

I have fallen in love with so many of the patterned papers in this collection and I’ve been having a really hard time deciding which to use - so for this layout I went for a design that allowed me to use several papers! 

I chose 3 papers and cut circles from them in different sizes. After distressing all the edges, I machine stitched around them too to bring extra texture to the page. I layered them on top of each other, and by placing some craft foam between the layers, I was able to introduce some dimension and height to the page. 

Using a Distress Ink Pad in ‘Spiced Marmade’, I added a circle of colour to a sheet of premium white cardstock, enough that a little would show around the edges of my largest circle. I finished this off with some splatters in the same colour, and adhered my circles in the centre of the page. 

I cut my photo in a circle, making sure it was smaller than my smallest patterned paper circle, and stuck it down with some foam behind it. The Foam Stickers make for perfect titles for autumn layouts so I used one that says ‘Fall’ and placed it underneath my photo. The foam stickers are always one of my favourite products in a Simple Stories collection!

Using some floral stickers from the Sticker Book, I embellished around my title, creating a cluster either side of it. I also created a cluster above my photo using stickers from both the sticker book and the Combo Stickers sheet. 

I’d been looking online for funny quotes relating to pumpkins, and came across ‘Having a gourd time’ and I wanted to add this to my page. I decided to use the colourful stickers from the sticker book, and have the quote following the curve of my largest circle. 

I finished the layout off with a few small leaves from the Chipboard Stickers, some nuvo drops and some distress oxide splatters in ‘Mermaid Lagoon’. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this layout. I’ll be back next month when it will be time for those festive layouts! 

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

Hello Sunshine - Vicki Boutin - Sweet Rush Collection

Hello, Rebecca with you today sharing another colourful layout created with Vicki Boutin's Sweet Rush collection. You can find the collection in store here.

It's been a long time since I've used a cutfile on my layouts so decided that it would make a nice change to use one. I chose a pie chart cutfile from Cut To You, and cut it twice. The first cut is from the B side of the Simple Pleasures patterned paper, and then I made the file slightly larger and cut it from black cardstock and layered the two together.

I wanted to make the hearts on the patterned paper 'pop' a bit more, so I used a black gel pen and drew around the outline of some of them to give them some definition.

Behind my cutfile, I added some colour using a Distress Oxide Ink Pad in the shade 'Mermaid Lagoon', to match the colour of some of the hearts, and the top my little boy is wearing in my photo. I used an ink blending brush to apply the colour, and then watered some of the ink down and added some splatters.

I placed my circular photo in the centre of my cutfile, raised up with foam and then added some die cuts from the Icon Ephemera pack, focusing on the tropical items to match my photo. I arranged these in two clusters, either side of my photo.

Next, I added my title - also from the Icon Ephemera pack, and embellished further with some flowers I had fussy cut from the Daisy Chain patterned paper. I love that there are so many opportunities for fussy-cutting and creating your own embellishments with this collection. It's a great way to make a collection go further.

I also introduced some of the Phase and Icon Chipboard Thickers - some sentiments and butterflies. 

I finished my layout off with some star stickers from the Sticker Book and a couple of the heart shaped Layered Embellishment Stickers.

I hope you've enjoyed this layout and it inspires you to create with the Sweet Rush collection. As always, I have lots left over so this won't be the last time I use it!

If you'd like to watch how this layout came together, there is a process video up on my YouTube channel, which you can find here.

Take care,

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

The Best Ever Moments - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Weathered Gardens Collection

Hi everyone, Rebecca with you today sharing my first layout of 2022 for Papermaze! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to the scrappy year ahead. I'm starting the year off working with Simple Stories 'Simple Vintage Weathered Gardens' collection, which you can find in the shop here.

I started my layout by cutting 3 diamonds from the patterned papers. The papers I used are 'Fills my Heart' (B side) and 'Sweet Moments' (both sides). I cut the diamonds in 3 different sizes, stitched around and distressed the edges and then layered them on top of each other, with some craft foam in between the layers. 

To my background, I added some ink using a Distress Ink Pad in the shade 'Bundled Sage'. I used a blending brush to add a subtle layer of colour, and on top of this I added some splatters. I didn't want my mixed media to be drastic, but wanted something soft in the background to sit my diamonds on.

Once my diamonds were in place, I added my photo centrally on top. It's a 3x4 inch photo with a white border and a layer of 'Rainforest' Bazzill cardstock from the '12x12 Basics Kit' behind it. 

I added the word 'Moments' from the Foam Stickers along the bottom of my photo with a chipboard banner above it from the Chipboard Stickers to make my title 'The Best Ever Moments'. I love this as a title as the photo is of my son and my Nan who are pretty fond of each other, but don't get to see each other too often at the moment. 

It wouldn't be right to make a layout with this collection and not include some florals, so I fussy cut some large flowers and leaves from the 'Hello Lovely' patterned paper and added them to 2 edges of my diamonds, and then extended these clusters using some florals and foliage from the Floral Bits & Pieces pack. I raised a lot of the leaves up using foam pads to create some dimension and movement.

I then had a sort through the Bits & Pieces pack and selected some die cuts to embellish with. I added another banner under my title to extend it further, a ticket and a little note with a bulldog clip which says 'Loved This'. 

I then felt like the other two sides of the diamonds needed a little something to balance the page out a bit, so I added two butterflies from the Floral Bits & Pieces, and some small chipboard hearts.

I finished the layout off with a patterned paper border around the edge of the page. I cut about half an inch off of all 4 edges of my layout - this is slightly more than I would usually cut off, but I wanted a wider border as I intend to frame this layout as a gift for my Nan, and I know the frames often cover the outer edge of the page! I distressed all the edges of my layout, and then used the 'Cherish Today' patterned paper to frame the page. I added a row of white stitching around the edge for a bit of texture. 

I absolutely love how this layout turned out. It's a beautiful collection and I really think my Nan is going to love it!

If you'd like to watch the page come together, there's a process video up on my YouTube channel here. 

I'll be back later in the month with another layout using this stunning collection, until then,

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

You are my Sunshine - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Lemon Twist

Hello, Rebecca with you today and I'm really excited to be working with Simple Stories' beautiful Simple Vintage Lemon Twist collection this month. I've had my eye on this collection since Simple Stories revealed it so I'm so glad it's finally hit the shelves in the UK and I am in possession of pretty much the whole collection! You can find it in the shop here.

I always really love the Banner Stickers in the Simple Stories collections, but I've always shied away from them as I've never been sure how I'd use them - I decided it was time for this to change! The banner stickers are so beautiful in the Simple Vintage Lemon Twist collection so I decided to make a feature of them - and this gave birth to the idea of focusing this layout on all things ‘sticky’ in this collection!

I decided to use two of the banner stickers, and the frame in the longer one provided the perfect place for my photo. The banners are made up of so many different elements that I actually really loved the look of them on their own across my page! I really wanted this page to have a 'minimalistic' feel to it so didn't want to overcrowd the page by adding too much. 

I had a couple of strips of the 'Happy Thoughts' patterned paper left over from another layout (you'll get to see that one soon!) and decided to add these top and bottom of my layout to add some dark contrast against the white background.

Like I said, I was really going for a minimalistic look, but I really wanted to add some mixed media - so I came to the decision that subtle was key!

I used the 6x6 stencil that comes with this collection, along with a Distress Ink Pad in 'Mustard Seed' to add some yellow lemon slices to my background. I was careful to add the stenciling so that it would peek out from behind the banner stickers in several places. Next, I added some stamping to my background using a script stamp from my stash and Stazon Ink in 'Jet Black'. 

Once I was happy with my background, I got my banner stickers stuck in place with some foam behind them to bring some dimension to the layout. I was really loving the layout at this point and knew I didn't want to add much more, but I felt like the bottom half needing something!

I selected a lovely banner from the Chipboard Stickers  that fit perfectly along the bottom of my layout. I extended my mixed media to the area behind it for consistency and then stuck it in place. I love the look of chipboard elements on a layout because they are so dimensional, I feel that they bring a layout to life. With this in mind, I added a few more chipboard stickers! I chose the ‘You are my Sunshine’ piece to act as my title, and then added a scattering of bees and hearts around the layout. I finished off the bottom cluster with a ticket sticker from the Combo Stickers sheet. 

I found some black and white gingham ribbon in my stash and it worked perfectly with this collection so I made myself a bow with it and stick it in place on the longer banner sticker for added interest. I also made a couple of thread tangles with some black sewing thread and tucked them in underneath the banner stickers.

A layout of mine isn’t complete without some paint splatters so I used the Mustard Seed distress ink and a black acrylic paint - both watered down slightly, to add some splatters to finish the layout. 

I really hope you’ve enjoyed this layout. If you’d like to watch the process of it coming together, there’s a video up on my YouTube channel here.

The Simple Vintage Lemon Twist collection looks gorgeous online, and it’s even nicer in real life! There’s still plenty left in the store so grab it whilst you can! 

I’ll be back later in the month with another ‘Lemon Layout’, but until then, 

Take care,

Rebecca x