Love You...Love Summer Stories!

Hello!  I am so excited to share my layout with you today!  The summer stories collection has really captured my heart.  LOVE this collection!!   The colors and patterns of the paper are so fun and versatile.  And oh my ... the embellishments... I am giddy.  On this page I used the brads, chipboard pieces, stickers, die cuts and buttons.  How I adore them all!

Today I also wanted to share a fun tip on photographing kids.  I subject my children to the camera constantly and boy do they get SICK of me.  Ha!  So I now have to make sure it is FUN for them so that they WANT to have their pictures taken and I can happily capture the memories.  The night I took these photos, my girls were playing on the rocks.  Each rock had a name "Wiggly Rock" and "Snail Rock" and when they stepped on certain rocks they had a task...like "Singing Rock" where they sang a tune.  My personal favorite rock was "Picture Rock" where they sat to have their picture taken.  They sat for one quick photo when they arrived at this rock...this was my favorite rock!  So if your kids are like mine and don't always want to have their pictures taken, try turning it into a fun game!

Here is a close up of my layout.  I love the chipboard tag piece!!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have FUN capturing your memories!!!

Summer Stories Altered Trinket Box with Stacy Rodriguez

Good morning everyone, Stacy Rodriguez here with you today.  For my project that i'm sharing with you today I have altered a paper mache oval box.  You can grab these pretty much anywhere and they are not expensive.  It's a fun, pretty way to store little trinkets or even give gifts in.

I used the new Summer Stories line for this one along with some of the embellishments.  I used a couple of other things I had in my stash as well.  Let me just tell you I love the little dress form I altered for the top of the box.

So how about we take a peak at the box itself.  Here is what the finished box looks like.  You can see I used a brad, chipboard sticker, and made the flowers with the pattern paper as well.

and a  little side view of course....I added some ribbon and string pearls around the outside of the lid.

Here are a couple of close up photos for you.

I do have a video to share with you of how I put this trinket box together, so grab your Summer Stories line and get ready!

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today, have a wonderful day!

Shadow box by Suzanne Sergi using Stationery Noted

Happy Wednesday! Suzanne here with a shadowbox frame featuring Stationery Noted. This is one of my favorite collections. From the quotes, to the chipboard elements, and to the paper flowers, this is perfect for the everyday. 

I have had this shadowbox in my stash for awhile, and thought it was perfect for creating an inspiration home decor item. I first painted the shadowbox with white acrylic paint, and then began building the individual windows. I started with selecting my favorite quote on the Quotes 12x12. I covered it with diamond dust, as I always love a touch of glitter! Then I decided what papers to use for the inside of the windows. Primarily, I pulled from the Polaroid 12x12 paper to use for the openings. Off to the left I used part of the Ledgers 12x12 to completely cover the right hand side windows.

Here you can see I used some of the paper flowers from the collection. I embellished the center with a damask that was found on one of the quotes. I simply punched it using a scallop punch, and covered it in glitter.  I also stamped the middle of the canvas butterfly using an older Teresa Collins stamp set. Covered the center of the butterfly with a chipboard element from the Stationery Noted. I added a bit more of detail using a small tag, and metal clip.

Detail of the the two bottom windows, using the Stationery Noted 12x12 Accessory sheet, and a brad found in the Far & Away collection.

I stamped the word par avion using the Stationery Noted stamp set underneath the owl.  I added more Teresa Collins bling, and a chipboard button for the center. Off to the right,  I cut apart a quote found on a small ticket, and embellished above with a punched butterfly. I added a bit of ribbon to the top of the paper. 

One last detail of the windows. I really love all the bits, and pieces found throughout this shadowbox. An item that will serve as inspiration for yourself, or someone special to you! Thanks for stopping by, and see you back here tomorrow!

Summer Cottage by Rachel McAffee

Hi friends!  Rachel here to show you a fun and unique project using the Summer Stories collection. 

During Christmas time, I love to see all the charming little handmade villages and houses decorating mantels and table tops. But the holiday season shouldn't get ALL the fun so I thought I'd make a sea side cottage to welcome the lazy days of summer. 

How perfect is the Summer Stories collection for this project?!  Breezy blues, sunshine yellows, and soft pinks. Just makes me want to lie in a hammock with a lemonade and a good book.

I began this project with a cute chipboard house kit. I covered each part of the house pieces with different patterns and colors of the Summer Stories paper. Following the directions on the package of the house kit, I assembled it together.

Using enamel dots, I embellished a bottle brush tree and placed it towards the front of the house. I also used banner die cuts to decorate the windows. I embellished the house with a "Home" chipboard element as well as a little chipboard button on the front gate.

Here's a mini banner I placed across the chimney to the edge of the roof . I added a little pouf of tissue garland inside the chimney and a few more enamel dots. 

                   All that is needed now is a pretty little bicycle with a flower basket parked in the front. :)
                                      Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Supplies used-

Summer Stories pattern paper- Flowers and pink damask sheet from the 6x6 pad.

Summer Stories enamel dots

Summer Stories die cut sheet

Summer Stories chipboard elements

House Kit- Melissa Frances

Guest Designer Leslie Ashe!

It has been so fun to get to know and watch Leslie for quite some time. Leslie creates beautiful layouts and is very inspiring. It was a perfect match to ask her to be a guest on the blog. Thank you Leslie!

Here are her gorgeous layouts:

Summer Stories collection - I love how she uses black ink on her layouts!

 He said, She said collection - I love her details and how she cut the flowers paper and traced them, so pretty!

 He said, She said collection - I love how she cut apart so many of the pieces and check out the layers on layers!

 Summer Stories collection - The details in this are amazing... did you notice the enamel dots cluster in the honeycomb paper, staples on the photo, washi tape as layers... so creative!

Wow!  Here's a little about Leslie:

Leslie Ashe is a born & bred Texan girl who loves to create memories with her family & put them on paper to remember always. 
She began scrapbooking over 16 years ago after going to a craft party with friends. Creating is her one and only true outlet.
Not a day goes by when she’s not sitting in her studio (that her husband helped her put together recently) working away.
When she’s not creating, you can find her curled up with a good book, with her family or out snapping all the memories she can get in a day.
She’s blessed to have work published in Scrapbook Trends, Cards, Simply Handmade, Create:  Idea Books, Creating Keepsakes magazines.
She currently serves on the following Design Teams:  American Crafts, Pink Paislee, Lily Bee Design, Prima, Noel Mignon Kit Club & Paper Issues. 

You can find her blog here:  http://leslieashe.blogspot.com/

Follow her on Twitter:  Leslie Ashe, Facebook:  Leslie Ashe, Pinterest:  Leslie Ashe & Instagram:  Leslie Ashe (http://instagram.com/leslieashe)

Leslie is THRILLED to be a guest for Teresa Collins! She thanks everyone for this amazing opportunity!

Thank you again Leslie, amazing work as always!

Clean & simple cards Keisha Campbell

Hello TCD's fans, Keisha here today! From time to time I enjoy making simple & clean cards with leftover scraps. It's a good way to get rid of scraps and make a fast project. I try to use every bit of a sheet of paper - I will always use a butterfly punch on left over bits from a used sheet of paper.

 I have a drawer I keep extra (precut from scraps)butterflies & flowers. And when I use just a bit of paper, I will make other extra diecuts(to save for future projects)-like the large ticket diecut on the black card. Sometime a little bit of pattern paper is all you need!

Creating Lovely Layers by Stacey Michaud

I may be a white space scrapper, but I also love layers.  Today, I will share some tips and suggestions for how to add some dimension and pattern to your page...without overpowering it!

I am so loving the new Summer Stories line...the glittery gold paired with blues makes me swoon.  I decided to use this collection to scrap about one of my daughter's favorite past times...talking!

I started my page with a neutral base.  I decided to make this page top heavy and wanted a punch of color so I added the numbers paper.  I then started to add in subtle layers in all different shapes and sizes.  I placed the Bingo border along the top and then placed down a journaling card.  I just kept adding little layers until it felt right.

I also used layers under my photo.  I matted it with a journaling card and then used just the curved portion of a second card.  I placed a chipboard banner to the right and put on a die-cut and brad.  Have fun with your chipboard by adding lots of elements right on top!

Even with all that layering, the page felt a bit flat to me.  I knew I needed another element.  I decided to add my punched hearts using the same paper as the background.  This is an easy technique for adding some dimension without adding a whole new pattern.  I love the interest it provides.

Teresa's collections come with so many elements and tidbits.  Be sure to use them in clusters and to create lovely layers!

Supplies: Summer Stories (Flashcards, Dots, Bingo, Stripes and Cards Paper; Brads; Borders; Chipboard; Stickers; Die Cuts Sheet)