Hi crafty friends. It’s Kristine and this month I’ll be showing you several projects that I make with the Simple Stories kits. If you’re new to these kits, Simple Stories makes a card kit and a page kit. Each card kit comes with all of the supplies you will need to create 8 cards. Likewise, the page kit comes with all of the supplies to create two double page layouts.
For the beginner card maker or scrapbooker, these kits are fabulous and I’ll tell you why. First, it can be overwhelming as a newbie to pick supplies for a project. The Simple Stories card kit and page kit take away the pressure. All of the elements in the kit match and have a theme. Second, beginners sometimes struggle with layering various pieces of the collection. Again, the Simple Stories kits make it easy because they provide instructions for creating the sample cards and layouts! And finally, the card and page kits can help the beginner crafter to understand how to design a card or page with various elements.
Often, many crafters struggle to add layers to projects without losing site of their photos (on layouts) or sentiments (on cards). The Simple Stories kits really can help with the process of learning layering!
Love Grows Here Card Kit by Simple Stories
For today’s project, I will be using the Love Grows Here card kit. It includes 8 cardstock bases along with 28 chipboard pieces and 70 die cut pieces. Simple Stories makes it simple to create their cards! Simply grab your glue bottle and follow the instructions provided! However, you can also add some extra embellishments to make the cards unique. Other embellishments from the collection such as brads and enamel dots are easy add-ons. And ribbon or twine from your stash are always a nice touch.
If you are brand new to card making, welcome! We all start out as newbies, so let’s start on those cards from the kit. Before I assemble anything, I like to punch out all of the pieces in my Simple Stories kit. This makes the assembly process much quicker. Then, I will place the pieces onto each card front before adhering anything down.
At this stage, it is time to decide whether you want to assemble the cards exactly as the directions in the Simple Stories card kit show. Or, you might want to add a few extras such as ribbon, twine, or gems like I am doing on my cards. Also, I will use foam tape to add dimension to my card fronts. And finally, I will be using my Graphic 45 ink pads to add more dimension and color to my card pieces.
Assembling Your Simple Stories Cards
To begin assembling your cards, use the directions provided in your card kit. However, if you are adding those extras, check out each of my cards below where I will explain what I added to the directions in the Simple Stories card kit. Each card below will have two photos to show the finished card and the dimensional extras.
Card 1
On this card, I used foam tape to adhere the “Happiness” piece and added a small piece of ribbon to the right side. Then, I used foam tape on the “Welcome Home” floral piece and added two black pearls to the top left side. The edges are inked in black and natural linen inks.
Card 2
For the next card, I added foam tape to the butterfly and the “Grateful for You” banner. Then, I added a ribbon bow to the bottom and three black pearls to the top right corner. The edges are inked in black ink.
Card 3
Then, for this card I tied a piece of twine around the back piece and popped the three center pieces up on foam tape. Two black pearls are added to each side of the card. The edges are inked in natural linen ink.
Card 4
On the next card, I added foam tape to the roosters and knotted a piece of ribbon for the righthand side. All edges are inked with black ink.
Card 5
With the next card, I added two small pieces of ribbon to the ends of the “Family is Everything” piece. Then, I added foam tape to the barrel piece and added two black pearls to the corners. All edges are inked in black.
Card 6
Next, I adhered the floral pieces and watering can to the card front with foam tape. I also tied a twine bow at the top of the tag. The edges of the pieces are inked with natural linen ink.
Card 7
Then, on this card, I added foam tape to the back of the wheelbarrow. Two black pearls adorn to the sides of the “Home Sweet Home” sentiment. A button and twine bow is added to the right corner of the card. The pieces are inked with natural linen ink.
Card 8
The last card in the Simple Stories card kit has an extra piece added to the background. Then, I used foam tape for the animals and finished off with a ribbon and twine bow in the bottom corner. Pieces are inked with black and natural linen inks.
Extra Pieces in the Kit
If you have made all 8 of your cards, you will see that there are a lot of pieces leftover from the Simple Stories card kit. These pieces are perfect for adding to the inside of the cards to give a bit of decoration. Also, you can add them to the envelope to dress it up a bit. Or, even better, you can make additional cards using background papers from your stash!
Especially for the beginner card maker, I hope you have found this post to be helpful in showing you how you can elevate your cards to the next level. With just a few extras, you can take your cards from simple to stunning. Don’t forget to check out the FotoBella online store for all of the other Simple Stories card kits and page kits available.
Until next time, happy crafting!
~Kristine, FotoBella Design Team
