The end of May always marks the beginning of summer break for me. The school year is over, grading is done, and it's time to spend some quality time enjoying the outdoors of the great state of Arizona. Nobody loves this time of year better than my dogs, Sweetness and Boone. This past March, we almost lost fourteen year old Sweetness to a huge tumor on her spleen, but thankfully the surgery went well, and she is doing amazing! But that event made me want to document some of the happy times with this dog while I was still enjoying... Continue reading

Happy Spring, All! Ally here with a little bit of a different post today. As I've shared here previously, I'm using a Sn@p binder and various Simple Stories lines to complete my Week in Review album. Today I thought I'd share my top ten reasons why I love this combination so much. So, without further ado, here goes: Reason #10 The colors - The colors of Sn@p make me happy and the happy hues keep my layouts feeling positive Reason #9 I can mix colors and lines easily. Here I mixed a couple of pieces from the Sn@p line with... Continue reading

Here we are, April 1st... but let's not act the fool today. Let's get into our stashes and get creative! Your first SYS challenge for April is an easy one. We are going to spend some time working on two of the biggest trends I've seen in a while... speech... Continue reading

Today's guest challenger: Tami Brundage (aka TamiG). I adore this gal's style and was so excited when she agreed to run a challenge by you all this week! Here's what Tami had to say... I am so excited to challenge you this week to use up some of that stash!... Continue reading

Last summer I moved from the Sonoran Desert of Phoenix, AZ where we rarely see weather below 80 degrees to the northern Arizona pines, a mere 7000 feet higher in elevation. That meant new adventures and also new experiences - SEASONS - awaited. So, last week when we were enjoying sunshine and 60 degree weather, we were fooled into thinking winter was over (I have a foot and a half of snow to shovel out of my driveway as I type this). We loaded up the car and headed out to one of my favorite areas, Sandy's Canyon, which is... Continue reading

So excited to introduce you to fellow stamper, scrapbooker, and well, yes sometimes paper hoarder, Kim Kesti. Kim designs for Pebbles, Paper Smooches and is a Paper Crafts Go To Gal too! So, you can bet she has tons of supplies that she needs to use! Visit her blog here:... Continue reading

It seems pretty obvious lately that Simple Stories lines can go beyond their use with divided page protectors. I'd been spending a lot of my scrappy time of late playing with the divided page protectors, it was time to return to some of my well-loved, traditional scrapping. A couple of years ago, my son and I took our four dogs out hiking in northern Arizona. I realized I had several photos I hadn't yet scrapped. Couple that with the Take a Hike line sitting on my table, and I considered it kismet! I started with the main photo, the subtle... Continue reading

Julie's back this week with a really simple challenge! But it's going to have you digging into your patterned paper collection we know you've amassed! Check it out: Hello fellow stash busters. I hope you're enjoying the challenges so far. I am loving seeing all the creations that keep rolling... Continue reading

Wow, three weeks in already! Thanks to everyone who has shared links to their galleries! It's so much fun seeing how each of you goes after the challenge. Remember, there really aren't any rules. We just want to encourage you to use what you own... This week's challenge gets us... Continue reading

Julie has agreed to help with the blog challenges. If anyone else wants to join us, just shoot me an email. I am totally digging Julie's layout and challenge! Use an unopened stamp? I think I have that covered... Thanks, girl! Hello there! Julie here today with another challenge to... Continue reading

So, it's true. When I started this blog, I was sitting in a coffee shop and not in my studio. That meant I didn't have an actual challenge layout to share with you! But Fridays are a time when I try to really rest and rejuvinate which means - crafting.... Continue reading

I've been a fan of challenge blogs for a long time. I often seek them out when in need of just a pinch of inspiration. One of my all-time favorite challenge sites was How Much is Too Much. But unfortunately, that site eventually came to an end (as have many... Continue reading

In preparation for the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Tradeshow this month, I was lucky enough to be asked to play with one of my favorite lines of all time - Sn@p! I was so excited when I heard that Simple Stories was going to be expanding this line at the show, I may have squealed out loud! As I've shared here on several occasions, Sn@p has been amazing to work with using the divided page protectors to document my weekly life in a fun, colorful way - kind of like I like to think I live! But for this... Continue reading

I Love You: Right Now and Always The school semester has finally ended, and that means I have a bit of a breather. One of the first activities I sat down to do with my free time was to craft with some of my favorite product. But when I've had a long absence from scrapping, I often find I need a little push start. So, off I went to find some inspiration. I didn't really have to go too far because I found just what I needed with our very own Simple Stories DT. Wendy recently posted this amazing layout... Continue reading

Hi All! First, I need to say, my camera battery has bit the dust unexpectedly. So, I'm sorry if these images are less than perfect! Second, man, are you all as busy as I am? I bet you are with the holidays in full swing! Third, well, that's why I'm here - to help you out :) . I know that when we get busy, it's hard to keep up on things like Project Life, December Daily, even picture taking in general! So, I'm here to show you a few tips and tricks for those times when you either have... Continue reading

Whew! What a busy year this has turned out to be! I was so excited to do Project Life (the concept begun by Becky Higgins) for 2012, but I chose not to purchase any "kits" as I figured I could just whip it together myself. True, that worked pretty well having a great line on Simple Stories products. But by spring I had fallen way behind, and in the summer I had to pack all my supplies up for a move. So, when I found myself with some (albeit limited) time and creative energy last week, I decided to try... Continue reading

Hi All! It's been a while since I've posted as I've been on the move, literally. I recently left the home (in which I've lived for 19 years and in which I raised my children) for a new adventure in the cool pines of northern Arizona. All this was happening during our release of Simple Stories fantastic new lines during CHA in July, and it means that much of my life remains in boxes. So, when I'm short on time, space, and opportunity, I need to grab some easy inspiration and go. That's what happened with one of my CHA... Continue reading