Simply J Studio

Project Life App Sneak Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 20:14:00 +0000

I'm a lucky beta tester of the upcoming Project Life App, and let me tell you... it is awesome! Seriously... each of these pages probably took me 10 minutes. I know there are collage apps out there, but this is not the same thing. First of all it's everything Project Life, so if you already do traditional or digital Project Life this can be done right alongside it with the same templates/kits. The other things is you can export the pages as 12"x12", 10"x10", or 8"x8", so it's easy to add them to your regular albums.

This app is very intuitive and user-friendly. You're creating full size layouts in minutes, no complicated programs to learn. I take soooo many photos with my phone, and this is a game-changer. I can take the photos and literally create a page right then to document our memories.

You can check out Becky's blog post here for more information on this amazing app.

Here are the pages I've done so far, and I'll post more as I make them:

Thanks for looking!

New AWESOME Templates + Save 50%

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 04:32:00 +0000

This poor little blog of mine has been neglected lately. Life is just happening around here... too fast sometimes! I wanted to pop in for a minute to share these really fun templates I've had the chance to play around with this week. Crystal Wilkerson has 8 new template packs out... each pack has 4 templates, so that's 32 brand new templates!! She is also generously offering my readers a 50% discount on whatever templates you buy this week! (Scroll down for coupon code.)

I love Crystal's style, and these templates couldn't have been any easier to work with. One of the things I love is that she includes templates with styles (pre-set drop-shadows, stitches, etc.) and ones without in case you'd rather do your own shadowing. I worked with the styled ones, and it made it soooo easy, which is totally what I need these days. I loved having the shadow work already done for me, and the stitching is a really cute extra.

These are the pages I've made so far using her templates:

Credits: Template - Crystal's Template Pack #1; Background paper - Digital Project Life Midnight;
Card - Digital Project Life Playground

Credits: Crystal's Template Pack #8; Digital Project Life Midnight

Credits: Crystal's Template Pack #5; Digital Project Life Olive

I especially love her templates that have white space. I love the clean look of them, and they really put the emphasis of the page on the photos. You can see some of Crystal's own pages using her templates on her blog here.

Crystal's templates can be purchased at SnapClickSupply.com, and until Sunday, June 22, 2014 you can use code CWTEMP50 to save 50% on any of the templates! If your life seems to be moving at the same pace as mine, you'll love how simple these templates are to use!

Thanks for stopping by... hope you're having a great summer!

Pinned + True | Banana Crumb Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 06:32:00 +0000

I love making banana muffins with too-ripe-to-eat bananas, but I saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it for a change. So yummy. The original recipe was pinned from Cookies and Cups here. I didn't change anything from her recipe and instructions, except I used the whisk attachment on my mixer to mash the bananas. Next time you have really ripe bananas, try this. You won't regret it.

Birthday Money Balloons

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 05:48:00 +0000

Here's another gift idea when you don't know what to get (especially great for kids and teenagers) ... a box of money-filled balloons! This particular one was for my nephew who was turning 14 at the time. The box was filled with 14 balloons and each balloon had $1 in it. My oldest son helped me put this gift together... here's a quick, little tutorial:

1. Roll dollars up tight. Secure with washi tape (or some other tape that won't be difficult to take off... you don't want it to rip when the tape comes off).

2. Stick the money in a small balloon (I used water balloons). These balloons were small and this part got tricky. I don't have a picture, but it helped us to put the opening of the balloon onto a funnel and stick the rolled up dollar in through the funnel, kind of stretching the balloon as we did to make the dollar fit.

3. Inflate balloon and tie closed. We have an inexpensive little balloon pumper that we used. It made it a lot easier to blow the balloons up. The one we are using came from Bed, Bath and Beyond a few years ago.

4. Decorate or write on the balloons if you wish, stick them in a box, wrap it up and you're good to go!

Have a great week!

Project Life | Snowy January

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 03:17:00 +0000

Credits: Digital Project Life Maggie Holmes Mini Kit, Template W, Template C, Just Add Color Overlays

Cupid's Arrow Valentine + Free Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 07:40:00 +0000

I know I'm too late in posting this for anybody to get any use out of it this year, but feel free to pin it or file it away to use some other time. These are the Valentines my daughter is giving her class. She LOVES gum and wanted to include gum with her valentine, and I got the idea from this pin. I adapted my version to work better for me. First of all, I can't find packs of gum like that... maybe they don't make them anymore? We ended up just using two sticks of gum for the middle (cheaper anyway!) and wrapped them with custom wrappers (download for free below). I also didn't want to put unwrapped candy on then end because I wasn't going to put each arrow in its own bag. I had this awesome glitter paper by American Crafts in my stash that has been waiting to see the light of day, so we pulled it out and used it for the main part of our arrows. Here's my process:

Gather supplies

Glitter paper (or whatever stiff paper you have on hand, it doesn't have to be glitter... normal card stock will work great)
Skewers (I took the picture first, but I actually cut the points off using my garden shears... figured it'd be safer that way for 2nd graders)
Gum sticks
1/8" hole punch
Baker's twine or other small string
Printable gum wrapper (download below).

Cut rectangles/arrows and hearts out of paper.

My rectangles were 1-1/8" x 2-1/4". I used scissors to notch the bottom (nothing too precise... just eyeball it), then use that triangle piece as a pattern to angle the top. This gives you the arrow shape.
I used my Sizzix to punch out the hearts, but you could just trace a cookie cutter your own heart shape and cut them out that way.

Punch two holes in each shape.

Thread the shapes onto each end of the stick. Once the shapes are on, cut fringe in the arrow (make sure not to cut all the way to where the hole is punched).

Wrap the wrappers around the sticks of gum and secure with a piece of tape. One of the wrappers says "from", so you can write the giver's name on it.

Put two pieces of gum back to back on the middle of the stick and tie the ends together with Baker's twine (to make it a little easier, you can dab a little glue to keep the gum on the sticks before tying the string... I used a low-temp glue gun). There you go. A super cute Valentine to give away!

Click here or on the image below to download these free, printable gum wrappers.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Free Valentine Heart Printable Update + Pencil Instructions

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 17:07:00 +0000

I made these Valentine pencils about four years ago for my kids to give their teachers and the office staff at their school. They were a big hit with the receivers, and ever since I blogged about them, they have garnered a lot of interest. They are my most pinned photo on Pinterest, and my most visited blog posts are about the pencils. I wish I could claim credit for the original idea, but this was just my take on a similar idea I'd seen from someone else, who had also gotten the idea from someone else, and so on. Once I posted them, I started getting a lot of e-mails, comments, etc. asking for more details. I was also lucky enough to have a back-to-school version of the pencils I made featured in the September 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes and through CK on a local TV show, Studio 5. These are the ones that were published:

Back-to-School Rolo Pencils originally published in September 2010 in Creating Keepsakes Magazine.

After my original blog post about the Valentine pencils, I had so many people ask for instructions that I created a follow-up post with the instructions. After I posted the follow-up, I had several people ask about the heart I attached. The actual heart I used is no longer available, so I created my own that people could download and use. Having the original post, instructions, and free download spread across three different posts is confusing, so I decided to consolidate and put everything in one place.

Valentine Rolo Pencil Instructions

1. Cut a 3.5”x4.5” piece of yellow cardstock. Make score lines every 1/4 inch (the score lines should be parallel with the long side of the cardstock). Using pinking shears or decorative pinking scissors, cut a small strip off the short side of the cardstock. Wrap this piece around the Rolo’s, and use adhesive to hold together.

2. Cut a 3.5”x3/8” piece of pink cardstock. Wrap this around the top of the Rolo’s for the edge of the pink eraser. Trace the top of the Rolo’s on pink cardstock and cut out to get the top of your eraser. Stick this on top with adhesive.

3. Cut a 3.5”x3/8” piece of aluminum foil and adhere this around the seam where the yellow and pink cardstock meet. Use Glue Dots to adhere a Hershey’s Kiss to the bottom of the Rolo’s. This is the pencil point.

4. Tie a cute ribbon around the top and add a tag (free heart printable below). Give to someone you love!

Valentine Heart Printable

Click here or on the image below to download this printable sheet.

Other posts about these pencils can be found here, here, and here.

Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have any questions, and I'll try to answer them!

Project Life | Snow Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Credits: Digital Project Life Template Design N and Maggie Holmes Mini Kit

Recipe Share | Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 21:00:00 +0000

I saw this recipe on the back of a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips and decided to try it. It is yummy. The kind of yummy that I really need to share them with others when I make them or I'll sit down and eat 3 (or 4 or 5...) at a time. Cookies, chocolate, and peanut butter... three of my favorite things together. My peanut butter loving son asks me to make these all the time. If you're not a peanut butter fan, this is a great basic chocolate cookie recipe because you can substitute the peanut butter chips with anything. We've used white chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, and mint chips before. It's a pretty straightforward recipe... my biggest tip is to not over bake them or they'll be dry and crumbly when they cool. Also, I use a Pampered Chef medium scoop for my cookies which is about 2 tablespoons. I think it makes the perfect-sized cookie.

When I make these, I just follow the recipe exactly. I don't change anything (except the flavor of chips occasionally). Click here to go to Hershey's website for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Project Life | New Maggie Holmes Mini Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 22:17:00 +0000

New at DigitalProjectLife.com today is this great Maggie Holmes mini kit... and it's 20% off until February 2! Here's a page I made with it (I am in love with those big polka dots!):

Free Printable | Lollipop Valentines

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000

One month until Valentine's Day! Want to get started a little early? Here's a quick, easy Valentine you can put together with your kids this year. Just download and print out the free template below. Cut each lollipop cover out, use a small hole punch to punch a hole where indicated, and score/fold along the dotted lines. Stick a small lollipop through the hole (I used the flat kind of sucker that has the flat cellophane wrapper… sorry forgot to get a pic), and fold the front flap over and into the little tab. Staple each side to hold closed. There's a space on the back for your child to sign their name.

Click here or on the image below to download this free printable:

Scrap Paper Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000

I used to be a paper scrapbooker. Years ago. I still love to make handmade cards and other crafty stuff, but I don't really paper scrapbook anymore. Not in the traditional sense anyway… Project Life? Yes! Anyway, I have stacks and piles of scraps of patterned paper. This scrap paper garland is a great way to use paper scraps and pieces that probably won't be used for anything else, and it's pretty cute, too! It's super simple, so get the kids involved. My daughter loved working on this with me.

First, we tore the paper up into little pieces. No measurements, nothing precise… just tear. We used Elmer's glue thinned with a little bit of water (you could also use Mod Podge) and a foam brush to adhere the scraps to a sheet of white card stock.

I think the easiest method is to brush the glue on the paper (work a section at a time so the glue doesn't dry before you're finished) and stick the scraps to them. Overlap the pieces so that there is no white left showing. It doesn't matter if they aren't stuck all the way down because once the white paper is covered, you brush a thin layer of glue over the entire sheet.

Once the white card stock is completely covered and you've brushed a layer of glue over the top, let the mosaic paper dry completely before completing the next step.

Turn the paper over and trace hearts over the entire sheet (we used a cookie cutter as a stencil). Cut the hearts out and punch a small hole on each side.

Thread a thin string (or ribbon, yarn, cord, whatever) through the punched holes of each heart to create the garland.

We used our garland to decorate for Valentine's day. The great thing about this is it can be adapted for any occasion depending on the colors/patterns of paper you use and the shape.

Pinned + True | Balloon Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000

I love Pinterest. I have a lot of pins. (My Pinterest boards found here.) A.LOT. Obviously, more pins than I'll ever have time to attempt. But, I do actually try some of the pins I pin. I've created a board called Pinned and True where I can keep track of things I tried that worked for me. This balloon garland is one of them. It's so simple but genius. All you do is blow up a bunch of balloons and using a needle (careful not to pop the balloons) and thin string, thread the string through the tail part of the balloon. I don't really know what it's called, but it looks like a little tail, right? Anyway… genius, I tell you. No need for helium.

Link to the pinned idea: http://www.agirlandaboy.com/journal/archives/002791.html

Rudolph Root Beer

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I have one more fun, quick gift idea for you this week… Rudolph Root Beer!

This is another one where the kids can help! I printed the labels, and the kids helped me wrap and tape them (nothing fancy… we just used Scotch tape). Then hot glue googly eyes and a red pom nose (use a low-temp gun if kids are helping). Wrap pipe cleaner around the top and bend the ends back and forth to resemble antlers. To make the scarf, just cut a strip of felt, cut slits on both ends (for the scarf fringe), and tie it around your reindeer. A great, inexpensive, fun gift!

Rudolph Candy Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Here's another quick, fun gift to make for the holidays. This is a great one for kids to help with. My kids helped wrap the kraft card stock, and they punched all the noses and tags and did all the glueing by themselves (just make sure to use a low-temperature glue gun or some other adhesive if they help glue… don't use the high-temp glue guns). We formed an assembly line and watched a movie while we worked. It was fun activity for us to do together. Here are some steps to help with the process:

Measure your candy bar (we used Hershey's) and cut kraft card stock to fit around it. We just used Scotch tape on the back to keep the card stock in place.
Use a circle punch to punch noses out of red card stock.
Create a pattern for the antlers, trace as many as you need on brown card stock, and cut them out.
Use a low-temp glue gun (or other adhesive… I just like how fast the hot glue dries) to adhere noses, goggly eyes (available at craft stores), and antlers.
Use baker's twine (or other string or ribbon) to attach tag.
Give to friends, family, teachers, neighbors, the postman, and whoever else deserves one of these cute Rudolph candy bars!

Snowman Dipped Oreos

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 06:35:00 +0000

I first came across these Snowman Pops at The Idea Room (probably via Pinterest? but I don't remember for sure). My kids and I made them for the first time a couple of years ago. My kids gave them to their friends, and we took a cute bucket full of them to our Neighborhood Cookie Exchange (what our neighborhood does instead of neighbor gifts… it's awesome).

These are pretty straight forward to make, but here are some tips that helped me:

Use Double Stuff Oreos because it's easier to get the stick in. I don't think it would work with the regular, skinny Oreos.
Microwave a few cookies at a time for 5-10 seconds to get the stick in without the cookie breaking (my sister shared this tip with me after I had broken several Oreos and was ready to call it quits).
Popsicle sticks worked better for me than sucker sticks.
After you dip the Oreos in melted chocolate, hold them upside down over the bowl to let some run off so it doesn't puddle as much when you put it on the pan.
Make sure to use wax paper on the pan because they'll come right off when you're ready to package them up.
I colored a small amount of the white chocolate orange for the noses. I put it in a sandwich baggie and cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag to pipe the noses on. (I use Wilton Candy Colors when I need to color chocolate.)
If you can't find miniature chocolate chips (mine are Nestle brand), I think mini M&M's would be cute, too.
Instead of ribbon, I decided to make little scarfs out of felt. Just cut a thin strip of felt, then cut slits at the end of each strip (for the scarf fringe), and tie it around your snowman!

We're going to make a batch of these this week for my kids to give to their friends. My son also wants to make some reindeer ones, so I'll let you know how that goes!

My Favorite Gift Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 23:24:00 +0000

I've started buying this brown mailing paper from Dollar Tree, and I love to use it as gift wrap. You can find the paper online here, but there's a Dollar Tree close to me, so I just buy it there.

Image from DollarTree.com.

The thing I love most about it is it's like having a blank canvas. I can leave it as is, or pretty it up a little like I did below with doilies and letter stickers. Baker's twine is my favorite thing to use to finish it off. I love Baker's twine and can't seem to get enough of it.

The brown paper is going to be fun for Christmas, too. I just ordered 3 new spools of Baker's twine in red, silver, and gold… can't wait!

LAST Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 17:05:00 +0000

Project Life | Big Red Car

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 21:25:00 +0000

There are three awesome new theme packs out at digitalprojectlife.com. Here's a page using the Boy Theme Pack.

Credits: Cards from Boy Theme Pack; Background paper from Honey Edition… both at digitalprojectlife.com

New Release: A Day in the Life + HUGE store closing sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 05:06:00 +0000

Today brings a kit release from me and some news. First, the kit... A Day in the Life. This kit was originally part of the Mixed Matters sale at ScrapMatters this month. If you missed it then, my kit is now available for purchase in my shop.

Second... I've been selling my designs at ScrapMatters for the past 4.5 years. Since I started, my family has grown from 5 to 7 people, and my kids just keep getting bigger and busier. It's come to a point where something's gotta give, and right now it's going to be my designing. I'm closing up shop on November 7, 2013, but until then you can save 60% off my entire shop. OR, you can buy my whole store for $50.

(Note: The prices right now are only showing up at 40% off, but once the product is in your cart it changes to 60% off.)

Thanks to all of my blog readers, newsletter subscribers, and Facebook followers. Even though my shop is closing, I'm not going completely away. I will still be blogging and sharing my own projects and pages, and I'd love for you to stick around!

New Release... Spooky

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:15:00 +0000

Spooky is new in the shop this week. It's a fun kit that's a little bit spooky but a lot of cute to accent those awesome photos you'll take this fall and Halloween. Buy Spooky by October 27, and save 20%!

Don't miss my featured product for October. My CD/DVD folder template is my most popular hybrid product in my shop, and if you buy it during the month of October, you save 25%!

Manic Monday - 50% off TODAY ONLY!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 05:29:00 +0000

It's that time again! The third Monday of the month at ScrapMatters means great deals for you! I have three products on sale for 50% off, but today only.

Grab these great deals while you can... they won't last long! Happy Monday!

ScrapNArt Winner Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:23:00 +0000

The following (ahem... only LOL) commenters have won a one month subscription (October) to ScrapNArt's online magazine! Congratulations! Please e-mail me and I will get you the details on how to redeem your subscription. Thanks for stopping by to enter!

Paula Kolarik

ConnSue

Becs

NEW Digital Project Life Theme Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 19:51:00 +0000

There are lots of great, new theme packs available at DigitalProjectLife.com, and they're on sale right now! Here's a peek at the Winter theme pack:

Credits: Winter Theme Pack from DigitalProjectLife.com; Font: Lilly

ScrapNArt Feature + giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 18:28:00 +0000

This month I am excited to be the featured hybrid designer in ScrapNArt's online magazine.This is an online magazine that started in 2008 with papercrafting and scrapbooking and now also includes digital and hybrid. Each issue is packed with tutorials, articles, and lots of inspirational pages and projects. There are also exclusive digital downloads and printables for free in each month's newsletter.

I created a new hybrid template to offer to SNA readers this month. Here's a peek:

This box template (which also includes cutting files) will be available in my store in a couple of months, but right now you can get it free in October's issue of ScrapNArt!

Good news... the editors at ScrapNArt have kindly given me 5 coupons to give away good for a one month (October) subscription to their magazine! If you don't already subscribe and want to check out a great online magazine, just post a comment here by tomorrow. Giveaway ends Friday, October 4, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. MST, so make sure you comment before then!