Welcome Simple Stories Blog Hoppers!!!
Those coming from Emily’s little corner of the web, I’m sure have heard all about the wonderful things happening at the Simple Stories blog. You all have the opportunity to win a Simple Stories collection of your choice like the one I’m going to show you now! Details below…
*Don’t forget to leave your comments here and at the Simple Stories blog for your chance to win.*
(a reader from the blog in the hop with the most comments will get a Simple Stories collection!)
Simple Stories – Happy Day…
This Simple Stories project isn’t your typical paper crafting project. I wanted to give you an idea of how you can use these wonderful papers in a whole new way.
We celebrated Talitha’s first birthday last fall with a woodland themed birthday party, an emphasis on owls. While there are a few owl options in the Simple Stories line, the Happy Day colors and birthday theme were perfect for our party and, ultimately, the inspiration for many of the decorations.
For this project, You’ll see a little bit of everything in the Happy Day series. I bought one of everything before the planning even began knowing much of it would also end up in the scrapbook. I love being able to perfectly coordinate the layouts and photos!
A Happy Day Birthday
So here’s the main table. You can see several Happy Day Elements here. The photos framed in Happy Day layouts, the banner on the bottom, the paper medallion garland.
Birthday banner…
This was lots of fun. Using my Cricut, I cut out the scallop ovals from the Happy Day Designer Cardstock Paper Pack and mounted the solid ovals and letters in the coordinating American Crafts cardstock colors.
Tell me these aren’t adorable. Seriously! So cute and simple. The “1st” tag is going in the scrapbook!
I also mounted these little wooden owls (I found for less than a dollar each!) onto the dark brown cardstock in the same collection. You can see those hanging in the banner and around the table.
Paper medallion garlands…
The cardstock colors are delicious in this pack – so wonderfully foresty. I had to do something to highlight this fact and chose a garland for a dramatic effect over the large window. With another scallop edge, this time a Fiskars punch, I created a garland using the AC cardstock, everyday twine, and a glue stick.
Get your self a big bowl, your punch, cardstock and good movie for this project! Punch beyond your heart’s content and you’ll eventually have enough. 
Next just glue two scallops together with the twine sandwiched in between at even intervals and you’re all done. While a bit tedious, this project is so simple, even your little helpers could manage it. I alternated the garland with matching crepe paper streamers.
A paper chain…
Another party decoration that I absolutely loved was this colorful paper chain. I wish I had a great picture of it in place at the party, but I couldn’t find one. Using links of all different widths, I made the chain using the Happy Day 6×6 Paper Pad papers, the AC coordinating cardstock, and some of the Signature Elements Pack. And a glue stick, of course! 
Party fun & framed photo layouts…
This is where the scrapbooking and party-going really start to meld. One of the activities for the guests to participate in was to leave a love note for the birthday girl. From the Signature Elements Pack, I cut out cute journaling boxes and photo mats for the guests to write on. A recycled aluminum can got a treatment from the Elements pack as well to hold some scrapbooking markers.
In the photo above you can also see more of the framed photo layouts with pictures of our baby girl already mounted. These guys can go straight into a scrapbook layout with very little effort!
With the Happy Day Flash Cards, I decorated the craft table by mounting them to these scallop edged containers that held our crafting supplies.
A really fun game we played, Pin the Owl on the Tree, got the whole bunch laughing when even great grandma participated. Again the AC cardstock served as the base for these die-cut owls. My 10 year old daughter put these together for the party.
I had SO much fun with this project! I still have to get it all into an album but, believe it or not, I have a ton of supplies left for that. I’m thinking maybe a mini album just for this event is in order.
Do you have a favorite not-your-typical-paper-crafting project? Tell me about!
Now head on over to Simple Stories team member Allison’s blog to see what cool things she’s done with the Simple Stories collections!
Don’t forget to leave a comment below! A reader from the blog with the most comments will get a Simple Stories collection of their choice. You can check out the other collections at the Simple Stories blog. Don’t forget to leave a comment there for another chance to win!
*In case you get lost along the way, here’s the trail we’re hopping along!
- Simple Stories
- Welcome To Martha’s World
- Simple Stories Design Team Member, Kim Holmes at The Holmes Crew
- Pursuit of Scrappiness
- Scrapixie
- Simple Stories Design Team Member, Emily Pitts at Here I Am, Here I Am
- Knittingprose (ME, you’re here!)
- Simple Stories Design Team Member, Allison Landy at Scraps-Are-Fun
- Queen Kat
- Simple Stories Design Team Member, Wendy Morris at scrapnspire
- Scrappin’ –N- Crafting Princess
- Wild ‘n’ Krazie Memories
- Simple Stories Design Team Member, Liz Qualman at My Little Sketch Blook
-knittingprose
74 Comments
Looks like you had a great time with this. Great ideas for a 1st bday!
What a great way to use the Simple Stories products. It looks like you had a great time.
Eveline.
So that's where you got all those papers! They were so beautiful! Please win. :-)
OMGosh what a fabulous project! My favorite part is the owls. Fantastic work!!!
Your decorations using these papers were gorgeous! I would NEVER think so creatively! I really admire that.
OMGosh - that is out of control awesome! What fun party that must have been! TFS.
HOLY! Some child was very lucky to have such an awesomely decorated birthday party!!! :) Thanks for sharing your great ideas and creations!
You're talent never ceases to amaze me! I absolutely LOVE those colors! Tali is a lucky girl! Brilliant! :)
I love love love the Pin the Owl on the Tree idea! How cute!! Your little girl is really lucky!
Oh my! What a fantastic way to use Simple Stories wonderful products! I love it all! :)
sara, this party looks so delightful! i'm impressed at your creativity!
So cute! I am getting inspired for Knellie's first birthday!
So cute!
I love using scrapbook stuff for birthday party decorations, etc., you did a great job with it!
Great stuff, love those ideas, might have to steal some!!
Great party decorations!! Sometimes I forget these papers are for more than scrapping!! Thanks for the ideas!
what a neat project!
omgosh! so much work! This is a fabulous use of the SS line! Love everything you did with it.
Your work and your blog is GORGEOUS! I certainly book marked this site to be back-what a great project, I would not have thought of that myself!
I am stealing alot of your fab ideas here! I am doing my grandsons 4th birthday party next month and lots of your ideas will be included! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, what a wonderful way to use the papers, amazing how many projects you made, love the owls!
You are so talented. I've only used that paper line for cards and LOs. thanks for the neat ideas.
I LOVE a party with a Theme! Looks like it was a lot of fun! Great job - thanks for sharing!
GREAT decorations! I just love those owls!
So creative and fun! Great job!
Love this....what a cute theme!
What a great idea! I never thought about using my scrapping supply for b-day decorationg. What a great way to use my scraps with the "Happy Day" paper line.
Adorable!
I LOVE the non-traditional use of this collection. Great Job!
What an awesome birthday ensemble!! So creative.
Wow, you had a lot of fun! That is awesome!!
AMAZING! Never would have thought to make bday decorations, but they are fabulous! Thx for sharing :)
super cute projects!!!
I love the note leaving for the birthday girl. And lovely and creative use of the entire line!
Cute cute owls!
this is wonderful totally thinking outside the box thanks for the inspiration
upnurse at aol dot com
what a very special party you held for your daughter, love the ideas especially providing little journaling cards for the guests!
You are so creative! I love how you didnt do the typical pink baby theme. Very awesome!
What a cute cute idea!
I love the ideas you came up with for the birthday party. I love all the colors. I really like the Simple Stories lines ... they make scrapbooking my 4 grandsons so quick and easy!
Love these ideas, thanks!
Carol B
ciaoitalia2007(at)gmail(dot)com
Wow! You are amazing! All that work. I feel a bit intimidated by it all. it's beautiful. I love Simple Stories, but my projects are are a lot more modest. Thanks for sharing.
Very cute party idea! Thanks for shring in the blog hop fun!
You never cease to amaze me.
LOVE your stuff...I am an avid scrapbooker...but way more so a paper crafter...I have the silhouettes inspiration and love it too. Keep up the great work.
Your OWL theme was awesome. My MIL collects owls and now all her granddaughters are taking up the torch and collecting them too. (My youngest DD even got an owl tattoo ... ahhhh!!!) Loved seeing how to use all the products in a fun and festive way!
This is fabulous! Love how you used the collection to do so many projects! Love it.
OMG! a whole party using simple stories, that's great. i love that idea!! thanks for sharing
Great job on this party! You HAD to be tired after all of this crafting. Love Penny Scrap-aholic@blogspot.com
what a wonderful way to celebrate the big day! The tree and owls are just too cute for words.
tmblueb@hotmail.com
Love the owl and tree! Too cute.
tmblueb@hotmail.com
November 30 is a wonderful day to be born.
What an awesome birthday spread!!! I would have loved to be at that party! Love the note writing center and the garland! Great work!
Nice decorations! The owls are so cute!!!
Your table is great!
Super decorations and party items!
Your projects are all amazing! What a festive atmosphere you created with all these fun Simple Stories goodies! Great job - thanks so much for letting us share in the party fun. :)
Love your blog.
I enjoyed this blog hop a lot and especially coming across your blog and your lovely ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Super creative and cute! love it!
Congratulations!! And what a fun stuf you made. Very nice
How wonderful to share this idea. I do love seeing layouts and cards, but sometimes we need a little nudge to the other possibilities. Amazing.
What fun birthday decorations!
Traveling through the Simple Stories blog hop. Have a great day and liked the owls.
You are so clever! Love the decorations. The pin the owl on the tree is amazing!
Sweet! Love all your party decor and projects! Nicely done and I'm sure very memorable for the guest of honor (especially when you scrap it!) TFS! meredemaison.
Those are beautiful the colors are so complimentary to each other! This is something I would love to get started doing! Thanks for sharing!
I think your decorations for this party were so unique that I think that OWL have to make some of these myself. Thanks for the ideas!
Beautiful job on the decorations! I love your owls. So cute. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing, so many different projects! My favorite was the picture frames embellished with Simple Stories! The owls were very cute too! So many to choose from...
WOW what great projects and looks like a fun party!
love your nontraditional bday colorscheme and all your garlands and games. great idea to have guests do some scrappy journaling!
I love the colors and the creativity you used when putting it all together. The owls were sooo cute! Your daughter will look back at all the details and love it. Simple Stories was a great choice!
What a very creative way to use the paper in an alternative way.