Vintage Christmas Journal!

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio and I have a pretty new mini album to share! Vintage is such a great style for Christmas and the new Simple Stories Simple Vintage 'Tis The Season collection proves just that. All of the papers, embellishments, icons and ephemera are full of vintage beauty and gorgeous rich colors!

Because this collection invokes such a nostalgic feel for olden days, I decided to create a junque journal stuffed full of tags, ticket and postcards that have all been decked out for the holidays with this spectacular collection! I also layered in lots of the new Color Vibe  Winter polka dots which adds even more charm!

The first part of the album opens up to reveal three pockets! One on the first page to hold tags, another behind the second page that is filled with beautiful ephemera and the third page which is the pocket and holds two beautiful cards! I let everything hang out and over the edges to give it that stuffed, 'antique' feel!

The second section opens up to two pages each charmingly decorated with bits and pieces from the collection, along with stickers, chipboard and decorative brads. The ticket embellishment on the last page is two different pieces layered together to give it a nice and thick effect! 

There is also another hidden pocket in between the last page and the back cover. This one holds some larger pieces of ephemera that would work great for journaling your Christmas memories! I added a few more embellishments to each as well!

I have a tutorial for this adorable 'junque' mini album available on my YouTube channel so be sure and head over there to create one for yourself and your favorite holiday memories!

Thanks for checking out my blog! Bee Happy!!

All About Tags!

Hi everyone! Did you know that every Simple Stories collection comes with a fabulous page of tag elements? One side is decorative with various designs, images and phrases of the collection while the reverse side features pretty patterned toppers along with grids, lines or blank spaces for journaling! The tags all measure 2.3/8" x 4" and are great to tuck in as a journaling spot or to layer in with photos for a charming accent!

They are also a great size for a mini album so I created this tag shaped book with the new What's Cookin' collection to show off the beauty and versatility of these amazing tags! I combined these tags, with their vintage inspired patterns and images, with coordinating colorful and bright Color Vibe papers for a happy and fun family album!

Using the Simple Stories tags as a template, I cut two chipboard covers slightly larger and covered them with the Color Vibe paper. I added a 1 1/8" spine to accommodate 6 double sided pages that highlight almost all of the tag elements of the collection! 

This collection is full of the most adorable kitchen and cooking icons along with sweet sentiments and phrases and I made sure to use as many elements as I could on each page! Some of the pages are interactive as well- there are flip-ups, pockets and pieces that open or turn to reveal more photo or journaling space! 

This album may be tiny but it it will hold a lot of memories. I had so much fun making and embellishing every single page and I can't wait to fill it with pictures and notes of me and my family cooking and baking together!

Thanks for checking out my blog! Bee Happy!!

Faboolous Treats!

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio! Halloween candy is always yummy but an adorable box filled with goodies is even better!! Show your favorite ghouls and boys how much you love them with a delightful Halloween treat box made with the new and oh so fun Simple Stories Faboolous collection!

These little boxes are 3.5" square and are perfect for mixing and matching awesome patterned papers like the ones in the Faboolous collection! With these amazing papers, the treat boxes look beautiful inside and out! Plus, with a box like this there are plenty of sides to decorate and embellish!

There is no shortage of fabulous icons, sentiments, stickers and chipboard pieces in this collection. You can decorate in a super cute traditional style or go all out spooky! In fact, there are so many  charming embellishments in this collection that you could make treat boxes for days!

Have a frighteningly fabulous time crafting and creating all of your Halloween goodies!

Thanks for checking out my blog! Bee Happy!!

Fabulous Fall Fold-Out Mini!

Hi everyone! It's Tara with Secretbees Studio and I am so excited to show you what I created with the fabulous new Simple Stories Acorn Lane collection! This Fall collection is a gorgeous palette of rich, earthy colors and is full of sweet icons and sentiments that will make you so happy!

These photos of my grandson were taken last fall at a pumpkin farm and this collection is the perfect match to show them off! I made the base of the album with some coordinating mustard Color Vibe card stock and then got busy covering the pages with the beautiful Fall inspired patterned papers! There are loads of leaves, rich plaids and cute critters!

This little album measures only four by four inches when all closed up but it opens to thirteen different sections including three pockets that I filled with charming tags and journaling elements to hold even more photos! Each of the pockets feature a coordinating Color Vibe chipboard bracket topped with lots of the pretty Bits and Pieces of the collection! I made one of the pocket tags interactive by attaching it to a couple of larger bits and then layering on some smaller embellishments! 

This mini album is such fun to flip through and fold open and it's even more fun to open each section and see the gorgeously detailed papers and embellishments! If you have Fall crafting to do then you need this sweet and charming collection! I cannot wait to use it again and create something fabulous!

Be sure to check my Instagram page for the flip through video of this super cute mini and see all of the sections and details decked out with this amazing autumn collection!

Thanks for checking out my blog! Bee Happy!!

Hi everyone! I'm here to show you another fabulous project made with the amazing Color Vibe Collections! This adorable mini focuses on the Basics Color Vibe collection with its shades of black, charcoal, grey, brown, cream and white! I used the entire spectrum of cardstock along with all of the charming flower pieces, chipboard bits, buttons and enamel dots. I also added a few bits from the amazing Simple Vintage Essentials collection!

The base of the album is made from chipboard covered in the dotted side of the Basics Grey cardstock and is embellished with more of the Basics papers, stars and a flower. I created a spine to hold a cascade of the chipboard stars along with a sweet sentiment! The title of the album is made with some Basics foam letters and the Typekey letters from the Simple Vintage collection!

The base opens up to reveal this three section booklet that holds all the photos! The front is closed with a hidden magnet and this large and pretty cream flower along with a few chipboard bits and enamel dots!

Because the album is created entirely with these monochromatic colors, I added in pictures filled with bright and bold colors and accented each photo with more flowers, chipboard bits and enamel dots! The Basics color scheme, along with the Simple Vintage Essentials stickers, add a whimsical touch to each photo and stand out all on their own!

The last page of the album is so cute with its banner of buttons! I cut and then tucked in a few leaves from the flower bits and added in a fun sentiment at the bottom. A perfect ending to this 'creative' mini album!

If you would like to create one of these minis for yourself, there is a tutorial on my YouTube channel that will go through all of the steps. Check it out!

Thanks for checking out my blog! Bee Happy!!

Color Vibe Matchbook Minis!

Hi everyone! I am showcasing some of the new and beautiful Color Vibe collections today! All of the Color Vibe collections are great for mixing with and complementing all of the Simple Stories themed collections but they are marvelous on their own too!

 

All of these adorable matchbook mini albums feature a different Color Vibe Woods paper for the base and inside are two pockets also made with the Woods cardstock. Then I layered on all of the gorgeous Color Vibe Darks and Woods chipboard and flowers embellishments along with colorful buttons and enamel dots! 

The Color Vibe Darks collection is full of rich and deep hues that add elegance to any project. I used the dotted sides of the cardstock to create the tiny photo cards for the pockets and then added texture and dimension with more chipboard, flowers, leaves and letters! Super Cute!

On the covers of the albums and some of the pockets, I added in a few bits from the Simple Vintage Essentials collection too! It just goes to show you how well all of these collection mesh together in the most delightful way!

I hope this cute project inspires you to use these collections not just as background but as the star!