My First Layout using Simple Stories

This is the first page in my 2011 scrapbook using Simple Stories Life Documented.  This was fast, easy and fun!  I think I can actually keep up with my current photos and scrapbooking this way.  We'll see though.  I still have 30+ years of photos of the kids to scrapbook, I really enjoy scrapping the older photos the traditional way in two page layouts. I will still make two page layouts in my 2011 book, but not all photos need to be scrapbooked that way.  And I would really like to keep up with the current photos and have time to go back and do my children's books. 
For those readers who may be new to my blog, I wanted to tell you that I have all of my photos in photo safe albums because my husband likes them in albums.  So when I make a scrapbook layout, I make copies of the photos for the layout and the originals go back in the album.  I showed him this way of scrapbooking and he loves it! So looks like this is going to work out great.

This is a close up of the elements I added to the little pockets. 
To the 2"x12" Simple Stories strip, I added twine tied in a bow, blue cardstock photo corners, a burgundy stamp shape around the word one, two tiny tags handwritten with a rhinestone on them inking the edges of everything.
To the 4"x6" horizontal card I added, chipboard with cardstock covered banner pieces and stamped the date 2011 on them, some twine,  a sticker from the Life Documented collection.  I also cut chipboard to fit the sticker star so it would look dimensional and added a real button.
To the 4"x6" vertical card I added burgundy ribbon and bow.
The back side of this pocket page I have a journaling card and more photos in the pockets.

Isn't this sweet and simple!  I was able to crop 8 photos to 4"x4" to fit in these pockets.  I love every one of these sweet photos, they were loving every minute of their snuggle time before bed, each expression is priceless to me.  On the back side of this I have 8 more photos and journaling box.  Wow 16 photos on one actual divided page.  I am really, really liking this!!

This is one of the Life Documented 4"x4" elements.  I added the pink cardstock covered chipboard brackets, tied twine and added a tiny tag and had wrote "it is moments like these"  I love, love, love this so much, because it totally says it all when it comes to my husband.  There has never been anything more important to him than his children and now grand daughter.  He made so many decisions in his life and including his career that were best for his kids.  He never felt more money and things was best for his family, he knew the time he spent with his family were more important than anything else.  I love this man!