Flutterby Designs Guest Designer Layouts!

Hi all! Just popping in with another share for you. This month I was lucky enough to have been asked by the gorgeous Anita Rodway to do a guest design spot for Flutterby Designs. I have been a big fan of Anita's designs since she first launched her products, so the opportunity to create using her new 'One of Those Days' Everyday Etc Photo Cards was very exciting!

Let's take a look at a couple of layouts I created...

"Some Days Are Just Fanfuckintastic"

I created this layout using several of the Everyday Etc cards I was supplied, some of which I cut up to form my title. In addition, I used the Stargazed stencil to draw some stars on my background; a photo cut out (the speech bubble); and a couple of photo cut out page tabs. I also used some enamel dots and a flair button.

"Bad Hair Day"

For this layout I again started by creating my own custom background. I used the Stargazing and Words of Wisdom stencils with ink applied with a dauber, amongst other mediums. I also used more of the 'One of Those Days' Everyday Etc cards; some photo cut out tabs; enamel dots; flair button; and wood veneer small hearts.

I loved, loved, loved working with the Flutterby Designs products and am so thankful Anita asked me. (I still have a few bits and pieces left to play with so keep an eye out for more creations in the near future.)

If you would like to get your hands on some Flutterby goodies of your own, visit the shop HERE to purchase and make sure you are following the Facebook page HERE and blog HERE to stay up to date with all the news and for plenty of inspiration!

Til next time, happy scrapping! X

February D-lish Scraps Layouts!

Hi again everyone! (I know, so soon.) I have quite a few projects I am yet to share here on my blog, so I thought I better get stuck into it.
The layouts I am sharing today were both part of my February design team work for D-lish Scraps.

"My Handsome Boys"

I love this photo of my boys and I taken at my 40th birthday party last year. I created the layout using many of the pieces from the January Just Add Paper kit from D-lish Scraps (Although the kits are now sold out, at the time of writing this there was several of the kit bits still available separately for purchase in the Just Add Paper kit section of the store HERE)

I started with the sheet of cool woodgrain patterned paper by American Crafts and added some blue watercolour paint to it. I then added some depth using the Scrap FX Hash Stamps, phrase stamps, stencils and ink.

I created the layered mat for my photo using the black punchinella from the kit, a chevron print 5x7 paper bag and more patterned paper. I used the die cut frame, cotton twine, flair button and wood veneer moustache from the kit to create a cluster; and added an arrow paperclip to my photo.

I used one of the journal bits from the kit to add the date and details, which I topped with a little pearl heart cabochon. The title was created using the wood veneer title from the kit, a cute little moustache charm and some Cocoa Vanilla Studio alphas from my stash.

Along the lower edge of my photo I clustered together the die cut film strip and smile photo prop pick wrapped with more of the twine (all from the kit); and I added an extra heart flair button and a wood veneer frame.
I finished the layout with some splashes of navy mist and a scattering of D-lish Dots enamels.

"Shine Bright"

This layout was created based on the February "Sweet Nothings" Inspiration Board Challenge. (There are still a few days left to enter, click HERE for full challenge details.) I used the coordinating February Just Add Paper kit for most of the embellishments. 

Here you can see a few of the items I used from the kit - white paper doily and XOXO tab tucked into the layers behind my photo; pink heart pick, which I wrapped with some of the cotton twine; and a flair button which I layered on top of the doily journal spot, along with some gold metallic thread from my stash.

I loved the gorgeous gold glitter scallop trim from the kit (which I cut into two pieces in order to spread it further); I also used the paper flowers that came in the kit. From my stash I added a Pearl Cabochon 3D heart and a good sprinkling of pastel mix sequins.

More flowers from the kit - this cluster included a white paper azalea and a peach fabric mini heirloom flower (both by Green Tara). Finally, I added the printed date ticket journal spot and then trimmed the edges of my layout with some torn spotted washi (both items also from the kit.) The gorgeous papers and additional die cut pieces used are from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Free Spirit collection.

That's all from me today. (If you made it through to the end, thanks for hanging in there!)

I will be back with more to share soon. Til then, happy scrapping! X

This Rocks for Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! Just popping in today to share my very first layout using new Totally Rad collection about to be released from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. As a mum of twin boys, I am always super excited when a new boy collection comes out, and this one is awesome!

I took the opportunity to create a layout featuring a photo of the boys ready to head off on a new adventure - their very first day at daycare.

"This Rocks"

I started with the gorgeous woodgrain print on the B side of the Stellar paper as my base (I am a total sucker for a good woodgrain!) I also used pieces of the Top Gear, Happy Snaps and Mix Tape papers to form a large, layered mat for my photo. The patterned papers in this collection are fabulous! I find a good mix of bold patterns makes it really easy to create a great boy layouts.

Included in my layers were also pieces from the die cut ephemera pack; some of the accessory stickers; and pieces from the cut apart paper.

I topped this cluster with a cute little camera flair from the flair button pack, which I nested on some white cotton thread. And to coordinate with the gorgeous woodgrain background I used, I included pieces from the wood veneer pack too.
Wood veneer pieces are a great way to bring a touch of natural texture and dimension to your layouts. There are 22 pieces in the pack from this collection. Many of them are etched, giving them an extra degree of detail. They can be easily coloured or altered, or simply left as is.

Finally, I finished off my layout by adding my journaling; a sprinkling of enamel shapes and a cute little Woodie button. Then a little stamping scattered around the page and I was done.
I had so much fun using this collection - there are just so many cool pieces to work with! I am looking forward to sharing more of it with you soon.
Totally Rad has started shipping to retailers this week and will also be available in the Cocoa Vanilla store from the 4th March
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Show Us Your Stuff February Challenge!

Hi all! Just popping to share another of my design team creations for the month - this one for Show Us Your Stuff. The February challenge has been set by Vicki, and is a quote challenge. Besides the quote, you must (as always) include at least one handmade embellishment on your creation. (Entries are not restricted to traditional layouts - cards, Project Life pages, art journal spreads, and off the page creations are all welcome as long as they fit the challenge criteria!)

Here is my layout...

I pulled out my Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Made of Awesome' collection for this layout as I thought it suited this photo of my kids perfectly. (And partly because I still freakin' LOVE this collection!)

I included a Cocoa Vanilla Studio flair; and Burdy's Embellies foam cog, chevies and arrow as my handmade embellishments.

I also used lots of die cut ephemera and wood veneer pieces from the MoA collection, which I layered together.

I added the quote using CVS alphas and highlighted it with a Little Star. Finally, a few coordinating enamel dots, and a little bit of stamping completed the layout.

I hope you will play along with us this month. It's such a versatile quote - just perfect for a layout about anyone you love. And as you can see, it's not hard to add a handmade embellishment as it doesn't necessarily have to be made by you. Entries for this challenge close midnight, 29th February. You will find the challenge link HERE
Til next time, happy scrapping! X

Perfect Smile for Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi friends! Just popping in today to share another layout I created using the stunning Free Spirit collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.
I really love this layout because it features a photo of my mum, my three kids and my niece and nephew - and all of them are looking at the camera! (A small miracle, right there.)

I used the B side of the Eclectic paper for my base, which features gorgeous typewriter text all over it. (I am such a sucker for a good typewriter font!) I started by adding some water colour using two shades of pink to give the layout a little extra depth.



I used lots of layers behind my photo. The papers I used were Dreamy; My Way; Shabby Chic and Eclectic. Included in my layers was also a paper doily, pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and some of the Accessory Stickers.
For my title I used a die cut combined with one of the new Puffy Stickers.

Two other new Cocoa Vanilla embellishments - Fancy Buttons and Woodies, both helped add to the eclectic feel I was looking for. I also used some of the Enamel Shapes in my cluster to add further interest.

To tie in with the Woodies I had used, I added a few pieces from the Wood Veneer pack. You can see how well the wood veneer helps highlight the timber of the Woodies and button, and brings an element of natural texture to the page.

In my final cluster I added a Flair Button, which I nested on some white thread; along with another of the Fancy Buttons, more Die Cut Ephemera pieces and Enamel Shapes. The sentiment was cut from the Eclectic cut apart paper. A few splatters of navy mist, and a date stamp completed the layout.

That's all from me today. If you are looking to purchase any of the Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections, you will find them in the Cocoa Vanilla store HERE or please ask you favourite scrappy retailer. (Get behind a great Aussie brand!)
Til next time, happy scrapping! X

D-lish Scraps January Layouts!

Hi everyone! Just thought I would pop in with a round-up of my projects I created for D-lish Scraps last month that were featured on the blog.

First up, a layout I created using left over pieces from a previously released Just Add Paper kit. I first used this kit back in November, so I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to use only the left overs and prove that you really do get more than one layout from each kit!

{Published in Scrapbooking Memories Vol 19 No 3}

I used a sheet of Cocoa Vanilla Studio patterned paper from the Made of Awesome collection as my base. From the D-lish kit left-overs I added tissue paper; some white punchinella; a flair button; flowers; a wood veneer diamond; black coloured wire; sequins; and pieces from the kits journal pack. I also added a gold & white striped 5x7 paper bag, which was the only embellishment not included in the original kit.
Last of all, I splashed on some gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine.

This next layout was created for a guest designer spot for CSI (Color Stories Inspiration) challenges. As D-lish was one of the sponsors during January, the D-lish DT were asked to play along with the CSI team.
I chose to work with CSI Casefile No 188, which looked like this:

And here is my layout...

In creating this layout, I used a dip dye printed tag tied with twine; Freckled Fawn glitter star chipboard stickers; flair button; yellow paper doily; orange hand-dyed muslin; orange sequins; Journal Its journal pieces; felt polka dot bow; Freckled Fawn birthday wood chips; orange mini paper doily; and some blue coloured wire.

For my final layout, I opted to keep my design more clean and simple...

For this one, I once again started with some papers from Cocoa Vanilla Studio and then added my D-lish embellishments. I included gold foil doily; Journal Its journal pieces; flair button; Freckled Fawn arrow paper clip; wood veneer heart, pinwheel and 'shine' title; D-lish Dots enamels; dip dye tag; cotton twine; pink washi tape; and a sequin bow.
I also used gold glitter and some Dylusions ink spray.

So that's my January projects. Thanks for popping in so I could share these with you. If you would like any further information about them, or for more close-up photos, please visit the D-lish Scraps blog HERE. You will also find plenty of other inspiring projects from my fellow DT girls.
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Scrap the Boys February Challenge!

Hi everyone!
Well here we are in the second month of the year already and I am kicking things off with my first design team share - this one is for Scrap the Boys. This month we have a sketch challenge for everyone and it looks like this...

And here is my take on it...

I love how bright & fun this layout is! I used lots of Amy Tan goodies - papers, ephemera, wood veneer pieces, stickers. (I thought it was high time I made a dent in my stash!)

I also used a flair button from Flutterby Designs, which I nested on some black thread.

I loved this quote from the cut apart paper, although I did cross off the "don't" with a Sharpie so it fit with the theme of my layout. ;)

Not everything on this layout was from Amy Tan. The large Kraft tag and some of the small wood veneers are by Heidi Swapp. I also added a few enamel dots and some splatters of black Heidi Swapp Color Shine.

I do hope you will play along with us at Scrap the Boys this month! Link up your entry via the Scrap the Boys blog before the end of the month to be in the running for a fantastic prize!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X