'Grow' for Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
Just popping in today to share my latest layout using the Cocoa Vanilla Studio new Colour Me Happy collection.
This layout features a photo of one of my twin boys (Hunter) when he was aged just 6 days old and still weighed under 1kg (2lbs). It was taken during a rare moment when he had no breathing gear on and I was watching a nurse change his tiny nappy (and was wondering how I would touch him without breaking him!) Looking back on photos like these makes me reflect on just how far he and his brother have come since those scary days, so I wanted to scrap a layout he can look at in the future and see that for himself.

(from little things, big things)

'Grow'

I used the Leaf Litter paper as my background because I wanted to convey the theme of growth. So I pulled out my Faber-Castell gelatos and set about giving it a customised watercolour makeover. I didn't aim for perfection with my painting, as I knew some imperfection would provide a good contrast to the cut files I also planned to use.

I used more than one shade of green to help give the background depth, and applied the colour using a water brush. I love the result!

I used some of the green from the B-side of the Leaf Litter paper to mat my photo, and then used a larger mat of white cardstock to help separate the photo further from the background. I also used some of the Snip-Its phrase strips adhered directly onto my photo.

This was my first time ever using cut files and I was thrilled with the result! I used one of the leafy branch cut files several times and one of the flowers as well. I backed the flowers with a small amount of pink paper from the B-side of the Paisley Patch paper to add a small pop of complimentary colour to the page. I added a few Blooms from the neutrals pack, which I topped with Enamel Dots from the warm pack.

Finally I added my title, using the grey spot Alphabet Stickers from the Free Spirit collection and the tiny pink butterfly sticker (also from Free Spirit).

I am thrilled with the result of this page, and I especially love the fact that my paper is completely unique because I hand-painted it myself! If you are a fan of colouring in or painting, I highly recommend you grab some of the papers from this collection! So. Much. Fun.
Til next time, happy scrapping! X