You Are Lovely | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Time to share another design team project with you. I am sure you have all seen the stunning new 'Unforgettable' collection that is about to start shipping from Cocoa Vanilla Studio? Such a beautiful range, I can't wait to get stuck into it! Until then, I am still busying myself with the 'Happiness' collection, which I used to create this page. 

I began my layout with the gorgeous floral print of the Meadow paper, which I wanted to use as a base. I then cut a piece of white cardstock down to 10x10" and adhered it over the top, which left a 1" border around the sides. 

I then set about creating some layers in the centre of my page where my photos were going to be placed. I started with a piece of wood grain print paper from the 6x8" paper pad; which I layered with a piece cut from the Frame of Mind paper; then topped it off with a yellow painted stripe cut from the Radiant paper from the More Than Words collection.

Once I had worked out exactly where my photos were going to be placed, I also added a scrap of the Expressive paper (that I had previously used to cut some hearts from); and a tag from the Die Cut Ephemera pack tucked in above my photos.

To embellish my page I started with a die cut flower pot and rosette, which I placed on either side of my photos, along with a small tab that I added to my layers above.

For my page title, I used the word lovely (also from the ephemera pack), which I adhered using foam tape to pop it up from the page. I paired this with the you are small phrase sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet. To help ground my title, I also added a floral frame from the ephemera pack, which I tucked in behind.

I couldn't resist adding some butterflies, so I fussy cut a handful of different coloured ones from the Bright & Beautiful paper and placed them in the top left and bottom right corners of my page to give a sense of movement through my design. I then added an extra one alongside my photos to provide the final point for my "butterfly triangle". 

I finished off my page with the stay colourful banner along the bottom edge, a few hearts from the Clear Sticker set and some small splatters of pink and yellow mist.

That's all from me today. I hope I have inspired you to pull out your stash and get creative today too. (Besides, you need to make room for the new 'Unforgettable' collection anyway, right?!)

Until next time, happy scrapping!  X

She Was An Artist | Viva Las VegaStamps

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I am sharing a mixed media scrapbook layout that I created to document some photos from a recent kids art class that I taught. It was so much fun teaching the kids - they are so free in their approach and have no reservations when asked to do something.

I started my page by creating the background, which was inspired by the piece I had taught in the class. I used the beautiful bright Ranger Dylusions paints, which I applied to my cardstock using a silicone spatula.

Once the paint was dry, it was time to add some stamping. The first stamp I chose was the Whimsical Leaf, which I stamped out over the green paint on my page using StazOn black ink.

I then used the Leaves and Three Extra Leaves stamp to add more foliage over the green paint. This essentially provided a "frame" for my page.

Next, I wanted to add an "arty" quote to my page so I chose the Art is Anything quote by Andy Warhol, which I also stamped using the black StazOn.

Now it was time to add some papery background layers. I wanted to incorporate some art themed things, so I used some Jane Davenport collage paper that featured a paint palette print. I also used a paint sample card from my local hardware store; as well as a doily and some folded tissue paper.

Once I had those layers in place I then collaged on the Magic Maker Paintbrush that I had stamped onto some tissue paper before adding some frayed gauze for texture, then my photos on top.

With most of the main elements in place for my layout it was time to go and add some of the smaller details. I found two more art themed quotes I wanted to add - handmade with he{ART} and then I combined she was and an artist (which I ended up deciding to use as my page title).

I then added some embellishments to finish off my page. First, a handmade heart from Charms Creations, which I placed near the handmade quote. I also added some pieces of twisted coloured wire for extra interest.

Next, I added the Cocoa Vanilla Studio yay flair button and some wood veneer hearts that I painted white.

I also added a black wood veneer arrow that I coloured black using a Sharpie.

To finish off, I stamped the Scribble Heart, then added a few enamel dots dotted around the page and a splatter of white Dylusions mist.

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to get inky too. Until next time, happy creating! X

VLVS stamps used:

- Whimsical Leaf

- Leaves and Three Extra Leaves

- Art is Anything

- Magic Maker Paintbrush

- handmade with he{ART}

- she was

- an artist

- Scribble Heart

#Awesome | Scrap the Girls August Challenge

Hi everyone!

Time to share my take on this month's challenge at Scrap the Girls. Have you seen it yet? It's a perfect challenge for all the social media fans out there - and even those who aren't, as it can be interpreted so many ways. (That's one of the things I love about the Scrap the Girls challenges - they can inspire everyone in different ways.)

Anyway, here's a look at the August challenge, called "Insta Love"...

That's right - be inspired by Instagram! Square photo, colours of the logo, the logo, likes - its up to you.

Here's a look at my page - see if you can guess what inspired me...

I was initially inspired by the coloured stripes in the corner of the logo, which I recreated (in reverse order) using watercolour paints. And with all that colour, I couldn't resist documenting this super fun photo of Zoe (from Cocoa Vanilla Studio) and I dressed up at an 80's night at a scrappy retreat a few years ago. (Can't believe I hadn't actually scrapped this classic shot sooner!)

Once the paints had dried, I wanted to add some subtle texture to my page; so I used a stencil that was released by StencilGirl as part of the StencilClub January 'Mash Up' release. This release was designed by Mary Beth Shaw and Seth Apter and I used the row of soft edge squares from the 9x12" stencil (because Instagram is all about squares, right?) I applied Colour Blast 'Snow White' texture paste through the stencil using a palette knife.

Once the paste had dried, I added some stamping using black ink and the Brick Background stamp (one of my faves!) from Viva Las VegaStamps.
I then added a piece of black and white striped tissue paper, that I had folded roughly; before adding my photo to the page as well.

To embellish my page, I used a variety of chipboard pieces from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Boys Rule' collection. I added the Mr Fantastic banner piece along the bottom edge of my photo; the hey you're pretty rad speech bubble above my photo; the Facebook "like" button on top of my tissue paper; and the large # AWESOME word along the bottom edge of my page for my title.

Alongside my photo I added a Charms Creations handmade heart embellishment topped with a Cocoa Vanilla Studio flair button.
Then on either side of my photo I added some silver colored wire from D-lish Scraps, that I twisted and stapled in place.

I finished off my layout by adding some small hearts that I had cut using my Silhouette and the free 'Happiness' cut files designed by Cut to You for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I also added a scattering of Cocoa Vanilla Studio enamel dots and a few clear stickers.

I hope you will play along with this month's challenge if you haven't already. We have the fabulous Helmar sponsoring us this month (and who doesn't need adhesives, right?!) You can link up your entry via the blog, send a message via the STG Facebook page, or even tag Scrap the Girls on Instagram to enter! Get on it!!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Party Time | Cut to You

Hi everyone!

I was so happy to be asked by Gwen to participate as a guest designer for Cut to You as part of their 1st birthday celebrations last month. This is the second layout I created, and was inspired by the July inspiration board, which (funnily enough) had a bit of a celebration theme to it.  

I was initially drawn to the pink & blue colour palette from this pretty board, so I used that as my starting point, choosing the 'More Than Words' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio as the basis for my page.

I chose to document a photo of some of my best scrappy friends and I that was taken on our annual weekend away, when we rent a house and then eat, drink and craft all weekend.(It's affectionately known as our "Bitches" weekend. hehe) This is a photo of us that was taken during a trip to a local craft store - right before we went in and shopped up a storm. (They didn't know what had hit them!) 

I began with a pretty pink watercolour style paper for my background, layering it with a small paper doily and pieces of black & white floral and blue & white stripe patterned papers before adding my photo on top.

Next, I chose the 'Let's Party' file, that was sent as a free file recently to CTY newsletter subscribers (so if you haven't signed up for the newsletter yet make sure you do - nobody likes missing out! You can sign up HERE) I cut the file from white cardstock and then coloured it using 'Tumbled Glass' Distress Oxide and added it to my page above the layered papers.

Once the photo mat and my title were in place, it was time to embellish my page. First, I added a small label where I wrote my (tongue-in-cheek) journalling; then began embellishing my page with a sweet little banner chipboard sticker below it. Inspired by the board, I wanted to focus on butterflies as my primary embellishment.

For my first cluster, I chose a flower from the 'More Than Words' chipboard sticker sheet; a small punched paper flower (with an enamel dot centre); and then one of the butterflies from the 'Mixed Butterflies' set. (These are my absolute favourite CTY files!) The butterfly was cut from white cardstock and then coloured with 'Spun Sugar' Distress Oxide. To give it some extra dimension I placed a row of pearls along the body and lifted the wings up from the page.

For my second cluster, I started with a floral die cut from the 'More Than Words' ephemera pack, which I layered with the happiness label from the same pack and another small punched flower. Below those, I added a second butterfly from the 'Mixed Butterflies' cut file set, which was again ct from white cardstock and coloured with Distress Oxide. This time, instead of a row of pearls, I added a small fussy cut butterfly from one of the Cocoa Vanilla patterned papers layered over the top.

To complete my "visual triangle" and finish off my page; I added a third butterfly from the 'Mixed Butterflies' set, which I inked with 'Tumbled Glass' Distress Oxide to match my title and placed on the bottom right corner of my photo. I also added a couple of enamel dots to the body for dimension. Below it, I added another fussy cut butterfly (the same as I had used on the layered butterfly); and then, because I had to have three, I added a final one near the top of my page.

The finishing touch was to stamp the word "priorities" a few times around my page and stamp the date in the bottom corner.

Thanks so much to Gwen for asking me to be part of the birthday celebrations. I loved being able to share how I use some of my Cut to You files and hope I have inspired you.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

"Throwback Thursday" TN pages | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! Popping in today to share some new Traveler's Notebook spreads that I created with the beautiful 'Bohemian Dream' collection for Cocoa Vanilla Studio as part of the "Throwback Thursday" feature.

For these spreads, I documented a variety of family memories, ensuring that the details of the stories were also recorded. I started with a spread for my daughter, choosing photos that I thought would work well with the same colour scheme.

I started with a piece of the Dreamer paper, cutting it into two pieces and placing it either side of the spine. (This is usually my "go to" starting point to create cohesion across the two pages.) On the left page I also added a small scrap of the Abstract paper, and on the right page an extra piece of the Dreamer paper, showing the stripes on the other side.

After deciding where my photos and journalling would go, I used a variety of pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and some Accessory Stickers to decorate the page, finishing off with a few hearts from the Enamel Shapes pack.

For my second spread, which I created for one of my sons, I began with a strip of the gorgeous Gypsy Heart paper on each page to anchor my design. 

I then matted one of the photos with the reverse side of the Gypsy Heart paper before sticking both photos down. Again, I had pre-printed my journalling (so I knew exactly how much space it would require); and then added it to the pages too.

Then it was simply a case of decorating the pages by filling in the gaps. I used stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet, including some of the small word / phrase stickers; and pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. I also added a few enamel hearts. To finish the spread and fill in some of the white space, I added some extra doodled details using felt pen and coloured pencils, as well as stamped the date.

My final page was also for my daughter's book. I had found this photo in my stash that I had printed some time ago but never used; so I looked up the memory on my Facebook page to see what the details were. I was so happy to come across a funny quote she had said, so used it in my journalling.

I again used a piece of the Gypsy Heart paper (as it was already out on my table), then added the photo and journalling. To fill the gaps I added the smile sentiment from the Boho Bits paper; a couple of larger stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet, then the sweet little bird from the same sheet - quick and easy! I finished the page off with some doodled detail.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. If you are love the 'Bohemian Dream' collection as much as I do, you can find it in the Cocoa Vanilla store HERE

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Happy Day | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a mixed media layout I created recently for Cocoa Vanilla Studio to document my daughter's 11th birthday. I used the gorgeous 'Happiness' collection for this one, because when you are 11, birthdays ARE pure happiness - right?!

I started my page with the gorgeous indigo colour on the reverse side of the Botanical Bliss paper as my background. I adore this colour, as well as the random marked pattern of the paper. I wanted to create a contrasting focal area for my page, so used some pale pink acrylic paint that I applied roughly with a silicone spatula.

Once the paint was dry it was time to add some papery layers. I used a variety of pieces - the black and white heart print on the reverse of the So Fresh paper; the gorgeous tiny floral of the Meadow paper; and a little scrap of the Good Vibes paper that I had previously punched some hearts from.

Included in my layers was also a beautiful Cocoa Vanilla floral cut file - this one was from the Colour Me Happy cut file set and was cut from white cardstock. This provided a great contrast against the dark background.

I also added a section of the beautiful wreath design that I had fussy cut from the So Fresh paper, which I tucked under the bottom left corner of my photos over the top of the cut file.

Amongst my layers I tucked in a couple of tickets from the Die Cut Ephemera pack as well as some extra floral pieces; then added a heart, butterfly and some of the small word / phrase stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet.

Finally, I added three extra tiny blooms from the ephemera pack and a title using the words happy and day from the Cardstock Titles pack and I was done!

I am so happy with how this layout came together, and am still crushing on this stunning range!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X