Good Day Sunshine | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! I'm popping in today to share my very first layout using the brand new, and beautiful, 'Daydream' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. This page was created for a theme on 'Outdoor Adventures', and I was very excited that the collection arrived in time for me to use it for this. 

The photo I chose to document was one that I took of my hubby and our boys doing some gardening together. My sons recently celebrated their 8th birthday, and one of them had requested "gardening stuff" as a present. (Isn't that the cutest?) I couldn't resist his lovely request, so I went and got him his own gloves, tools, seedlings, pots and potting mix. He was so happy, and has been lovingly caring for them ever since.

In keeping with the outdoor theme, I decided to use the wood grain print on the reverse side of the Over the Rainbow paper as my background. This gave the page a good "earthy" base, and because it's such a beautiful detailed grain, it also made my job much easier as it really didn't need anything added to it. 

I then created the focal point for my page using layered pieces from the B sides of the patterned papers Sun Shower (a delicious rich yellow with stripes); All Aflutter (a lovely coral with a sweet heart print); and Garden Variety (a sweet blue-grey tiny spot).

I then added a small grey paper doily from my stash, before sticking my photo down using some scrap cardboard to pop it up from the page. (Did you notice the rainbow lens flare in my photo? I think it looks cool, which is one of the reasons I chose this shot.)

With my photo now in place, it was time to add some embellishments. The first thing I reached for to go with my gardening theme, was the stunning floral print on the Garden Variety paper. The flowers on this sheet were just begging to be fussy cut! I cut several clusters and tucked them in around my photo, bending the edges up away from the page to provide dimension.

I created a small cluster around the top left corner of my photo using the so sweet tab sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet; a small flower and leaf from the Die Cut Ephemera pack; and one of the new embellishments on the block - a Puffy Heart. These fabric hearts are super cute, and they have beautiful, delicate gold thread woven through them. 

Next, I added my page title to the right of my photo; using three words from the Die Cut Titles pack. (I actually cut the "s" off the word "days" so it fit the phrase I wanted.) I used foam tape under my title words so that they would sit up at the same height as the photo and allow me to overlap the edge. Above my title I added the sweet little die cut rainbow from the ephemera pack. 

With my layout so bottom heavy at this point, I created a small cluster in the top right corner to help balance it out. I wanted to mimic the focal area of my page, so I used small pieces of the same papers, then topped it with the oh happy day banner from the sticker sheet. 

To finish off my page, I used a label cut from the Happy Place cut apart paper to write my journalling, then added two small die cut flowers. A light splatter of some white mist around my page, and I was done! 

This collection is just so easy, and such a pleasure to work with, that I was able to create four pages before I even really came up for air. It has already started hitting the shelves of retailers, so make sure you check with your local store or favourite online retailer to see if they have it available. It really is one you NEED in your stash!

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Great Day | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone! Today I am back with another layout from my homemade kit to share. For this one, I decided to go busy! I wanted to use up as many paper scraps and embellishments from my kit as I could, especially some of the buttons I had included (but barely touched). Besides using lots of materials, I also wanted to use lots of photos; so I printed off six photos that I had taken around the venue at the Cocoa Vanilla Studio retreat last year.

I started my layout with white cardstock and some acrylic paint. In order to keep my layout from being too busy, I knew I had to keep the focal area of the layout fairly tight, and then leave plenty of negative space around the page for the eye to rest. 

I chose light pink and light grey paints, and used my silicone spatula to simply smear the paints onto the page. Once dry, I used one of my favourite stencils, called Rose Bouquet from StencilGirl, and some Vicki Boutin gold glaze to add some subtle floral detail over the top of the paint.  

Once I worked out the rough placement for my photos, I then set to work with a pile of scrap paper to create some layers. There was very little method to this part of my process - I just cut the papers (Crate Paper & Heidi Swapp) into different sized pieces and stuck them down on the page. I also added a couple of small green paper doilies, before sticking my photos down on top.

Once I had the background layers and my photos in place, it was simply a matter of going back and adding some embellishments. I began with a small chipboard frame, which I cut in half and tucked in behind my photos on either side. 

I then added an assortment of bits and pieces - Heidi Swapp die cut acrylic pieces; Cocoa Vanilla Studio buttons and flair button; and stickers and die cuts from Crate Paper, Websters's Pages and the Reject Shop. 

I finished off with some handwritten journalling and a few splatters of green mist. Despite how busy it is, I think I managed to balance it with a good use of negative space so it wasn't too overwhelming. 

I could probably squeeze another layout or two (or maybe even some cards) out of the remnants of my kit. I think I am up to about 8 so far? Not bad considering these were mainly older products from my stash.

I think I might be due to make a fresh kit soon - if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see me include, let me know. 

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Living the Dream | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi friends! Popping in today to share a recent layout I created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio using the 'Unforgettable' collection and some photos of my gorgeous girl at the beach. As my daughter gets older (she’s now 12), I am finding it increasingly difficult to get photos of her, as she doesn’t enjoy posing for me as much as she used to. (Unless she is dressed up in a costume, but that’s a whole other story!) So you can imagine my delight when I managed to capture these photos of her, and I couldn’t wait to scrap them.

I chose to use the ‘Unforgettable’ collection because I just can’t pass up the opportunity to create something gorgeous and girly whenever I have the chance. I began my page with one of my favourite papers from the collection – the fabulous aqua diagonal stripe print on the reverse of the Sprightly paper. Instead of keeping the sheet as a whole, I decided to add some extra interest by cutting off a strip along the left edge and flipping it over to reveal the abstract watercolour pattern on the other side. Before re-joining the two, I also added a narrow strip of the Unscripted paper between them. I also distressed the edges of the joins slightly to add some extra texture.

With my page base constructed, it was then time to create a focal area for my layout. I layered several smaller pieces of paper (Sprightly; Garland; and Pretty Bits) to form a mat for my photos, adding some cardboard behind the left photo to lift it up a little higher than the other. Then it was time to play with some pretties!

I decided on three main embellishment clusters placed in the bottom left, top right and bottom right corners of my photo mat. Beginning with the top right cluster, I used a die cut circular frame and a large floral piece from the Die Cut Ephemera pack as the anchors for the cluster. It was at this point that I realised I really needed to draw in the stunning blue colour of the water in my photos. Unfortunately, this colour didn’t feature in the collection so I had to come up with another solution. I found a small floral cut file called Flower Bunch (designed by Paige Evans) that I had cut previously, and coloured it using watercolour paints.

Once dry, I cut it into three pieces so that I could use a portion of it in each cluster. I tucked the largest of the three pieces in underneath the die cuts I had started my first cluster with. I then added two smaller die cut flowers; and a small tab and phrase from the Accessory Sticker sheet. I then finished the cluster with a beautiful die cut butterfly.

My third and final cluster was to be my title cluster. I had already picked out the living the dream die cut from the ephemera pack for my title piece (it was an easy choice – just look at that beach on a perfect Queensland winter day). I added another die cut flower and leafy branch, as well as the remainder of the painted cut file. I used foam tape under the title, which allowed me enough room to add a watercolour style Clear Sticker under the edge.

I finished off with a small die cut heart alongside my title cluster and then some tiny splatters of blue ink scattered around my page.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to get some supplies out and create something pretty too. (Besides, we all need to make room for the new ‘Daydream’ collection coming soon, right?!)

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Celebrate Today | Scrap the Girls August Challenge

Hi everyone,

Today I am here to share my take on the August challenge for Scrap the Girls. This month the challenge is called "Open Your Heart" and is based on this sweet inspiration image...

I started by drawing on the heart / love theme from the image and decided to document some photos of my daughter that I took on Valentine's Day. She had come home from school with a beaming smile because she had received a red rose from a "secret admirer". 

I used the colours of the image as a guide to my palette, choosing the blue that was dominant in the picture as the primary colour for my background, with a little green thrown in. I used Distress Oxides to first create a watercolour style background. I then used a gorgeous StencilGirl floral stencil called 'Rose Bouquet' along with Vicki Boutin Iridescent Glaze to add subtle texture to the page and tie in the nature aspect of the inspiration image. 

Once the background layers were dry, it was time to add some paper layers. I wanted something bright and fun to go with the strong colours of my daughter's uniform so I reached for the Vicki Boutin 'Color Kaleidoscope' collection. I cut and tore a variety of pieces and stacked them together to form my photo mat.

I loved the pop of red of the heart in the image, so I added a small red paper doily on top of the paper stack before placing my photos on top. I also tore some small pieces pieces of navy washi tape that featured small gold hearts, and added them for a bit of contrast. 

Next, it was time to add some embellishments. In the interests of keeping things simple, I decided to use a couple of Vicki Boutin ephemera pieces and stickers so that they would coordinate effortlessly. I also used some matching hearts that I fussy cut from one of the VB papers.

To finish off my page I added some small black ink splatters and a simple stamped word look using one of the roller stamps from my stash. I then added my handwritten journalling and I was done. 

I would love for you to join in on our challenge at Scrap the Girls this month. We have Flutterby Designs on board as our Aussie sponsor this month, and our regular international sponsor of Tanya Leigh Designz. Pop over to the blog post HERE for more details or to see what the rest of the team created. 

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Adorable | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone,

It's not Kraft again, it's wood grain! Today I am sharing a simple layout I created from my homemade kit, which all started with that gorgeous wood grain paper from the Crate Paper 'Confetti' collection. In case you didn't already know, I love wood grain papers, so of course I wanted to keep this sheet intact and use it as my page background. I decided to document a collage of photos of my sister and I in our costumes for dress up night at our Sunshine Coast retreat last year. So. Much. Fun. 

In the interests of showcasing as much of that wood grain as possible, I kept my design simple. I used up as many small scraps from my kit as I could by creating a layered mat for my photo collage to sit on. Once I had chosen all my papers pieces and arranged them in order, I stapled the stack together and then attached it to the page.  

With all the papers fixed in place, it was then easy to go back and tuck extra bits and pieces into my layers. I included a large red and Kraft Heidi Swapp tag; and a couple of Crate Paper chipboard frames - one of which I cut in half and tucked in on either side of the stack. 

I used some Heidi Swapp die cuts, including a printed acetate heart (I sooo love acetate ephemera pieces!) I also used a Crate Paper chipboard banner (which came from the 'Confetti' chipboard sheet) and a flair button from D-lish Scraps. 

I finished off with the Crate Paper adorable vellum title piece and the small chipboard all day from a Vicki Boutin chipboard Thickers pack. A few splatters of white ink, and I was done!

This was a quick and easy page and a great way to use up some patterned paper scraps. Using a photo collage was also a great way to include multiple photos. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Until next time, happy scrapping! X