Sweet Beautiful You | Cocoa Vanilla Studio - September Monthly Challenge

Hi everyone! I'm popping in today to share one of my recent Cocoa Vanilla Studio design team projects with you. For this project I was tasked with sharing some inspiration for the September monthly challenge. If you haven't already seen the gorgeous "Garden Party" mood board designed by Danni Visser, here it is...

I absolutely love all the pretty pastel tones of this board, which were perfect for me to pair with the brand new 'Daydream' collection. There were several elements in the board I really wanted to represent on my page - the flowers; the outdoors (I chose some photos of my daughter in the garden) and (of course) the colours, including pops of yellow, just like those delicious looking macarons. I also wanted to include the word "sweet" as a nod to the sweet treats in the photos.

Here's what I came up with..

I began my page with a sheet of white cardstock and some inks in shades of pink, blue and yellow. I mixed the ink with a little water and then used some plastic packaging to gently apply the watercolours to the cardstock, drying between each colour. I then added some darker blue splatters over the top.

Then it was time to add some gorgeous papers! I used pieces of the All Aflutter; Sweet Serenity; and Happy Place papers to create a layered mat for my photos. To add a pop of yellow, I also included a small yellow paper doily from my stash; then topped all my layers with some frayed gauze for texture before sticking my photos on top. 

I wanted to continue building on the layers I had created and help frame in around my photos. I used the tag sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet, which I tied with a little twine and tucked it in behind the point where my photos overlapped. I also added the you are my sunshine sticker directly onto the join between my photos. 

Next, I chose some flowers from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and used them as the basis for the second and third embellishment clusters around my photos. In the cluster below my photos I included one of the fabric Puffy Hearts which also added a lovely textural element.

To the right of my photos, I tucked in a partial rainbow that I had fussy cut from the cut apart Happy Place paper and used this as the spot to add my title. I fussy cut the sweet flag piece from the same paper, then combined it with the beautiful you banner sticker to complete my title.

I finished off my page with a gorgeous little indigo butterfly and a little yellow heart - both from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. 

I so love how this page turned out - this collection really is amazing! I hope I have inspired you to play along with this month's challenge. There is a $25 store voucher up for grabs for one randomly drawn winner. You can find all the details and enter via the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Facebook community group HERE

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Whatever | Scrap the Girls September Challenge

Hi friends!

I am popping in today to share my take on the September challenge for Scrap the Girls. For this one, I decided to document a photo of my daughter and our cat. This was taken one night when she was in bed reading and I had asked her if she knew where the cat was. She replied "no".  I then walked over to her bed and found him IN her bed like this. Just look at the smug look on his face - because he knew he shouldn't be in there!

So this month the challenge is called "Painty Hands" and it looks like this...

Despite the fact that most of the images in the inspiration board featured watercolours, I decided to buck the trend and work with acrylic paints instead. I was guided by the colours in my photo for my colour choice, which was black, pink and teal; and used a combination of my brayer and fingertips to apply the paint to the page.

Next, I added some texture to my page using the 'Starlight' stencil from StencilGirl, and Vicki Boutin gold glaze. This provided some beautiful contrast and gave my page the night-time feeling I was looking for.

Once I had the paint dry, I started adding some paper layers. I used a couple of scraps of my Vicki Boutin papers, along with some gold tissue paper, a paper doily and frayed gauze for texture. I then added some scrap cardboard to the back of my photo before adding it on top.

I finished off my background layers with some torn pieces of washi tape - first a teal spotted one, then a thinner heart print one. I then began adding my embellishments. I started with a cluster to the left of my photo using a Charms Creations handmade heart topped with a flair button. I also added some twisted gold wire to which I attached with a stapler. 

 I continued the gold wire across to the right side of my photo; plus I added a Heidi Swapp printed acetate heart and an American Crafts gold phrase sticker directly onto the top right corner of my photo. 

For my title, I used the word whatever from a pack of foam Thickers, as I thought this perfectly summed up my cat's attitude when I busted him hiding in the bed.

I finished off my layout by scattering some Studio Calico gold glitter stars across the top half of my layout and then adding my journalling in the bottom right corner.

I do hope you will join us for this challenge, you still have until the end of the month to get your entries in. Our Aussie sponsor is Charms Creations, and our international sponsor is Tanya Leigh Designz. For more details, or to see what else the team created for this challenge, pop over to the STG blog HERE.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Big Fun

 

Hi everyone! I've got another "just because" layout to share with you today. This mixed media page was created to document another one of my kids awesome dress-up photos using some of my favourite products from my stash.

 I started my page by adding some Distress Oxides to my cardstock (Chipped Sapphire and Mowed Lawn), which I applied by mixing it with water on my messy mat and then laying my cardstock over the top to soak it up. I love the randomness of using this method, as it's always a surprise how the colour will come out and it gives me a jumping off point for the rest of my page.

Next, it was time to start building some layers. First, I used black ink and one of my fave star stamps (Squiggly Star Collage) from Viva Las VegaStamps, which I stamped three times to create a "visual triangle" around where my photo was going to go. I then took some Vicki Boutin Prism glaze, and swiped a little around the page using my palette knife. This broke up the strong navy of the ink, and added texture and shine. 

For my next layer I used a stencil from StencilGirl Products called 'Military Style Stars' along with my TCW 'Light & Fluffy' Modelling Paste. I chose a basic white modelling paste as I wanted something with a matte, white finish to pull back some of the colour. I then used another of my fave VLVS stamps 'Sky of Stars Background' to add yet another layer to my background. 

Next, I added some papery layers using patterned papers from Vicki Boutin (a mix from both the 'Let's Wander' and 'Color Kaleidoscope' collections). I cut and tore the papers into various size pieces, which I stacked with a paper doily and some frayed gauze before topping with my photo. 

For my embellishments I again used Vicki Boutin products - a mix of ephemera, stickers and Thickers. I used these pieces to continue building up the layers on the page. To the right of my photo I added a handmade star embellishment from Charms Creations, which I topped with a flair button (from my sister's stash - thanks Mandy!)

I finished off with some Vicki Boutin puffy word Thickers for my title and then I was done! I had so much fun creating this page and it all came together so easily. (Don't you love it when that happens?)

Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping! X 

Bloom & Grow

 

Hi friends! I'm popping in today with a bit of a bonus share. I have been totally loving all of the rainbows I have been seeing everywhere lately, so I felt inspired to do some stash-busting and create a simple rainbow themed page of my own.

For my layout I decided to use a cut file from Cut to You as the basis of my background. I used the file called Sunshine Rainbows and cut the rainbow portion of the design on some white cardstock. I paired it with the 'Happiness' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio, using the gorgeous Good Vibes paper to back the rainbow. I then trimmed down the cardstock to measure 11x11" and mounted it on a sheet of pink cardstock to create a page border.

Once I had my background together, I used a fine tip felt pen to add some faux stitching between the arches of the rainbow. This is a quick and easy technique if you don't have a sewing machine (or if like me, you just can't be bothered pulling it out at the time).

Next, I matted my photo using pieces of the Expressive and Frame of Mind papers, and I also tucked a yellow paper doily into my layers. I then placed my photo on top of my rainbow and set about adding some embellishments to the page.

I created a cluster in the top left corner of my photo using layered pink flowers from the Die Cut Ephemera pack to coordinate with the pink / red arches of the rainbow underneath. I balanced that cluster by embellishing the bottom right corner using more die cuts, only this time in blue tones to coordinate with the blues of the rainbow. 

For my title, I used the bloom & grow stickers from the 'Midnight' Accessory Sticker sheet, and then a label from the 'Happiness' sticker sheet to add my journalling. I finished off my layout with some tiny splatters of navy mist.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to perhaps create your own rainbow themed page. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Happy | StencilGirl

Hi friends!

I am popping in today to share my most recent project for the StencilGirl Creative Team. Today's mixed media layout was created for the theme of "Passages". This theme had my mind going in several different directions; but in the end I decided to interpret the theme quite literally, and create a page that documented a special passage in my life. 

Here's a look at my layout, simply entitled "Happy"...

This layout not only refers to an actual passage (a corridor at the hospital) but it also marks an important passage of time for myself and my boys. I am thankful that on the day this photo was taken that I took the time to write down my feelings. (I will share my journaling with you later in this post.)

With my subject decided and photo printed, it was time to get started on my page. I began with a sheet of heavyweight white cardstock and Distress Oxides in the shades of Picked Raspberry and Seedless Preserves. I applied the first ink to my non-stick craft mat, added a spritz of water, and then swirled the water through using my fingertip before laying the cardstock over the top to absorb it. I then repeated the process with the second ink and the end result was a vibrant, watercolour style background.

Once my initial layer of colour was down, it was time to pull out my stencils and start building some layers on my page. The first stencil I chose was the 4x4" stencil included in the StencilGirl Club Rex Ray-esque collection. This collection of stencils was designed by Valerie Sjodin, and the small stencil I selected from the set features a block style pattern that is almost brick-like in appearance. I used teal Archival Ink and a small sponge to apply the pattern in three places surrounding the focal area of my layout.

Now it was time to add some texture to the page. But which stencil to use was the question? Drawing on the theme of my layout, and how the passage of time had seen my boys come "full circle" to this moment, I chose a stencil with a lovely, loose circular pattern called Circles in the Sand, designed by Roxanne Evans Stout. I then used a palette knife to apply some lilac coloured texture paste through the stencil over the top of the inks. The free flowing pattern of this stencil contrasted nicely to the structure of the first one I had used. 

Although happy with how my background was looking at this point, I really felt that it needed some contrasting highlights to provide more depth. I used one of my very favourite stencils - Organized Chaos by Cat Kerr, which I combined with gorgeous gold glaze from Vicki Boutin.  

Now satisfied with my background, I turned my attention to the focal area of my page and to creating some papery layers. I started with a heart print paper bag to act as the anchor, and it was also where I was going to store the journaling that I had written onto a couple of pieces of patterned paper.

Next, I added some pieces of patterned paper from the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Bohemian Dream' collection, which features pretty pink / purple / blue tones and gorgeous floral elements. I also added a couple of paper doilies and some frayed gauze, before adding my photo on top. 

I used a variety of pieces from the same collection to embellish my layout including die cuts, stickers, and a chipboard title. I also fussy cut a few pieces from a floral paper and tucked them in around the photo mat.

If you would like to hear the story behind this layout, here is what my journaling read:

A big day for us today! Back to where it all began for the boys 4 year old (and final!) development assessment as RBWH. Walking the hallway lined with photos, through that glass door and into those never forgotten sounds and smells of the NICU still made me tear up and catch my breath. I had to look away from all the tiny, fragile patients in their "boxes", and the tired, bleak faces of their anxious mothers, because it breaks my heart to know what they are going through.

It is good to know our participation in this program over the past 4 years has provided valuable data to researchers to help care for very premature and extremely low birth weight babies born in future.

Before we left I took a moment to pause in this spot with my boys. At the end of the hall behind us are rooms full of memories - the place I first saw my them, touched their skin, held them and fed them. Moments that felt like I waited forever for each one; and wasn't sure would even happen when I was first admitted. (And were it not for the expert care my boys received here, would certainly not have.)

On the day they were born I was wheeled in as the mum of premmie twins, including the smallest baby in the hospital.Today I walked out holding their hands and knowing how lucky I am.

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you (especially if you hung in there all the way to the end!) Until next time, happy scrapping! X