Oh Christmas Tree | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hi everyone, I hope you had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones?! I was so happy this year to just have a quiet day with my hubby and kids making memories in our new home. Today we are off to do family Christmas with relatives. (How many Christmas celebrations do you do?)

Now, following on from the mixed media layout I shared last week using the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Joyful' collection (which you can see in the image above), today I am sharing a companion pocket page to go with it. This page also features the 'Joyful' collection, and documents more of the details about my family's tradition of putting up our Christmas tree.

For the paper component of my pockets I used four 3x4" cards from the 'Joyful' Pocket Cards pack and a piece of the Deck the Halls 12x12" patterned paper that I cut down to fill the 6x4" pocket. (This coordinated perfectly with the border strip I used on my 12x12" layout, which helps to tie the two pages together in the album.)

I used the paper as the background for my title card, then added the Christmas Tree from the Die Cut Ephemera pack topped with a Gold Glitter Puffy Star. For the text I used the gold foiled word Christmas from the Chipboard Sticker sheet, and some gold alphas from my stash. (I think they might have been Crate Paper ones?)

I used my typewriter again to add my journalling to the Pocket Cards, adding a tale about our cat to match with the photo of him I had included. (Yes, he is a weirdo!) On several of the photos I added some small embellishments including Accessory Stickers and Puffy Stickers. 

I left some of the Pocket Cards just as they were as I didn't think they needed additional embellishments. Not only did it make completing the page easier, it also helped keep it from looking cluttered.

Adding these pages to my scrapbook albums makes it so much more interesting for my kids to flip through, as the extra photos and details are what they are really interested in (not so much my pretty work! haha) If you haven't already tried incorporating pocket pages into your albums, I would highly recommend having a go. (If you already have plenty of scrapbook supplies, then the sleeves are the only thing you really need to get started!)

Here's a look at how the pages will look side-by-side in my album...

Thanks to everyone for all your lovely feedback on the previous pocket page I shared, now I know there are so many people interested in them, I will continue to share them when I can. I'm sorry that I don't make process videos for these pages. This is because there isn't actually a lot of content, and I don't tend to do them in one sitting either. Anyway, I'll keep the extra pages coming when I can.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I hope you have a happy and safe New Year! X

Magical Moments | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hi everyone, popping in today to share my latest Cocoa Vanilla Studio design team project with you. Today I was tasked with creating something inspired by the current monthly challenge, which is this beautiful Christmas themed mood board designed by Tarrah…

This is the second layout I have created based on this mood board, and this time I was inspired by the little trees and stars to tell the story of our annual family tradition of placing the star atop our Christmas tree. The photos I was documenting were taken in 2020, and are of my son Hunter putting the star on. I was working with the ‘Joyful’ collection, and once again I decided to create a mixed media layout (because I love getting messy!)

Here is my page…

You can probably spot right away that my colour palette for this layout was dictated by my photos – with the predominant tones of green and gold at the forefront from our Christmas tree.

I began with my background – working on a sheet of white cardstock I had cut down to 11×11″, I used Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide mixed with water to create a water wash across the page. I then added darker splatters using the same ink (just with less water added); stamped some large stars in black ink; and then finished with gold splatters. It was a fairly straightforward background.

With the background complete, it was time to work on creating some papery layers. The first paper I chose was the Kraft / gold coloured paper with the words merry & bright from the A5 Paper Stack. I tore a sheet of this and used it as my anchor piece. On top of it I added a horizontal strip of the Deck the Halls paper and also the border strip from the Very Merry cut apart paper that had the little Christmas trees on it. I used my distress tool to distress the edges of all the pieces before I stapled them together, adding a small white paper doily and some frayed gauze for texture.

I added my photos on top (which had been popped up with a little scrap cardboard), then turned to the embellishments. I already had the Die Cut Ephemera pack out open on my desk, so that was where I started. I first rifled through them and pulled out a few pieces that I thought could work with my colour scheme. (It makes it much easier than shuffling through the entire pack for every piece you want.)

Using the pieces I had pulled from the ephemera pack, I created small cluster above my photos containing a Christmas tree, the memories tab, and a small sprig of holly; and to the left I tucked in the gorgeous little deer. (Not only was it a perfect match for the colours on the page, but I just love how cute it is!) To the right of my photos I added a little flag that read joyful.

From the Chipboard Stickers sheet I chose the banner that read jingle all the way in beautiful gold foiled script, to stick along the bottom edge of my photo. I also added a few gold foiled stars around the page.

Below my photos I added one of the smaller sized Wood Epoxy Buttons, and then I used the gorgeous Puffy Gold Title Stickers to add my title. From the same sheet I also added a few extra gold scattered stars because I couldn’t resist more of that stunning gold!

I then added a stamped date, a few stamped phrases, and typed strip journalling and my layout was done! I love how it all came together with the colours, the layers and the texture, and I am so happy I have documented this story for my family.

If you would like to see exactly how I put it together, you can watch my process video here:

Thanks so much for stopping by today, don’t forget you have until the end of the month to enter this challenge via the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community group. You could be the lucky winner of a $25 store voucher.

I’ll have a matching pocket page for this layout to share next week, until then I hope you all have a safe, happy and enjoyable time with your family and friends over the holiday period. Merry Christmas! X

Making Cookies Together | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hi everyone! Do you remember the mixed media layout I shared last week featuring the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Joyful' collection? Today I am sharing a pocket page I created as a companion page to that layout, which also features the 'Joyful' collection. The reason I created it, is that I wanted to document more photos and record details about the story, and I often find that this is the perfect way to do it. I used the same collection for both pages as I have designed them to sit side-by-side in an album, and I like them to be cohesive. (You can see how they look together in the image above.)

For the paper component of my pockets I used four 3x4" cards from the 'Joyful' Pocket Cards and the B side of the Advent 12x12" patterned paper that I cut down to size.

(The small puffy alphabet stickers you can see in the image below were the only thing not from the 'Joyful' collection, they were from the 'These Days' collection but the soft colours were a great match!)

I used my old typewriter to add my text, as I love the imperfect, grungy look of it. As well as adding the details behind the story onto the journalling cards; I took the opportunity to type out our Sugar Cookie recipe on one of the 6x4"pieces of paper to include in the spread. The recipe looked super cute with the bear from the Die Cut Ephemera pack positioned beside it.

When it comes to pocket pages, my approach to embellishing my photos is much the same as my layouts, as I like to stick things directly onto my photos. Ephemera pieces, Accessory Stickers and Puffy Stickers are all good choices as they don't add much bulk when the photos are placed into the sleeves.

Don't feel restricted by what style or design of sleeve you have, just make it work for you! In the image below I used a 3x4" card and a 3x4" photo to fill a 6x4" pocket. (Just stick them both onto a piece of paper or cardstock cut to 6x4" to stop them sliding out of place.) Similarly, if you only have two 3x4" pockets alongside each other but a 6x4" photo, just cut it in half!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this pocket page and reading a bit of my explanation behind it. I often create these companion pages for my albums but don't necessarily share them, so if this is something you would like to see more of, please let me know.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Joy | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hi everyone, popping in today with a new project to share with you. This layout was created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio using the gorgeous new ‘Joyful’ collection, and was inspired by the December monthly challenge. First, here’s a look at the “Bells & Baubles” mood board designed by my fellow DT member Tarrah…

The image from the mood board that caught my eye was the one in the top right corner, with the pretty Christmas cookies. It immediately reminded me of making cookies with my kids, a tradition we do together every Christmas. I decided to document a photo of my son that I took last year with one of the cookies he made.

For my layout I wanted to create a mixed media page, so I started with 300gsm white cardstock and some Distress Oxides. I layered blue (Speckled Egg) and green (Rustic Wilderness), then used modelling paste to add some small stencilled stars over the top with a StencilGirl stencil. Next, I used another Distress Oxide (Worn Lipstick) to add small pink splatters, then stamped some tiny stars using a rubber stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps and black ink. I finished off with some big splatters of gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine, and set it aside to dry.

Once my background was dry I cut the cardstock down to measure 11×11″ so I could mount it onto some patterned paper. I chose the B side of the Deck the Halls paper, which is a soft green and features small stars on it. I cut away the centre portion of the paper so it wasn’t wasted, then mounted the cardstock on it to form a border.

I immediately used the centre piece  had just cut away to create a mat for my photo, adding a torn edge down one side for texture. I then chose a few other small pieces of patterned paper (most from the A5 Paper Stack), which I cut and tore into various shapes, then stacked together to form more layers behind my photo. I also tucked in half of a white lace doily before securing it all together with staples. (This enabled me to move the entire stack as a whole piece without dislodging any of the pieces.) On top of my stack I added some frayed gauze for soft texture, then finally, my photo on top.

For the embellishments, I started with the Chipboard Stickers, choosing the gold foiled word JOY as my page title. From the same pack I also selected the small oh what fun! flag piece, which I affixed in the top corner of my photo; and the family traditions banner, which I stuck along the bottom edge of my photo.

From the Die Cut Ephemera pack I chose the green stocking and candy cane, when I layered together below my photo. Above my photo I added a little present and a small sprig of holly. I also chose a circular frame from the ephemera pack, which I cut in half and tucked into my layers on either side of my photo.

Scattered around my page, I added some large stars, which were fussy cut from the Making Spirits Bright paper. (These tied in beautifully with my photo and the star theme I had established with the stamping and stencilling.)

I finished my page by adding yet another variety of star – the pretty puffy gold ones from the Puffy Gold Title Stickers. (These are SO gorgeous!) I then added some stamped phrases and the date, and some black ink splatters.

If you would like to see exactly how it all came together, you can watch my process video below:

I have a bonus pocket page that I created as a companion page to this layout. I’ll be sharing it over in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community group next week and then here some time after that, so keep your eye out for it. In the meantime, I would love to see you play along with our December challenge, entries close December 31st.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X