Happy Easter | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! 

Just wanted to "hop" in and share a layout that was designed for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I was recently tasked with an "Easter" theme on the CVS blog, so I decided to do some stash-busting and pull out the 'Make a Wish' collection - largely because I knew it had that super cute little bunny it! Despite the fact that it is actually a birthday themed collection, the colour palette of this range is perfect for Easter pages; and it could easily be used for all sorts of other occasions.

I chose the gorgeous watercolour style pattern on the reverse of the Hip, Hip Hooray paper as my base, and then dry-brushed some Dina Wakley 'Ocean' acrylic paint where I wanted my focal area to be. I also watered down some extra paint and then used a soft, round brush to splatter it onto my page from a bit of height. (Tip - this step is definitely an outside activity peeps! hehe)

I then used strips of various papers (Hip, Hip Hooray; Party Mix; Loot Bag; and Fresh Cut ) which I layered together horizontally over the top of the paint so that only the edges of the painted area were peeking out.

I took the three photos of my kids, and framed two of them using small polka dot frames from the 'Make a Wish' chipboard accent stickers, and then framed the third using a spotty frame from the 'Wild at Heart' chipboard frames. I layered the frames together; using foam tape to support the outer two and help pop them up from the page. I also added some messy cotton thread underneath the frames to add some soft texture to the page.

I added a few assorted pieces from the die cut ephemera pack and the chipboard sticker sheet onto my layers, before adding the large "oh yeah" sentiment that I had fussy cut from the Party Mix paper near the top of my page. From the same paper, I also fussy cut a cute party hat; the word "happy"; and the little rabbit. I then used "happy" and the rabbit paired with some of the coordinating alphabet stickers to form my page title.

To finish off, I added a few of the small word / phrase stickers from the 'Make a Wish' Accessory Sticker sheet around my page. Despite the fact that a number of items from the 'Make a Wish' collection are now sold out, there are still more than enough pieces available in the Cocoa Vanilla store to create some beautiful pages with. Pop over and see what's available HERE

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Mixed Media Layouts | Scrapbooking Memories magazine

Hi everyone!
Just a quick post from me today to share the two layouts that were published as part of my "How To: Mixed Media" Creative Team article magazine Vol 20 No 4. In my article I discussed some of the techniques and materials I often use when I create mixed media layouts; and provided two sample layouts in different styles.

For my first page, I created a traditional paper-based page that featured subtle mixed media to enhance it. I used the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Make a Wish' collection and incorporated watercolor paint (applied directly to the page and splattered about with the brush) as well as stamping with stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps (with multiple colour inks).

For my second page, I took a different approach by starting with blank white cardstock and creating my own background. I used Flutterby Designs Flutter Colour paints; and Colour Blast Colour Paste and Colour Sprays to create a layered and textured base. I then added further layers of colour with paper and embellishments. (Papers and ephemera by Heidi Swapp; flair button and wood veneer by Flutterby Designs.)

Be sure to look out for my Creative Team article in the current issue which is one for the traditionalists, and all about paper based scrapping.
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Wish | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
Popping in with another design team share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio today, but this one with a bit of a twist. This month Cocoa Vanilla are sponsoring the challenge at Creative Scrappers, so our design team were invited to play along too. We were sent a fabulous sketch designed by Kristine Davidson and asked to create a layout inspired by the sketch. (You can find the sketch and challenge details on the Creative Scrappers blog HERE)
Here is my layout...

"Wish"

I used the new release Make a Wish collection for this layout. (I know I have used it quite a bit lately, but it's so fun and easy to use - I am loving it!)

I started with a sheet of the gorgeous dainty floral print Daydream paper as the base for my layout, which I topped with a piece of the pink watercolour print from Hip Hooray. I then created a mat for my photos using the pink polka dot Party Mix paper, which I complimented with some extra pieces cut from the Fresh Cut floral paper. I also added a paper doily and a tab from the accessory sticker sheet into the layers under my photos.

As I had altered the sketch and decided to work with only two photos, I used the oh yeah piece from the cut apart Party Mix paper to fill the remaining space alongside my photos. Below that, I placed a tag from the die cut ephemera pack, which I tied with some cotton twine and used for my journaling. This was layered with a wood veneer birthday cake, and a couple of stars from the ephemera pack. To add to the fun feel of this layout, I also added a party hat from the wood veneer pack above one of the photos.

To tie in with the wood elements I had already used, and to also help balance my design; I used the wish word from the wood veneer pack as my layout title and then some phrase stickers from the accessory sticker sheet to support it. I also embellished directly onto my photos - using a large star die cut and a word banner sticker.

To finish off my layout, I added a few sparkles enamel dots dotted around the page, and some stamping using a happy birthday phrase stamp.

Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget if you would like to play along with this challenge and be in with a chance of winning yourself a Cocoa Vanilla prize, you can visit the Creative Scrappers blog HERE for all the details. (We would love to see you all joining in with some Cocoa Vanilla creations!)

Til next time, happy scrapping! X

Fairy Bread Friday | Scrap the Boys October Challenge

Hi everyone!
First of the month (can you believe it's OCTOBER?) means it's time to share the first of my design team projects. This month I am starting with the Scrap the Boys challenge, and this month it's a fabulous sketch challenge to play along with.

Here's the sketch...

And here is my take on it...

"Fairy Bread Friday"

I created this layout using the brand new Make a Wish collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio which was perfect for scrapping these photos of my boys and our little Friday lunch ritual. (Who says you can't use pink on a boys layout?)

Did I mention I really love this range? It's so bright and happy! And although it is actually birthday themed, it's very versatile and can be used for all sorts of projects. There are a fabulous mix of patterned papers in this collection (and lucky for me it includes another woodgrain!)

Of course the embellishments in this collection are equally delicious - I used die cut ephemera, accessory stickers, chipboard stickers, puffy stickers and wood veneer pieces on this layout. (The enamel dots I used were actually some I had left over from the Hello Lovely collection.)

And I can't forget the gorgeous alpha stickers I used either - I do love a mixed pattern alpha! Underneath the title you can see a couple of the phrase stickers from the accessory sticker sheet.

That's all from me today. Remember that you have until the end of the month to link up your take on this month's sketch via the Scrap the Boys blog to be in the running for a prize!
Happy scrapping! X

Smile, Make a Wish & Celebrate You | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
Just popping in today to share my latest layout using the absolutely gorgeous Make a Wish collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. There is just so much to love about this collection, but the stand out piece for me is the stunning 'Fresh Cut' watercolour floral paper. It's so beautiful!
Given that this is a birthday themed collection, I couldn't resist scrapping a birthday photo of my little miss, although the layout I created could have worked equally well for a non-birthday picture too.

I first wanted to create a contrasting space to place my photo and embellishments, so I cut a piece from the B-side of the 'Party Dots' paper and stitched it in place on top of my base paper, leaving a wide border so plenty of the floral print could still be seen. I also rubbed a little gesso on where I knew my embellishments were going to be.

I then created a layered mat for my photo using more of the 'Fresh Cut' paper, and also both sides of the 'Daydream' paper. The word smile came from the 'Party Mix' cut apart paper and I used it as part of my title. I indicated the start of my title using the sweet floral print arrow from the chipboard sticker sheet, and used the chipboard make a wish as the second part of my title. (I love combining different elements to create titles.)

With the use of that gorgeous paper, I decided to go "full floral" and use the coordinating die cut ephemera and vellum accent pieces from the range. I layered them together and created dimension by popping some up using foam tape. I also folded the leaves up away from the page, just as I did with the butterfly wings.

I love the dimension the chipboard stickers add to a page too. You can see how I used one of the frames under my photo to help accentuate it. I simply cut the frame in half and tucked it behind each side of my photo. I then highlighted my photo further by adding two chipboard photo corners. A few blue Sparkles enamel dots helped add some small pops of contrast to my page too.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you.
Be sure to stay connected to the Cocoa Vanilla Studio blog; Facebook page; Instagram account and the Community group to keep up with all the latest Cocoa Vanilla news, inspiration and events.
Til next time, happy scrapping! X

Hip Hip Hooray | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
I am so excited to pop in and share my first layout with the brand new Make a Wish collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio!

Although this collection is birthday themed, as with most of Cocoa Vanilla's collections, it is very versatile and could be used for all sorts of projects. I couldn't resist going with a birthday layout though, featuring some photos of my daughter on her 5th birthday. At her request, I made her a layered rainbow cake and the look of joy on her face when she saw those colours made every moment I spent in the kitchen totally worthwhile.

As always when I work with any new collection, I didn't know where to start as there are just so many gorgeous things to choose from! I decided on layered design for my background so I could use multiple papers (Party Dots, Daydream and Hip Hooray). This design also allowed me to create a central area to contain my multiple photos and embellishments, leaving the surrounding space free to form a border. I also added some rough machine stitching for some subtle texture.

I mounted my photos to help them pop from the page, then set about adding my embellishments. In the top left corner I added one of the wood veneer pieces (which I coloured lightly using a Posca pen); a couple of pieces from the die cut ephemera pack and a few of the Sparkles enamel dots. I also added a Puffy Sticker and one of the small phrase stickers from the Accessory Stickers sheet directly onto my photo.

In the top right corner of my focal area, I added the "hip hip hooray" title card from the Party Mix cut apart sheet. On top of it I created a cluster containing ephemera pieces; a puffy sticker; wood veneer party hat and a chipboard sticker. (Everything is so cute I couldn't stop. I just wanted to add ALL. THE. THINGS. haha)

In the bottom right corner, yet another embellishment cluster. I used many of the same things (ephemera, wood veneer, chipboard sticker, enamel dots), but this time I layered them all on top of one of the gorgeous Vellum Accents - this one a striped tag.

More die cut ephemera here - I couldn't resist this beautiful little tag. The colours of the writing reminded me of the layers in the cake and the sentiment was perfect too!

I have to say, I am totally in LOVE with this collection! The colours, the styling, the embellishments - everything coordinates so effortlessly, it really is a joy to create with!

Don't forget that Make a Wish is not yet available, but is due to start shipping to retailers on the 9th September so keep an eye out for it at your favourite store next month!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X