Beautiful Daughter | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 Hi everyone, popping in today to share my latest design team project with you. For this one I was tasked to create something inspired by the mood board for the current Cocoa Vanilla Studio monthly challenge, which was designed by Michelle Stokes. 

Here's a look at the board...

The first thing that inspired me from the board was definitely the colours and the combination of different shades of pink, so I decided to create a layout of my daughter and go "full pink". I had a sweet photo of her that I took in our garden last year, where she was looking very dreamy, so I printed it out in black and white to keep it neutral.

My secondary inspiration from the board was the image of the heart with all the tassels hanging from it. This immediately made me think of the Tassels and Bows pack from the 'Unforgettable' collection, and along with my dreamy looking daughter, led me to the idea to create a dreamcatcher style layout to showcase the tassels.

For my layout, I decided to start with a sheet of white wood grain patterned paper from the 'Midnight' collection. This gave me a nice, neutral background with a bit of a boho vibe. I added some colour to the top portion of my page with two different shades of pink ink using the packaging technique to achieve a soft, unstructured look. 

Over the top of the ink I added the main part of my dreamcatcher. This was created using the die cut from the Large Die Cut and Backing kit from the 'Midnight' collection. I cut off the top third of the circle, then used a piercing tool to poke holes around the edge, which I threaded with some red and pink bakers twine. 

Next, I cut some paper layers to mat my photo with. I used a hot pink paper from the 'Unforgettable' 6x8" paper stack and a pink and white striped paper from the 'Midnight' 6x8" paper pad. I also added a white paper lace doily and some frayed gauze to my stack before adding my photo on top.

With my photo in place it was time to pretty things up! I used lots of floral pieces from the 'Unforgettable' Die Cut Ephemera pack to frame around my photo. I also added some small die cut flowers around the edge of my dreamcatcher where each hole with the twine was. 

Beneath the dreamcatcher, I added three tassels from the 'Unforgettable' Tassels and Bows pack, as well as three feathers from the 'Unforgettable' Die Cut Ephemera pack. I tied each tassel with the same twine I had threaded the dreamcatcher with. I tucked each of the pieces of twine under the title and then added a bow over the top.

I then added a few extra bits and pieces to my page - a flair button, the chipboard title beautiful, and some small phrase stickers - all from the 'Midnight' collection. From the 'Unforgettable' ephemera pack, I added some hearts and arrows (both inspired by the images in the board) and three die cut butterflies (because...butterflies!)

I was really happy with how this page turned out and I think it looks super pretty. I hope I have inspired you to play along with this month's challenge too. You can find all the details and enter via the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community group HERE.

If you would like to watch how I put this all together, you can check out my process video:

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

You Shine and Best Buddies | Scrapbook Class for the ScrappingClearly Cyber Crop

Hi everyone!

A bit of a catch up post from me today, as I didn't realise I hadn't shared this pair of layouts on my blog yet. In case you didn't see via my Facebook page last month, I was thrilled to be asked by the lovely Kylie Tout from ScrappingClearly to be part of her April Cyber Crop. It was such a sensational event, filled with inspiration from a multitude of mixed media and papercraft artists. Just take a look at this stellar line up and see how many faces you recognise...

And yes, that's little ole me in there included in the mix!

So for my contribution to the crop, I decided to design a free online scrapbook class that people could follow along at home and create their own version of my layout using whatever materials they had on hand. I created two versions of my layout for my class - both feminine and masculine, using the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Unforgettable' and 'Legendary' collections respectively. This was to demonstrate that the class instructions could be applied to either one. I also included some basic mixed media techniques to ensure that people of any skill level could achieve.

Here is the feminine style layout "You Shine" first, using 'Unforgettable'...

(Click on photos for a better view)

I won't go into all the details of how I created it here, as you can watch my process video to see how I did it below, or follow along with my printable instructions which are available to download HERE

Here's a few close-ups...

You can see below how I layered the flair button with a handmade star embellishment from Charms Creations. 

And just to show how versatile this class can be, I created a second layout "Best Buddies" in a masculine style using the 'Legendary' collection...

As I mentioned earlier, you can adapt this class to use whatever materials you have on hand, and if you aren't fussed on using mixed media you can simply leave it off.

Here's a few close-ups...

Again, I used a star from Charms Creations to layer under my flair button.

If you would like to see exactly how I put my "Shine Bright" page together, you can watch the process video here:

That's all from me today, thanks for stopping by. If you use my class to create a layout of your own please make sure you share it with me! You can post to, or message my Facebook page, or tag me on Instagram @sue.plumb

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Lovely | The Crafty Chain & Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! It's time for another catch-up layout from me. This one was shared on the Cocoa Vanilla Studio blog a little while ago, but it was actually layout that I designed for a class I taught at The Crafty Chain in Brisbane back in December. I encouraged everyone to put their own spin on it, and it was so fun seeing all the different versions of my design. I used the gorgeous 'Unforgettable' collection and a photo of some of the Cocoa Vanilla team. 

I used white cardstock as the base for this layout, then layered assorted size pieces of the Pretty Bits and Natural Beauty papers horizontally over the top. I love using these cut apart papers, as they are an easy and cost-effective way of adding a variety of patterns to the page. Some of the pieces were also distressed to add texture and dimension to the page.

Once all the background strips were in place I cut a large circle from the Lacewing paper, topping it with another piece from the Pretty Bits paper, before adding my photo on top. (This snapshot was actually taken at the Cocoa Vanilla retreat and features Zoe, myself and some of the other Aussie girls from the team – it’s so awesome to be able to be all together in person like this.) I used some scrap cardboard between the layers to add dimension, and also some messy cotton for texture.

To embellish my page I used a variety of pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack, sticking with the neutral and warm tones of my chosen palette. (This also meant there were plenty of bits left over in the pack for participants to use in another project – it’s always nice to be able to take home extras from a class kit, don’t you think?)

For my page title, I used the word lovely from the ‘Bohemian Dream’ Chipboard Titles. Again, using only one word from the pack meant everyone had extras to take home – yay! I decided to leave the title plain white so it matched with my background, but I did encourage everyone in class to alter them if they wanted to, so some people chose to ink / stamp / paint theirs to suit their page.

To finish off, I added my handwritten journalling and then splattered a few coloured inks around the page – because I always love a little bit of mess! (Sorry for your table and window after everyone had finished this step Alison and Shelley!)

If you love this layout as much as I do stay tuned - hopefully it will be released as a page kit via the Cocoa Vanilla store soon. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

We Remember Moments | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Popping in again today to share yet another design team project from the end of last year. This layout was created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio using the gorgeous 'Unforgettable' collection and a photo of my children that I took while I was shopping with them a few years ago. It used to take me a long time to get the grocery shopping done when I had the kids with me, as I would constantly be stopped by people asking questions about the boys. Twin seat trolleys were rare when I took this photo and our local supermarket only had two of them, so I usually had to get a staff member find one for me when we arrived. (Thankfully they seem to be the norm at most stores now.)

I started this page by creating a mixed media background on some white cardstock, using 'Picked Raspberry' Distress Oxide to create a watercolour style background, before adding some stamping and Colour Blast by Bee Arty 'Steel' Colour Paste through a stencil in a few spots on my page. I also added some blue watercolour splatters over the top for some extra interest.

Next, I fussy cut the wreath from the beautiful Garland paper, adding foam tape underneath the floral section to pop it up from the page, before sticking it down on top of my background. (You can see how I bent the edges up from the page to add extra dimension.)

I then added some pieces of paper cut from the B sides of the Glorious and Sprightly papers as a mat for my photo, which I stuck down on top.

Alongside my photo, I added the quote "we don't remember the days, we remember moments" from scaled down version of the Story Teller paper from the 6x8" Paper Stack to act as my page title. I was especially drawn to use this quote for this layout, as in the early days of having twins life seemed to pass by in such a blur. Going shopping with the kids and having two sitting in the trolley and one perched on the end like in the photo is something I will always remember though. 

On top of the quote card I added the cute camera Flair Button and popped a couple of Enamel Dots nearby.

Now it was time to embellish my wreath. I used a variety of flowers from the Die Cut Ephemera pack, which I stuck down on top of the wreath using foam tape to provide further dimension. I also added 3 bows from the Tassels and Bows pack; and a few small phrase stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet.

I finished off my layout by adding more Enamel Dots; a die cut butterfly; and then a few hand-stitched crosses using embroidery thread.

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to create something pretty too. 

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Traveler's Notebook Spreads | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!
By now I am sure you already know of my love for traveler's notebooks, so today I am popping in to share two TN spreads I created recently for Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

The first one I am sharing features the oh-so-beautiful 'Unforgettable' collection. I had a couple of photos of my sister and I that I printed in black and white, as I figured that despite being two separate pages, that they would work well side by side in my book. 

I began with the 6x8" Paper Stack, as these are the perfect sizes papers for my notebook inserts. I chose the scaled down version of the stunning butterfly Lacewing 12x12" paper for the base of my pages. I trimmed down my sheet into two pieces and placed one either side of the spine.

On the left side I then added a pink and white striped piece of paper cut from the Pretty Bits 12x12" cut apart paper. I then adhered my photo and journalling on top. I then worked vertically from the top to the bottom to embellish my page.  

At the top I used the our little moments sticker from the Accessory Stickers sheet; followed by the captured word cut from the Story Teller paper; the large butterfly fussy cut from the Pretty Bits paper; and the small heart tab sticker from the Accessory Stickers sheet.

I finished along the bottom of the page with the best things in life are free sticker and stamped the date.

I knew I needed to work in a vertical style again on the right page so that the two sides of my spread had cohesion across the design. 

I started by adding the every photo has a story quote piece from the 6x8" Paper Stack; followed by the wood grain piece from the Story Teller paper with my photo and journalling on top. Below that I added the take a photo it will last longer sticker from the Accessory Stickers sheet; then finished off with the cute pink camera from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. 

For my second spread, I decided to work with the previously released 'Happiness' collection to document some photos of my boys and I on a day out together.

This time I was able to work with the spread as a whole, rather than two separate pages sharing a spread. I started with the 6x8" Paper Pad, choosing the scaled down version of the Sprinkles paper as the base for my pages. I cut the sheet into two uneven pieces and placed them either side of the spine. 

I then added my three photos and my journalling, which I stuck on top of a journal box cut from the Little Things paper. I also added the making memories quote card from the same paper. 

Next, I added some floral pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack - cutting the largest piece in two and placing in on either side of the spine at the bottom of the page. I also used a couple of single flowers, which I tucked under the edges of my photos. 

I then added two small phrase stickers from the Accessory Stickers sheet; and finished off with a few other elements from the ephemera pack - tickets, hearts and the title piece.

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to try some traveler's notebook spreads if you haven't already - it's such a fun size to work in!
Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Living the Dream | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Popping in today to share a layout I created recently featuring the gorgeous 'Unforgettable' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. For this page I wanted to document some sweet photos of my hubby and our cat that were taken when he was just a kitten. And with two males in the photos, I needed to put a masculine spin on it. (And yes, I think a pop of purple is perfectly acceptable for a masculine page!)

Starting with a white cardstock background, the first paper I was drawn to was the gorgeous wood grain print of the Natural Beauty paper. I am a huge fan of wood grain papers, and I have to say, I think this one is my favourite so far! The tones, the pattern of the grain - it's just perfect. I cut a large piece and placed it vertically on the left side of my page.

I overlaid the wood grain print with a piece of the minty green watercolour print paper from the 6x8" Paper Stack (in the 12x12" papers this is the reverse print of the Garland paper). I used a notebook style paper punch to punch the edge of it for extra interest. 

Then it was time to add some horizontal structure to my page. I used an extra piece of the same mint paper again; along with a piece of the black and white leafy print from the reverse side of the Natural Beauty paper; the grey stripe from the reverse of the Glorious paper; and the mint diagonal stripe from the Sprightly paper.

I decided to frame each of my photos using frames from the Die Cut Ephemera pack - one a gorgeous polaroid style wood grain and the other a black and white wreath. I positioned each of them over the patterned papers layers, using some cardboard behind them to pop them up from the page.

Now it was time to add some fun embellishments to bring all the elements of my page together.

I started with the Foam Title Stickers, choosing the word hello and adding it alongside my top photo. I then reached for the Die Cut Ephemera pack again - choosing the Living the Dream phrase piece to go alongside the lower photo. Between the two, I added the purple ticket from the ephemera pack.

I then took another frame from the ephemera pack, this time a sweet circular frame with a doodled heart border. I cut it into two pieces, tucking the larger piece around the corner of my top photo, and the second smaller piece in behind the hello sticker. I also added a label for my journalling that was fussy cut from the Story Teller paper.

After writing my journalling on the label, I added the super cute retro style camera and a small heart (both from the ephemera pack) to create a small cluster. Then, to balance it out, I added a small strip of the reverse side of the Natural Beauty paper at the top of my page, and the true story sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet over the top.  

Almost done - time for a few finishing touches! I added two small hearts from the Clear Sticker sheet; the purple butterfly from the Die Cut Ephemera pack; and the Life is Good sticker from the Accessory Sticker sheet. 

I then stamped the oh happy life phrase using a stamp from my stash and added a few tiny splatters of berry ink. 

That's all from me today, thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. 

Until next time, happy scrapping! X