The Good Life | Scrap the Girls November Challenge

Hi everyone! I am popping in today to share my take on this month's challenge for Scrap the Girls. If you haven't seen the November challenge yet, it just happens to be a sketch designed by me, and I am loving seeing what people are creating with it so far!

Here's a look at the sketch which is entitled "Don't Just Look at the Stars"...

You could interpret the title of the sketch as you wish - you could create a layout with a theme about aiming high or setting goals, or you might take the title literally as I did, and turn those stars into a different type of element on your page.

Here is the layout I created, using the 'Daydream' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio...

As you can see, I turned the stars into rainbows and flowers instead to document a fun photo of my daughter and her friend having a "girls night in". I did at least stick pretty well to the sketch by keeping it in a tight, vertical style design (but you could rotate or flip it if you wish). 

I used 'Mustard Seed' Distress Oxide to create the subtle yellow watercolour background on my cardstock first, before going in with a criss cross texture stamp and grey ink to add extra detail over the colour. 

I then added strips of patterned paper to form the vertical base of my design, and kept the photo placed along the same axis just as in the sketch. I then added layers of patterned paper and tissue paper to mat my photo, as well as a paper doily and some frayed gauze to pad the layers out and add further texture to the page.

Then it was simply a matter of adding my embellishments, which were mainly a mix of both fussy cut and die cut rainbows and flowers. I used foam tape to raise some of them up off the background to add extra interest to the page. I also added a few more die cuts, Accessory Stickers and a flair button all from the same collection. 

I finished off with a few stamped phrases using a roller stamp and grey ink, and some tiny splatters of navy mist. Sticking to the sketch (for once) made this a super quick and simple layout to put together, and I love how fun it is.

I would love to see lots of you play along with my sketch this month. You can enter by linking your layout via the blog, or even via Facebook or Instagram! Check the post HERE for all the details and to see what else the design team created.

Cocoa Vanilla Studio are the Aussie sponsor this month, so if you would love the chance to snag a voucher to do some shopping then make sure you get an entry in! 

That's all from me today, until next time, happy scrapping! X

Baking Memories | Kitaholic Kits November 2020

Hi everyone!

Today I am happy to be sharing the first of my guest designer projects for Kitaholic Kits using the November kit and mixed media add on kit. This month's kit is filled with products from Heidi Swapp, Pinkfresh Studio, Crate Paper and Pebbles; and the mixed media kit with products from Vicki Boutin and Ranger. (If you would like to see exactly what is in the kit, I have an unboxing video on my YouTube channel HERE)

For my first project, I found myself drawn to the Jen Hadfield leaf print paper, which I thought would work well with some outdoor photos. I was also drawn to the Pinkfresh Studio journalling bits, so I knew I wanted to create a page that had a good story behind it. I came up with the idea of documenting a series of photos of one of my boys that were taken during our remote learning period. On this day, my boys had both written Dr Suess style stories, and then we did a dress up photo shoot of the main character from each of their stories. This is Hunter dressed as "Fred the Dragon".

I chose to keep the leaf print paper to use as a border for my page (because I thought it gave it that "story book" vibe), and used a sheet of white cardstock with brushed acrylic paint for my background.

Layers of torn and distressed patterned papers mixed with a paper doily, frayed gauze and Heidi Swapp stickers formed the basis of the focal point of my design. 

I used the Pinkfresh 'Days of Splendour' floral ephemera to create clusters for my page, which I brushed with the Ranger Stickles 'Moon Dust' Glitter Gel for a touch of sparkle.

I then added more stickers, a few rhinestones, and a punny title by altering the title printed on the Pinkfresh envelope with puffy alpha stickers. 

To finish off, I printed my journalling and stuck it onto the tag.

Below you can see where I have added a QR code on the back of the journal tag that links to the private video on my YouTube channel of Hunter reading his story. This is a great interactive element to add to layouts and helps share more of the story than you can fit on the page.

So there you have it! If you would like to watch me put this page together, I've got a process video on my YouTube channel: 

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I have plenty more to come from this kit, so stay tuned!

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Super Totally Rad | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

I've got a bit of a catch-up project to share today as it seems during my recent focus on the 'Daydream' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio, that I overlooked sharing this page. Prior to the arrival of the new collection, my fellow design team members and I were all busy doing some stash-busting. So I decided to have a dig into my own stash and see what I could find to use up. I finally settled on the 'Totally Rad' collection. 

For those of you who have been Cocoa Vanilla fans for a long time, you might have some of this hiding in your stash too? And for everyone else who missed this range the first time around, you can now purchase it as a digital collection HERE

Here is my layout "Super Totally Rad"...

When it came to the background, I was limited with paper choices so I chose to use the sun burst style pattern on the Good Times paper from the 'Boys Rule' collection instead. I had a couple of photos from my boys 8th birthday a couple of months ago, and I thought the colours of the cake would make it a fun subject to pair with the colourful 'Totally Rad' collection.

 Based on the limited paper I had left to work with, I decided to go with a vertical design using a piece of the cute camera print Happy Snaps paper for the focal area of my page. Alongside that, I added a strip of the yellow chevron print which was the reverse side of the cameras. I also added a second strip of the chevrons along he right edge of my page. Because the photos I was working with were different orientations, I wanted to keep them contained on the vertical strip of paper and then fill around them.

The key to keeping this busy design cohesive, was to ensure that all the different elements I planned to use needed to be touching each other. This cascading arrangement meant that the viewer's eye was automatically drawn down through the design. I used a mix of die cut ephemera pieces, as well as pieces that I had fussy cut from the Mix Tape cut apart sheet. I also used a flair button and some enamel shapes.

I am not a huge fan of symmetry in my work, so to balance out how heavy my design was along the central line of the page, I added a small embellishment cluster in the bottom right corner of my page, along with my hand written journalling.

I finished off with some black ink splatters and by stamping the phrase happy birthday to you a few times around the page. I am really happy with the clean simplicity of this page, but also with the fact I got to bust some stash and re-visit a collection that I loved.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Family Time | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hi everyone, popping in today with another design team project using the amazing 'Daydream' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. If you haven't had a chance to create with this range yet, then do yourself a favour and check with your favourite retailer to see if they have it in stock - it is so gorgeous!

For this page, I decided to document a photo that I took a few months ago when some of my family got together to celebrate my boys 8th birthday. I began with a sheet of white cardstock and used Distress Oxides to add some subtle layered watercolour detail to the background.

Next, I layered some pieces of the Sun Shower; All Aflutter; Stepping Stones; and Up in the Clouds papers to form the mat for my photo. I then added some frayed gauze for texture and some scrap cardboard under my photo to pop it up from the page. 

Once I had the photo in place it was time for some embellishments. I had the gorgeous floral print Garden Variety paper and my scissors at the ready to get cutting. I fussy cut several larger floral pieces and a few loose flowers, then tucked them in amongst the different paper layers around my photo. To give the flowers extra dimension, I bent up some of the petals and leaves, and used foam tape under some of the pieces.

To the left of my photo I added the flair button which read the good life from the Flair Button pack and a small blue heart from the Die Cut Ephemera pack directly onto the edge of my photo.

 

I couldn't resist adding one of the adorable Puffy Hearts to my page, so I tucked a green one in amongst the flowers above my photo, which coordinated perfectly with where the green ink was on the background.

I created a small cluster in the top right corner of my photo using a few small stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet, then added a butterfly from the Die Cut Ephemera pack nearby.

I chose the words family time from the Die Cut Titles pack for my page title and completed my title cluster with a die cut rainbow and heart. 

As a finishing touch I scattered a few sequins around the page from the Sequins and Flowers pack and added a little handwritten journalling. 

I will be back again soon with another project to share. Until then, happy scrapping! X

Making Friends @ Hooters | Scrap the Girls October Challenge

Hi everyone! Today I am popping in to share my take on this month's challenge at Scrap the Girls, which is a combination of two events that both occur this month. It's called "Boo Bees" - Breast Cancer Awareness meets Halloween. You can choose to be inspired by either of these themes, or even something else from the inspiration image below...

I decided to cover both bases by creating a boobies themed layout with a Halloween colour palette. I reckon I nailed it - what do you think?

Those fabulous photos of me with the Hooters girls were taken during my trip to Arizona for Creativation last year. The girls were so lovely and more than happy to pose with me. 

To create my layout, I started by creating a quick watercolour style background using 'Faded Jeans' Distress Oxide (to tie in with my denim jacket in the photos). I then added some random stamping using a jumbled text stamp and grey ink.

Over the top of the watercolour, I added the Burst Circles cut file from this month's homegrown sponsor, Cut to You. I really wanted the shapes to pop against the background, so because I had already cut it with white, I just coloured it black with a Sharpie. I then used patterned paper from Cocoa Vanilla Studio to back a few of the larger circles to start bringing in the red / orange colours. I then set to work on some papery layers.

Underneath my photos I stacked layers of tissue paper, a paper doiley, printed tags tied with twine, and some frayed gauze for texture. I also put some scrap cardboard under my photos to help pop them up from the page.

To the left of my photos, I added a Charms Creations handmade star embellishment, which I topped with the hello flair button (from my sister's stash). 

To the right of my photos I added a piece of an old floral print Hambly Screenprints transparency, and some twisted coloured wire that I attached with staples. I used some small sparkly orange alpha stickers for the first part of my title; the @ from a pack of Heidi Swapp die cuts; and then black Thickers for the word hooters. (I love a good mixed font title!)

I finished off my page by adding a some stamped phrases; orange and black ink splatters and few well-placed orange enamel dots (to help some of those circles look like boobs). 

You only have 10 days left to join in this challenge to be in the running for the prizes from Cut to You (for the Aussies) or Tanya Leigh Designz (for the internationals). If you haven't already seen how the rest of the team interpreted this challenge, visit the Scrap the Girls blog HERE for more inspiration.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

Happy Days | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone! I'm popping in today to share a recent design team page with you that was created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. This layout is actually the very first page that I created with the 'Daydream' collection when I received it, and I reached for the adorable Over the Rainbow paper first. (I think there are lots of people who did the same - including the CVS design team!)

Now the funny thing about this layout, is I already knew I was going to make it before I even got the collection. (Very unlike me to plan a page ahead of time!) As soon as I saw Zoe's reveal of this paper, I knew I wanted to use a silhouetted photo of my daughter standing under the rainbow (so I had her pose for the photo in advance).  

I started my layout by adding a little bit of extra detail to the paper. I used a fine tip white paint pen to add faux stitched detail along the edges of some of the rainbow arches, and then faux hand stitched details onto the blue hearts. 

I then cut around my photo to get rid of all the background and placed some messy white cotton thread for soft texture where my photo was going to go. I used some scrap cardboard behind the photo to pop it up from the page.

Once I had the photo in place I added a floral piece from the Die Cut Ephemera pack along the bottom edge of the page so it looked as though she was springing from a bunch of flowers. I also added a small floral sprig and the fantabulous banner piece to cover her hand. 

Now it was time to add some extra detail around my page. In keeping with the whimsical scene I was creating, I added the die cut sun from the ephemera pack in the top right corner of the page using some foam tape to pop it up. I also used the happy days words from the ephemera pack as my page title.

With my daughter's pose of her hand being held joyfully in the air, I wanted to create a look as though she was scattering some fun / happiness / rainbow vibes, so I used a selection of sequins from the Sequins & Flowers pack and stuck them as though they were being thrown from her hand.

I also added three fussy cut butterflies from the All Aflutter paper, placing them so they were on the coordinating coloured arch on the rainbow.

I finished off with a few happy phrase stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet placed onto the rainbow and my page was done. This whimsical scene was unlike my usual style of page, but I really had fun creating it and I am happy I could bring my vision to life. (And my daughter absolutely loves it, which is the most important thing, right?!)

Thanks so much for stopping by so I could share this with you. If you haven't managed to find the 'Daydream' collection yet because your favorite store sold out, rest assured that plenty of re-stocks have been shipped, so check with them to see if they have it coming.

Until next time, happy scrapping! X

This Is Life | Kitaholic Kits Cyber Crop challenge

Hi everyone,

I am popping in today to share another layout I created for the recent Kitaholic Kits 'Spring Fling' cyber crop. For this challenge the criteria was a sketch that looked like this...

If you have known me for a while, you will already know that following sketches is not my strong point. I always begin with good intentions, but once I start working on my page it tends to take on a life of its own. I do always try to include the key elements though, and I think I achieved that here.

Here is my layout, "This is Life"...

I decide to work with the Cocoa Vanilla Studio 'Daydream' collection for this layout because I just can't get enough of it! I started with the soft pink watercolour print on the reverse side of the Stepping Stones paper as my page background. Instead of using patterned paper for the large vertical block in the sketch, I decided to use paint instead. I added another layer over the top using Vicki Boutin gold glaze and one of my favourite StencilGirl stencils - 'Rembrandt's Words'.

With my photos I decided to use three, instead of just the two shown in the sketch. I still used two smaller ones, but added the third larger one as a feature in place of the title / journalling block. The photos were of my daughter with her phone (which is usually glued to her hand), and the reaction I got when I asked her to look up from the screen. 

 I used pieces of patterned paper to add some layers behind my photo, and a paper doily and a circular die cut frame to represent the round element from the sketch. For the smaller vertical blocks in the sketch I used strips of washi tape.

For my embellishments, I used a mix of coordinating products from the 'Daydream' collection - Die Cut Ephemera; Accessory Stickers; Puffy Heart; Flair Button and Die Cut Titles. I also used a handmade star from Charms Creations.

I finished off my layout with handwritten journalling, stamped phrases and splatters of black ink.

If you would like to see how I put this layout together, I've got a process video on my YouTube channel that you can watch below:

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

You Are Kind | Kitaholic Kits Cyber Crop challenge

Hi everyone! 

Just thought I would pop in quickly to share a mixed media layout I created over the weekend for one of the challenges for the Kitaholic Kits 'Spring Fling' cyber crop. The criteria for this challenge was a gorgeous mood board...

My initial inspiration came from the included quote "every day is a gift", which made me think of this cute photo of one of my boys handing over a flower he picked for me. The photo was taken at the beach, which gave it a summery vibe (even though it was actually winter at the time). 

Here's what I came up with...

So my page began with a sheet of white cardstock and some "Picked Raspberry" Distress Oxide, which I simply mixed with some water on my craft mat, then laid the cardstock over the top to pick up the colour. Once dry, I added some subtle detail using grey ink and a crosshatch pattern acrylic stamp to add some random stamping around the page.

 

For my next layer I used a Simple Stories heart pattern stencil with my Vicki Boutin "Prism" glaze so that I could draw in the hearts from the board. I then added some splatters to my page using blue and grey mists.

Now it was time to move onto some paper layers, so I decided to pull out my Vicki Boutin stash, as I thought it would work well with the bright colours of the board.

I layered some papers from the 'Color Kaleidoscope' collection, adding a pink paper doily and some pieces of torn washi to my page as well. I also added some frayed gauze for soft texture, before adding my photo on top.

I then added some of the coordinating ephemera pieces and chipboard Thickers, and my journalling on a small journal spot.

I finished off by using a roller stamp to stamp hello, I love you repeatedly around the page.

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. I will be back with another project (and maybe even a process video?!) soon. Until then, happy scrapping! X