Dream it, Wish it, Do it | Vicki Boutin

Hello everyone!

Today I’m sharing a new layout for the Vicki Boutin design team, featuring the ‘All the Good Things’ collection and a cut file from JustNick Studio that I coloured using the art crayons. The colours that I used on this page are a bit different for me. Orange and brown are not my usual go-to colours, but the natural earthy colours were perfect for documenting this photo of my kids taken when we went on a family picnic to a local bush reserve. Here’s the completed layout… 

The JustNick cut file that I used on this layout is called ‘Autumn Ring’. After I cut it on my Cameo, I left it stuck to my cutting mat, so that it would stay nice and flat while I added some mixed media to it. I used the art crayons with water and applied the colour to the cut file using plastic packaging. This gave it a nice watercolour effect, but once it dried the colours weren’t quite as vibrant as I wanted. So I added some more colour using the art crayons dry with a stencil brush. This gave the colours some more depth, which was what I was looking for. Once I was finished with the cut file, I used my sewing machine to stitch it to the page. I also added some splatters to the background, once again using the art crayons mixed with water. 

I matted my photo with one of the patterned papers from the 7x10 inch paper pad, and I also added some craft foam underneath it to give it some more dimension. I embellished around the photo using die cuts from the ‘All the Good Things’ collection, and I used the die cut piece that says ‘Dream it, Wish it, Do it’ as the title for my layout. 

Underneath the bottom edge of the photo I tucked a die cut journaling spot, and I added a couple of strips of typed journaling to it. 

I created a smaller cluster in the bottom left hand corner of the page to balance out the photo cluster in the upper right. I added a couple of die cuts from the collection to this cluster, as well as a cardstock sticker. 

I finished the layout off with some of the enamel dots from the self-adhesive finishing embellishments pack, as well as a few little watercolour stickers. 

Thanks so much for joining me today! Here’s a link to my process video, if you’d like to see how this layout came together… 

Supplies Used: 

Single-Sided Card Pad 7”x10” 

Gesso 

Art Crayons #1 – Warm 

Art Crayons #2 – Cool 

Art Crayons #3 – Neutral 

Watercolor Brushes 

Stencil Brush Set 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Icons 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Frames 

Self-Adhesive Finishing Embellishments 

Watercolor Stickers 

Sweet Little Moments | Vicki Boutin

Hey friends!

Today I'm sharing another layout featuring some Vicki Boutin mixed media products, the ‘All the Good Things’ collection, and a cut file from JustNick Studio! I documented a beautiful photo of my eldest daughter Abigail, taken a few months ago. Here’s my page… 

  I used the lovely ‘Floral Swag’ cut file on this page, and I decided to paint it using the new Vicki Boutin watercolors. I also used the pink art crayon, and applied it with the stencil brush, to add some depth of colour to the middle of the pink flowers. This is an easy way of adding mixed media to your layouts! I love how it turned out! 

Next I wanted to add a little bit of mixed media to my background, so I grabbed a sheet of the Vicki Boutin Foundations paper, and applied a thin coat of gesso to it. (I find that using an old credit card / gift card is a quick and easy way of applying the gesso to the cardstock.) Then I used my art crayons to create a watercolour effect on the background using some plastic packaging and a watercolor brush. I added this mainly to right hand side of the page where I wanted to add my cut file. The key to getting it to look like this is to make sure that you add gesso first, as this allows the watercolour to pool on the page rather than soaking straight in. 

Once my background was dry, I adhered the cut file using foam tape, which gave it some lovely dimension on the page. Then I was ready to add my photo and start embellishing. I tucked a couple of die cuts from the ‘All the Good Things’ collection around the cut file. I love that cute bird die cut! 

I matted my photo with the B-side of the ‘Shine Brightly’ patterned paper, and adhered it to the left of the cut file. For my title, I combined one of the foam word Thickers from the collection, with a watercolor sticker, to create the phrase ‘Sweet Little Moments’. This is a fun way of creating a unique title! 

To finish the embellishing, I fussy cut a couple of butterflies from the ‘Social Butterfly’ patterned paper and added these to the page. 

Thanks so much for joining me today! If you’d like to see how this layout came together, you can check out my process video over on my YouTube channel… 

Supplies Used: 

Foundations Paper 

Gesso 

Watercolor Set 

Art Crayons #1 – Warm 

Art Crayons #2 – Cool 

Brushes 

Watercolor Brushes 

Stencil Brush Set 

Mister Bottles 

Thickers – Phrase/Glitter Foam 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Icons 

Watercolor Stickers 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Social Butterfly 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Birds of a Feather 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Shine Brightly 

Awesome | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing a new layout for the masculine theme over on the Cocoa Vanilla blog this week. I documented a lovely photo of my son with his grandfather, using the awesome You ROCK collection! I always love the boy themed collections that Zoe designs, and this one was no exception! Here's my layout...

To start my layout off, I added some strips of patterned paper of various widths and lengths down the left hand side of the page. The papers I used were:

Stripped (reverse side)

Starshine (reverse side)

Night Sky

Say What (reverse side) - Totally Rad collection

I added some machine stitching through each of the strips to give the page some more texture and interest.

I created three clusters of embellishments on this layout, and arranged them diagonally down the page. The first is up in the top left hand corner of the page. In this cluster I included a wood veneer star, a circular die cut piece, and a rubber charm.

I matted my photo with the reverse side of the Plus One patterned paper, and then tucked a chipboard frame underneath the bottom right hand corner. I love how this really helps my photo to pop off the page! To the right of the photo I created another cluster using a chipboard sticker, a die cut, and a star that I fussy cut from the Starshine patterned paper.

The final cluster is down in the bottom right hand corner of the layout, and this is where I added my title. I used one the wood veneer words as the title for the page, and then I added a chipboard sticker underneath my title, and another fussy cut star to the right of it.

I finished the layout off with a few little die cut stars, a couple of little word stickers from the accessory sticker sheet, and some typed journaling.

Thanks so much for joining me here on the blog today! If you'd like to see how I created this layout, you can check out my process video over on my YouTube channel...

Mandy x

Sweet | Vicki Boutin

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing my layout that I created for the April Color Challenge over in the Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Community Facebook group. Each month we are going to have a new challenge, and this month’s colours are inspired by the newest set of Color Pop paints! Here’s a look at the challenge, in case you haven’t seen it yet… 

I love this bright and fresh colour palette! 

This month, our design team are also going to be creating with some of the gorgeous cut files from JustNick Studio! We’re looking forward to showing you some creative ways that you can combine mixed media and cut files on your layouts! 

Here’s the layout that I created, using the April color challenge as inspiration, and the ‘Spring Flower Background’ cut file from JustNick… 

I started with a sheet of the Vicki Boutin Foundations paper, and the first thing I did was create a colourful watercolour effect on the background using the art crayons. I mixed colours together to match those on the mood board, and I love how it turned out! 

Next I added a little bit of stencilling to the background, using the circle stencil and the large stencil brush. 

I also added some stamping using the new circle stamps and the Color Wheel inks. The stencilling and stamping are just a subtle addition to the background, and they help to add some more depth and interest. 

To complete the background, I watered down some of the Iridescent Glaze and splattered it onto the page. 

While my background finished drying, I got to work backing the cut file with some patterned papers from the ‘All the Good Things’ collection, and also some vellum. Once I had done that, I added some small pieces of foam tape to the back of the cut file so that when I adhered it to the page, it would have some dimension. 

Because the background was already quite colourful and busy, I kept the embellishing fairly simple on this layout. I created a simple little cluster on the bottom left hand corner of the photo using a couple of die cuts from the collection. The die cut piece that says ‘This is the Good Stuff’ was perfect for this photo! 

I layered a circular journaling spot under the top right hand corner of the photo, and used this as a base to add my title to. For my title, I used one of the words from the ‘All the Good Things’ foam Thickers pack. The pop of black provides some nice contrast against the bright colours. 

To finish the layout off, I added a few of the butterflies from the watercolor sticker pack. 

Thanks so much for joining me today. If you’re not already a member of our VB Mixed Media Facebook group, make sure you come and join us, and play along with this month’s colour challenge! 

Here’s a link to my process video if you’d like to see how this page came together… 

Here’s a list of all of the Vicki Boutin products that I used to create this layout… 

Foundations Paper 

Gesso 

Creative FX Glaze - Iridescent 

Art Crayons #1 – Warm 

Art Crayons #2 – Cool 

Color Wheel Pigment Ink – Cool Tones 

Color Wheel Pigment Ink – Warm Tones 

Stencils 

Stamps and Dies – Set 3 

Watercolor Brushes 

Stencil Brush Set 

Thickers – Phrase/Glitter Foam 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Icons 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Frames 

Watercolor Stickers 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Pretty Words 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Good Vibes 

Double-sided Patterned Paper – Positive Note 

Junque Journal Page | Love | Vicki Boutin

Hey friends!

Today I'm going to share a page that I created in my Vicki Boutin Junque Journal! I chose to use the insert that has a flap that opens outwards, as I wanted this page to have an interactive element to it. This was from the Mixed Media White Paper Refill pack. I then had lots of fun adding mixed media to both the inside and the outside pages of the insert using the Color Pop acrylic paints, the new circle stamps, and a stencil! 

So let’s start with taking a look at what I did on the front of the flap. (This is the part that you can see when the flap is closed)… 

Here are the steps that I used to create the background for this page… 

1) First I chose three colours of acrylic paint and squeezed a small amount of each colour directly onto the page. (The colours I used were Saltwater Taffy, Daiquiri Ice, and Juicy Pear). Then, using an old gift card, I distributed the paint around the page, allowing the colours to mix together a little as I did this. I hadn’t tried this technique before, so I was really just experimenting to see what kind of effect I would get, and I love how it turned out! 

2) Once this had dried, I added a thin layer of white gesso over the top, just to tone down the colours a little. And I also added a little bit more of the Daiquiri Ice paint over the top. 

3) Next I added some thin strips of torn washi tape onto the background to add some texture. 

4) Then I used the new circle stamp set and some black archival ink to add a few black circles to the background. 

5) Using some black acrylic paint, and one of the Vicki Boutin paintbrushes, I then added some dashes to the background in three different areas. I like how the black paint provides some nice contrast to the page! 

6) Next I used the Vicki Boutin stencil with the little flowers on it, and I applied some texture paste through it. 

7) Lastly I added some white splatters using some watered down gesso. 

Here’s a closeup look at all those layers and details on the background… 

Once I had finished my background, I added my photo, which I matted with one of the die cut frames from the ‘All the Good Things’ collection. I mounted the photo up on some craft foam to give it some extra dimension. I also tucked a tab sticker under the right hand side of the photo. 

I added some die cut leaves under the top left hand corner of the photo, which helps to add to the ‘nature’ theme. I also adhered the die cut word ‘love’ above the photo, and I used that as the title. 

I finished it off by adding a few of the little watercolor stickers around the page. I’m very happy with how this turned out! 

Next, I was ready to start working on the inside of the insert. Here’s a look at the completed pages… 

I wanted both the inside and outside pages to look cohesive, so I used the same colours, and some of the same techniques. I created the background in the same way that I did on the front, by using the gift card to apply the paint to the background. This time though I only used the Daiquiri Ice and the Juicy Pear. I also added some stamping to the background using the circle stamp set with both black and coloured ink. I used one of the inks from the cool tones colour wheel to create the blue circles. I kept the embellishing on this page fairly minimal, and just added a couple of die cuts, and a few little butterfly stickers from the watercolor sticker pack. 

Once that page was complete, I moved over to the left hand page. I covered this page with a few of the patterned papers from the ‘All the Good Things’ collection (Positive Note, The Little Things, and Pretty Words). Next I matted my photo with the reverse side of the Soul Food paper, and once again I used craft foam to give the photo some more dimension. I also layered a couple of die cuts from the collection behind my photo. 

I typed my journaling on my typewriter and then cut it up into strips, to add to my layout. 

Then I was done! Here’s a look at how it looks in my Junque Journal… 

If you’d like to watch me create these pages, you can check out my process video here… 

And here’s a list of all of the Vicki Boutin products that I used to create these Junque Journal pages… 

Junque Journal 

Junque Journal Refills – White Paper 

Color Pop Acrylic Paint – Set 2 

Color Pop Acrylic Paint – Set 3 

Color Wheel Pigment Ink – Cool Tones 

Gesso 

Stencils 

Stamps & Dies – Set 3 

Paint Brushes 

Cardstock Stickers 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Icons 

Cardstock Die-Cuts – Frames 

Washi Tape 

Watercolor Stickers 

Double-Sided Patterned Paper – Pretty Words 

Double-Sided Patterned Paper – The Little Things 

Double-Sided Patterned Paper – Soul Food 

Double-Sided Patterned Paper – Postive Note

Precious | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi friends!

Happy Easter to you and your families! Whatever you do to celebrate Easter, I hope that you have a lovely day!

I wanted to take the opportunity to create an Easter themed layout to share with you today! The beautiful soft pastel colours in the Cocoa Vanilla More than Words collection makes it perfect for scrapbooking your Easter memories! I documented a couple of photos of my youngest daughter from last Easter. I love the joy that children find in the small things (like being allowed to eat chocolate eggs before breakfast on Easter!). Here's the layout that I created...

I started my layout off by trimming about 1cm off the left hand side and the top of the page. I then matted the layout onto the reverse side of the Effervescent patterned paper and added some machine stitching along those two edges.

Next I chose four of the papers out of the 6x6 paper pad and layered them together on the background. I didn't trim them down, I just used them as is. This was a quick and easy way of creating a matt for my photos to sit on. I also tucked three chipboard frames from the Wild at Heart collection into the paper layers. This adds some extra interest and dimension to the page.

I matted one of the photos with the reverse side of the Darling Buds patterned paper, and the other with the reverse side of the Treasure patterned paper. Then I got to work embellishing the layout!

I created a small cluster to the left of the photos, that includes two floral die cuts, and a little word sticker from the accessory sticker sheet.

I created a second cluster to the right of the photos. Here I layered together some more die-cuts, as well as a couple of chipboard stickers from the collection. How perfect is that little bunny die-cut for adding to an Easter themed project?!

For my title, I used one of the words from the chipboard sticker sheet, and I also added another floral die-cut to the right of the title, completing the visual triangle.

I finished the layout off with some grey ink splatters, and a sprinkling of enamel dots.

Thanks so much for joining me today! Maybe you've been inspired to document your Easter memories using the beautiful More than Words collection as well?!

Mandy x