Awesome Adventure | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey friends!

Today I'm sharing a new layout featuring a combination of all of my favourite Cocoa Vanilla Studio boy collections! I wanted to document some photos that I had of my son and his friend, taken when they went to Treetop Adventure Park in the last school holidays. I knew that I'd be able to use one of the awesome masculine themed collections from Cocoa Vanilla to scrapbook these photos, and so I pulled out Boys Rule, You Rock, and Totally Rad. I was so happy to find that there were papers and embellishments from all three collections that worked well with these photos, and they all coordinated perfectly with each other as well!

I often only use one or two photos on a layout, but in this case I felt that using more photos would tell the story better, so I printed four photos at 3x4 inches, and arranged them down the page. I decided on using the Boys Rule Messed Up patterned paper as my background, as I love the messy mixed media look that it gives to the layout. I matted two of the photos with patterned papers, one with the Totally Rad Line Up paper, and the other with the Boys Rule Straight & Narrow paper. I love how the pop of colour behind those two photos helps them to really stand out. I also tucked a couple of chipboard frames from the You Rock collection behind the photos.

I created my title 'Awesome Adventure', using a Boys Rule die cut piece combined with a sticker from the Totally Rad collection. I always love extra dimension on my projects, so I popped the die cut word up with some foam tape.

I created a little cluster of embellishments to the right of the photos that includes a die cut star from the Boys Rule collection, a You Rock wood veneer arrow, a sticker from the Totally Rad accessory stickers, as well as one of the Totally Rad woodies. How awesome do all of these embellishments from the three different collections work together?!

To balance out the title and embellishments to the right of the photos, I created a second cluster over on the left. This one includes die cuts from the Boys Rule collection, a wood veneer camera and a sticker from the You Rock collection, and a flair button and woodie from the Totally Rad collection.

I added my typed journaling strips to the right of the bottom photo, and above that I added a Boys Rule die cut piece, which helps to direct the viewer's eye down towards the journaling.

I finished the layout off by adding a few little word stickers from the You Rock accessory sticker sheet around the page.

Thanks so much for joining me here today!

Mandy x

Sweet Summer Days | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey everyone!

This week on the Cocoa Vanilla blog, the design team are sharing projects inspired by either summer or winter. The weather in my part of the world has turned very chilly this week as we head into winter, so I decided to scrap a photo from last summer to remember those lovely warm days spent at the beach. I dug deep into my stash for this layout, and decided to use the gorgeous Hello Sunshine collection, which was one of the earliest collections that Zoe created. I still love the bright vibrant colours in this collection, and it was the perfect collection to pair with this photo of my hubby and eldest daughter at the beach.

As I've had this collection in my stash for quite awhile, I'm getting a little low on the patterned papers. So I decided to grab out some papers from the Endless Summer collection as well, and I think that the two collections work great together! I started my layout off by trimming down my white cardstock background and matting it on the Coastal Chill patterned paper from the Endless Summer collection. I also added some machine stitching around the edge of the page to give it some additional texture and interest.

Next I added a little sunburst to my background using yellow ink with a stencil. I then matted my photo with the reverse side of the Sweet Treats patterned paper and positioned it on the page so that the sunburst looks like its peeking out from behind the photo. I also fussy cut some of the gorgeous floral clusters out of the Full Bloom patterned paper and tucked them around the photo. To give the flowers some extra detail, I added a couple of buttons from the Fancy Buttons pack to the centre of the flowers.

For my title I decided to use one of the pieces from the Summer Hits cut apart sheet. I adhered this with foam tape to give it some extra dimension. I also added a wooden button from the Endless Summer collection to the left of the title.

On the top right hand corner of the photo I created a little cluster that includes a banner sticker, an anchor die cut, and a bitty bloom from the Wild at Heart collection. I also fussy cut a couple of clouds out of the Endless Summer Blue Skies patterned paper to embellish the page, and added a couple of wood veneer pieces from the same collection. To finish the layout off I added some yellow ink splatters around the page.

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I hope that you enjoyed taking a look at my summer themed layout. Make sure you head over to the Cocoa Vanilla blog this week to see what the other design team members have created for this theme.

Mandy x

Life is Good | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey everyone!

Today I'm sharing a bright and colourful layout featuring two of my favourite Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections... Happiness and Bohemian Dream! This week our design team are going to be sharing projects focusing on the theme of holidays and vacations. I've documented a photo of my girls and I, taken when we took a trip to the the beach during the Summer school holidays. I love the way that the gorgeous bright colours in these two collections really complement the photo!

I started with the reverse side of the Bohemian Dream Kaleidoscope patterned paper as my background, and then I added a strip of the purple side of the Abstract patterned paper down the centre of the page. To add some more interest, I also tucked a strip of the Happiness Good Vibes patterned paper underneath so that it's just peeking out the sides, and I added some extra detail to that paper by using a border punch along the edges of it.

I matted my photo using the reverse side of the Adundant patterned paper, and then I adhered it towards the left hand side of the page, using foam tape for added dimension. Next I fussy cut a couple of the beautiful floral clusters out of the Happiness Botanical Bliss patterned paper, and I tucked these underneath the top left hand corner of the photo. I also tucked a tag from the Happiness sticker sheet under the left hand side of the photo, and I added a flair button to the cluster as well.

To balance out the photo cluster on the left, I added another floral cluster over in the bottom right hand corner of the layout. I tucked it underneath the purple patterned paper, and I also added some extra die cut flowers into the cluster to give it some more depth and dimension.

For my title, I used the Bohemian Dream Chipboard Title Stickers, and because it was a fairly long title, I decided to add this vertically on the page. I love how that looks!

I finished the layout off by adding a couple of little word stickers and a few butterfly stickers, both from the Happiness collection.

Thanks so much for joining me here today! I hope that you enjoyed taking a look at my layout!

Until next time, take care!

Mandy x

Smile | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing a new layout for Cocoa Vanilla Studio featuring the gorgeous Happiness collection, and the beautiful coordinating cut files designed by our talented design team member Gwen. I documented a recent photo of my three kids that I took on Easter morning, and I love how the photo looks framed by those cut files!

Here's a look at the beautiful cut files that are available to download for FREE from our website...

I started by enlarging one of the smaller solid hearts, and then offsetting it in my Silhouette Studio so that it would just cut the outline of the heart. I cut it on white cardstock, and at the same time I also cut both of the floral clusters. Once my Cameo had cut them all out, I then painted the heart with a light pink watercolour just to give it some subtle colour. I also backed the flowers in the cut file using patterned papers from the 6x8 paper pad, and the leaves with the reverse side of the Frame of Mind patterned paper.

Once I had finished backing the floral cut files, I adhered them on the right hand side of the large heart, using foam tape for added dimension. I then matted my 3x4 photo with the woodgrain patterned paper from the 6x8 paper pad, and positioned it overlapping the flowers. I also tucked a few extra floral die cuts in around the photo and the cut file. I finished off the photo cluster with a die cut butterfly to the right of the photo and a little banner sticker across the bottom.

To balance out the elements over on the right hand side of the page, I created a smaller cluster in the top left. I layered together some more of those gorgeous floral die cuts, and I positioned my title over the top, using one of the words from the cardstock titles pack. Once again I used foam to adhere some elements within the cluster to give it some extra interest. Underneath the title, I tucked a little word sticker and a die cut banner.

Also on the left hand side of the page, I added two of the tassel die cuts. I punched a little hole in the top of both of them and threaded some white embroidery floss through them to make it look like they're dangling from the floral cluster. I finished the page off with some typed journaling, and a couple more butterflies which I fussy cut out of one of the 6x8 patterned papers.

Thanks so much for joining me here on the blog today! I'll be back later in the month with some more inspiration to share with you.

Mandy x

Happy Times | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey everyone!

Today I have a new layout to share using the gorgeous new Happiness collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio! For the next few days the design team are sharing layouts using patterned paper backgrounds, and I'm kicking it off today with a fun layout featuring some cute photos of my son Isaac with my niece Phoebe. We recently got to spend a few days with my sister-in-law and nieces who we don't get to see very often because we don't live close to each other. The kids had so much fun playing together, and Phoebe was very attached to Isaac! I had lots of fun documenting these photos using the bright and vibrant Happiness collection!

I decided on using the Shine Bright patterned paper from the Midnight collection for my background. I tend to lean towards using white cardstock for my backgrounds most of the time, so I loved the challenge of using a patterned paper instead. I did try out a few of the more vibrant patterned papers from the Happiness collection, which I think would have worked great as well, but in the end I settled on this one as I felt more comfortable using a lighter and more subtle background.

I also used a cut file (from The Cut Shoppe) on this layout, and I had lots of fun creating embellishment clusters for each of the frames in the cut file using die cuts and stickers from the collection.

As my photos were both vertical, I chose to position them over the two vertical frames in the cut file. I layered a couple of die cuts behind the photos to give them some extra interest, and I also matted them using one of the patterned papers from the 6x8 paper pad.

For my title I used the 'happy times' die cut from the ephemera pack. It was the perfect phrase to use as a title for this layout, and it was a great size to use in one of the frames in the cut file, along with some die cuts and stickers layered underneath it.

I used foam tape to adhere some of the embellishments in each of the clusters to give them some nice dimension, and I also added some thin corrugated cardboard behind the entire cut file to raise it up off the page and help it to really stand out.

I used one of the cut apart sheets from the 6x8 paper pad and cut the small wreath out of it, which fit perfectly behind one of the circular frames in the cut file. I used this to record the names and date for the photos.

I finished the layout off with a few little word stickers and some die cut hearts scattered around the page.

Thanks so much for joining me here on my blog today! I hope that you've been inspired by my layout. If you'd like to watch how I created this page, you can check out my process video over on my YouTube channel...

Mandy x

So Happy | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey friends!

Today I'm sharing another layout using the beautiful new 'Happiness' collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio! My layout features a super cute photo of my sweet little niece, Eliza, and I think the Happiness collection was just perfect for documenting such a happy photo!

I can't get enough of the gorgeous florals in this collection, so of course I had to fussy cut some of those floral clusters out of the beautiful Botanicals Bliss patterned paper! I've also used the heart die cut from the Large Die Cut & Backing Kit, and I've tucked the floral clusters around the heart to create a beautiful feature on the page.

Once I had the florals and the large die cut in place, the rest of the layout fell into place very easily. I matted my photo with one of the papers from the 6x8 paper pad and adhered on the left hand side of the heart, so that my niece is facing towards the middle of the layout.

I used the words 'so happy' from the Cardstock Titles pack for my title. It was the perfect phrase to describe this photo, and I also wanted to record how much I love my niece's happy personality. I love how easy it is to add titles to your layout using these cardstock titles!

Next I added some butterflies from both the Accessory Sticker sheet, and the Die Cut Ephemera pack. I think they add a lovely whimsical feel to the layout. I also scattered a few little die cut flowers around the page. Lastly I finished the layout off with a couple of the clear stickers and a some little word stickers.

Thanks so much for joining me here today! I hope that you've been inspired my page, and I look forward to sharing some more inspiration with you later in the month.

Mandy x

Sweet | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sooo excited to be sharing my first layout using the brand new Happiness collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio! There's so much to love about this collection... the beautiful bright colours, the pretty patterns, and of course the gorgeous florals. For this layout I decided to scrapbook a recent photo that my sister took of my youngest daughter Eleanor. I love how happy and carefree she looks!

I started my layout off by fussy cutting the gorgeous floral wreath out of the So Fresh patterned paper. You could easily just use this patterned paper as is and it would look beautiful, but I decided to fussy cut it because I wanted to use it with a different background, and I also wanted to be able to give it a bit more dimension. After trying it over a few different backgrounds, I settled on using the reverse side of the Sprinkles patterned paper, and I LOVE how this looks!

I printed my photo in black and white to help it to really pop against those bright colours. Behind the photo I added some layers using a couple of patterned papers from the 6x8 paper pad, as well as a doily from my stash. I also tucked a few die cut florals in around the left hand side of the photo.

For my title I used one of the awesome Cardstock Titles from the collection. I love these! They're so versatile, and they really take the guesswork out of creating titles for your pages. Plus the font is just so pretty!

Once I had adhered the wreath to page, I tucked some additional die cut flowers and leaves around the edge of it, just to give it some more depth and interest. I also added three butterflies around the layout, creating a visual triangle to direct the viewer's eye around the page.

I typed up my journaling on my typewriter and cut it up into strips to add to my layout. I decided on adhering the journaling strips towards the top right hand corner of the wreath to balance out the photo in the bottom left.

To finish the layout off I added a few little words stickers, as well as a sprinkling of sparkly enamel dots (from the Wild at Heart collection).

I love how this layout turned out, and it came together so easy using the gorgeous Happiness collection! I can't wait to create another project with this collection!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'll see you soon with some more inspiration.

Mandy x

Awesome | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing a new layout using the awesome Cocoa Vanilla Boys Rule collection. This week on the CVS blog, the design team will all be sharing monochromatic projects, and I'm kicking it off today with my take on this theme. I decided to focus on the teal/blue colours in the collection to document a photo of my Dad with my son Isaac. These two love spending time together, and I loved being able to document their close relationship on this page.

I started my layout off by adding some mixed media to my background, and then I worked on building up some layers behind where I wanted my photo to go. To create the layers, I used a couple of the cut apart pieces from Fun & Games patterned paper, as well as a chipboard frame, a die cut tag, and a label from the Miscellany pack. I also matted my photo with the reverse side of the Expressionist patterned paper, to help it to really pop off the page.

I created to little embellishment cluster on the bottom left hand corner of the photo using a star from the Accessory Sticker sheet, and a chipoard sticker from the You Rock collection.

For my title I used one of the words from die cut ephemera pack. I love how it matches perfectly to the mixed media background with the same shades of blue and teal. Underneath my title I added a few lines of handwritten journaling.

I added a couple more star stickers around the layout to create a visual triangle, and I also fussy cut a few little stars from the Happy Go Lucky patterned paper to scatter around the page as well. Lastly, I finished the layout off by adding some little word stickers from the clear sticker sheets. These are really cool, and I love how they almost look like they're stamped onto the page.

I have a process video for this layout if you'd like to check out how I created it...

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope that you enjoyed taking a look at my layout, and maybe you've been inspired to create a monochromatic layout as well?

I'll be back later in the month with some more inspiration to share with you. Until then, take care.

Mandy x

Love Our Days Together | Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hey friends!

Today I have a traveler's notebook layout to share that I created using the gorgeous Cocoa Vanila Bohemian Dream collection! I love the beautiful colours in this collection, it's still one of my all time favourites! I documented some fun selfies that I took of my youngest daughter and I when we were being silly and pulling funny faces!

 

I started by covering the left hand side of the spread with the Gypsy Heart patterned paper.

For my title, I used the die cut titles from the Midnight collection, combined with a little word sticker. I adhered the word 'days' using craft foam to give it some extra dimension and interest. I love how versatile these die cut titles are, and that they can be used with other collections!

I printed my photos in a grid format which enabled me to be able to fit four photos onto the layout. I then matted the photo grid with the reverse side of the Dreamer patterned paper and adhered it to the right hand side of the spread.

Along the top of the photos I added the sticker that says 'Live a Colourful Life', which I think perfectly complements the photos! I also added a little banner sticker in the top right hand corner of the page.

Underneath the photos I added some typed journaling strips, and I also added some hearts to the page, to tie in with the patterned paper that I used on the left hand page. I used a chipboard heart, as well as a few that I fussy cut out of the Gypsy Heart patterned paper. I finished the layout off with a sprinkling of enamel dots.

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I hope that you enjoyed taking a look at my traveler's notebook layout! I'll be back next month with some more projects to share with you!

Mandy x