Tazhiana Gordon

About Tazhiana Gordon

https://preciselytazhi.wordpress.com/

Posts by Tazhiana Gordon:

Sweet Things | Unforgettable | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 05/05/2020

Hello Cocoa Vaniila friends and family! During INSD weekend, I shared a peek at this system that I was currently making in and so many of the ladies tuning in seemed really interested so here’s a spread in the book that I am using to document quarantine life using the Unforgettable collection!

These inserts measure 7.5×9 so there is plenty of space to make and explore new techniques in which is why it is one of my favorite mediums to play in right now. To start with this page, I quickly blended some flowers on the right side using some Distress Oxide ink pads and a stencil. Of course, most of this got covered up but I really like the pop of color behind the photo.

I printed my photo at 4×6, and it is a picture of some peonies some friends of mine sent me and I loved how lush and beautiful they were. After matting my photo on some scraps of paper – I love this particular project for stash busting – I went to work on picking out embellishments.

Because this is a closed book, I was wary about adding things that would be too dimensional so I stuck to the cardstock ephemera, accessory stickers and the clear stickers. I first chose a piece of paper to cover the entire left side since I had some ink showing through and added a strip of that same paper to the right side to repeat that pattern. Next, I created a loose grid on the left side using some cutaparts from the 6×8 paper pack as well as some stickers and die cuts. My title is from the Midnight collection title pack and I added a lot of clear stickers to fill in the empty space and add interest to my page.

On the left side, I stuck down my photo and then began embellishing it with the same elements that I used on the right – clear stickers, cardstock ephemera and the accessory sticker pack. There is a clear sticker that says “the story” so I used that to be a journaling spark and added my story about the flowers and what they meant to me and finished off this spread with a few more clear stickers around the page!

I hope you enjoyed this project and a peek at a fun new size. Having new materials like this one help to keep the hobby fresh and fun and I hope it inspired you to try something new!

Beautiful Moments | Midnight | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 24/04/2020

Hello friends and welcome back to another focus on stitching layout! I was so ready for the challenge of finding a way to include the texture of stitching and thread on my page because it is a technique I love to see on other’s work but not one I reach for very often and I have to say, I am pleased with the result.

Before I pulled out any embellishments or paper, I started by stitching a loose 3×3 grid. I’ve recently really been enjoying using more geometric and orderly designs on my page and they are a nice change from my more messy and loose layouts that I normally reach for. I used a light pink and a light blue thread to stitch semi straight lines to create my grid and left my threads on top to add a bit of messy factor to an otherwise not very messy layout. I am pleased to report that my sewing machine relatively cooperated and only made me curse existence once so I am calling that an improvement.

After I had my stitching finished and my bobbin threads neatly tucked away on the backside of my layout, I went to work on creating my base layer of embellishments. I printed my photo at 4 inches by 4 inches, which is a bit larger than I am used to using and set it in the middle of the page so I could build my clusters around it. Using the Midnight collection, I pulled out the die cut ephemera pack, the chipboard, the flair and the clear stickers and tried to mix all the textures in each section of my grid.

Once all of my smaller clusters were finished, I created a larger cluster around my photo of my husband and I and added my title underneath it using pieces from the chipboard pack. I love using the Midnight collection to scrapbook photos of my husband and I – the colors and sentiments in this line are perfect for photos like these. Finally, I cut and distressed the top and bottom edges of my page and added a strip of pattered paper for that Tazhi vibe and a bit of messiness.

That’s the page done! I hope you enjoyed this layout and it inspired you to pull out your sewing machine and to add some thread and texture to your own pages! Till next time, friends.

Smile, Bloom, Grow | Unforgettable | Tazhiana

Tazhiana Gordon 05/04/2020

Hello friends, and welcome to a new layout! For this one, I decided to kind of stretch my creative muscles and play with a more geometric design, which is not one I typically go for. I had a lot of fun trying something new for this layout.

To start, I printed out two 4×4 square photos and then cut down a variety of patterned paper from the Unforgettable collection into 4×4 and 2×2 squares so I could vary the placement and orientation of the patterns on my background. I first stuck down my photos using some foam tape to prop them up off the background and then filled in the extra space with the patterned papers until the background was full. I chose papers that were mostly white or had more solid swatches of color to prevent the background from being too busy and I printed my photos in black and white for contrast and to help them stand out from all the paper.

To embellish my photo, I kept it very simple with a single floral and a piece of flair. I didn’t want it to get lost in the background or embellish the photo too heavily since I was going to do that to the rest of the squares.

Next, I went to work on embellishing all of my empty spaces. I used a variety of both die cuts and ephemera as well as cut apart elements from the 6×8 patterned paper stack. For each of my clusters, I mixed different shapes, sizes and textures and made sure to pop up at least one element on foam.

For my titles, I chose to die cut two words from the wood grained paper and mixed into that a foam sticker to create “Smile, Bloom, Glow”. I added a few more foam stickers across the page to repeat that texture as well as the stark black color throughout the layout.

A few clear stickers and enamel dots finished this page off! I hope you enjoyed this grid style layout – it is a perfect one to stash bust with if you have scraps of patterned paper left around and can be scaled down for a variety of size pages and products. Till next time, keep it crafty!

Super Star | Legendary collection | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 19/03/2020

Hello Cocoa Vanilla friends and welcome to my second project with the Legendary collection! Today, I decided to stretch my creative muscles and scrapbook a photo of myself after my pinning ceremony – that felt pretty legendary if I do say so – and to create a rainbow! The colors in this collection are super saturated so it was perfect for this type of project.

I started with a rainbow cut file I had in my hoard of cut files and backed it with some of the papers from the collection – luckily the cutfile only had five swatches for color so I was able to make a pretty convincing rainbow with the papers in the line. After backing my cut file and my clouds, I tore one of the patterned papers to create the illusion of sky and layered a few clouds in the background on foam for more interest and dimension. Then it was time to work on embellishing!

For this layout, I did something I rarely do – I stuck down my title first! I knew I wanted my title to be Super Star and that I wanted to scatter stars across my page so it just made sense to do it that way. I created a cluster using some ephemera and propped up part of my title on foam stickers for added dimension. I really loved the medal that said “certified legend” so of course that went into my cluster and I added an extra few stars to repeat the theme.

I chose to mat my photo on one of the more colorful sheets of paper to repeat the paper in the background and created a cluster around it using a mix of the die cuts and cardstock stickers on the other end of my rainbow. I love the flow of the page with the rainbow connecting the left and right side of the page – it makes the whole layout feel super fun!

Finally, to help me balance some of the white space, I tore an edge on the bottom of my paper, added a bit more patterned paper and a few bits of ephemera to add some color and pop at the bottom of the layout. A few enamel dots sprinkled across the page completed this layout!

I hope you enjoyed this page and it inspired you to pull out a cutfile and some patterned papers and to add some color to your day! See you next time.

So Rad | Legendary | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 05/03/2020

Hello friends and welcome back to the Cocoa Vanilla blog. I cannot begin to explain to you how excited I am to be sharing my first layout with the Legendary collection, so for this page, I’m scrapping a photo of my two favorite guys – my husband and our yummy nephew.

I had the idea to kind of create a circular element of triangles so I pulled four papers that were patterned but felt like a solid in green, blue, orange, and yellow and cut out a series of progressively smaller triangles and then layered them on top of each other in this kind of circular shape. I also distressed the edges with my distressing tool because that is one of my go-to techniques on a page and tried to vary the direction the triangles were going in. I chose to print my photo in black and white and mat it on a single paper since there was so much pattern in the background already.

Next, I pulled out the ephemera pack and started embellishing and I literally gasped out loud when I saw all of the stars and the variety of sizes and colors. I decided to make the stars my main shape element and tucked them in front of and behind my photo to add height and interest. Next, I added a few other pieces of ephemera around my photo and propped the whole thing up on foam. I added a few stars cascading on top of my photo cluster and underneath it to kind of continue that vertical line and I love the effect that gives.

For my title, I decided to do what always works- pick one from the cardstock title pack and I also propped this up on foam tape. I added a few sentiments from the Accessory sticker sheet as well as some clear stickers around the page and called this one done!

I hope you enjoyed this layout and it inspired you to play with shape and paper on your next project. There is a process video of this page if you want to see how it all came together. Till next time!

Hello Happy | Happiness | Tazhiana

Tazhiana Gordon 19/02/2020

Hello Cocoa Vanilla friends! Today, I have a fun rainbow layout for you featuring the Happiness Collection and a fun stencil and some paints.

To start this layout, I went through my stash of Happiness papers and created a rainbow of 2 inch strips of paper. Then I pulled out a 9×12 stencil and some coordinating colors of embellishment mousse and brushed them through the stencil to create my background. Once I had the stars blended, I stuck down my strips of paper and ran it through my sewing machine and created a wonky border with some black thread.

After I had my strips and my stitching done, I went to work creating my embellishment cluster. I matted my photo on a few of the papers from the 6×8 paper pad and then pulled out the ephemera pack and the cardstock stickers. I chose to pop some of the embellishments up on foam while building my clusters and added some die cut pieces at varying heights to add texture and dimension.

For my title, I used the cardstock title pack and kept it simple with “Hello Happy”. I added another die cut underneath it to add some more color and continue the sentiment and then I scattered some clear stickers across the page to continue the painterly effect and add some more interest to the background.

This layout was super easy to put together and so much fun to make. I hope you enjoyed it and are inspired to make a rainbow of your own.

Hello You | Unforgettable | Tazhiana

Tazhiana Gordon 05/02/2020

Hello crafty friends, and thanks for coming back to the blog. With no real assignment today, I got to do a bit of creative play and just make what feels good and I love what I came up with.

I started off with this photo of my niece, Charlie, on an impromptu trip to the zoo over the summer and the Unforgettable collection. To being my page, I applied a thin layer of gesso using a brayer to kind of toughen up the patterned paper since I was going to add a ton of water to this page. After drying the gesso with my heat tool, I grabbed a few Distress Oxides and went to work adding some color and texture to the background using the packaging technique and some water. I love the random splashes of color this technique gives and it is so easy to blend different hues using this technique.

While this was off drying, I went to work backing my cutfile. I cut the insets of this butterfly page using my Silhouette Cameo and then glued them to my cut file using Scotch Quick Dry glue. This is my favorite adhesive to use on layouts and it dried super fast and clear. After attaching all of my butterflies, I glued it down to my page and started working on my photo cluster.

I backed my photo on a few scraps of paper from the 12×12 papers I have already cut into and then arranged a cluster of florals, butterflies and tags using bits and pieces from the ephemera pack. In addition to my main cluster, I created another one diagonally from that main cluster using the same elements to continue the diagonal flow across the page from the butterfly cutfile. Next, I added some more texture using the dimensional embellishment pack and added a few bows around my page.

For my title, I used one of the foam stickers and scattered a few more hearts to mimic the color and texture of the foam stickers. Finally, I added some enamel dots and a flair piece and called this layout done.

I hope you enjoyed this layout and were inspired to add some color to your background in a new way. Till next time friends, keep it crafty and have the best day.

My Heart | More Than Words collection | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 19/01/2020

Hello Cocoa Vanilla friends and welcome back to the blog! For my project today, I decided to do a Throwback Thursday inspired layout and play with some older collections that I haven’t played with in some time, namely the More Than Words collection and Wild At Heart. I’m really happy with this layout I created mixing the two lines even though they are so different in color palette and theme.

Today, I am scrapbooking a photo of our little lady, Minerva, as she was taking a catnap on our bed. I started off by picking out pattered papers, which I almost never do, and layered the three papers over each other. I wanted to create a shadow box type of effect using my papers so I propped the floral paper up off the other two patterns using a ton of foam tape. I love ripped edges in my scrapbooking – I think it adds a ton of texture and dimension to the page and having the frayed edges on the papers added interest to the background and made it so much more fun.

After creating my background, I matted my photo of Minerva on some patterns from the cut apart sheet and ripped the edges on those papers as well to continue the distressed feel from the background papers. Once I completed this, I went to work on embellishing the layout. I literally had five die cuts left from the More Than Words pack so I added those first before pulling out the Wild At Heart pack and adding some elements from that one. I then pulled out my chipboard sheets to continue building and adding dimension and color to my layout.

Next, I went to work creating a cluster in the upper left half of my layout to balance out the one on the bottom right that held my photo. I did the same thing here, mixing cardstock stickers, die cuts and chipboard pieces to add height, dimension and color in the cluster. I love that large circle element and the phrase sentiment. After creating this cluster, I added my title, mixing a chipboard sentiment from the More Than Words chipboard title pack and some stickers from the Love Always line to create my title, My Heart, and called this layout good!

I hope you enjoyed this layout and your time here. Fingers crossed you drew some inspiration from this page and will try some of the techniques you learned here today. Till next time, keep it crafty!

The Best | Unforgettable collection | Tazhiana Gordon

Tazhiana Gordon 05/01/2020

Hello friends, and welcome to my first project of 2020! I am so excited to get back to making and sharing pages with you all, and I’m starting off with a layout about our Disneymoon using the super lovely Unforgettable collection.

I started off off with a cutfile that is pure Disney magic and I backed it with some 6×8 papers from the paper pad. I cheated a bit and used my Silhouette to cut out the insides of the letters so I wouldn’t have had to cut them by hand and it worked out really well. Before attaching anything to the patterned paper I chose to use as the background, I used some acrylic paints to add some color and interest to my layout, and I added swipes of pink, light teal, coral, and a pale orange. After setting that off to dry, I went to work on the rest of my layout.

The photo I printed is of the two of us on the teacup ride at the Magic Kingdom wearing our bride and groom Mickey and MInnie Mouse ears, and I chose to print it out in black and white since it was faded and kind of grainy. First, I matted my photo on a bunch of matching patterned papers and added a torn edge because it’s not a Tazhiana layout without a ripped edge somewhere. Then I added some foam tape to the back of the photo so that I could slide a tag with some journaling behind it. I grabbed a bunch of ephemera from the die cut pack and created a sort of floral wreath behind where my photo was going to sit. I even added some foam dots and a piece of flair to add some more texture and dimension to the layout. It all worked out really well and was incredibly easy after all the hard work of picking what I want to use.

After attaching my photo and the LOVE die cut piece to the background, I went ahead and added my title using the foam title sticker pack and I added some enamel dots to add a bit more color and called this layout good. I love how it came out so, so much and it was a blast to play with color and paint.

There’s a process video for the page linked underneath this blog post if you want to watch it all come together! I hope you enjoyed my project and you give this technique a try. Seriously, pick it and stick it. That freedom to create is life changing. Till next time, keep it crafty friends.

FAVORITES | MIXED | TAZHIANA

Tazhiana Gordon 19/12/2019

Hello friends and welcome to my roundup for 2019. It has been an honor and a privilege and great, great fun designing with Cocoa Vanilla’s beautiful products and I have a few that are close to my heart to share with you all!

This is the most recent project I’ve made while on the team but it’s probably the one I love the most. I love the Midnight collection so much, and if I had to pick a favorite from Zoe’s designs, this one would be it. The colors are so soft and beautiful and this color palette is my favorite.

I especially loved this layout because of the easy design. I love any layout where I can stashbust, use all the embellishments, and repeat things in threes. This layout hits all of those high places for me and it’s so easy to reproduce that this is one of my favorites.

This next layout is a close second! It was a page I made for Cut File week and I used one of Gwen’s files from the Cut To You shop as well as the Happiness collection. This layout features another one of my favorite things: RAINBOWS! I’ve long said that rainbow is my favorite color and that is still true.

In addition to rainbows, we have vellum and watercolor and all the flowers we can handle? With all of this fun and bright elements, what’s not to love?

For my last favorite, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about one more thing that had my heart: traveler’s notebooks. Traveler’s notebooks were my first foray into scrapbooking and making and memory keeping, and I will always have a soft spot for this size and how accessible they are to so many people.

Traveler’s notebooks have that fun square shape without the intimidation factor of a 12×12 piece of cardstock. I love how this spread is lovely enough to be expanded to a traditional layout but small enough to fit into a book. This spread was fun and easily, one of my favorite traveler’s notebook layouts I’ve made all year!

So that’s it, friends! Thank you for a fun year, filled with memories, color and so many beautiful projects, and I cannot wait to see what happens next year.