So very beautiful adventure | Unforgettable | Anita Bownds
Hey everyone, it’s Raquel here with you today sharing a layout featuring the Unforgettable collection. This collection is one of my absolute faves from CVS; the colour palette is just so stunning.
Here is the layout I have to share with you today –
This layout is documenting a very special moment for my two kiddies and our family. This photo was taken at my brothers wedding and these two kiddies had a special role in that wedding, my son was the ring bearer and daughter a flower girl. They just looked so adorable and this collection is just perfect for documenting it.
The title of this layout was created using the foam title stickers. I love the contrast of black against the white of the layout and the colours in the collection.
This 4×6” colour photo was printed with a white border the white border allows me to use a busy pattern to mat the photo with – I used the beautiful Unscripted paper to do this.
I am the biggest fan of the CVS woodgrain designs and the Natural Beauty paper in this collection possibly tops the list. I love creating layouts with a vertical strip of patterned paper and embellishing around that.
The floral embellishments I have used on this layout have formed a somewhat ‘laurel wreath’ behind the 4×6” photo of my kiddies. For this floral design I have mainly used the ephemera pack.
To the top left of the photo and layout I have added a small cluster that is made up of a butterfly, a small flower and some hearts from the clear stickers and also the ephemera pack.
As well as clusters to the left and right of the photo – I created one to the bottom right of the page. This gave my layout the balance that it needed. To create this I have used a variety of ephemera, accessory stickers, clear stickers and one of the bows too. The tiny word stickers in the accessory sticker sheets are perfect for acting as journaling on a layout to supply more detail to the title.
I hope you have been inspired by my layout today. Thanks so much for stopping by the CVS blog.
Stay safe, Raquel x
Hello again!! It’s Melissa here and I’m back today sharing a layout focussing on using a patterned paper background using the gorgeous Unforgettable collection! For this layout I made sure I selected a paper that wasn’t white based, because lets be honest – that would easy!! I also didn’t gravitate toward a woodgrain, which also would be easy for me! In order to not overwhelm myself, and to really focus on the paper I chose a neutral photo (without a lot of colours) and I printed it large because I adore this photo of Brielle dressed up in her bother’s stormtrooper costume. The patterned paper I used for my background is called Lacewing, and it is the B side of the gorgeous butterfly paper. I added some small splatters of water activated sparkly gold mist for a little bit of interest, but most of it got covered up!!
I backed my photo with Forget Me Not and made two triangles with a scrap of Unscripted from the 6×8 Paper Stack. Of course I had to distress all the edges of the paper! I used some leaf and flower cut files (designed by Anita for International Scrapbooking Day) that were left over from my scraplift layout. It was very satisfying to use them up on this layout!
I created two main embellishment clusters and once smaller one. I used lots of Die Cut Ephemera, the cut file flowers and leaves, and fussy cut butterflies from Lacewing. I always give butterflies more dimension by glueing them in the centre and popping up their wings with dimensional adhesive. Here’s a close up look at the butterflies on my top cluster.
For my small cluster I featured a Flair Button and another fussy cut butterfly. The “love this” flair button was perfect for my photo.
I also used the some of the Accessory Sticker phrases and a label which I lifted up on some craft foam for extra stability and dimension. I wrote my journaling on a label that I cut from Story Teller.
Two of the Foam Title Stickers were perfect for my title, and I used three of the foam hearts as embellishment around my page too. White Enamel Dots were my final touch!
I hope I’ve encouraged you to try using a patterned paper for a background. Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections have a wonderful mix of both bold and subtle patterns, and I find that the more subtle B sides work beautifully for backgrounds.
Thanks for looking!
Melissa xx
Hi everyone!
Anna here with you today sharing a new CVS layout with you, featuring the gorgeous Unforgettable collection. In this layout, I’m documenting a recent family photo. Our girls are growing so fast, so it’s important for me to remember how we are right now.
The assignment for this week was to use a patterned paper for the background, not white cardstock. So hard, I know!! After the little first shock, I went ahead and decided to use the Glorious paper as my background. Bold, right? I folded the top left corner of the paper to the center, so this way we can also see the B side of the Glorious paper. Behind it, I placed the Storyteller paper.
Peeking out from behind the fold I placed some flowers from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. I could never have enough of these flowers. To give more dimension to the page I raised them with foam dots. I also fussy cut a butterfly from the Pretty Bits paper, and stacked it behind the flowers. To finish the cluster I put a sticker phrase from the Accessory Stickers.
I put a thin coat of gesso to fade out the flowers in the center of the paper, to highlight the photo and the title a little more. I used two papers from the 6×8 paper stack to mat the picture. For my title, I used the Foam Title Stickers with this beautiful font. All the words are perfect for any kind of project.
Finally, I embellished the layout with some die cuts, stickers, clear stickers, enamel dots, and a flair button.
And that’s it! I hope it gives you some inspiration and encourages you to try layouts without a white background.
Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a great week!
Anna xx
Hello Cocoa Vanilla friends !
It’s Sophie back with you to share a new layout featuring the gorgeous Unforgettable collection !
My assignment today was to use a Foam Title. Quite easy with the enormous and beautiful choices that we have with the Unforgettable Foam Title Stickers !
I was inspired to use this collection to highlight a beautiful photo of my sweet little girl Sabrina.
I started my layout by applying a bit of watercolor paint on white thick cardstock so that we can see it pop in a subtle way behind my photo. I also added a few splatters of the colors with a brush.
I cut out two large strips of the Natural Beauty Paper and two thinner strips of the diagonal striped Sprightly Paper and put them on both sides of the layout.
I embellished the base of my photo with a huge cluster of flowers from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. I also added a few leaves that I created with watercolor to mimic the ephemera leaves.
My title is from the Unforgettable Foam Title Stickers. The butterflies, arrow, camera and labels are all from the Die Cut Ephemera Pack.
Finally, I added the date, a little bit of journaling, a Flair Button and a few Enamel Dots as the finishing touch.
Oh how I love how it turned out ! The color scheme of this collection suites my style so well, I just can’t get enough of it !
Anyway, here are more close-ups. I hope you like my page and that you felt inspired by it !
Thank you so much for passing by, and have a great week !
Sophie xx
Hey everyone, it’s Raquel here today sharing a new CVS layout with you. For today’s layout I have used the gorgeous Unforgettable collection. I absolutely adore this collection; the colours, the embellishments, just perfection! In this layout I am documenting my beautiful babes.
Recently my family and I went on a short trip away together and my youngest, who is 5, shared that he felt his big sister didn’t love him or want to spend time with him anymore. My daughter who is 7 has this year had less tolerance towards her brother but I still see how much she loves and adores him at the same time. I think this is just a sibling thing right? But it really broke my heart that he perceived things to be this way. We have spent a lot of time chatting, playing games and trying to help them reconnect and I am drawn back to moments captured like this. Where their love for each other is so evident. I want to make sure to capture and document these moments more in the future so they realise how lucky they are to have each other, to look out for each other and help each other through the good times and the bad.
Here is the layout that I am sharing with you today. Isn’t the Unforgettable collection just perfect for this black and white photo. It just screams sweetness and love.
I used a gorgeous feature title cut file by Paige Evans on this layout. I am a big fan of statement titles and this one surely does pack a punch. I chose to add my photo to the ‘o’ in the centre of the layout to back the cut file I chose to use the amazing pretty bits paper . I loved that from the one piece of paper that I could have such a variety of patterns behind my cut file.
I printed my photo approximately 3×4” in size to pop behind the cut file. The composition of the photo fit perfectly – a tip is to make sure that when backing a cut file with a photo that your focus in the photo and subjects are centred – especially if you are using a curved cut file design like this one. Otherwise, it can result in you losing too much detail from your photo.
When backing the cut file with patterned paper I tried to make sure that I balanced out the colours and complexity of patterns so that the layout is pleasing to the eye. For example, I avoided having two busy patterned papers on letters next to each other.
When using a statement title cut file I like to use the open spaces to create embellishment clusters like in the image below. To create this cluster I used a combination of the ephemera, clear stickers, enamel dots and the accessory stickers. I use a variety of adhesives to create and add depth and dimension to the clusters.
Here is another cluster I created. I fussy cut this butterfly again from the Pretty bits paper. To add string to the tags in the ephemera packs I use a crochet thread from a craft store, I love the thickness of this compared to a twine. It is much thinner.
To add dimension to the whole page I used a foam adhesive. For those of you who may be in Australia I actually use a foam adhesive roll from Bunnings which is the Syneco brand and is 40metres long for only $10.
Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today. I hope you have been inspired to create using your Cocoa Vanilla products.
Take care
Raquel xxx
Hi everyone its Melissa here and today I’m going to be sharing something a little bit different. Did you know that you can make your own Traveler’s Notebook inserts? I started doing this because I couldn’t purchase them here in New Zealand, and I found it a perfect way to feature beautiful patterned papers. I also love having control over the weight of paper inside the notebook. This is by no means my own idea, and there are lots of videos on YouTube for how to do this in lots of different ways. Anyway this way is definitely the lazy girls technique because no measuring is required, just an existing notebook to use as a guide. In terms of the actual making, I suggest you watch my process video (at the end of this post) where I demonstrate what you need and exactly how to create them.
I let each of my 4 children choose a patterned paper from limited selection from the Legendary and Unforgettable Collections to make each of the notebook covers. I was pleasantly surprised that two of my girls selected a paper from Legendary which tells me its definitely not just for boys!
Sam (age 13) ended up with the arrow paper by default, but I knew it would be perfect for a teen boy. I embellished with two cut aparts from Epic Tales, one that I tore in half and distressed the edges of, and the second that I fussy cut the word “EPIC” which was perfect for his cover. I did some subtle mixed media splatters and splatters on the background with some shiny mist. I finished his cover with a couple of Accessory Stickers, and I also used some of the Clear Stickers.
Here is a close up of Sam’s notebook.
Next up was Azaria (who has just turned 11), who completely surprised me by choosing the Brave Heart paper for her cover. She loves neutrals, so I decided to mix in some of the gorgeous Unforgettable, and based the embellishment of her cover off the cut apart from the Story Teller paper. I altered the cut apart by cutting off the floral pieces, distressing all edges and then glueing them back together. I love doing this!! I minimally embellished with some Clear Stickers and a Die Cut Ephemera piece. Edgy and girly all at once!
Here is a close up of Azaria’s notebook.
Next up was my girly-girl Brielle (6) who I knew had to have her entire notebook made from Unforgettable! She immediately fell in love with the Glorious paper! For her cover, I started with layering the wreath cut apart from Storyteller over a piece of paper from the 6×8 Paper Stack, and added a Clear Sticker arrow with a heart layered over the top. I distressed all of my edges of course! I needed something to break up the busy floral from the embellishment, so I used white acrylic paint applied with a dry brush, and I applied it very thickly. Once it was dry I added one of the Clear Stickers (cut in half), punched a tab and stapled it on, and my final touch was to add a clear sticker heart on the tab.
Here is a close up of Brielle’s notebook.
Onto the final notebook which was for Ava (3.5) who is my rough and tumble little girl. As soon as she saw the selection of papers in my hand she said “I want the stars” so the Legendary All Star paper was hers! I wanted to challenge myself to use more of Legendary on Ava’s notebook so I used a cut apart from Epic Tales. I distressed all of the edges like I did with the other three notebook cover papers, and for a subtle girly touch I added a Clear Sticker flower from Unforgettable and I totally love the resulting mix of grey and pink!
Here is a close up of Ava’s notebook.
I bound my notebooks by hand stitching with 3-hole pamphlet stitch, and the centre of the notebook looks like this.
And here’s a lovely photo of all the notebooks stacked up. Now to convince my children that they’re not actually getting the notebooks, but they’re for me to document their stories that don’t require a full 12×12 layout!!
You can watch my process in the following video, and I also show the embellishing of the notebook covers.
I hope I’ve inspired you to make your own Traveler’s Notebooks!
Until next time,
Melissa xx
Hi everyone! It’s Sue here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I am sharing a 12×12″ layout I created featuring the beautiful ‘Unforgettable’ collection and some recent photos of my daughter 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 chance 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.
For my second cluster in the bottom left corner, I again used a large die cut floral piece from the ephemera pack combined with another section of the painted cut file. In behind the floral piece I tucked a pretty little tag (also from the ephemera pack), which I tied with a little twine. I then added the little moments labelled arrow, which I popped up with little foam tape to give it some dimension.
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!
Hello everyone !
It’s Sophie with you today and I am sharing a girly layout created with the gorgeous Cocoa Vanilla Studio Unforgettable collection. It is a simple page featuring my sweet little girl.
I used a thick white cardstock as my background, cut about half an inch around it and adhered it on the back side of the Storyteller paper to create a border all around my page. I also machine stitched with white thread around it.
I did a few watercolor splatters on my background, centered my photo and backed it with tissue paper and adhesive foam.
I used a fussy cut card out of the same Storyteller paper as a big quote next to my photo. I punched out a few stripes of different patterned papers that I stuck down under the card and adhered everything on the left side of my photo.
I also cut out three labels out of the same patterned paper, added a white stitch around them, ruffled up their edges with scissors and placed them on the right side of my photo. The overall look is like a grid design.
Then, the fun part begins: Adding embellishments ! That’s also the part where it’s hard for me to know when to stop ! There are so many gorgeous flowers, leaves and feathers in the Die Cut Ephemera Pack that match so beautifully… It was a challenge not to put literally everything on my page !!
You might also notice that I created a few watercolor leaves of my own, that I fussy cut and arranged here and there around my page.
Finally, I added a flair button, some enamel dots, some beautiful foam title stickers above my photo, and wrote down my journaling.
Here are the close-ups.
I truly hope that you like my layout and you feel inspired to use this amazing Unforgettable collection. Please feel free to comment or ask any questions, and it will be my pleasure to answer you !
I wish you all a great crafty day !
Sophie xx