Welcome back to the blog, Anna here with you today! Christmas is over, but for me, it’s hard to stop using the gorgeous Merry & Bright collection. So, I decided to use it in a wintry way. And including flowers, of course. I love the result!
First, I took the Sweet Serenity paper from the Daydream Collection and ripped it in half. I glued it on top of a watercolor sheet, where I did a mixed media background with pigment powders matching the colors. Then, I diluted white chalk paint with water and made splatters.
I used one of the frames from the Merry & Bright Die Cut Ephemera to frame my picture. And placed it in the middle of the page. Behind it, I put one of the Pocket Cards, which I turned into a tag.
To embellish the layout, I made a visual triangle creating three flower clusters. Some flowers were from the Die Cut Ephemera, and some others I fussy cut them from the Joy to the world paper. These flowers are so pretty, and it’s really easy to make beautiful clusters with them.
To built my title, I fussy cut the letters from the Season’s Greetings paper to spell the word “cold”, and then I complete the sentence with a little gold foil alphabet thicker that I had in my stash. So, my title is “Baby it’s cold outside” because we were on the street and my girls are wearing jackets with fur hats.
Finally, I scattered some snowflakes all over the page to add a snowy touch. I made them with a very old punch die that I have had for years.
And that’s all for today. I really love how it turned out. Thank you so much for stopping by today!
Hey Creative Friends, Happy New Year to you all. I’m back on the blog today kicking off the 2021 inspiration with a scrapbook layout share for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. For this page, I thought it would be fun to scrap this black and white photo of myself, taken at the end of 2020 at my local ballet studio.
For this page, I was inspired by the current Inspiration board, in particular, the image with all of the frames in it and the quote that says ‘This is where the fun stuff happens’. Be sure to pop by the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Facebook Community for more details on how to play along.
To begin my page, I backed a cut file from CUT to YOU called ‘Snapshots‘, with pattern papers from the ‘Pretty Bits‘ pattern paper, the ‘Story Teller‘ cut apart sheet and papers from the 6×8 pattern paper pad. I’ve also backed my photo with the pattern paper ‘Lacewing‘ and stitched around the edge for added detail.
I’ve placed my backed cut file centred on the page and added a frame to my background using the ‘Natural Beauty‘ pattern paper.
Now it was time to embellish. For this, I worked with a visual triangle to create three clusters around my page. I’ve chosen elements from the Ephemera Pack, Die Cut Accessory Stickers and a Flair button.
My main focus for creating the clusters was to balance out the colours on the page, especially the pops of black. I’ve also made sure to represent all of the colours in the inspiration board including the soft Apricot/Peach tone you can see below in the butterflies.
Here’s a close up of all the lovely layers of my page.
To finish off my page, I’ve added in some of the Enamel Dots in the two tones of Pink.
I’ve also made a YouTube process video which you can watch here:
Hi Cocoa Vanilla fans and Happy New Year! Danni here sharing my latest layout featuring the gorgeous Cocoa Vanilla Studio Daydream collection. We are starting off the new year with ‘New’ themed projects, so I have chosen to document these photos of my daughter’s new ‘do – her first ever baby haircut…adorable right?
I decided to keep things fairly simple for the background, using some plain white cardstock and a patterned paper border. This is a go-to technique for me because it is quick and easy but the border keeps the cardstock from looking too blank. I used Daisy Days 12×12 patterned paper for the border, making sure to gut the centre of the paper first so as not to waste any of the beautiful quality paper.
Next, I wanted to use up some of the scraps from the 12×12 patterned papers that I have already cut into for other projects. I had quite a few scraps by now, so it was time to get them used up! Instead of matting my photos individually, I cut several of the scrap pieces into varying sized rectangles and layered them together to form an interesting arrangement. I then distressed all the edges with my scissors for texture and dimension before adhering my photos on top.
I love adding paint and mixed media to my layouts, so I decided to go ahead and add a soft pink shimmery watercolour to the background. I used my paintbrush and added some messy brushstrokes and delicate splatters peeking out from behind my patterned paper layers.
For the title I chose a combination of die cut titles and some glittery alphas from my stash, as well as some tiny words from the accessory stickers to provide some subtitles. This is a great way to use these little phrases and I adore the typeface font.
I stamped the date on a label accessory sticker and added it above my photos along with a few extra stickers and a couple of lines of journaling in white gel pen. I love using white pen on top of patterned paper as it is nice and legible while keeping things light and bright.
I embellished either side of my photos using some floral die cut ephemera pieces and a couple of the adorable little houses. I popped on a flair button and some fussy cut butterflies from the 6×8 paper stack for good measure. I love how these tiny details finish off embellishment clusters beautifully.
I love how this sweet page turned out! The Daydream collection makes layouts like this come together like an absolute dream. I hope you enjoyed joining me today as much as I enjoyed making this layout. Have a wonderful day and best wishes for the new year!
Hello Hello! Its Michelle here with you today. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful festive season and are all rested and ready to see this crazy year off and start a fresh new one in the next couple of days. I have another instalment of Christmas Memory sharing for you all – the second half of the 2019 album I shared with you last month featuring loads of bits n bobs from the very cheerful Merry & Bright Collection. Like the first post, this one is also very photo heavy so lets jump straight into it..
… starting with the middle of December. There was lego building, tree building and secret letters from Twinkle our Elf. I’ll leave links for all the products I’ve used at the very bottom of this post
This time of year is also when Leila or one of us in this house tends to fall ill. In 2019 for Leila sadly it was a stomach bug that had her wiped out next to the undecorated Christmas Tree’s for an entire day
I created a flip/ shaker pocket to conceal the photo and journalling from that day using a label from the cut apart sheet Oh What Fun and ’14’ from the Countdown paper. There’s some glitter and a couple of ephemera hearts sprinkled into the front of the pocket on top of the pocket page card. To keep them all in place I sewed the flap directly onto the pocket page below.
Over the page I’ve kept things pretty simple using more numbers from the Countdown paper. I’ve repeated this step through the entire album to keep things cohesive.
In between the pocket pages I’ve added a giant paper tag insert using 2 pieces of pattern paper from the A5 paper stack – Joy to the World and the text side of Oh What Fun. I’ve created the round glitter shaker over the top of the floral pattern using the large circular wreath ephemera piece, some left over clear packaging, a tonne of sliver glitter and machine stitched around the wreath to keep out closed. I added flowers and banner from the ephemera pack, then stapled a piece of coordinating ribbon to the top.
I kept the text side of the tag blank as the album is already quite bulky, plus theres a lot going on in the photos to the right. The 18th of December last year was quite the busy day – we treated ourselves to a new car and Twinkle got up to mischief in my craft room creating signs for the Christmas Tree. It was a sad time for Leila saying goodbye to our first family car, but we were all very excited with our new wheels!
Top right of the pockets is another see through glitter pocket using the numbers from the Countdown paper, a single puffy gold star and machine stitched along the top edge to stop the glitter going everywhere.
As we start to creep towards the last third of the month it gets a little busier. The end of school, long days at work, House Elf getting up to mischief and HOT HOT HOT weather.
Another flip pocket using pocket page cards, ephemera and some off cut strips of Jingle all the Way (candy cane stripe) conceal more photos of Leila’s last day at school. One a photo of the crazy mask she made and the other a photo with one of her favourite teachers ( not shared for privacy reasons)
This kid is a hoot! An accessory sticker was perfect to embellish the photo I took of a well needed coffee at work. What a crazy time of year working in Pharmacy can be, and not because its Christmas!
We made it to see Santa to share with him all the things Leila was hoping to receive for Christmas. I had Leila write on the Dear Santa card herself which was the perfect touch to this spread. If you’d like to do the same with your children you can find this card on the Oh What Fun cut apart sheet.
We didn’t get the chance to ‘trim the tree’ until quite late in the month. The lead up to and start of December is always chaotic for us with work, school and Leila’s Birthday so the poor tree always gets neglected until the last minute. We make sure to enjoy it for a few weeks into January before packing it all away.
I used some of the wonderful woodgrain found on the Seasons Greetings paper or in the A5 paper stack as a base for this mini layout. I cut a frame out of the Candy Cane stripe Jingle all the Way to frame the photo then layered 2 trees from the ephemera pack and some stickers to finish it off. On the right hand side I used the darker green print of Oh Christmas Tree to cut a tree design cut file from CUT to YOU. I backed it with some clear velum and sprinkled glitter within each circle to create twinkling lights. I’ve machine stitched the tree onto the Oh What Fun paper to keep it in place.
On the back I created a simple sequin shaker pocket using another ephemera frame and adhered it to some Countdown paper with ephemera pieces and a strip of ‘Christmas rainbow’ diagonal stripe that can be found along the bottom of the Oh What Fun paper.
Over the page I kept the pockets simple using cards from the pocket page card pack. I also documented a photo I screen shot from facebook when our beloved country was on fire.
Were on the home stretch now, just a few more to go…
Another simple insert between pages of photos using vellum, ephemera pieces and a puffy gold star
with a very similar cluster created on the reverse to coincide with the photos of family from Christmas Eve.
Another photo heavy spread with pocket page cards as fillers with the addition of a couple accessory stickers and a cute ephemera house
All the fun of Christmas Day contained in 1 spread. This is literally all the photos I took on this day minus a few extra blurry ones. I chose to live the moments in person rather than a face behind a phone camera, but I’m happy I took just these few.
Lastly we round out the month with a few crazy faces from New Years Eve. Every year so far this crazy kid has been awake and ‘celebrated’ it well and truly into the new year with us. Last year it was on the couch watching fireworks from around the country on tv with her beloved stuffed animals.. and a few crazy selfies with me. You’re welcome lol
Well friends thats a wrap on my 2019 Christmas Memories album, and my creative shares here with you for 2020. Its been a crazy year for us all, and I cant wait to see what the next year brings.. Lets hope its a little less chaotic than 2020 but a heck of a lot more happy!
Thank you all for your love and support throughout the year.
Hi everyone and Merry Christmas! I hope you are all ready for the big man in red to arrive?!
Welcome back to the Cocoa Vanilla blog today! It’s Tarrah back with you today to share a Christmas gift box idea using the gorgeous new Merry and Bright collection.
I found a free pillow box template online, printed it out and traced it onto some vellum. I then used the vellum as my template and scored the pillow box shape onto 3 different patterned papers from the Merry and Bright collection! For the larger stripe one, I used a 12 x 12 piece of paper and the 2 smaller ones, I used the A5 paper pad papers. The A5 paper pad is perfect for projects like this!
I cut and folded the gift boxes and then assembled them together. They are super cute and easy to make! They are perfect boxes to gift money, vouchers, lollies, chocolates, earrings anything small really! I attached some white twine from my stash to each one and chose a tag for each and tied a bow.
For each gift box I added a tag and embellished each tag by adding a sticker or 2 from the Accessory sticker sheet and a die-cut from the ephemera pack. I also layered underneath each tag a die-cut flower for extra decoration. To fill your gift box, you just open one end and add the gift inside and close it back up! Super cute and easy!
Hi all Rachel here! I still can’t believe it is only a few days until Christmas. I have to say I am always disappointed by my Christmas Day photos and never end up with any good enough to scrap and hence why I came up with this layout, a creative way to include lots of photos and journalling all nicely put in envelopes on a layout. I have loved working with the new Merry and Bright collection, it is so easy to create with!
Firstly I cut two envelopes, this scallop envelope from the Silhouette Design store.I used Joy To The World and Jingle All The Way papers for my envelopes. I used Countdown paper as my background paper. I placed the envelopes on a slight angle and over lapping one over the other.
I worked on one envelope at a time, with the left one I added a die cut tree and florals from the Die Cut Ephemera pack from the collection. I tucked under the envelope and added on the actual envelope. Of course I had to add a Gold Puffy Star to the top of my tree! I added a phrase sentiment from the Accessory Sticker Sheet.
On the opposite envelope I added more die cuts, phrase sentiment and one of the gorgeous Flairs. Tucking elements under and over in an embellishment cluster adds visual impact and adds layers to your layout.
The 3×4 inch pocket cards can be used various ways, some of the patterned cards I included as photo mats and others for journalling. You can embellish these of course like tiny layouts.
I added 3 of the die cut baubles hanging from the top of my page, adding machine stitching in the place of ribbon, I added them with foam tape to create dimension, finished off with a gold gem stone on the centres (from my stash).
Here I have added some older Christmas photos, in various sizes in each of the envelopes as an example.
I will use this layout to add some of my Christmas 2020 photos and some memory journalling and all before 2021!
Thank you for stopping by and I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas. See you again in 2021.
Hi there crafters! Today I am excited to share a layout with you that I created using the incredible Cocoa Vanilla Studio ‘Merry and Bright’ collection. I really wanted to do something creative with the Large Die Cut & Backing Kit – I had already used the die cut on a previous layout, so I wanted to play with the backing section for this layout.
With the die cut removed, the backing paper still has the geometric pattern of the tree with the outline on the paper, providing a perfect guide for some hand stitching. This is one of my absolute favourite techniques – I just love the texture and dimension it brings! The pattern made is so simple to pierce the holes, I simply followed the outline of the tree with my piercing tool. I then went in with some lovely deep green embroidery thread and added a chain-link stitch all around the border of the tree. So striking!
Next I was inspired by the gorgeous watercolour effect on the background paper, so I pulled out my own watercolours and added some extra trees. These trees are so simple to paint and require very little painting skill; simply make a few messy strokes and you’re done! I used a few different shades of green to add depth and dimension.
I matted my photo on some pink paper from the A5 paper stack to soften the edges. My photo is of a beautiful lighted tree we found in a field nearby our house – just the perfect photo for this layout. I took one of the 3×4 pocket cards and fussy-cut the ‘Christmas Memories’ sentiment to use as my title, I love the script font.
Next I used a mixture of die cut ephemera and fussy cut florals to create small embellishment clusters either side of my photo. I also added the little die cut ephemera sleigh, plus a tag and some more florals, below my tree. I just love the whimsy of this little cluster, so sweet!
For finishing touches I used some tiny word phrases from the accessory stickers around my photo, and of course I just had to add on of the adorable puffy gold stars to the top of my tree! I added a few lines of journaling in grey pen below my photo, and with that my layout was finished.
I really hope you enjoyed this one, it was an absolute joy to make and I just love it. There is a process video linked below for you to watch as well. Happy scrapping!
Hi everyone!! It’s Melissa here and today I have a Christmas home decor project to share with you that I created with the stunning new MERRY & BRIGHT collection!! Every year our kids have chocolate advent calendars, but this year I decided to make something for advent with more meaning. When I first saw the ‘COUNTDOWN‘ patterned paper I knew exactly what I’d make.
Christmas has a special meaning to our family, and I decided to create an advent calendar with 25 biblical scriptures for kids. I had some second hand cloth that I picked up in our local thrift shop, and it was perfect to create little bags which I sewed together on my sewing machine. I just cut out 50 rectangles of fabric one night in front of the tv. I sewed each number on top and then sewed them into bags. I decorated them very simply with glimmer paste and crystal drops, and I added a ‘PUFFY GOLD STAR’ onto the 25th.
For each of the scriptures I stamped a clipboard and numbered them 1 to 25 with circular number stamps. I wrote the scripture reference only to encourage my older two kids to look up the scripture. This also gave me extra room to embellish with ‘DIE CUT EPHEMERA‘ and ‘ACCESSORY STICKERS’. I also added more glimmer paste and gold crystal drops.
Here is a close up of some of my stamped clipboards. I had a lot of fun adding texture and shine to the ephemera pieces and stickers!
I purchased the frame from Kmart and painted the back white. I adhered the bags on craft foam with my hot glue gun. I added a flower on the top right of the frame.
And I added an adorable house on the bottom left of the frame.
I used some really old letter stickers from my stash to spell out ADVENT, and added more glimmer paste.
This home decor piece turned out far better than I ever imagined, and I’m looking forward to using it every December from now on! I love that its interactive, textural and beautifully embellished with this gorgeous collection!! Theres nothing wrong with chocolate advent calendars, but I love that this one is homemade and has a lot of meaning to our family. I think the 25th might just be my favourite!!
I hope I inspired you to use this gorgeous collection off the page.
Enjoy your Christmas crafting during this wonderful time of year!
Hi CVS friends, with Christmas almost upon us and recently receiving the new Merry & Bright collection I just had to make a mini album in preparation of those Christmas photos.
I only made a 6 pages in this album because to be honest most of my Christmas photos are usually less than average, but I can add the best or highlights!
I used a cut file from the Silhouette Design Store. To protect my album cover I cut one in acetate and used an embossing file (stars) to add texture. I added a pop-pom tassel for that little something extra. I love the coloured O rings you can now get, I chose some teal ones to blend in with the colour schemes of Merry & Bright.
I used the 6×8 inch paper pad for this album, another reason I love 6×8 inch paper pads, the smaller prints are perfect for mini albums and mini albums. I used Season Greetings paper wood grain side to create a thin border and Oh Christmas Tree paper over top. I embellished with florals from the die cut ephemera, a phrase sticker from the Accessory Stickers and finished off adding a flair and puffy gold star.
Here I created a pocket and made a tag. I have used Jingle All the Way paper for the tree page and tag. I added the Santa card from the Oh What Fun paper.
So I could add multiple 2×2 inch photos I added a accordion flap to the page adding another paper element from the Oh What Fun paper.
I added two die cut baubles, a puffy star and finished off with a sprinkle gold paint across the page. I used the Oh Christmas Tree Paper as my base paper.
For my last page which I used Star Bright paper, added a frame die cut and created an embellishment cluster. You will notice I added a machine stitched border around each tree page to add texture and definition.
You could obviously add lots more pages or create double sided pages depending on how many photos you want to add, the good thing about mini albums like this you can make them bulky and they still look great.
hi crafty friends, Anita here sharing a layout for cocoa vanilla studio using the new
Christmas collection merry and bright absolutely adore the colour palette
I took a bunch of photos of my Christmas tree last year
I started with white cardstock and some mixed media to add to the background using a stencil , heavy body gel and some light pink paint and Mixed it all together and applied it to the stencil then once it dried I trimmed down my white cardstock and added oh Christmas tree pattern paper to the back of the cardstock
Then next I cut a strip of pattern paper from the 6×8 paper pad and added a fringe to one side then I punched a border with a border punch from joy to the world patterned paper added some crape paper to it to add more texture the I just layered them together and added them to the layout
I then Matted my photo on papers from the 6×8 paper pad and created a tag from the 3 x 4 pocket card to tuck in my photo layers the a doily and adhered it down add it just over lapping the fringed border strip
Then next I used a title cut file from @neatncraftycutz to add on top of my border strip just overlapping the bottom of my photo then I started adding a bunch of ephemera and fussy cut flowers cut from joy to the world around my photo and title to add floral elements to the layout and a sticker from the sticker sheet to the top of my photo
Then I finished off by adding some rhinestones from my stash to add some bling to the flowers and around the clusters.
First, I took the Sweet Serenity paper from the Daydream Collection and ripped it in half. I glued it on top of a watercolor sheet, where I did a mixed media background with pigment powders matching the colors. Then, I diluted white chalk paint with water and made splatters.
I only made a 6 pages in this album because to be honest most of my Christmas photos are usually less than average, but I can add the best or highlights!
I used a cut file from the Silhouette Design Store. To protect my album cover I cut one in acetate and used an embossing file (stars) to add texture. I added a pop-pom tassel for that little something extra. I love the coloured O rings you can now get, I chose some teal ones to blend in with the colour schemes of Merry & Bright.
