butterflies

Sweet Easter | Happiness Collection | Michelle Stokes

Michelle Stokes 10/04/2020

Hello Hello its Michelle here today with my first layout share this month. I hope this post finds you safe and well during the Easter break. This weekend is looking a little different, and a lot quieter than previous years so I thought what better way to brighten it up than to create something Easter related using the cheerful HAPPINESS Collection. Full of wonderful happy colours to brighten our moods.

I chose a sweet cut file from CUT to YOU, a basket thats full of eggs reminiscent of most Easter mornings after the big fluffy bunny has been and left a wonderful mess. As Leila is getting older this may be on of the last years in our house that we can share in the joy of the Easter Bunny with her. Lets hope we get at least one more..

I started my creative process by cutting the design out a few different ways. First was the basket using the woodgrain pattern on the BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL paper. I’ve cut both the detailed design of the basket and also the backing piece using the same paper to replicate the look of a real basket. Next I cut the eggs multiple times so that I could individually back them with pattern paper then layer them together in the basket at different heights. If only Easter eggs looked this good!

This layout documents one of many fond memories – the excitement and sheer concentration of opening all the hunting eggs to see whats inside. I layered 2 photos together, both backed with a piece of EXPRESSIVE paper with some fussy cut florals layered to the right.

I used the SPRINKLES paper that reminds me of confetti for the bow on top of the basket, along with a lighter hint of pink from the MEADOW paper. The eggs are backed using MEADOW, LITTLE THINGS, GOOD VIBES, SO FRESH and EXPRESSIVE.

I fussy cut butterflies from both the 12×12 and 6×8 versions of BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL along with a floral cluster from the SO FRESH wreath to layer along the edge of the basket rim. I also tucked in a couple of leaf strands and stapled tiny hearts to the eggs from the EPHEMERA pack.

The title is made up of a CARDSTOCK TITLE word and alphabet letters from older collections.

Theres a few more tiny fussy cut flowers scattered here and there from both the MEADOW paper and 6×8 version of BOTANICAL BLISS and a good splattering of gold colour shine to finish it off. Once the ink was dry I trimmed the edges of the white cardstock and adhered the layout to a 12×12 piece of BOTANICAL BLISS to bring all the colours together.

Well friends thats all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed seeing my Easter themed share this weekend. Be sure to pop in to the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community group on facebook to share all your crafty ventures with us over the Easter long weekend. We do love seeing what you all create using CVS products.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping, enjoy the chocolate and stay safe

Michelle xx

Lovely | Unforgettable collection | Sue Plumb

Sue Plumb 06/02/2020

Hi everyone!

Sue Plumb here today to share a pretty page with you featuring the ‘Unforgettable’ collection. This layout was actually created for a class I taught at the December Workshop Wonders event at The Crafty Chain in Brisbane. I had great fun with the ladies in my class, and loved seeing all the different variations of this page as people put their own spin on it.

I used white cardstock as the base for this layout, then layered assorted size pieces of the Pretty Bits and Natural Beauty papers horizontally over the top. I love using these cut apart papers, as they are an easy and cost-effective way of adding a variety of patterns to the page. Some of the pieces were also distressed to add texture and dimension to the page.

Once all the background strips were in place I cut a large circle from the Lacewing paper, topping it with another piece from the Pretty Bits paper, before adding my photo on top. (This snapshot was taken at the Cocoa Vanilla retreat and features Zoe, myself and some of the girls from the team – it’s awesome to be able to be all together in person like this.) I used some scrap cardboard between the layers to add dimension, and also some messy cotton for texture.

To embellish my page I used a variety of pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack, sticking with the neutral and warm tones of my chosen palette. (This also meant there were plenty of bits left over in the pack for participants to use in another project – it’s always nice to be able to take home extras from a class kit, don’t you think?)

For my page title, I used the word lovely from the ‘Bohemian Dream’ Chipboard Titles. Again, using only one word from the pack meant everyone had extras to take home – yay! I decided to leave the title plain white so it matched with my background, but I did encourage everyone in class to alter them if they wanted to, so some people chose to ink / stamp / paint theirs to suit their page.

To finish off, I added my handwritten journalling and then splattered a few coloured inks around the page – because I always love a little bit of mess! (Sorry for your table and window after everyone had finished this step Alison & Shelley!)

Thanks so much for stopping by today so I could share this with you. Until next time, happy scrapping!

Hello | Unforgettable Layout | Anna Komenda

Anna Komenda 27/01/2020

Hello Friends. It’s Anna here with my newest page made with pretty “Unforgettable” collection. This page is really unique for me and I will explain you why. Usually, when I make a layout, it takes me about 3 hours to finish it. I am a slow scrapbooker. I start with choosing proper papers going through all of my stash few times. Next step is finding out how many pictures I am going to use and how to arrange them. I am thinking about composition, title and whether I should use a cut file or not. I change my mind few times, swap papers, try different alignment. When all the decisions are done, it still takes me at least hour to pick all the embellishments and glue everything down. And this page came together within 10 minutes!!! Yes, it only took me that long (or short :).

It’s all thanks to the pretty paper with wreath called “Garland“. It determined the composition, the background, lack of cut file and placement of the photo. All I needed to do was to glue down the picture with a layer of “Unscripted” paper under it and start embellishing.

I didn’t want to cover all the pretty wreath so I only chose few flowers from ephemera pack and glued them around the photo. I also picked few smaller ones and mounted them around the wreath to add some dimension. Cute bow from “Bows and tassels” is a perfect match for the little girl on the photo. This page isn’t telling any story so my title doesn’t have any meaning. I used “hello” word from word title stickers.

Last step was adding few butterflies cut out from “Lacewing” paper. I have to be honest – I had a bunch of them cut out prior to making the page. I like to keep my hands busy while watching TV so I just fussy cut a whole sheet of them in advance. So it definitely shorten up the process of making a whole page. I finished making this layout with few enamel dots here and there and splashed everything with pink and blue mists.

I just love clever papers and this wreath pattern is definitely one of them. How long does it takes for you to finish a layout? What is your time record in making a page?

That is all for today. Thank you for stopping by and see you in February.

XO Anna

You make me happy | Happiness Layout | Anna Komenda

Anna Komenda 13/11/2019

Hello CVS friends! It’s Anna here with my project created with no white background. It is a theme for this week – “White-out”. Each Cocoa Vanilla collection has plenty of amazing pattern papers to choose from so it was a real pleasure to play with them. I was going through my paper stack thinking of what line I should use this time and I was drawned to pretty colors of “Happiness”. You all know that I love colorful designs and ugly fall outside need some proper, colorful medicine to be scared away.

I started with cutting out my title using electronic diecutting machine. I did it twice in the same size using two different papers: “Good vibes” and “Botanical bliss“. I layered them creating kind of a shadow. I also added white false stitches around the top one using white pen. Pretty paper with navy hearts is perfect as a background paper. I added a thin layer of white acrylic paint to help my title pop a little bit more.

I placed my photo on one of the empty spots between the letters and embellished it with tickets and flowers from ephemera pack. I can never have enough of those amazing flowers added to this line. Pretty shape and watercolor look, combined with juicy colors are the perfect match.

Between the paper flowers I also mixed in some flowers from clear sticker sheet. Their colors are more intense and they look amazing on light background. Butterflies cut out from “Bright and beautiful” paper are great embellishment too. Fussy cutting is one of my favourite techniques. I finished embellishing by adding one of the flair buttons on top of the title. I needed some darker accent in this spot.

After I finished working with paper, I decided to add some more colors to the background. I know that usually we work in opposite order but I felt that this project is unfinished. I gently added some watercolor stains here and there with pink and green paint. It made my layout looking more cheerful and complete.

That is all for today. I love working with pattern paper as a base of my page as much as I like using white backgrounds. It’s a double joy :) Thank you for stopping by and see you in two weeks my friends.

XO Anna

Little Moments | Unforgettable | Amanda Baldwin

Amanda-Jayne Baldwin 26/10/2019

Hi Cocoa Vanilla Studio Friends!

Amanda here, & today I am sharing another super pretty layout with our gorgeous UNFORGETTABLE collection. For today’s layout, I wanted to create something really special for my sweet girl – I hope she likes it!

Here’s what I came up with…

“Little Moments”

Oh how preeeeeeeeeetty!!! Such a beautiful, floral page for my darling daughter!

Here’s a better look for you…

Absolutely stunning!

You’ll spy the B-side of pattern paper CV-UF 001 GLORIOUS taking center stage! I fussy cut this paper along its own pattern line, and took advantage of the directional quality it posesses. Not only does this clever cut paper encourage movement and flow, it essentially draws attention straight into my sweet photo – LOVE!!! Such a clever way to trim & use this paper! For added impact, I adorned this paper with that sensational floral cut file.

***Note: The cut file is called: Floral Bouquet Set and is courtesy of Cut To You***

It really is something, isn’t it?! I used papers from the 6 x 8 PAPER STACK, as well as some peach coloured cardstock to back this file. I filled the flower centers with ENAMEL DOTS pollen, and then embellished on and around the cut file with DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms & leaves. To complete the look, I positioned a DIE CUT EPHEMERA butterfly in between the two large cut file flowers. Perfect! Like the GLORIOUS pattern paper, these cascading blooms lead you straight to my beautiful photo…..

Beautiful, indeed!

I tuck my photo into that gorgeous array of blooms, which are from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack. I also anchor my layout with a half inch trim of the reverse side of pattern paper, CV-UF007 SPRIGHTLY. This trim is errrrything!!! I just adore how it encompasses my overall design and forms the perfect base to this page!

I embellish this photo cluster with tiny fussy cut butterflies from the 6 x 8 PAPER STACK, more DIE CUT EPHEMERA flowers, and a couple of ACCESSORY STICKERS which I position beneath my photo!

For finishing touches, I add a few of the sentiment stickers from the ACCESSORY STICKERS sheet.

Simple. Sweet, and oh-so pretty!

A beautiful little moment captured! I hope it has inspired you to document your little moments too!

Thanks so much for visiting!

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Bloom | Unforgettable layout | Anna Komenda

Anna Komenda 13/10/2019

Hello CVS fans. It’s Anna here with my newest layout featuring new product in Cocoa Vanilla family. “Unforgettable” collection – the newest line designed by Zoe – features two new products. One of them is a set of foam words and second it a pretty package of bows and tassels. And this is what I will be focusing on today.

My favorite way of using any tassels is to add them to the mini albums covers creating dimensional embellishments hanging freely on the side. I also like to create garlands with paper elements and real tassels on the pages. I decided to use this second idea on my layout.

I cut out two big tags from papers with wooden pattern (did I mentioned how much I love wooden patterns?) and added stitching around them. Next step was to put a colorful string through the holes of the tags adding all four tassels from the packaging. I created kind of a lose loops and glues the string to the base paper. I wanted to use this pretty white paper with black words for a while and it was a perfect occasion.

To make the garland more complex I added two smaller tags – one from ephemera pack and one from sticker sheet. I finished the composition by adding pretty flowers here and there plus some smaller elements from ephemera pack. I also fussy cut a lot of butterflies from one of the pattern papers.

Two bows closing the composition from top and the bottom were added at the end as my final touch. I am so in love with this new “Unforgettable” line. I feel so inspired by the patterns, flowers and cute embellishments.

Thank you for stopping by and see you in two weeks with some other projects. I have in mind something different than a layout.

XO Anna

Living The Dream | Unforgettable | Amanda Baldwin

Amanda-Jayne Baldwin 12/10/2019

Hi Cocoa Vanilla Studio Friends!

Amanda here, & this week the design team are shining the spotlight on the gorgeous UNFORGETTABLE TASSELS & BOWS.

I know, what a fun assignment! I couldn’t wait to get creating, and I even made a process video of this layout too!

Here’s what I came up with….

“Living The Dream”

Swoooooon!!! The UNFORGETTABLE collection has my heart!

Such a precious & beautiful layout for my two darlings! Living the dream indeed!

And nothing says ‘dream’ quite like a dreamcatcher, right? I couldn’t resist suspending the TASSELS and feather DIE CUT EPHEMERA pieces from that delicate cut file. So super pretty!

** Note: Cut file is called: Boho Dreamcatcher by Lilium Pixel SVG from the Silhouette Store **

Here’s a better look at my layout….

So very beautiful!

I started this page with a white cardstock base which I trimmed a one inch length off the left hand side. You’ll spy that I machine stitched half an inch of the beautiful woodrgrain pattern paper, CV-UF008 NATURAL BEAUTY to this side. Next, I fussy cut that darker based floral, 4″ x 6″ note card, from pattern paper, CV-004 PRETTY BITS. I trimmed this 4″ x 6″ note card so that I could butt the 6″ lengths together to create the appearance of a 12″ floral paper & then attached it to the back of the woodgrain trim. SO pretty! I love how effective this looks!

Before I adhered the Boho Dreamcatcher cut file to the page, I layered two of the larger DIE CUT EPHEMERA floral swags to the base, so that they would peek out beneath the dreamcatcher. I also removed some of the cut file feathers so that I could thread the tassels onto the cut file ‘strings’, and then covered the remaining cut file feathers with those amazing DIE CUT EPHEMERA feathers.

With the cut file prepared, I glued it onto the white cardstock base, but was careful not to glue the ‘strings’ down. By leaving the strings loose, I created a sense of realism as the TASSELS, and feathers, dangled from the dreamcatcher. This also created flow and movement, as well as soft dimension and texture! What a fabulous way to incorporate those darling TASSELS into my design! Here’s a closer look at those pretties….

They really are somethin’, aren’t they?!! And those feathers are just divine!

I embellished the rim of the dreamcatcher hoop with more pretty DIE CUT EPHEMERA florals, as well as a few fussy cut butterflies from pattern paper, CV-UF005 LACEWING. The larger butterfly is also fussy cut, but this time from pattern paper, CV-UF004 PRETTY BITS. I layered my DIE CUT EPHEMERA title, Living The Dream, over this larger butterfly & then embellished with a few of the CLEAR STICKERS too!

I framed my precious photo with one of the circular frames included in the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack, and then foam mounted it to the center of the dreamcatcher. I love how the pattern on the circular frame reminds me of a mandala or, yes, you guessed it, the dreamcatcher! I just love repetition in design!

For finishing touches, I covered the ‘beads’ on the dreamcatcher cut file with those pretty ENAMEL DOTS, and added a tiny spot of journaling with the ACCESSORY STICKERS.

Simple. Beautiful. Amazing!!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing my layout! Clearly, it was TASSELS for the win today!

You can see more in my process video for this pretty page HERE!

https://youtu.be/ypAHcDZ9RjE

Thanks so much for watching!

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Captured | Unforgettable Collection | Tarrah McLean

Tarrah McLean 08/10/2019

Hi Cocoa Vanilla friends!

It’s Tarrah back with you and today I am sharing another layout featuring the gorgeous brand new Unforgettable collection! I am also featuring one of the stunning FREE cut files by Cut To You. The Unforgettable collection and the cut file go together beautifully!I chose a pink, grey and white colour scheme for my layout today, I pulled some of the papers and lots of embellishments that were in that colour scheme and started out by cutting the cut file on white cardstock, I cut the file out with the intention of leaving some of the design inside the cardstock. I loved how I could pop out the hearts and create a dimensional look with them. I backed the cut file design with the pink paper and then machine stitched around the circle – you can see more detail in the photo below. I then matted the cut file and pink paper onto one of the grey patterned papers. The photo is of my sister and I at our brothers wedding a couple of years ago, not often we get photos together with both my sister and brother living in England now. I added lots of paper layers underneath my photo and used foam tape to pop up my photo from the page. In the photo below, you can see I added a cluster of embellishments including some die-cuts and accessory stickers, I used foam dots again to lift up the camera die-cut and I also added one of the enamel dots to the centre – hooray for enamel dots making a come back in this collection! I love them! Over one the right hand side is another cluster featuring some of the floral and butterfly die-cuts. I also added one of the cute bows to the right of my title. My title is one of the gorgeous foam word titles, these are brilliant to add to any project, they make a statement and they really pop off the page too! I added one of the larger butterfly die-cuts to the left of the title to balance out the with the smaller one on the right hand side. A couple more enamel dots and a couple pf the gorgeous clear stickers were also added for some extra interest and texture.

Make sure to check out the Cocoa Vanilla store to download your FREE Unforgettable cut files that co-ordinate with the Unforgettable collection perfectly!

I hope I have inspired you in some way today?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy creating!

Tarrah x

Love This | Unforgettable | Amanda Baldwin

Amanda-Jayne Baldwin 26/09/2019

Hi Cocoa Vanilla Studio Friends & Fans!

Amanda here, & today I am sharing a super pretty layout with our beautiful new UNFORGETTABLE collection. You’ll spy lots of fussy cutting, butterflies and blooms and discover which pattern paper is my new favorite! But enough chatter, here’s my latest creation with UNFORGETTABLE…..

“Love This”

Sigh! Love this, indeed! Such a beautiful layout of my two darlings!

And as for my new favorite pattern paper? Well, it has to be that divine wreath paper, CV-003 GARLAND – gosh it’s so super pretty!!! You’ll notice that I actually used two sheets of CV-003 GARLAND to create today’s scrapbook page!

I started my layout with GARLAND as the base, but wanted to do a little more to highlight it’s magnificence. I loved the mint arc in the wreath, and decided to ‘fill’ inside the wreath with this very same colour (which happens to be the reverse side of – you guessed it, the GARLAND paper! ). To fill this space, I used a Cut To You cut file called, Flower Circle and backed the flowers and leaves with an assortment of papers from the 6 x 8 PAPER STACK. Next, I backed the entire circle with the reverse side of GARLAND – I just love mint watercolor wash of this pattern! Here’s a closer look….

As I’d already cut into a second sheet of GARLAND, I decided to make the most of it, and fussy cut the floral section of the wreath. I foam mounted both the cut file and fussy cut blooms, and adhered them to the layout. I positioned the Flower Circle in the center of the wreath, and layered the fussy cut GARLAND blooms around the edge of it. By doing this, it revealed the original wreath below, and created the appearance of a thicker & fuller arrangement of blooms. Gor-jus!!!

Aren’t those florals just errrrything?!! LOVE!

I tucked my darling photograph into the top right section of both the cut file & fussy cut wreath, and embellished it with the ‘smile’ FLAIR BUTTON. Next, I fussy cut a large pink butterfly from pattern paper, CV-UF004 PRETTY BITS and tucked it beneath my photo. To enhance this decoration, I added two more butterflies around my photo – a CLEAR STICKER butterfly, and a DIE CUT EPHEMERA piece!

There’s no denying that UNFORGETTABLE is the prettiest release of 2019! So.much.gorgeousness!!!

The new FOAM TITLE STICKERS are all kinds of awesomeness too! I curved my love this title around the outer edge of the wreath arc, and then embellished with a couple more butterflies…

For finishing touches, I added a tiny spot of journaling with the sentiment stickers from the ACCESSORY STICKERS sheet.

Simple, beautiful creating with the new UNFORGETTABLE collection!

I hope my layout has inspired you to get creating with some Cocoa Vanilla Studio lovelies today!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Throwback Thursday with a Retro Hip Twist | More Than Words | Amanda Baldwin

Amanda-Jayne Baldwin 18/09/2019

Hi Friends!

Amanda here for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio inspiration! Today I am sharing a slightly different take on the Throwback Thursday post!

That’s right folks! I have been getting my ‘retro’ on and created a Cocoa Vanilla Studio: MORE THAN WORDS delight for Issue 8 of Retro Hip Magazine! Yay!!!

Normally you have to purchase the magazine to see the full projects, but as a special treat for all of you, I have the editor’s permission to share this wonderful layout,

“Sweet Thing”

Oh my heart!

Isn’t this stunning?!! Throwback Thursday never looked so fresh & new! Such an exquisite page!

This layout was created for a special feature on how to make white space work for your designs. I just LOVE using white space to draw attention to my photos, and maximize overall design interest. I used one of my all time favorite Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections; MORE THAN WORDS, some light mixed media and a whole lotta fussy cutting to create this lovely layout. You can read the full article in Issue 8 of Retro Hip Magazine here, and by the way, code FRIEND10 will save you 10% off this issue!

In the meantime, here’s how I made this beautiful layout….

I started with 12 x 12″ white cardstock which I trimmed to 12 x 11 1/2″. Next, I machine stitched a half inch strip of pattern paper, CV-MT001 PRECIOUS onto the right hand side of the layout. I used the packaging technique with a pretty peach paint, and added a few splatters too! While this dried, I began fussy cutting butterflies from pattern papers, CV-MT003 GOSSAMER, CV-MT004 COLLAGE, & CV-MT006 TREASURE. I also fussy cut the sweet thing wreath from the TREASURE paper too. I then arranged the butterflies, with my sweet photo onto the peach watercolor base.

Here’s a closer look….

I tucked in a few DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms into the photo cluster, and added a DIE CUT sentiment banner onto my photograph too. SO pretty!!!

Next I added that fussy cut sweet thing wreath, and a CHIPBOARD STICKER butterfly….

So many pretty details!

You’ll notice that I used a few pretty sequins from my stash (including those butterflies!), as well as a good sprinkling of the MORE THAN WORDS ENAMEL SHAPES.

For the finishing touch, I fussy cut the sweet heart sentiment from pattern paper, CV-MT006 TREASURE, and layered it over one of the butterflies with foam tape. I just love how effective this looks!