design team

Living the Dream | Unforgettable | Mandy Melville

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to a fabulous 2020! Today I have a new layout to share with you using the gorgeous Unforgettable collection. I chose to scrapbook a couple of photos of my beautiful Abi, taken when we were on holidays recently. I think that the colours in the photo work perfectly with the Unforgettable collection!

I started off with the Garland patterned paper as my background, however I turned it upside down as I wanted the cluster of flowers on the garland to be at the top of the page rather than the bottom. I love that this paper provides a gorgeous, ready-made background, which makes the design process so much quicker!

I printed my photos about 3×4 inches, and then matted them using two of the patterned papers from the 6×8 paper stack. I then positioned them overlapping the larger floral cluster at the top of the page. I also added a couple more floral die cuts into the garland to give it some more dimension and interest.

I added a few embellishments around the photos including a flair button to the left, and a tab sticker and butterfly die cut to the right.

To balance out the large floral cluster in the top left hand corner of the page, I added another smaller one in the bottom right hand corner. I fussy cut this one from the beautiful Glorious patterned paper. I also added a butterfly to the cluster, which I cut out of the Pretty Bits paper. I adhered it just in the middle section so that the wings would lift nicely off the page, once again adding some lovely dimension to the layout.

For my title, I chose the die cut piece that says ‘Living the Dream’, which I think was appropriate for these holiday snaps! I added this over on the right hand side of the page above the floral cluster. To finish the layout off I scattered a few little die cut flowers and some enamel dots around the page.

Thanks so much for joining me here on the blog today and taking a look at my layout! I’ll be back later in the month with another project to share with you.

Mandy x

Favorities | Mixed | Anna Komenda

Hello Friends. It’s Anna here. I am the last one, closing this amazing year of isnpiration over Cocoa Vanilla Blog. All of my super talented DT mates already shared their favorite 2019 Cocoa Vanilla projects and now it’s my turn. To be honest, I had a hard time choosing them because I love CVS products and I love all of my layouts and albums made with them.

You all know I love colors so I decided to pick a rainbow page as a first fav page of 2019. I created it as a sample for my classes, that I was lucky to teach in Australia this year. I used papers and embellishments from amazing “Happiness” collection. This name truly reflects the line itself. If you want to make this page, along with a second colorful layout, you can purchase the Double Page Kit in CVS store.

My second favorite page it much less colorful but I had so much fun making it. It’s a scraplift of my fellow DT member gal – Amanda and I used pretty “Midnight” collection. Simple heart made of fussy cut flowers is a perfect example that less is more.

One of my resolutions for 2019 was to reach for older collections much often to use up a little bit more of a growing pile of scrappy supplies. This birthday page was made with “Make a wish” line, which was one of my favorite collections in CVS history. I honestly used almost all of it.

I am a big fan of summer themed line so this “Hello sunshine” line is also on the top of my favorite CVS collections (who am I kidding – they all are on the top of my list…). This one was created during amazing event – CVS Creative Escape retreat. Zoe is making another one in 2020 and you really don’t want to miss that. Check the details here.

Last page is the most recent one. Once again I revisited an old line – the very first CVS collection called “Sugar and spice“. I do not have much of it left but I had a great help from Zoe, who released digital versions of older lines!!! How great is that. Now you can print your own papers and embellishments. We can call this layout a hybrid page, because I combined both older stuff and the newly printed elements.

That is all for today and for this year. We will meet again in 2020! I can’t believe how fast this year went by. I am sure 2020 will bring many more amazing products from CVS.

Happy New Year Friends!

Anna

2019 Favourites | Tarrah McLean

Hi creative friends!

It’s Tarrah back with you and today its my turn to share some of my favourite layouts from 2019.

First up is this one I created recently using some of my last pieces of the gorgeous Tis the Season collection that I had been holding on to! This layout is one of my favourites because it has lots of my favourite things included on it, a photo of my boys, Christmas, a cut file, machine stitching and I also love the super cute shaker pocket that I filled with lots of the sequins from this collection.

Thankfully I can now have an endless supply of this stunning collection with the release of this collection in digital format! Never have to run out of it again! You can get your hands on the Tis the season digital collection in the Cocoa Vanilla store here.

My next favourite is this one I created using the amazing Unforgettable collection. I just Love all the florals in this collection and the colour palette is so beautiful too. I chose this one as a favourite because I love the design and how the soft colours of the collection make the darker black and white photo really pop. I also love all the layers of florals, papers and embellishments. The gorgeous foam titles in this collection are awesome to use too and the re-introduction of the bitty bows and tassels makes my bow heart happy!

Of course there has to be a boy themed layout in the mix having 2 sons and a husband! I used the awesome You Rock collection and used a sketch as inspiration to create my layout about my eldest son and hubby.

This layout is a favourite because I love the simple design and that I was able to use up some of my stash of the You Rock collection. The You Rock collection is probably my favourite Cocoa Vanilla boy collection. Unfortunately there are not too many pieces left from this collection and as yet its not a digital collection so if you have some left, lucky you!

Last but not least is this pretty layout using the stunning Happiness collection. This layout is one of my favourites because I absolutely LOVE the Happiness collection! This collection gets my colour loving heart skipping a beat! I mean just look at those stunning colours!!

I love that I was able to include lots of the different papers and I also fussy cut the colourful butterflies and scattered them around the layout.

Its also one of my favourite layouts because of the photo I added to the page, this photo features some of my people and they include boss lady Zoe, fellow team member and good friend, Sue and her gorgeous sister Mandy as well as former team member, Raquel and another friend Amy. I love spending time with ‘my people’ who get my passion for creating with pretty things!

Thank you so much for all your support this past year! I hope I inspired you in some way?!

Wishing you and your families all a very safe and Merry Christmas, I hope you get to spend time with the people you love the most and cherish those times with them.

All the best for a prosperous new year!

Happy creating!

Tarrah x

2019 Favourites | Rachel Lowe

Hi CVS friends! Well I still can’t quite believe that 2019 is almost over and Christmas is upon us! Today I am sharing my fav CVS 2019 layouts. My fav layouts are all about pretty, which  Happiness and Unforgettable  collections certainly are!

My first share is a layout created using Unforgettable and a fab heart cut file.I adore the clear stickers, especially the paint brush strokes, an easy way to create a mixed media look to your layout.

 

My second fav layout was created using Happiness collection documenting my love of coffee! This quote is right on point I think!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly a summer layout created using Happiness (again) and a stunning pineapple cut file as the feature piece. How stunning are the die cut florals layered on the pineapple!

 

 

 

And I had to include this sweet gift bag I created using Unforgettable, this colour combo is so beautiful and the tassel from the collection, love!

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today for my last blog post of 2019. I have loved sharing my projects with you and being a part of the CVS tribe. I wish you all a safe and blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year, roll on 2020!

Rachel X

 

2019 Favourites | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone! It’s hard to believe we are mere days away from Christmas isn’t it? I hope your preparations are going well and that you don’t have too much left to do.

Today is my turn to share some of my favourite projects that I created during 2019. I am starting off with a layout that features the stunning ‘Happiness’ collection that was released earlier this year. I adore this range, with all its bright colours and beautiful florals. This page also features a photo of myself and a few of my crafty peeps that was taken at a retreat, bringing back some fun memories too.

This layout was actually inspired by a page from my fellow team member Gwen, as part of a “scraplift” theme that we did earlier in the year, and I love how it turned out! I even got my scissors out for some fussy cutting for this page, because those flowers were just begging to be cut out! One of my other favourite things from this collection is definitely the Clear Stickers – especially all the “painty” style ones!

You probably already know that as a mum of twin boys that I am partial to a good boy page; so for my next favourite, I couldn’t go past this mixed media layout of my dynamic duo using an old favourite – the ‘Totally Rad’ collection from 2016. I actually created this one whilst I was at the Cocoa Vanilla retreat, and besides the end result, I think I also love it because I created it whilst I was so relaxed and in such good company. (Seriously, if you have never been to a retreat before, make sure you put it on your bucket list!)

Despite the fact that this collection is no longer available, there is good news for fans of this range that may have missed getting their hands on it. This collection was recently released as a digital range, which you can purchase to print and cut at home! It includes all the papers (which are easy to print A4 size on a normal home printer); all the cool elements, and Zoe has even included three A4 sized ready to print PDFs, so you just have to print them off and cut them out. You can find the bundle in store HERE

My final favourite layout from this year also featured one of our older collections – ‘Life is Beautiful’ and a photo of my daughter and one of her best friends. This range was released waaay back in 2015, and to date it still remains a firm favourite of mine. The colour palette is just SO fresh and pretty, with the navy, aqua and apricot colour combination.

This layout is also a favourite of mine because it features butterflies. (And anyone who has seen my tattoo will already know how much I love butterflies.) I created these large layered butterflies using cut files from Cut to You, which I coloured with Distress Oxides, backed with some of my precious patterned paper scraps, then topped with butterfly stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet. Combined with fussy cut florals and just enough ink splatters, it makes my creative heart happy. (This range is also now available as a digital collection and you can find it HERE)

Finally, I have to give a mention my other favourite project from this year that wasn’t a layout at all. It was the mini album that I created recently using the ‘Boys Rule’ collection for one of my sons to document the time following his premature birth. This one invoked all kinds of memories as I put it together (both good and bad) and truly was a labour of love.

You find my post with all the details of the album HERE or watch my flip through of the album below.

That’s all from me today, wishing you & your families a very merry Christmas! I hope you get a chance to spend quality time with the people you love most, and make plenty of happy memories to document later. XX

FAVORITES | MIXED | TAZHIANA

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.

2019 Favourites | Mandy Melville

Hey friends!

Well, can you believe that we are fast approaching the end of 2019?! Does anyone else feel like this year disappeared in a blur? To finish the year off, our design team will each be sharing their favourite projects that they created during the year. I always find it so hard to narrow down to just a few, because so many memories have been documented on my layouts throughout the year, BUT I think these three layouts would definitely have to be amongst some of my faves!

The first layout I’m sharing was created using the super gorgeous Happiness collection, along with the coordinating cut files designed by Cut to You! The colours and the florals in this collection are sooo pretty, and the cardstock titles were definitely a fantastic addition too! It was perfect for documenting a photo of my three kiddies taken on Easter morning!

 

The next layout I’m sharing was created with the beautiful Wild at Heart collection. This collection is still one of my favourites, with its gorgeous rich colours, and I think it worked perfecty with this photo of my eldest daughter and I, taken on Mother’s Day this year. You probably know by now that I’m a huge fan of fussy cutting, and the floral patterned papers in this collection are perfect for this! For more details about this layout go take a look at the full blog post here.

And for my last layout, I’m sharing one that I created using the most recent Cocoa Vanilla collection, Unforgettable. One thing I love about this collection is that there are lots of different colour combinations, and for this layout I decided to focus on the peach and mint colours, along with that beautiful woodgrain patterned paper. I documented a photo of my youngest daughter and I, taken on one of our ‘Mummy and Ella’ days, and again I couldn’t resist fussy cutting some gorgeous florals to embellish my layout. You can check out the full blog post here.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and New Year! And I’d also like to say a very big thank you for all of your encouragement and support that you’ve shown me over the year in the way of comments and likes on my projects. I’ll be back here in January to share some more inspiration with you. Until then, take care.

Mandy x

Christmas cards | Tis the season | Anna Komenda

Hello Friends. Counting down to christmas is starting to look serious. Only 10 days!!! If you didn’t have time to mail your christmas cards, it’s the last call. I prepared some isnpirations for you for quick and easy cards. Cocoa Vanilla had a christmas collection – “Tis the season” –  few years ago and I still got some bits and pieces left, mostly papers. When Zoe recently released the digital versions of older lines, including the christmas one, I thought it’s the perfect moment to revisit “Tis the season”. I printed myself three sheets of embellishments included into this line. They are already prepared as a PDF versions, so all I needed to do is to pust the “print” button.

Making those three cards took me about an hour, including some fussy cutting of printed elements. It’s a combination of paper scraps, few stickers, ephemera leftovers, wooden elements and digital pieces.

I usually make 10*14 cm cards but I wanted to use up some longer stickers from the sticker sheet so I decided to use 10*20 cm size for the first card. I arranged longer strips, combining them with a piece of paper and glued them over a dotty background.

Something I like to include into all of my projects is dimension. I knew that the cards have to survive being mailed so I used solid cardboard instead of foam squares under the bigger surfaces. I finished my card adding few flowers cut out from printable sheets and wooden elements.

Second card is smaller. Once again I reached for papers scraps. I had few 3*4 elements from one of the papers and I decided to use them on cards. I started with a green background, then I added 3*4 card and finished it with a title from sticker sheet. Winter flowers are from digital version. Even if you don’t have papers, you can print them too!!! If you have a regular printer, you will get A4 size paper – perfect for any cardmaking.

Last card I made has a cute, retro Santa as a main element and it was also taken from cut apart paper.

Santa is quite big so there was no much room left for embellishing. I created my title using ephemera leftover – word “christmas”. I added word “merry” using alpha stickers, that were included into the older lines. You can buy them really cheap now! I mixed real wooden element with the printed ones to finish my card.

I am so, so happy that Zoe decided to release those printable versions of older lines. I can come back to my favorite lines and use up the leftovers. And using up the leftovers always makes me happy and I know I am not waisting anything.

Thank you for stopping by and see you in two weeks.

XO Anna

Tis The Season | Tis The Season Collection | Tarrah McLean

Hi there creative friends!

It’s Tarrah McLean back with you and today I am sharing a new Christmas themed layout using the gorgeous Tis the Season collection.

I started my layout by cutting a Christmas Tree cut file design (sorry I am not sure where this one comes from) from white cardstock. I don’t have much of the traditional collection left now but I am so happy to be able to get everything I need in digital form! I will never run out again! If your stash is getting low of Tis the Season, make sure to grab the digital collection here and print your own! There are some of the older collections available in digital form now, so check them all out in the Cocoa Vanilla Store here! I did have some of the green holly paper left and I love how it looks behind the cut file design. I also had a small amount of the red and white diagonal stripe paper and decided to adhere a strip of that to the left side of the page.   I chose a photo of my youngest taken on Christmas Day when he was about 3 weeks old, he just turned 9 yesterday so the photo is quite old but its one of my favourites! I changed the colour of the photo to a soft black and white as the colours in the photo would have clashed with the soft colours in the collection. Underneath the photo I layered a small paper doily and a smaller piece of the red and white stripe paper to the right of the photo. I also layered a wood veneer frame on top of the photo, I like how this draws your eye to the photo. I popped up the photo using craft foam and then placed embellishments around the photo. The ticket that says ‘Child’ die-cut definitely had to be added, it was perfect tucked at the bottom of my photo.I used accessory stickers, enamel dots, die-cuts, wood veneer, sequins and a bitty bow to embellish. I have tons of the sequins left, I love the gold stars so I scattered a few of those around to add some sparkle. I placed the white bitty bow at the base of the tree to separate the tree from the pot. To finish the page, I added the date stamp of when the photo was taken. I love how my page turned out even with only minimal pieces from the Tis the Season collection!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my page today and that you are inspired to create your own Christmas themed layout using your stash of Tis the season!

Happy creating!

Tarrah x

Christmas Card and Gift Boxes | Unforgettable | Rachel Lowe

Hey all today I have some Christmas goodies to share. I love creating Christmas gift boxes and bags, because who doesn’t love pretty things!  I have used the gorgeous Unforgettable collection for my Christmas trio.

I created a simple Christmas card using the 6×8 Unforgettable paper pad. I used Sprightly as my background paper measuring at 5×7 inches. I then chose three papers to create the Christmas trees, Story Teller, Glorious and Garland. I used a cut file for my tree’s but these could easily be cut by hand. I added some machine stitching to the curves of each tree piece to add definition. I added white glitter to the Garland (turquoise) pieces. My tree’s were then attached with foam tape to create dimension. I added gold glitter stars and tree trunks because although not a huge fan of bling, Christmas is a time you can add as much as you like right!!!! To finish off I added some tiny flowers from the ephemera die cut pack and a Merry Christmas sticker from my stash.

This Coffee Cup gift box is a cut file by Lori Whitlock, easy to assemble but oh so cute! I filled this one with Lindt Chocolates and it will be a gift for one of my boys teacher. I cut the cup part using the Natural Beauty paper as this provides a great contrast to use brighter coloured paper and embellishments. I cut the coffee cup lid in white cardstock.

 

I used the turquoise strip side of the Sprightly paper to add the coffee cup heat sleeve and then added one of the large floral bunches from the ephemera die cut pack with foam tape.

I added a paper star created using Unscripted paper finished off with a little bling. The Spiral Star is by Lori Whitlock.

To finish off I added one of the bows from the collection to break up the white of the lid. These are so easy to create and perfect for little Christmas treats.

 

And finally to finish off my Christmas trio I created another box, this is a Noodle Box from the Silhouette Design store. The outer box I used Sprightly paper and inside the box I used Glorious. I used the papers from the 6×8 inch paper pad to create the layered flower finished off with an Enamel Dot from the collection. I have filled this treat box with bath bombs.

You don’t need a Christmas collection to create Christmas cards or boxes, I love pink and turquoise as Christmas colours. Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you find a little time in the busy month of December to create.

Rachel  X

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