layering

So Sweet | Storyteller | Kellie Moore

Welcome back to the blog Cocoa Vanilla fans!

Today I am sharing my second page using the new ‘Storyteller’ collection and these colours are my jam! I find them so easy to use and the whole collection can be used to cover so many different subjects…the choices are endless!

For my page today I started with wanting to make a statement background that featured many of the patterned papers, so out came the A5 paper stack. I chose a few different patterns and decided that I really wanted to bring in more of the red so I pulled a piece of red cardstock from my stash to add into the mix and went crazy cutting out 1 inch squares.

I decided to make a big star with the squares so I used a piece of cardstock to cut a star then stuck down all of the squares onto the star, trimming off all of the excess paper. I then decided to add some more texture to my page by adding some hand stitching to some of the squares…love me some texture!

Next I wanted to add some paper layers behind my photo so I HAD to use the woodgrain paper that matches so well with the hat my little boy is wearing in the photo….and I also added a paper doily to give some separation between my star and my photo.

Now that the base of my page was done, it was time to get some embellishments down, and of course I needed some of the gorgeous florals, so I used a mix of the florals from the floral ephemera pack and some that I had cut out from the ‘Spring Fling’ paper. I positioned them to the top left and bottom right of my page to draw the eye down through my photo.

Next, to complete these clusters, I added some of the butterflies from the ephemera pack and some of the gorgeous ‘wooden buttons’ ….LOVE!

Now, I just need to add my title so the words ‘So Sweet’ from the foam title stickers were just too perfect not to use… so I placed it below my picture and my page was complete!

I hope I bought you some inspiration today, and you are having as much fun with Storyteller as I am.

I will be back next month to share more with you.

Happy Scrapping!

Kel.

 

 

You’re Totally Awesome | No Limits Collection | Danni Visser

Hi everyone! Danni here with a new layout featuring the amazing new No Limits collection by Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I have fallen hard for this collection and it’s easy to see why. Those bright colours and amazing patterns are perfect for documenting those childhood photos! For this layout I used two photos of my son showing off his built creations.

I started off with Universal 12×12 patterned paper as a base for the layout. I wanted a subtle pattern and this soft grey spot was perfect.

Next I began cutting strips of varying lengths and widths from the cut-apart side of Universal 12×12 patterned paper as well as a variety of papers from the A5 paper stack. I then distressed all the cut edges of the paper strips with my edge distresser for texture and visual interest.

Using tacky glue I layered the paper strips across the page, staggering the positioning of the strips so that the top and bottom edges fell at different heights. I tried to keep a balance of colours and patterns while still keeping the placement fairly random.

I placed my photos over the paper strips towards the left of the page, overlapping them slightly.  I used the die cut titles to create a large, bold title to the right of the page, adding some white gel pen highlights to add my own personal touch to the title pieces. I added a small phrase piece from the cut-apart side of Universal 12×12 patterned paper below my title, as well as some accessory sticker phrase pieces.

Because the layout was already bold and full of visual interest, I didn’t need to do any heavy embellishing. I simple created three small areas of small black ink splatters, followed by some small pieces from the chipboard stickers and a sprinkling of adorable puffy stickers to create a subtle visual triangle around my photos.

I love how this turned out and I hope you enjoyed joining me today. There is a process video on the Cocoa Vanilla Studio YouTube channel linked below if you would like to watch the layout come together. Happy scrapping!

Danni x

 

Hey Kid | No Limits collection | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone, it’s Sue Plumb here today to share another project using the awesome new ‘No Limits’ collection. (Loving this collection SO much!) This layout features a photo of my hubby and one of my sons that I took while they were busy doing work in our garden recently. (This boy loves to help his Dad with projects in the yard!) I decided to use the wood grain print from the Big Bang patterned paper as my background for this page, as I thought it would work well for the outdoor theme.

You can see I have added some light mixed media layers to my background paper. I used a combination of acrylic paint, a stencil with ink, stamping, and splatters.

I used a mix of layered patterned papers for the focal area of my page that included Stardust, Orbit and Latitude and I used distressing, tearing and some frayed gauze to add texture. I also tucked in a paint sample card from my stash to help draw in the green on my sons hat, which I thought also worked well with the DIY that was happening on the day.

I used Die Cut Title words for my page title, but then used the always be your awesome self quote card from the Universal cut apart paper below it as a subtitle. Both of these were popped up from the page like my photo to create dimension and help them stand out from the background.

To embellish my layout I used lots of fussy cut stars from the gorgeous Nebula paper, which I combined with pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and Accessory Sticker sheet.

I also added a few pieces from the Chipboard Sticker sheet which also provided some extra dimension.

Of course I couldn’t help but include some of my favourite embellishment from this collection – those stunning Puffy Stickers. (Seriously, I wish I had a million of these things!)

If you would like to see how this layout came together, you can watch my process video here:

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you are feeling inspired to use up those scraps on your desk! Until next time, happy scrapping.

 

 

Living the Dream | Unforgettable collection | Sue Plumb

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!

Best | Boys Rule collection | Tarrah McLean

Hi everyone! It’s Tarrah McLean back with you today to share a layout I created inspired by one of our fellow Cocoa Vanilla fans layouts!

All this week the design team are choosing a fellow Cocoa Vanilla fan’s layout to scraplift from the International Scrapbooking Day challenges. I chose Gayle Selman’s awesome layout from Anna’s monochromatic challenge below…

To replicate Gayle’s layout, I started out by adding some blue distress oxide ink to white cardstock. I then added some black splatters of mist. Once dry, I then got a few stamps with some black ink and stamped them just like Gayle did. I don’t do mixed media all that often so when I get the opportunity to add a little bit!

I then added some paper strips from the Boys Rule 6′ x 8′ paper pad and also punched some stars with a few star punches. Underneath my photo, I layered one of the chipboard frames and used craft foam to pop up my photo. My photo is of my boys goofing around for the camera!

I added a small cluster of embellishments in the top right corner including a chipboard phrase, a rubber charm, and some stars. My title is one of the chipboard titles, I added one of the flairs above the title and lastly I added some phrase and clear stickers.

I love how my layout turned out and I hope you think it does Gayle’s layout justice!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Happy creating!

Tarrah x

Lovely | Unforgettable collection | Sue Plumb

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!

Beautiful Girl | Sugar & Spice Collection | Anna Komenda

Hello Friends! Have you seen the newest products in CVS store? You should run there quickly because Zoe released digital versions of older Cocoa Vanilla collections! I am over the moon happy about it, because I really loved them and I was missing my favorite stuff. You can purchase both papers and elements and they are already prepared to be printed in A4 size PDF files! You will also get each element separately if you want to use them your way. I am an embellishment person so I use up my embellies faster than the papers. Being able to print more elements to work with my paper leftovers is so amazing. What is ever more amazing is that if you purchase those digital versions of CVS lines, you will help support victims of current Australia bushfires.

I am in CVS team from the very first DT call so I own every collection that was released. We started with two lines: “Sugar and Spice” and “Flying High”. Those two collections were the reason I fell in love with Cocoa Vanilla and I cherish them so much. Especially the girly “Sugar and Spice”. I am almost run out of embellishments but I still have some paper scraps left. That’s why I decided to purchase elements and print them in bunches. Flowers are always my favorite, that’s why I printed a whole sheet filled with them. You can make yourself some print and cut file in Silhouette software or, if you are OK with fussy cutting, just cut them by hand.

I used paper scraps to make several fishtail tags and arranged them over the pink cardstock. Second step was adding a picture of my daughter above them and fill the space with a lot of flowers.

“Sugar and and spice” line came with 12×12 sticker sheet, wood veneers pack and some cork hearts. I still got some of them left and I was so happy to be able to use them up. I mixed in them between the flowers creating colorful and very cheerful page.

I already purchased few more element packs from other collections and I can’t wait to use them in my projects. If you run out of papers, you can also print them at A4 size! Or, if you are lucky and have A3 printer, you can get full 12×12 papers. The best thing is that you will never run out of your favorite papers and embellishments!
Thank you for stopping by and see you in December.
XO Anna

Love You | Midnight Collection | Zoe Pearn

Hi everyone, it’s Sue here today popping in with a Throwback Thursday share with a difference. Today I am sharing a layout on behalf our beautiful boss lady, Zoe. Unfortunately Zoe doesn’t get to create as often as she would like to (because she is so busy keeping the Cocoa Vanilla wheels turning) but when she does get a chance to put a page together, her work is always stunning.

The layout I am sharing today was created by Zoe using the ‘Midnight’ collection, which she used to document a gorgeous photo from her and her hubby Marty’s wedding day.

The ‘Midnight’ collection is perfect for wedding photos as it features a soft colour palette; delicate florals; and lots of sweet sentiments. Zoe used the white-washed wood grain print of the Shine Bright paper as the base for her page, then added lots of luscious layers on top using a variety of other papers from the range.

For her page title she used the LOVE YOU words from the ‘Wild at Heart’ collection chipboard accent stickers (the chipboard stickers have now sold out, but you will find most items from the range are still available). She also used a few small chipboard heart stickers from the same sheet, but you could easily substitute die cut ephemera pieces adhered with foam tape to achieve the same effect.

Zoe is a master at creating layered embellishment clusters. Here you can see how she stacked a pair of sweet mason jars and a variety of floral pieces all from the ‘Midnight’ die cut ephemera pack alongside her photo. She used foam tape between the layers to help separate them and create dimension – so gorgeous!

If you missed purchasing the ‘Midnight’ collection, or perhaps your stash needs a top-up, you can find it in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio online store HERE

And thank you Zoe for allowing me to share your page today (I know I am not the only one who is a big fan of your work!) X

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