Lina Monaco

Farewell Lina Monaco

Hi everyone,

A little bit of sad news to share today as we say farewell (again) to one of our beloved team – Lina Monaco. Lina has been a treasured member of our Cocoa Vanilla Studio family for many years, having been a team member twice now after we wooed her back to do another tour with us. Unfortunately for us however, life is just way too busy now for Lina to keep up with everything, so we have to wave goodbye.

So let’s take another look at some of Lina’s recent projects that she created for us. First up, a beautiful layout featuring a photo of the lady of the hour herself along with her husband, and using our ‘Storyteller’ collection…

Lina loves working with bright colours, so next up we are sharing a gorgeous mixed media layout featuring our ‘Sunkissed’ collection…

One of the things we love about Lina is her versatility – she can rock a boy layout just as well as she can rock a girl one. Here’s a gorgeous one she created using ‘No Limits’…

And to round things out, we couldn’t resist sharing this layout that Lina created for our Throwback Thursday featuring one of her all-time favourite collections, ‘Bohemian Dream’. (I think this collection can be found on a lot of people’s favourite list!)

Lina – thank you SO much for all the amazing inspiration you have shared with us over the years and for being such a great ambassador for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. You’ll always be part of the family. We love you and wish you all the best!

Hey There Pumpkin | Sunkissed | Lina Monaco

Good Day Friends,
Lina here on the blog today with an Autumnal layout I created using the fun Sunkissed collection and a photo of my eldest daughter, from this past weekend. I know Sunkissed is a summer themed collection, but I couldn’t resist it’s rich tones of yellow, orange, and pink. I think by looking at my layout, you’d never guess that the collection was geared towards summer. And, that’s the beauty of CVS collections, they’re just so full of fun and colour and that makes them versatile.


I began with a white piece of 12×12 cardstock and created a blended ink background in yellow, coral, and pink. I used water to then add droplets which then I dabbed off to create a reverse splatter as the water removes the ink where it’s placed.
I created the cutfile in Silhouette Studio using two different fonts, layering them and then cutting the background from white cardstock and the rest from papers from the A5 Paper Stack. The Paper stack is perfect for smaller tasks such as cut files or even matting of a photo. I popped up the cut file with dimensional foam and then placed it on my now dry background.


The photo is printed in colour and I feel like the shades and tones in the photo play nicely with the colour scheme I’ve used and do not “get lost” amongst all the colour I have already laid down. I matted my photo with papers form the A5 Paper Stack adding in the same pink, yellow and green.


Time for my favourite part…. the embellishing of the layout. I created a few clusters, one main, large one within the cutfile, a second cluster, mid sized to the left of the photo and lastly a smaller third one, to the right of the photo. I used florals from the Floral Ephemera and a few banners from the Die Cut Ephemera packages. Because I wanted this layout to have more of an autumnal vibe to it, I stayed away from the teal and blue that is included in this collection using soley the shades of orange, yellow, and pink with a pop of green. I also used some gold thread to create a nest for a small Wood Button to sit within. In doing this, I feel like I give the button a home. :P


Lastly, I used some gold ink spray and splattered paint in and around my layout. As always, this finishes off my layout and ties it all together. in my eyes, it similar to adding sprinkles on a cupcake… it’s just that little bit extra that completes your layout.
Thank you for joining me today on the blog and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
xoLina

Happy Heart | Storyteller | Lina Monaco

Happy day friends, Lina, here today on the blog to share this layout I created with the ever so versatile, Storyteller collection. I documented a photo of my happy girl from this summer in a field of glorious yellow flowers. I just thought the background of the photo played so nicely with the yellow in this collection and so I played on that idea.

I began with a white piece of cardstock; I use a 120 lbs cardstock but you can use whatever you have on hand. I used a Distress Ink in yellow and a blending tool to add some colour to the top right hand corner and then a larger patch on the bottom left since that’s where my photo is going and I wanted to be able to still see yellow ink peaking through. I then matted the white cardstock onto the lovely background paper you see with all the hearts entitled, “Oh my Heart”.

Next, I matted my photo with pieces of card from the A5 Paper Stack with some papers that matched nicely. I popped my photo up with some dimensional foam for height. Following that, I added pieces from both the Die Cut Ephemera and the Floral Ephemera packets. I created a larger cluster of beautiful florals on the right side of my photo and created a nesting spot for my title.


My title is created with the Foam Title Stickers and reads “Happy Heart”, which perfectly describes my lovely girl. The black colour of the foam was perfect to anchor down my layout. On the left side of my photo, I added some gold thread purposely made to look messy. My photo is also adorned with a phrase from the Accessory Stickers sheet that reads, “Got the Shot”. The phrase works wonderfully with the photo and her peace sign holding pose. :)


In the top right hand corner of my layout where I had originally added yellow ink with the blending tool, I created an additional smaller cluster of embellishments to drawn the eye upwards and lighten up the heavy, bottom positioning of my layout. I added a cut label, and a lovely blue floral piece. I also took that opportunity to add a nest of gold thread and adhere a Wood Button that features a cute little yellow butterfly.
Lastly, I added some Puffy Stickers and some gold ink spray to finish of my layout and add that last bit of my style. This layout came together super easily, mainly because you just can’t create something hideous with the collection. It’s just such a lovely and happy collection and I see myself using every last piece of it.

Thanks for joining me today! Enjoy your day!
xoLina

Love This | Storyteller | Lina Monaco

Happy Day Friends,
Lina here with you today with a sketch and my take on it. I used the Storyteller collection to document this photo of my oldest daughter and myself from this current summer! Autumn is on it’s way here in the Northern Hemisphere and as much as I love the fall, I’m not quite ready for summer to be over. So what better way to enjoy it than by scrapbooking a photo from it. Well, that’s my theory anyway.



The sketch I used is from Citrus Twist Kits and I really like the composition of it… it’s totally my style. Of course I tweaked it a bit to make it my own but for the most part, I stayed true to the sketch.
I began my layout with my first change and that was to use a 12×12 sheet of white paper. It’s the size I most enjoy creating my layouts with so why change it? I used some TH Distress Inks and a blending tool and pulled some varying shades of blues and greens to create the background you see. I sprinkled some water (just a bit) as not to distort my paper, let it sit for about a minute and then wiped it off with a clean paper towel. You can see that the water lifts the ink and creates a reverse splatter. Fun!


Next, I played with paper from the A5 Paper Stack to matte my black and white photo. I used a few different sheets to create a layered effect. I popped it up on dimensional foam and adhered it down using my hot glue gun. I also used a Pocket Card and adhered that down, on a slight angle, right next to my photo.


The sketch showed some cut strips of paper and I added the same. I cut mine on a slight angle and stuck them down slightly on top of each other. The papers I used are strips cut from full size 12×12 sheets of paper; Little Love and Cross It Off. I just adore the balance and grounding these few strips give to the layout.


Next, I embellished! I used pieces from the Floral Ephemera and the Die Cut Ephemera and created floral clusters around my photo and Pocket Card. I also used the small typed phrases from the Accessory Stickers to add sentiment to my layout… plus, I just love the look. I think I used them in every layout! They’re just my fave! I also added some gold thread behind the further most back layer of my photo to add something different and texture. Finally, I added some yellow Puffy Stickers and some gold metallic spray splatters to finish off my layout.
This layout came together super quick and easy and I just adore how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate you being here! Enjoy the rest of your day!

xoLina

Love this Story | Storyteller | Lina Monaco

Hello my CVS family!
Lina, on the blog today sharing a layout I created using the latest collection, Storyteller. Can we just take a minute to appreciate the colour palette and versatility of this collection? Whether you’re documenting feminine or masculine photos, outdoor or indoor photos, this paper collection is perfect for any project!


Storyteller, is just full of opportunities to tell a story and I took full advantage of this. I began with the A5 Paper Stack cutting various strips of paper in varying lengths and widths. I arranged them on a white piece of cardstock and once I had them where I wanted them, I secured them down using glue. I decided to use a black and white photo so that it would not get lost in the sea of colour and patterns I was planning on using. I matted my photo with a simple navy blue patterned cardstock to ensure it stood out a bit.


For my title I knew with all certainty I wanted to use the Love this Story chipboard from the Chipboard Stickers. I popped it up with dimensional foam and nestled it next to my photo and began working from there. I really am fond of the height and dimension the foam gives. It just makes the title pop off the page.


Next, my favourite part… the embellishing. I used pieces from both the Die Cut Ephemera and the Floral Ephemera to add florals and add the “pretties”. I also used a few pieces from the Accessory Stickers to add some tabs and layering pieces to my photo. I used some gold thread, created a nest, and adhered a circle embellishment that reads “telling our story” on top.


To begin my “storytelling” I used the phrases from the Accessory Stickers to convey my message. I took inspiration from the phrases and typed out my journaling which is a piece written by Kierstin White that I just adore and feel to my core, printed it out on regular computer paper, cut it out and adhered it down.
Lastly, I rounded out my layout with a very good sprinkling of Puffy Stickers in a variety of colours. It just added the perfect final touch.

I hope you enjoyed my layout today as much as I loved creating it!
Enjoy your day!

xoLina

You’re Awesome | No Limits | Lina Monaco

Hello Friends,
Lina here today on the blog with a Throwback Thursday layout for you. I used the latest boy themed collection, No Limits, for my layout and I have no doubts that I made the correct decision with this one. It’s full of bright colours with fun accents and decor pieces such as lightning bolts, arrows and stars. I mean, it was an obvious choice for me!


For my layout, I decided I wanted to incorporate a grid of some sort. I wasn’t sure how I’d accomplish this right off the hop but after looking at my photos and noticing that I had printed off duplicates of this photo of my darling nephew, one in black and white and one in colour, I thought using the photos and pocket cards was the way to go. The background paper I used is called Stardust and it’s the most perfect aqua tone with splatters and distressing.
I matted my photos and two Pockets Cards with papers from the collection including Latitude, Nebula, and Big Bang. The pops of colours make my rainbow heart happy ☺️


For a pop of darker blue, I used two additional Pocket Cards to matte the original cards. I just adore how the inky blues subtly pop out from behind the cards, it just makes them leap off the page. I arranged both my photos and my Pocket Cards in a grid style and went to work on embellishing my layout.


I used the Die Cut Ephemera, Accessory Stickers, along with the Chipboard Stickers to add pops of embellishments around the page. I also used the Chipboard Stickers for my title, pulling “You’re Awesome” from the sheet. I adhered it down using hot glue on the edges and securing it down. I enjoy the loose and playful placement of the title as it adds a bit of whimsy in my opinion.


I continued to embellish the page with Puffy Stickers, tucking them in and around the layout. I felt the layout needed a bit more expression and sentiment and so I used some of the small phrases from the Accessory Sheet to add some much needed micro titles. This is how I personally convey sentiment on layouts as I almost never journal on them. If I want to document something specific, I do so on the back of the layout.


Lastly, as per my style, I finished off my layout with a good splattering of gold paint spray. I feel like it just pulls everything together and rounds out the layout nicely.
I hope you enjoyed my layout and wish you the best day!

xoLina

Petal Princess | Bohemian Dream | Lina Monaco

Hello crafty friends,
Lina here today on the blog and I am sharing my latest layout. This creation features the ever beautiful, Bohemian Dream with it’s rich hues of purples, blues and pinks. One of my all time favourite collections to work with because of all it’s whimsical additions such as butterflies, feathers and florals.


This layout all began with first choosing the photo and in this case I used this sweet photo of my eldest daughter holding a bouquet of wild daisies she picked herself. In this photo, she is wearing a light purple shirt and I wanted to play off of that. Bohemian Dream was the obvious choice for me. Then after knowing what photo I was going to use, I opened up my Silhouette Studio and created this cut file with some simple fonts from my computer. I welded the two fonts and then outlined them. The lining is plain white cardstock and I used the paper Dreamer, a glorious purple ombre, to cut the internal title for layering. I popped the title up on dimensional foam.


Next, I used two photos, one in black and white and one in colour, layering the colour on top. I matted both photos and tucked some patterned papers in and behind both photos using the 6×6 paper pad. Both the photos and the cut file are layered on the wonderful background paper called Abstract. It’s another purple ombre with a cool mandala-ish pattern.


For the embellishing, I used florals from the Die Cut Ephemera package and created a visual triangle, making three separate clusters. I also used a woodgrain chipboard frame from the Chipboard Stickers and tucked it in behind the florals and on top of the photos. I just love the look of the negative space of the frame. I also used some small type phrases from the Accessory Stickers to add some additional sentiments.


Lastly, I added pieces from the Vellum Accents package, both some foliage and butterflies. For the butterflies, I used the black and white ones and added a drop of glue to only the centers and folded up the wings so that they looked like they were in flight. This layout came together pretty quickly for me thanks to the use of a large cut file and double photos.

I hope you enjoyed this layout today and will join me back again soon. Have a great day!

xoLina

You Make Me Smile | Storyteller | Lina Monaco

Hello wonderful, scrappy friends!
Lina, here today on the blog sharing my very first layout with the brand spanking new, Storyteller collection. I know you’ve all heard me rave about how much I love certain collections, but this one, this one is my most favourite! It’s perfect! From it’s gender neutral colour palette, to the florals and ephemera…. it’s just a well rounded collection and I’m happy to have gotten my chance to play with it!


The photo I documented is of my youngest little girl, peace sign and big smile. I could not resist documenting this photo since all it’s colours coordinated perfectly with the collection. I matted the photo with the A5 Paper stack and popped it up on many layers of dimensional foam so that it sat on top of the rainbow die cut. The rainbow die cut is an image I found online, traced with my Silhouette Cameo and paper pieced with papers from the collection. I also cut stars, in multiple sizes to tuck into my layout as layering pieces. All of these elements sit on top of regular white cardstock that I matted with the 12×12, Little Love paper. It’s so sweet with it’s little colourful heart pattern with a navy blue background. It also features a yellow star pattern on the reverse that caught my eye.


The title is comprised of words from the Foam Title Stickers. And how fitting since this babe’s smile make me smile from ear to ear.
I also used some gold thread to create a little home for the Wood Button to sit on. This one is a darling little butterfly with a blue background. To finish off this bottom right corner of the layout, I added some phrases from the Accessory Stickers sheet and this conveys my feelings and emotions on my layout since I do not journal on my layouts.


For more embellishing, I used clusters in the top right corner of my photo and again at the bottom left. This along with my title creates a visual triangle that works in layouts and pleases the eye. I used some stars and pieces from both the Floral and Die Cut Ephemera packets. The ephemera in this collection is stunning and so sentimental as it pertains to telling a story and creating memories. I am just smitten by the collection itself… if you hadn’t noticed

Thanks a bunch for joining me on the blog today and I hope you enjoyed my layout!
xoLina

Hello Summer | These Days | Lina Monaco

Hello my friends! Lina here! And today, I am sharing a layout I created using the These Days collection. With all it’s bright summery colours and florals, I just could not resist!  I mean, it’s almost summer here in Canada and what a better way to kick it off!

I started with a cut file and used the papers The Good Life and Family Ties to paper piece the title. It’s all layered onto a white piece of cardstock and then popped up on dimensional foam for height. The title now has dimension and lift and adds a bit of something different. Next, I used a photo of my darling daughter from our last family summer vacation. The photo is matted with a variety of papers form the A5 Paper Stack and then popped up with dimensional foam.


Next, I started working on my clusters… I knew that I wanted to add 3 different ones to form a visual triangle. Next to my photo I created the main cluster and used a rainbow Pocket Card as my base and layered pretty pieces of Die Cut Ephemera and embellished with the Floral Ephemera. I mean, that bike is pretty special and needed to have a place on this layout. I added some foliage and greenery to really bring in that tropical element as well.


Embellishing my layouts is my most favourite part of creating any layout. I take great joy in adding bits and bobs to layouts to really round them out and make them my own. I added some metallic gold thread to the layout both behind my photo and title and in nest form so a precious wood button could sit. I just love the pop of gold peaking through; I feel it just adds that bit of extra texture and depth.


I kept this layout pretty clean (for my style) and didn’t fuss too much with it. I really wanted the photo, papers and title to be the main focus without them getting lost within all the pretty. I added a couple typed sentiments from the Accessory Stickers and hearts and butterflies from the ephemera packet and called this layout complete! Love how it turned out and I am officially ready for Summer!
Thanks a bunch for joining me today on the blog :)

xoLina

Picture Perfect Moments | These Days | Lina Monaco

Hello Friends!
Lina here with another layout using the ever beautiful and timeless, These Days collection. I thought it’d be a perfect collection to use to document a simple black and white photo of my daughter. If you’d like to watch the process video and how it all came together, click HERE to be taken to the Cocoa Vanilla Studio YouTube channel.


Using the rainbow ombre sheet of patterned paper called Daybreak, I used some Gesso and an old gift card and spread some of it in the top right hand corner of the paper. This will be where my photograph will sit and I wanted some contrast between the brightly coloured paper, my photo and the embellishments. I also took some of the gesso on a brush and splattered it down for a cool effect.
I then matted the background paper with the black and white patterned, Neighbourhood, and the green polkadot, Family Ties. I feel like all three patterns, although busy, work well with each other.


Next, time to embellish… I took pieces from both the Die Cut Ephemera and from the Floral Ephemera to create my clusters. I have one main one to the left side of my photo and then two smaller ones. One at the top right hand corner of my photo and the next, a much smaller one at the bottom left hand corner. These three clusters are dainty and simple as not to take away from the photo but add just the right amount of whimsy the layout needs.


I added tons of layers to the photo with matting using the A5 Paper Stack using papers that mixed well and many layers and tabs with the embellishing. Next, I added the lovely butterflies that are in the Die Cut Ephemera package to the page. I added hot glue to only the centers and lifted the wings up on either side so the butterflies looked like they are in flight.


To convey my message or journaling, I used the little typed sentiments from the Accessory Sticker sheet. That tiny type is my favourite and I ALWAYS gravitate to them for my “journaling”. It’s always just short and sweet and says exactly what I need it to. Lastly, a good sprinkling of some gold paint for good measure and to tie the entire layout together.

I hope you enjoyed my layout today, thanks for stopping by!

xoLina

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