Michelle Stokes

Leila the Magical | Happy Days Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hey Hey! IT’s Michelle here today with a new layout share featuring our AMAZING new collection – Happy Days. I am absolutely LOVING this collection and all its assortment of rainbow goodness, which helps when todays theme is to share my take on using 1 paper – 3 different ways. The paper in question – Sunshine Lollipops. SO much fun to create, lets take a look…

This layout was so much fun to create using this bright happy paper Sunshine Lollipops. I used both sides of the paper to create the rainbow burst edges of the heart, fussy cut rainbows for the embellishments and hand cut letters for Leila’s name using off cuts from the starburst ends.

Here’s a closer look at the gorgeous paper, its oh so pretty!

Theres a lot of colour on this page, so I made sure to balance it out with a lot of white space, and not additional pattern papers

To create the rainbow heart burst I first cut a large heart design on a piece of white cardstock to the right of centre so it would overlap the right edge of the layout. I then added machine stitching around the edge and adhered it in place using foam in only the very centre of the heart. I needed to be able to tuck the strips under this before adhering it completely.

Next I took an entire piece of the Sunshine Lollipops paper and scored lines in the middle of each coloured strip using the scoring blade of my trimmer, then I went along and cut each strip of colour out, then cut each strip in half (6 inches pieces) so that they were easier to manage. I folded each coloured strip along the score line for a little dimension and slightly distressed some of the edges before adhering under the giant white heart in rainbow order.

Once I had all the pieces spaced out evenly I adhered them 1 by 1 using roller adhesive tape, layering in different directions as I went. I trimmed each piece down, and flagged some of the ends for a little added detail.

Next up I sorted out the photos, adhered straight to the white heart without a layered paper stack to distract from the rest of the layout. A cute little moment of ‘Leila the Magical’ riding her trike and making her pinwheel spin

I colour co-ordinated all the embellishments around the layout using a perfect mix of fussy cut flowers from the Lush Blooms paper, some ephemera pieces, stickers and cute little rainbows, mini hearts and stars from the Sunshine Lollipops paper.

Love a good assortment of rainbow florals

I added the LOVE it piece from the Feel Good cut apart paper, along with the date tag

To create the magical title I fussy cut letters of Leila’s name from the left over Sunshine Lollipops coloured strips, added the word Magical cut from the Definitive paper, added some handwriting and cute little Puffy Alpha Stickers. So cute!

Here’s a final look at the entire layout.. What do you think ? I quite enjoy the fun heart burst effect those rainbow strips created.

Well friends thats all from me today, thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to share with us in the Facebook Community group if you play along with this same theme, and create something magical with 1 paper – 3 ways.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle x

 

1 Layout 2 Ways | Throwback Thursday | Michelle Stokes

Hey Hey! It’s Michelle back here with you today and I’ve got a fun creative share for you all. It’s Throwback Thursday today, the day where we throw it back to an old collection from our stash and make something magical. I chose to deep dive back into the These Days collection and came up with 2 layouts using the same design, inspired by quilt blocks.

I’ve been a little obsessed with watching quilting videos of late, and I knew that I should be able to incorporate a quilt block design into a layout, but I never thought they would come together this easy. With a few creative cuts of the 12×12 and A5 papers, I had the backgrounds together in no time at all and ready to document a few recent family photos.

First up is the white star background using white cardstock for the star pieces, and the DAYBREAK paper pieced around the edges of the star for a mixed media effect. I machine stitched around all pieces for added detail.

I layered scraps of A5 papers behind the photo and adhered 0n to the background using foam pieces for dimension. This helps when tucking florals in underneath to give a deeper layered effect.

I used fussy cut florals from the HOME GROWN paper in both 12×12 and A5 paper sizes for the clusters on both layouts with the addition of butterflies from the TAKE FLIGHT papers and a Gold Glitter heart

I used a mix of ephemera pieces, stickers and Foam title stickers to create the title of this layout, mixing in more fussy cut florals to the sides to balance the layout with colours and pretty elements

I really like how this layout came together, so much so that I ended up creating the 2nd layout, this time switching the pattern papers up to be a complimentary mix for the star design and the white cardstock as the edges.

Most of the patterns used for this came from the A5 paper stack, including the piece under the photo and the mini journal sentiment card to the right.

I used all the same elements on this layout as I did the previous, just mixed it up in a different way

The title for this is made up of ephemera pieces “Sweet Picture Perfect Moments”  that Ive adhered to the page using foam tape to give it a little pop of dimension. Yes I use this word alot haha its the only way I know to explain what foam tape does lol

Well friends thats all from me today. Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations. I cant wait to come back in a couple weeks and share my next layout using the amazing NEW Happy Days Collection.

Until then, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

 

 

 

Easter Gift Tags | These Days Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hello Hello, it’s Michelle here today with a fun gift tag project to share with you all. After a few years of minor easter celebrations due to Covid (and another thats about to be spent in ISO again) I was lacking in photos to scrap so I made these cute little gift tags to add to our family Easter presents.

I’ve used the These Days collection, some cute bunny cut files from the silhouette store and a couple of mini paper treat bags that I made and now they’re ready for gifting to our loved ones when were well enough to see them.

I used papers from the A5 paper stack to create the Bunnies and the strips layered behind. I mixed up the patterns to create some really pretty bundles then tied string bows around the necks. I couldn’t not add some fussy cut flowers which I adhered using glue dots, then stapled on the pom pom trim and the Hip Hop Happy Easter tags into place.

Here’s a close up of each

So cute! I might have to make some more so that I can keep one for myself.

Once these were made I worked on creating some mini treat bags. I searched the inter webs high and low, but I couldn’t find a pattern or tutorial anywhere for the type of bag I wanted to use so I just winged it with some rough measurements and so far they’ve not fallen apart. They came together really well once I tied the tags onto them

I made 4 of these little bags using pieces of 12×12 cardstock that I cut down to an 8x12inch piece. I used my scoring blade in my paper trimmer to score lines to assist in folding and gluing together then added the bunny tags using some white ribbon that I had in my stash. I’ll work on making a tutorial for how I made them if anyone is interested, just leave me a comment below.

The other 2 tags I added to some larger white paper bags for the smaller kids in the family

You can find bags like these in Art n Craft stores, or even discount stores in packs of different colours. They’re the perfect size for small gifts

Well friends thats all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this quick little gift tag idea, it really was a lot of fun to create.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Michelle x

Home Is | These Days Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hey Everyone, It’s Michelle here today with a little scrappy inspiration featuring the These Days Collection. I made both a layout and a couple of cards that can be shown off in a frame as part of your home decor so I think thats a win for today. Lets take a walk through how it all came together..

First up we will start with the layout. I fell in love with the little village of houses on the Neighbourhood paper the minute I saw it, but could never think of the right way to show them off. That was until recently when I had an idea to fussy cut them all out and line them up with some ‘grass’ and other bits to make one of the cutest layouts I think I’ve ever made.

I chopped my white cardstock into 3 even strips that I could line the houses up on, then sewed strips of the green and white spotted paper ‘Family Ties‘ to create the grass. I used a pair of herb shredder scissors that are pretty much the same as a pair of fringing scissors, I just felt these scissors would be better suited to my craft room than left in the trusty kitchen gadget draw haha.

I added machine stitching to each green strip then fluffed up the grass and added all the tiny houses to the rows.

I even added in a couple of trees, some mini potted plants, happy dogs and rabbits, some of the little people and a bike. Sweet tiny details that really made the layout come together.

Once I had the rows of houses sorted out and adhered with foam, I glued the 3 white cardstock strips onto a second piece of white cardstock, spacing them out evenly down the page, then I moved on to creating a mixed title

I used both the foam title stickers and mini alphabet stickers to combine together in a mixed font title. I sewed through all the pieces to keep them in place as I’d moved them around that many times to find the right place that they had lost their stickiness.

Next up I added my photos to the layout. I chose 2 family photos that worked with the title that I had created and printed them out in black and white so they didn’t clash with all the pretty house colours. I tucked the photos in the gaps I created between a few of the houses in 2 of the rows and popped them up slightly using foam behind them.

It may have taken many tries to get this recent family photo, with plenty of giggles in between.

I used some of the sweet little puffy heart stickers from the puffy stickers pack to create little puffs of smoke from a couple of the chimneys

Then splattered the white space with gold ink to create a star like sky, even though I haven’t used a dark background.

I really enjoyed creating this little village, so much so that I don’t think its going to be added to an album any time soon, I think it deserves to be out on show in a shadowbox frame for all to enjoy.

Speaking of enjoying crafty things, I had a couple of little houses left over that I thought I would make a couple of cards that can be interchanged in a frame and kept out on display in our living room.

I used all the same elements for these that I did in the layout, just in a 4x6inch size. Going to have a hard time switching them around that I might need a second frame to add to a different area of the house and make use of both cards at the same time.

Well friends, Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my creations using the These Days Collection. Be sure to check out the shop for the epic sale on this very collection, then we can all have little villages on layouts! If you do recreate this layout for your own family, please share it with us in the Facebook Community Group so that I can see how yours came together. I love seeing layouts that have been inspired by my own.

Thats all from me today.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle x

 

 

 

 

 

First day of Grade Six | Storyteller | Michelle Stokes

Hey Everyone it’s Michelle back with you today to share a super quick layout featuring the amazing Storyteller Collection. I’m still loving this collection with all its bright primary colours, perfect for documenting some first day of school photos that almost didn’t make it to print!

I knew I wanted to create something fast, simple and pretty all at the same time, and as we’re still in the month of ‘love’ I felt it needed to incorporate some kind of large heart design along with groups of pretty florals. The layout ended up being exactly what I was aiming for and will be a well cherished addition to Leila’s childhood albums for years to come.

I started off by finding a generic heart shape through google, and cutting the large shape out in the middle of some white cardstock using my silhouette. I adhered this piece to a second layer of white cardstock using foam sheets to give it some flat dimension.

I knew I’d be adding lots of colours to the layout in the way of floral clusters, so to avoid any pattern/ colour clashing I printed the photos of Leila in Black and White at just a smidge over 3x2inch size. I backed both photos with the woodgrain paper (Cross it Off) from the collection, added a couple of accessory stickers and adhered these pieces to the left of the heart using more foam sheeting to pop them up off the page a little.

The floral clusters came together so nicely but were probably the parts of the layout that took the longest. Fussy cutting is quite therapeutic, yet time consuming. I added a mix of ephemera pieces and accessory stickers to each of the groups to mix them up. The beautiful florals are from a mix of both the 12×12 and A5 version of the Spring Fling paper.

I used a mix of adhesives for the clusters, mostly foam tape and glue dots for slight dimension.

There’s also a sneaky enamel heart within each cluster for a finishing touch within each group.

I created a mixed font title using the usual blend of both handwritten text and my beloved white alpha stickers, with the addition of machine stitching for extra detail and to keep them in place.

Here’s a closer look at how sweet these alphas are, lets all keep our fingers and toes crossed that they make an appearance back in the CVS store sometime in the future as they really are the best for creating titles with.

I added the usual gold ink splatters around the layout to finish it all off to, something I do to all layouts to make them feel complete.

Here’s one final look at the entire layout and all its white space goodness!

Well thats all from me today, thank you so much for stopping by to see another of my crafty creations using the Storyteller Collection. I hope you’re all still loving this collection as much as we all are, but I bet you’re all itching to see what the amazing Zoe comes up with next. Be sure to keep an eye on all our Social Media Channels for more scrappy inspiration from all the team here at Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle x

 

Holly Jolly Christmas | Merry & Bright Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hello Hello! It’s Michelle here today with a new layout share for you all. I’ve continued on with my Christmas crafting in January using the Merry & Bright Collection and a bunch of fun and oh so flattering photos from Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning.

I based this layout off one that I made a few years back that grouped photos together over a chunk of pattern paper with a big floral cluster underneath. This was a fun layout to recreate, even with the cringeworthy photos I chose.

All papers used are from the Merry & Bright Collection with a mix of both 12×12 and A5 papers used. Jingle all the Way was the paper of choice to use behind all the photos, combined with a strip of Happy Holidays to use as a base for the title.

I added a massive cluster of florals under the title banner using the wreath design from the Happy Holidays paper along with a mix of ephemera and fussy cut florals from the A5 version of Joy to the World.

Different forms of adhesive used for this cluster to achieve dimension of all kinds.

I used my all time favourite white alphas for the title, with a pop of machine stitching to keep them in place for years to come.

I added more fussy cut florals around the page and tucked in ephemera pieces, accessory stickers and even layered in a couple of old school doilies within the photo groups. Also, please excuse the hot mess shown above, we were having a little too much fun with the photo booth set up haha

Even the sweet doggo’s made an appearance in this layout.

The papers used to back the photos all came from scraps I had left from past projects, with the addition of some vellum behind a couple.

Here’s a final look at the entire layout, splattered with gold ink to finish it off.

Well thats all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle x

Springtime Memories | Storyteller Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hey Scrappy Friends, it’s Michelle back here today with a new layout to share with you all. This one was really fun to create as I was given the task to scrap-lift a layout of fellow DT Member Josephine. I’ve used the Storyteller Collection and a little mixed media to pull it all together to document a little trip down memory lane

Josephine’s layout which you will see below, has a season vibe with loads of florals, circular pieces for the main feature of the layout, a splattering of mixed media with a mixed font title. I used all of those elements within my layout but changed up the central piece to be a hexagon shape and documented a photo from a different season. Just a couple of minor changes, just to make it look a little different, while also staying true to the original so that you know I’ve scrap-lifted it.

Here’s the layout I chose for my inspiration…

I think I did a pretty decent job at recreating my own version of the layout, using different shapes for the main feature, while also tying in all the same elements around the entire layout. Here’s a closer look..

I added machine stitching around the hexagons before layering them together with the photo, adding foam for dimension between the layers. Both papers used for the hexagons are in the A5 paper stack – the Woodgrain for the larger and the blue spotfor the smaller.

I used the florals in the Floral Ephemera pack for the giant clusters either side of the hexagons, with the addition of some tiny fussy cut florals and other ephemera pieces from the main ephemera pack

on the bottom cluster I used all the same elements as the other cluster while also incorporating a fussy cut butterfly and sticker banner from the Accessory sticker sheet. I used a range of adhesives in both clusters to give different pops of dimension.

To create the title I dipped into my super old stash of barley there alphabet stickers, my favourite white alphas and one of the very first sets ever made in the woodgrain colour for the bottom word. I sewed through all the stickers to ensure they stay put for years to come, but also to enable me to give the white ones a little pop off the page by folding them up 

Here’s a closer peek above too at the poor attempt at mixed media that I added to the layout lol there was more, but it got covered up

And one final look at the entire layout. Let me know how you think I went in scrap lifting Josephine’s page in the comments

Well that all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by. Be sure to share all the layouts you scrap lift of ours with us in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community Group on Facebook. We love to see what’s inspired you to create!

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle x

Soup & Sangas | Storyteller Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hey Hey! It’s Michelle here today with a new layout to share with you all using the Storyteller Collection. This layout was inspired by our current Monthly Challenge board and I have to admit, of all the layouts I’ve ever made in the past, this would have to be the most random subject I’ve documented lol

Inspired by the pumpkins on the board, I went down a soup making rabbit hole and came up with this creation using a pumpkin design cut file from CUT to YOU.

There are so many different ideas that come from this board, it was quick tricky to figure out what would work for me and the random photos we take as a family each year.

The piles of pumpkins had me, and I got to work in silhouette studio resizing the CUT to YOU pumpkin file to create 1 large pumpkin to sit in the background of the layout and a second smaller pumpkin to act as the base for the title I was adding to the layout.

I used the Oh My Heart paper to cut out the pumpkins and backed the larger size with some vellum and the smaller with a pink paper from the A5 paper stack. Both pumpkins were adhered to the layout over the torn woodgrain strip (Cross if Off) using both double sided foam tape and thicker foam sheeting to add a slight hint of dimension.

I used multiple photos of my soup and sanga making time, printed out in a 3.7inch grid then cut into strips to overlay each other. I used the cute little rainbow hearts paper from the A5 paper stack for layering underneath then embellished with an accessory word sticker and label from the Story Time cut apart paper.

Next up I added the title using my beloved white alphas adding machine stitching to hold them in place, whilst adding a little pop of texture to the layout.

On both pumpkins I created a cluster on top of the leaf area, using multiple fussy cut florals in all sizes from the A5 paper stack version of Spring Fling. Slowly but surely I am making my way through all those tiny sweet flowers

I also strung a tag from the ephemera pack to the top of the larger pumpkin and adhered it to the cardstock using foam tape

Here’s a closer look at the florals cluster on the smaller pumpkin, using a mix of adhesives for varying layers of dimension. Tacky glue, glue dots and foam tape would have to be the most used items in my stash.

1 final cluster added to create the visual triangle of embellishments on the layout, then the usual splattering of gold ink to finish it all off..

Super quick and easy layout to recreate if the need be, other than all the fussy cutting of florals that is.

Here’s one final look at the end result..

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing where my inspiration of our current Monthly Challenge board took me, I certainly enjoyed creating it.

Please be sure to check out the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community Group on Facebook to see all the other entries, and enter your own for a chance to win. We really to love to see what you all create, and where your inspiration takes you each month.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!
Michelle

Beautiful You | Storyteller Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hey there Scrappy Friends! It’s Michelle back here with you today to share my newest creation using the Storyteller Collection. For this layout I wanted to document a couple of photos of Leila (being Leila) hanging out being the superstar that she is at her birthday celebrations last year. Hard to believe that in just 2 more months she will be 12!

I wanted to keep this layout pretty simple, with just a couple of photos, a ‘tidy’ background and my trademark floral clusters. I used the green circular pattern design from the back of the FLY AWAY paper and fussy cut 3 lines out using both scissors and my craft knife for all the inner pieces. Once ready I adhered in the top half of the white cardstock, roughly just above the centre line of the paper. I used double sided foam tape to lift it off the page just slightly.

I can’t take credit for these 2 magical photos, Leila’s aunty managed to capture them while the kids were happy playing in the massive play room while we had dinner. I kept them black and white so not to clash with the colours of the beautiful Storyteller Collection. I used 3×4 cards to back the photos before adhering to the middle of the green circles with foam for an extra pop of dimension.

Clusters created on either side of the photos using both fussy cut florals from the SPRING FLING paper (A5 paper stack size), flag banners from the ephemera pack, word flags from the STORY TIME cut apart paper, wood buttons and black foam hearts from the foam title stickers pack.

Totally obsessed with floral clusters, so much so that I ended up creating clusters similar to ones I’ve made previously. I just cant help it when florals are so so pretty and work so well in certain combinations.

These foam title stickers are the best for creating a good quick title that has impact on the page, they’re a beautiful product to work with too.

I added one last little cluster at the bottom of the layout layered together with another strip of green circles from the FLY AWAY paper, then splattered the entire layout with gold ink to finish it all off.

Here’s one more look at the entire layout, such a quick layout to recreate when you’ve got a couple of photos to document.

Well friends, thats all from me for today. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping
Michelle xx

Precious Moments Together | Storyteller Collection | Michelle Stokes

Hello Hello! It’s Michelle here today to share another layout for our month of sketch inspiration using the wonderful Storyteller Collection. I had so much fun creating my last layout that I thought, why not create another using a fun sketch from Page Maps. This one was based on a grid design and brings together multiple photos to tell a story, perfect for sharing one about a new blossoming doggy friendship.

We recently welcomed another sweet pup into our home, his name is Sonny and boy is he a handful. He’s the most hilarious little ball of fluff we’ve ever encountered, and is a great new addition to our little family. Our first doggo Daisy only took a few days to get use to having him around, and so far they seem like they’re going to be the very best of friends.

As you could imagine theres been a lot of photo taking in the last few days, so it was hard to narrow the selection down to just 4 for this project. I edited them all using an iPhone app and printed them out in black and white as per the size on the sketch below.

The sketch I was inspired by from the Page Maps website has a grid of pattern papers with 4 photos across the middle, machine stitching around the edges and clusters of flowers. I love creating with sketches as it takes the guess work out of how to start a layout when you’re stuck in a creative ‘rut’.

Seeing this little friendship begin has been so magical..

I used 4 different pattern papers from the A5 paper stack cut down to roughly 4inch squares, distressed the edges slightly and adhered to the white cardstock using pieces of foam sheet to raise them up off the page. I sewed around the edges next using my machine and some off white coloured thread.

I added the photos across the middle of the layout using the same foam sheets to add a little more dimension to the layout.

Next I worked on creating the clusters, bottom right was first using the ‘Love this’ tag from the STORY TIME cut apart sheet, a bunch of florals fussy cut from the A5 version of SPRING FLING,  journaling tag from the EPHEMERA pack, black heart from the FOAM TITLES pack and sticker from the ACCESSORY STICKER sheet.

In the top left corner I added another cluster of fussy cut florals, black heart and ephemera pieces. Using coordinating elements within all the clusters on a page really helps to give it a cohesive look

I added the title to the top left of the grid cluster also, using a mix of both a word from the FOAM TITLE STICKERs and a piece from the EPHEMERA pack

In the top right corner I created a smaller cluster, again using the same floral elements as the other 2 clusters. I used different types of adhesives in all 3 clusters to create different heights of dimension giving the clusters a more 3D feel. My go to adhesives for this are double sided foam tape, sticky thumb ‘sticky dots’ and tacky glue.

I added the usual splattering of gold ink to the layout after adding some hand written text to the journalling card

Here’s one last look at the entire layout..

Well thats all from me today, thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing another sketch inspired post from me, and the rest of the team this month. It sure was a fun theme for us to be inspired by. Be sure to share your sketch inspired layouts with us in the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Community Group on Facebook, we love seeing what you all create using the CVS Collections!

Until next time, Happy Scrapping
Michelle x

 

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