wood epoxy buttons

So Funny | No Limits collection | Guest designer – Kellie Moore

Hi everyone, please welcome guest designer Kellie Moore to our blog today…

Hello CVS fans!
My name is Kellie Moore and I am very excited and honoured to be a guest designer for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I have been scrapbooking for around 15 years and it is my therapy and relaxation from the crazy times we are living in! I live on the gorgeous Tweed Coast with my husband and 3 boys, so when I was given the ‘No Limits’ collection to play with I was beyond excited and I have had so much fun with it. I will be sharing 4 projects with you over the coming month. I’m not sure how I would describe my style, I love layers and texture and every now and then having a small play with mixed media … I could live without paint but COULD NOT live without patterned paper! I hope you enjoy my creations and I inspire you to get crafty.
When I started on my first layout I loved the the subtle grey paper called ‘Universal’ so I decided to use that for my background. I cut this paper down to a 11.5 inch square and then created a mat around it with the ‘Latitude’ paper to bring a nice pop to the page… I really love how bright and fun those stripes are.
I decided for this page I wanted to scrap these 2 photos of my son being a goofball… my photos are slightly smaller than 6×4. I added a small white border around each photo then used red cardstock around one photo to help pull out the red in my sons shirt then used a piece of the yellow ‘Latitude’ paper to mat my other photo, Both pictures are popped up on some foam adhesive.
When I first opened the ephemera pack I immediately fell in love with the large stars and decided to make some sequin shakers with them. I pulled out some co-ordinating colours of sequins and added the stars diagonally … one to the top left and one to the bottom right of my photos to help create balance on the page, then added a smaller star to the bottom left to create a visual triangle.
Underneath my photos I wanted to add more pattern so I cut some strips of different papers and layered them to help fill the space.
For my title I pulled out the die cut titles and decided ‘So Funny’ was perfect for these photos . Again I popped the title up on foam to help it stand out on the page.
Now that the base of the page was done I added a few more pieces from the ephemera pack, chipboard pieces, puffy stickers and wood epoxy stickers to help finish off the page.
Lastly I added some phrase stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet that summed up my crazy boy.
I hope you enjoyed my first page for CVS and I will be back soon with my next creation.
Stay scrappy!
Kel

You’re Awesome | No Limits collection | Mandy Melville

Hello everyone,

Mandy here today to share another layout using the awesome new No Limits collection! My layout today is documenting some fun photos of my son Isaac, when he and I went out to dinner together. The colours and fun elements in the No Limits collection made it perfect for scrapbooking these photos, and I’m so glad to have these photos in his scrapbook as it was such a fun night that I want to remember!

I started this layout off with multiple layers of torn paper strips. I used the reverse side of the Universal paper as my background, as this provided a nice subtle base. I then added torn pieces of the teal Stardust and the orange Spark papers to the top of the page, and the dark Orbit and Stardust papers at the bottom. I love the texture and interest that these torn paper layers add to the page!

Next I added my photos to the layout. I matted them with the dark side of the Orbit patterned paper and then positioned them towards the top of the page, adhered slightly at an angle and overlapping, which helps to give the page some movement. I adhered the photo on the left with craft foam to add some dimension.

Of course I couldn’t resist fussy cutting some of the stars out of the Nebula patterned paper to embellish my layout with. I roughly followed the bottom edge of the orange patterned paper, scattering the stars along that line, which helps to draw the viewer’s eye from the photo on the left up to the photo on the right. I also added a few die cut and chipboard stars amongst the fussy cut ones, as well as a couple of the Wood Epoxy Buttons.

For my title I decided on using the words ‘You’re Awesome’ from the Die Cut Titles pack. I think that sums up what I think of my boy perfectly! I positioned the title underneath the photos, and then embellished around it with some more stars, a phrase that I fussy cut out of the Universal paper, and a little Chipboard banner.

To finish the page off, I wanted to add some journaling. I hadn’t left a lot of space, and the page was already pretty busy at this point, but it was important for me to document my feelings about these photos. So I typed my journaling on my typewriter and then squeezed it in the bottom left hand corner of the page. Even though that left not much white space on the layout, I’m glad that I got it on there, and I actually think the busyness of the layout complements the fun photos! And sometimes more is more, right?!

Thanks so much for joining me here on the blog today! I hope that you found some inspiration. I look forward to sharing some more layouts using this amazing collection soon!

Mandy x

Good Times | No Limits collection | Mandy Melville

Hello everyone!

Mandy here today and I’m so excited to be sharing my first layout using the brand new AMAZING No Limits collection! We all know that Cocoa Vanilla Studio does the best boy collections, and this one is no exception! I LOVE the gorgeous bright colours, the stars and the cute icons! It’s going to perfect for documenting photos of both my son and my hubby! And that’s just what I decided to scrapbook on my first layout using this collection – a happy snap of Andrew and Isaac together while we were out to dinner recently. I also decided to embrace all the stars and all the colours on this layout!

I started my layout off with a starburst cut file from the Paper Issues store, which I cut out of white cardstock and then backed with the Latitude paper. I used craft foam between the cardstock and patterned paper to create lots of depth and shadows. I also trimmed the white cardstock down to 11 1/4 inches, added some black machine stitching around the edge, and matted it on the dark side of the Orbit patterned paper.

I double matted my photo with papers from the A5 Paper Stack, choosing colours that matched with my husband’s shirt that he was wearing in the photo. The A5 papers are perfect for this, as the patterns are on a smaller scale, and it also means that you don’t have to cut into your 12 inch papers for just a small piece. I positioned my photo in the middle of the page so that the starburst looks like its exploding out from the photo!

Next I added my title on the bottom left hand corner of the photo using the fun Die Cut Titles. I chose the phrase ‘Good Times’, which suited my photo perfectly! There are so many words in this pack, making it super easy to add titles to your layouts. I  created a cluster around the title using some Die Cut Ephemera pieces, and a cute Wood Epoxy Button.

To balance out the cluster on the bottom left hand corner of the photo, I created another on the top right. Here I added a Die Cut globe, as well as a Chipboard arrow and star, and a little banner Sticker. I also tucked a Die Cut tag under the top of the photo and added another Wood Epoxy Button to the cluster. I like to make sure my clusters feel balanced by using similar elements in each.

To finish the layout off I decided to add even MORE stars!! I sprinkled around a few Die Cut stars, as well as some of the AWESOME star Puffy Stickers. I love these for adding a finishing touch to the page!

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I hope that you enjoyed taking a closer look at my first layout with the No Limits collection! I can’t wait to share another layout using this collection later in the month!

Mandy x

Home | These Days collection | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone, it’s Sue Plumb here today to share my latest design team project with you.

This week we are doing a scraplift theme with a twist, as the team have been tasked with scraplifting ourselves! I have to admit, it was a great excuse to look back over some of my Cocoa Vanilla projects from years gone by, but the task of choosing one was a bit like choosing a favourite child. In the end I decided on a layout from back in November 2018. It was created for the “Throwback Thursday” feature and I used the ‘Life is Beautiful’ collection, which was actually released back in Cocoa Vanilla’s first year back in 2015. This collection remains one of my all-time faves, and I still have some of it lovingly hoarded in my stash.

Here is my original layout…

For once, I actually scraplifted a layout and stuck pretty much to the original design. This was partly because I wanted to see if it would hold up to the test of time, but it was also because I was sick with COVID and was lacking in mojo and energy. So this scraplift couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

Here is my new layout using the gorgeous ‘These Days’ collection…

As you can see, I stuck very closely to my original design. I chose to document a photo of myself and my family in front of our new house that we recently purchased, and I knew this collection would be perfect for it. In particular, it was the Neighbourhood paper with all the sweet little houses that I had in mind. I combined this with the spotty print of the Take Flight paper and some strips of the pretty orange leafy pattern of the Wall of Fame paper as the base of my design. To add texture, I lightly distressed the outer edges of my papers.

With papers in place, it was time to start working on the other components. I decided to add two elements that I include on most of my current layouts that were missing from the original page – frayed gauze and a paper doily. I opted for a dark charcoal doily to tie in with the black of my photo, and I layered them on the background before sticking my photo on top.

Alongside my photo, I added the no place like home 3×4″ card from the Pocket Cards pack; whilst the oh happy day quote along the bottom edge of the photo was from the cut apart The Good Life paper.

I used pieces from the Floral Ephemera pack as the basis for my embellishment and title clusters. I added foam tape behind some of the flowers as I layered them, and I also bent the petals up away from the page to add dimension. In the cluster around the bottom left corner of my photo I added one of the Wood Epoxy Buttons to mimic the flair button from the original layout.

For the title cluster above my photo, I used the word home from the Foam Title Stickers, flowers from the Floral Ephemera pack and the small sweet flag from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. Being the butterfly lover I am, and also as a nod to all the butterflies on my original page, I couldn’t resist adding one of the butterflies (also from the ephemera pack).

A few finishing touches included a label from the Accessory Sticker sheet for my journalling and the date; small hearts from the Puffy Stickers pack added to my photo; and some small splatters of black ink around the page.

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

I would highly recommend scraplifting one of your own layouts if you are ever stuck for inspiration – just pick one you love and go for it! Stay tuned over the coming days for more scraplift inspiration from the team.

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Family Memories | Joyful collection | Tarrah McLean

Hi creative friends and Merry Christmas!

It’s Tarrah back with you today, I hope you are not going to crazy in this busy time of year and that you are getting some time to relax and enjoy your family or perhaps some crafting time?

I am very excited to be sharing a new layout with you featuring the gorgeous Joyful collection.

I decided to create a layout with some clusters built up at the top and bottom of my page, the bottom cluster includes the photo of my beautiful nieces dressed in their Christmas jumpers (they live in England)  to go to school recently. They are so adorable and this photo had perfect colours to match with the Joyful collection. I placed my title, made up of the gold title puffy stickers, in the centre of the page to balance out the top and bottom clusters.

On the right of my photo, I just had to add the super cute bear die-cut from the Ephemera pack! He is just gorgeous and it suits the page so well, looking as though he is cuddling up next to the girls. Under the photo, I layered the oval frame die-cut and placed one of the small puffy stickers at the top of the photo. To the left of the photo I added the tag die-cut and the super cute rabbit die-cut too. At the top I added some more tags with twine through the holes.

Some of the smaller embellishments I added were some of the gorgeous wood epoxy buttons and some of the chipboard icons. I also popped up some of the star die-cuts with foam tape and scattered these down the page to tie in the top and bottom clusters together. Lastly I stamped the date stamp and sprinkled some gold mist around my page.

Thanks for stopping by the Cocoa Vanilla blog today! I hope you enjoyed my layout as much as I enjoyed creating it?!

Check out the Cocoa Vanilla store if you would like to purchase the gorgeous Joyful collection!

Happy creating and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Tarrah x

CHRISTMAS JOY | JOYFUL | GWEN WRUCK

Hi Creative Friends,

Gwen back on the blog today with a new share using the ‘Joyful’ collection.  I am loving using these supplies for my Christmas scrapbooking this year.  Today I’m documenting a series of photos of my daughter from quite a few years back.  I don’t usually scrapbook with multiple photos so it’s nice to be able to do something a little different for this page and document this sweet little moment.

For this layout, I decided on a grid design.  To help me with that, I’m using the ‘Pocket Cards’.  I went ahead and chose several to create six blocks for the grid on my layout.  I’ve used the ‘Very Merry’ pattern paper for my background and the ‘Holly Days’ stripe pattern as my border.  I’ve also used this stripe to create my photo mats, making sure that I keep all of my stripes running left to right.

I’ve added in my signature stitching elements to the page as well, around the photos and also the border of the layout.  I’m loving this soft peach colour with this collection, it contrasts beautifully.

I was also keen to use the ‘Christmas Joy’ title from the ‘Chipboard Stickers Pack’.  It’s quite a substantial piece so I knew I had to get it into position early in the design.  I decided to centre it under two of my photos placed towards the left of the page.  To balance that out, I’ve placed my third photo towards the right hand side of my page.

I’ve then gone ahead and created several embellishment clusters, treating each block as a section but also making sure that everything balances out on the page overall.  I’ve mixed and matched elements from the ‘Die Cut Ephemera’ pack, the ‘Chipboard Stickers’, fussy cut florals from the ‘Tis the Season’ pattern paper, the ‘Accessory Stickers Sheet’ and even some of the ‘Epoxy Buttons’.

Once all of the embellishments were placed, I’ve gone back and added in some more stitching around the edges of each of the pocket cards which you can see here… AND… how sweet is this bunny from the ‘Die Cut Ephemera pack’?  I love how it sits on top of the wreath that is printed on the pocket card.  I’ve added mine here with dimensional tape to create layers on my page.

The shine of the gold foil on the elements in this collection is so lovely.  Here you can see the thickness of the chipboard in my title and that shine!

I have also made a YouTube video of my process which you can watch here:


I hope my layout has inspired you and that you are enjoying documenting your festive season.

Until next time,

Gwen

xo

Holly Jolly Christmas | Joyful Collection | Mandy Melville

Hello everyone!

Mandy here today to share some more inspiration featuring the gorgeous new Joyful collection! I’m absolutely loving using this collection to document some fun festive photos from Christmas last year, and on this layout I chose to scrapbook a beautiful photo of my girls on the day we decorated our tree.

I decided on using the Deck the Halls paper as the background for my layout, and I trimmed it down so that I could matt it with the gorgeous Tis the Season paper. I framed it with both the red and the floral side of the paper. The colours in this collection are so fresh and pretty, and I wanted to feature lots of those beautiful colours and patterns on this page.

Next I chose a few patterned papers from the A5 Paper Stack, and I layered them together to create a matt for for my photo to sit on. I outlined the pink paper with a white gel pen to give it some extra definition. I also matted my photo with a couple of the A5 papers, and then I adhered it with craft foam.

Of course I couldn’t resist fussy cutting some of those stunning florals on the Tis the Season paper! I created an embellishment cluster on the bottom left hand corner of the photo using the florals, and I also tucked in the sweetest little Chipboard bird, and a Wood Epoxy Button.

I created a second cluster of embellishments to the right of the photo. In this cluster I included another fussy cut floral, as well as a few Die Cuts, and another Wood Epoxy Button. I just love the adorable little woodland creatures in this collection! I also added a Chipboard banner on the top right hand corner of the photo. The gold foiling on the stickers in this collection adds such a nice touch to Christmas projects!

For my title I combined a couple of the little word stickers from the Accessory Sticker sheet with the ‘Jolly’ Die Cut, to create the phrase ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’. I added this along the bottom of my photo. To finish the layout off I sprinkled around some gold stars from the Puffy Gold Title Stickers.

Thank you so much for joining me here on the blog today! I hope that you’ve been inspired to get those festive photos scrapped using this beautiful collection!

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and I will see you back here on the blog in 2022!

Mandy x

Magical Moments | Joyful collection | Tarrah McLean

Hi creative friends!

Can you believe we are in December already?! Where has the time gone?! I know we say this every year but I am sure it gets faster each year!

Anyway it’s Tarrah here with you today and because it’s now December, I want to share all the Christmas things! I have created a new layout with a photo of my darling niece featuring the STUNNING NEW Joyful collection.

I created a pretty floral layout and began by fussy cutting out lots of those gorgeous florals from the Tis The Season paper. I did choose a plain white cardstock background however I did smoosh some distress oxide inks first. I mixed both Speckled Egg and a touch of Mermaid Lagoon to match the pretty teal colour in the Joyful collection. Lots of the mixed media did get covered up however you can see little hints of it if you look closely.

Once the ink was dry, I cut out the pink scalloped border strip from the Very Merry paper and adhered it horizontally to act as a ‘shelf’ on my page. I adhered my photo with a 3′ x 4′ card from the Pocket Card set and the oval scalloped frame die-cut from the ephemera pack down first and then began to arrange the florals either side of my photo. I knew I wanted them to frame my photo without overdoing it. I adhered the florals with different heights and types of adhesive to create shadows and dimension.

I also added some greenery from the ephemera die-cuts in the mix however most of it was fussy cut by hand. I added a wood epoxy button to the centres of 2 of the flowers. My title is made up of some words from the gorgeous gold puffy title stickers and I also added some of the small gold stars from the same pack. I also added a chipboard sticker just under my title and some of the tiny holly pieces from the Puffy Stickers either end of the chipboard piece. I trimmed down the white cardstock background and added 2 small clusters of flowers to the top and bottom, I then adhered the layout to the Making Spirits Bright paper and machine stitched a border around the very edge. To finish my page, I stamped the date stamp and sprinkled a fair bit of gold Heidi Colour Shine around my layout (yes I have been hoarding it)!

Thank you so much for stopping by the Cocoa Vanilla Studio blog today! I hope you enjoyed my layout as much as I enjoyed creating it?! I hope you feel inspired to check out the stunning new Joyful collection that is now in the Cocoa Vanilla online store.

Happy Christmas creating!

Tarrah x

OH WHAT FUN | JOYFUL | GWEN WRUCK

Hi Creative Friends,

Gwen on the blog today with my very first share using the new Joyful collection.  I adore this collection so so much, it’s so pretty AND it’s so easy to work with, this page was so fun to make!  I’m documenting a fun selfie that was taken of my family from a few years back including our sweet little Elf On The Shelf named Candy.  Have you started your Christmas scrapbooking yet?

The first paper I was drawn to in the collection was the ‘Holly Days’ paper.  I love the wreath design and it really helped me to pull this page together quickly.  I used the wreath as a guide for the design for the layout.

I have also used the ‘Making Spirits Bright’ pattern paper as a border for my layout base, the green is a really lovely tone and the print is so sweet.  I’ve used this same pattern paper to back a cut file, this one from CUT to YOU and then layered these cut file leaf pieces over a section of the wreath.  I’m using the leaves to add extra layers in the wreath for interest.  I’ve also fussy cut some florals from the ‘Tis the Season’ pattern paper and layered those into the wreath and cut file as well.  The idea was to take the one dimensional wreath that was printed on the pattern paper and make it layered and three dimensional.

I’ve added in my signature stitching around the photo as well as the layout edge which you can see here.

For my embellishments, I’ve kept them all running in the same direction as the wreath; circular around the page.  I’ve tried to just work with the flow of the layout around that feature.  I’ve mixed and matched elements from the ‘Die Cut Ephemera’ pack including this super sweet reindeer as well as the ‘Chipboard Stickers’ such as this one that says ‘Family Traditions’.

I’ve also added in several of the shimmery gold stars from the ‘Chipboard Pack’ and a flag and tab element from the ‘Die Cut Ephemera’ and ‘Chipboard Packs’.  To finish the page I added in one of the ‘Epoxy Buttons’, they are such a sweet element to add for dimension and texture.

I have made a YouTube process video for my share today which you can watch here:

I hope my page has inspired you to get Christmas crafting and to check out this beautiful collection.

Until next time,

Gwen

xo

HELLO SUNSHINE | ENDLESS SUMMER | GWEN WRUCK

Hi Creative friends,

Gwen back on the blog today with a stash busting share for you featuring the ‘Endless Summer‘ collection.  Whilst this collection is from a while ago now (2016), I still really love the soft tones in it and the sweet icons, they are perfect for documenting beach photos; these taken of my daughter many years ago.  I have quite a few embellishments for this line in my stash so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some of those used up as well!

The idea for the page was to create a landscape of sorts, with my photos sitting towards the bottom of the page and the top portion of the page being a pretty summer sky.  I’ve used the ‘Blue Skies’ pattern paper for my background and then created a frame with the ‘Sun Bleached’ ombre pattern paper.  I’ve used this paper to create photo mats for my photos as well.

For a fun element to add to my sky background, I’ve cut two paper kites using a cut file from CUT to YOU.  I’ve backed these in the ‘Sun Bleached’ pattern paper as well as the ‘Aloha’ pattern paper, a fun tropical floral print.  I’ve added some stitching detail to really make them a feature of the design.

My photos also have a stitched border added for extra detail and they run along the bottom of the edge of the layout.  I wanted them to feel grounded against my background.

With the photo and large cut file elements in place, now I get to audition the embellishments in the collection.  I noticed at this point that I had a lot of little sentiments to work with from the ‘Die Cut Ephemera’ pack as well as the ‘Accessory Stickers’.  I even had some that had been fussy cut from the ‘This and  That’ pattern paper.  I also had some of the ‘Flair Buttons’ in my stash and am happy to have included two on this layout.

Thinking about the way the eye will flow from the top of the page down to my photos and across to the left, I have nestled in elements along the left hand edge of my paper kites.  I’ve also added a longer sentiment at the bottom of the page to balance things out and help that bottom section feel more grounded.  Here you can see how the cloud icons in the background pattern paper are matched to the flair button.  I love this layered look.

I’ve then added in a floral sticker from the ‘Accessory Sticker Sheet’ (which I cut in half) as well as some other round elements to soften the look of the page and add more interest.  The different sized round elements really add to the dimension of the page as well.  Lastly, I’ve added in two of the die cut butterflies from the ‘Accessory Sticker Sheet’ as well as a couple of ‘Enamel Shapes’ as a last finishing detail.

I have made a YouTube process video for this one which you can watch here:

I hope this layout inspires you to dive into your stash and get creating!

Until next time,

Gwen

xo

 

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