Happy Arty Days

Shimmerz Paints: January 2020 Color Kitz Inspiration & Video!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back for more bright, colorful & shimmery inspiration with

my latest scrapbook layout (& process video) with the stunning new

Shimmerz Paints: January edition Color Kitz!

I know, amazing right?!

The Shimmerz Paints Color Kitz are bigger & better than ever before!

The new 2020 Kitz include exclusive colors and products to tie your whole page together. The January 2020 Collection includes the following colors and products:

Into The Woods Vibez

A new exclusive color to this kit.

This color is a vibrant hunter green hue with silver shimmer.

Before Dawn Vibez

A black pigment spray with shimmer.

Sage Advice Shimmerz

A new exclusive color to this kit.

This color is a soft and neutral sage green hue with shimmer mixed within.

For Shore Creameez

A cool neutral hue watercolor.

Silver Fox Shimmerz

A new exclusive color to this kit.

Silver fox is a silver hue paint with shimmer mixed within.

Sheer Bliss Inklingz

A skin tone neutral hue watercolor.

PLUS

4 journaling cards

1 exclusive Forest cut file created by Paige Taylor Evans

1 teaspoon package of Country Buttonz

1 set of "Happy Day" Dotz

Wow! That's one super impressive kit!

The creative possibilities with this Color Kit are endless, but I wanted to create a page that featured all.the.things!!! Here's what I created,

"Explorer"

Whoa! How awesome is this?!

The January edition Color Kitz was perfect for documenting my lil explorer!

Think great outdoors, adventuring and lake life! So cool!

You'll spy that I even added one extra color to the mix - Ultra Marine Shimmerz! This stunning hue of deep blue coordinated beautifully with the greens and grays of the January Kit! Love it!

Here's a closer look at my layout......

Yep, this is one super cool page for my little guy!

As soon as I saw the Forest cut file created by Paige Taylor Evans, I knew I would create a masculine layout! If you look closely at my darling boy's photo, you'll notice that his top has a very similar design on it! Awesome!

To create this layout, I began by filling sheets of paper with all the kit colors. While they were drying, I prepared the cut file. I cut it in plain white cardstock, and removed some of the cut pieces, while keeping others intact. The mix of inset and paper backed sections really added interest to the cut file.

The inset sun rays are left untouched, but I used the neutral For Shore Creameez to paint the mountain peaks and clouds....

Simple, but so effective!

The remaining sections of the sun are backed with the paper which I painted with Sheer Bliss Inklingz, and the mountains are backed with the new Silver Fox Shimmerz. SO good! La la love this new Shimmerz!

The trees are mostly backed with varying depths (paint coats) of Into The Woods Vibez, except for one which I backed with Sage Advice Shimmerz for a point of difference and interest. Here's a closer look at them....

Trees 1,2 & 4 are Into The Woods Vibez and tree 3 is Sage Advice Shimmerz. Such gorgeous colors!

I added in the Ultra Marine Shimmerz for the water element of the cut file, and I'm so glad I did! This bright pop of color adds just enough playfulness to the design without distracting from the beautiful January Color Kitz colors.

Before I adhered the Forest cut file to the Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Boys Rule pattern paper, I added lots of inky droplets, splatter and brush strokes to the pattern paper with the Before Dawn Vibez. Once dry, I foam mounted the cut file, and glued it to the inky base.

I have used the Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Boys Rule collection to embellish my page too, but it's those Happy Day Dotz that won me over! Aren't they fabulous?! I couldn't help myself, & used all of them to adorn my photo with! Yes, that good!

You'll also spy that I layered my photo cluster onto one of the journaling tags, and sprinkled a few of the teeny tiny buttons around the page. Told you I used all.the.things!

Such a cool kid page!

You can see how it all came together in my process video below....

Thanks so much for watching!

I hope I have inspired you to get creating today!

Remember! The Color Kitz are limited edition, so be sure to get yours HERE, before they're sold out! Type AMANDA in the comments section of your order & you'll receive a freebie paint too!

Yay!

Thanks again for stopping by,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Elle's Studio: Love You Lots Stamp Feature!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio awesomeness!

Today I am shining the product spotlight on the fabulous new, Love You Lots Stamp!

As always, the Elle's Studio stamps have my heart!

I mean seriously, Elle's Studio stamps are simply the BEST!

I get so excited for the stamp release every month - SO good!

But enough of the chatter, here's that amazing stamp in action with my latest layout,

"Love You"

Elle's Studio Supplies Featured: Love You Lots Stamp, Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack, I Adore You Stickers, La La Love You Puffy Stickers, Little Moments Leatherette Stickers.

Other: Machine Stitching, Scrapbook.Com Hybrid Premium Inks - Black & asstd. colors, Bazzill Basics Avalanche Cardstock.

Oh my heart! Love You Lots, indeed! What a terrific stamp set! From the fabulous hand drawn heart icons to the labels, phrases and sentiments, this stamp certainly has it all! I couldn't resist getting a bit inky and created a super sweet page of me and my true love!

Here's a closer look at my scrapbook page....

Isn't this just gorgeous?! Those hand drawn hearts inspired me to create a hearts on hearts design, and once I got stamping I just couldn't stop!

As my photo was black and white, I knew I could opt for any color scheme, and the pretty striped paper from the Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack was to good to refuse! It totally dictated the colors I chose to stamp with and gave me all the feels!

(Who doesn't love a rainbow of hearts, right?)

I trimmed my cardstock down to 11" x 12" and then butted strips of this awesome striped paper down the sides of my layout.

Next, I took a few of my fave coordinating ink pads and stamped up a variety of both the solid and hand drawn hearts. I fussy cut them out, and organized them into color order in accordance with the Love Is paper.  I then arranged them onto my cardstock base in a large heart shape. Rather than gluing, I machine stitched these hearts into place so that I could fold back the hearts to create a 'wing-like' dimensional effect. I just love how effective this looks! 

In keeping with the orderly design, I then repeat stamped a mix of the sentiments to fill the inside of the large heart. I loved how this looked, but to break up the monotony of the stamped words & add more visual appeal, I also added the occasional color coordinating sticker.

The mix of textures, in particular the combination of the puffy stickers, the leatherette stickers and the stamped and folded hearts really added that 'extra' something to this fun and playful design!

With so much color in the stamping, I wanted to keep my photograph simple and understated. I decided to avoid backing it with colorful paper, and instead just layered it over the fabulous larger stamped heart.

I embellished my photo with a sticker or two, but otherwise left it pretty plain so it would stand out against all that delicious inky color! Perfect!

For finishing touches and a polished look, I added the black sentiment La La Love You Puffy Stickers around the exterior of the large heart. Last but by no means least, I had to add some journaling with our amazing Love You Lots Stamp! Striking black ink ensured that this journal spot was easily identified and bold in its intention. Love it!

Bright & beautiful stamping for the win!

I hope I have inspired you to get a lil inky with the fabulous Love You Lots Stamp!

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Elle's Studio: January Reveal & Inspiration!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio inspiration!
Can you believe it's January and a new year, already?! Time really flies!

I am super excited to be sharing more Elle's Studio awesomeness with you & the January Kit and Add on items are going to have you swooning!
As always, I have a couple of projects to inspire you with - but first, let's take a look at the Elle's Studio January Kit & new releases!

January Exclusive Kit

Yesss!!! Just look at those fabulous prints & colors! LOVING!
But wait, there's soooooooo much more to love....

January New Releases & Add On items....

Oh.my.heart!!!

I'm drooling over this month's releases! Just check out the Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack and that amazing Love You Lots Stamp!!! Leatherette, and Puffy Stickers?!! Plus so much more!

January Printables & Digital Cut Files

Oh!!! All the pretty things!!! So much awesome product to get creating with!

***Shop ALL the new releases in the Elle's Studio shop HERE***

Need a lil inspiration?

Here's what I've created with these products so far....

"XO"

Oh what a soft and sweet page to document my two darlings with!

Elle's Studio Supplies: January Kit, Love You Lots Stamp, Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack, I Adore You Stickers, La La Love You Puffy Stickers, Little Moments Leatherette Stickers, You Are Loved Die Cuts, & XO Wood Veneer.

Other Supplies: Bazzill Basics Avalanche Cardstock, Machine Stitching, Sequins, Cyan Hybrid Ink.

So soft & pretty!

The colors in the January Kit & new release items had me instantly swooning! I just adore the pretty mix of peach and green with black, white & gray - simply stunning!

I love using hearts on my pages, so naturally I had to feature a few of them on my page. You'll spot that I stamped some hearts with the Love You Lots Stamp in cyan ink. I followed this with lots of layered Puffy Sticker, Leatherette Sticker & Die Cut hearts too! Inspired by the large veneer 'X' from the XO Wood Veneer, I decided to machine stitch through my array of hearts in an 'x' design.

I backed my darling photo with the woodgrain pattern paper, and a 3 x 4" note card, and then layered this stack through the center of my design.

I was smitten by the exclusive January Kit note card that read, " Love Is All The Moments You Share & The Memories You Make Together" & as such, decided to fussy cut this sentiment out and arrange it through my vertical design. So cool!

The use of the Wood Veneer XO was not only perfect for my title, but also added some warmth and balance to my design.

For finishing touches, I added a few of the I Adore You Stickers and a sprinkling of sequins!

Gorgeous!

My second layout is a sweet and romantic 8.5 x 11" page of me and my one true love....

"XOXO"

Nawww! So super sweet and adorable!

Elle's Studio Supplies: January Kit, Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack, I Adore You Stickers, La La Love You Puffy Stickers, Little Moments Leatherette Stickers, You Are Loved Die Cuts, & Wood Veneer Sweethearts.

Other Supplies: Bazzill Basics Avalanche Cardstock.

I couldn't resist a lil pretty in pink, and all the hearts for my sweetheart's page!

The Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack is my new favorite!

I loved that the black and white foliage pattern paper design is repeated in pink on one of the 4 x 6" note cards in the January Kit. I snipped it up to create the illusion of an extra pattern paper. I layered it beneath it's black and white counterpart, as well as used it to trim the very base of my layout. Such a great way to use the note cards if you're not a pocket page memory keeper! I also used the note cards from the January Kit to back my photo with.

How fabulous is the You Are Loved Die Cuts banner XOXO title?! Love it!

I'm also loving these Die Cuts layered together....

Yep, those layered hearts are errrything!

And I must mention those amazing tiny Wood Veneer Sweethearts! Aren't they just the perfect adornment to any Valentine's inspired project? Gorgeous!

So many lovelies in this release!

Shop them ALL in the Elle's Studio shop HERE

Be sure to stop by again on the 15th, as I'm shining the Product Spotlight on the wonderful

Love You Lots Stamp!

Yay!!!

'Til then,

Thanks so much for visiting,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Elle's Studio: 2020 Design Team Announcement!

Hi Friends!

Happy New Year!

I'm starting off 2020 with some super exciting news....

Yayyyyy!!!

I'm SO super excited and thankful to be remaining on the Elle's Studio Design Team for a third term!

Yipppeee! How lucky am I?! Beyond words excited!

I just LOVE creating with all Elle's amazing products! Happy dancing!

Please join me in congratulating my fellow teamies too!

Such an amazing and talented bunch of creatives!

You can visit Elle's Studio HERE to follow them all on the socials & see what they've been creating too!

In the meantime, be sure to visit my blog on the 10th of every month to see the latest kit reveal and add on items from Elle's Studio! I 'll always have some inspirational ideas on using these supplies, and lots of crafty goodness! Yay!

Here's a sneaky peek at using the new January products....

I know, right?!!! All.the.heart.eyes!!!

I can't wait to share more with you soon!

If you don't want to miss out on these amazing products be sure to start an Elle's Studio subscription - you'll instantly save 20% on your Exclusive Kit every month! Yessss!!!

***Shop all current Elle's Studio products HERE***

Thanks again for all your wonderful comments, and incredible support!

Hope your 2020 is off to a terrific start too!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: 2019 Favorites & Farewell

Hi Friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and are looking forward to 2020!

Today is bittersweet for me, as I celebrate another fabulous year of creating but also say farewell to Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

Happy tears as I look back on my very first layout for Cocoa Vanilla Studio, and acknowledge Zoe and her amazing efforts to build this incredible brand that we all know and love!

Please know that Cocoa Vanilla Studio maintains my utmost loyalty and admiration, but as life changes, so has my schedule. I am just not able to dedicate the time that this role deserves. I will continue to be an ambassador for Cocoa Vanilla Studio, and always hold this team close to my heart. It's been an incredible 5 years, and I can't send enough love and gratitude to Zoe, the team and to you, my faithful supporters!

Ok, so the tears are now welling up - so I better get started on sharing my projects before I totally lose it!

For my first project, I wanted to go back to where it all began & share the very first layout that I ever created for Cocoa Vanilla Studio....

"Happy Girls Are The Prettiest"

So beautiful!

Despite its age, this layout still captures me! Those pretty florals from the SUGAR & SPICE collection are still favourites of mine! So very lovely! And from those humble beginnings, my creating developed and evolved to be what it is today! And speaking of 'now' here are my Top 3 from 2019!

Coming in at number one, is this darling page with the gorgeous HAPPINESS collection.....

"Loving Every Second"

Sigh! This has my heart on so many levels!

The colors and florals win me every.single.time!!! Just stunning!

In a very close second place, is this whimsical dream catcher design featuring the gorgeous UNFORGETTABLE collection.....

"Living The Dream"

I just adore the dangling tassels and feathers at the base of the dreamcatcher - such a perfect adornment! And again, the colors and florals were the clear favorites for me in this collection too! Gimme ALL the florals!

Finally, in third place is another super pretty HAPPINESS collection page......

"Here & Now"

Swoon! Such a stunning wreath design!

And yes, fussy cut florals (and butterflies) for the win! I'm fairly predictable, lol!

To end my post today, I wanted to close with my final layout that I created for the CVS Design Team...

"Xmas Joy"

This was created with the beautiful UNFORGETTABLE collection, and seems appropriate to say farewell with, as Cocoa Vanilla Studio is truly Unforgettable!

Best wishes and all my love Zoe, Sue & past and present DT members!

It's been the most amazing crafty journey and I heart you all!

So now I'm a blubbering mess, and my tears won't stop....

Thank YOU for all your constant and amazing support,

Farewell Cocoa Vanilla Studio!

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Altenew: A Year In Review Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Friends!

Welcome to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I am so excited to be participating in the

Altenew: A Year In Review Blog Hop + Giveaway!

If you have arrived here from the awesome Virginia Lu's blog, then you're in the right place!
If not, you can get started at the Altenew Blog HERE or check the blog hop line up below...

Altenew Card Blog <-------------Start the Hop HERE!

Altenew Scrapbook Blog

Amanda Baldwin <--------------You are here

Nancy McClelland
Kymona Tracey

Like all good blog hops, there are some amazing prizes up for grabs!
Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners!
Yay!
Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog by 01/03/2020 for a chance to win. Random winners will also be chosen to win a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each stop on the hop.
All winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 01/06/2020.

Being a Guest Designer for Altenew during the year has been such an honor, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thankyou Altenew for this amazing opportunity!

During this time, I created quite a few projects, & today I am recapping the year by sharing my favorite 4!

Wow! So many pretties!

(It was actually hard to only pick 4 Altenew projects - every release has so much beauty!)

But here's what I came up with.....

Sigh! So soft and elegant!

I created this layout for the release of the Altenew: Live Your Dream collection, and let me tell you, I instantly fell in love with this beautiful scrapbook line!