Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Unforgettable - Love This!

Hi Creative Friends!

Welcome back for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio inspiration!

Today I am sharing a super pretty layout with the beautiful new UNFORGETTABLE collection. You'll spy lots of fussy cutting, butterflies & blooms and,discover which pattern paper is my new favorite! 

But enough chatter, here's my latest creation with UNFORGETTABLE.....

"Love This" 

Sigh! Love this, indeed! Such a beautiful layout of my two darlings!

And as for my new favorite pattern paper? Well, it has to be that divine wreath paper, CV-003 GARLAND - gosh it's so super pretty!!! 

You'll notice that I actually used two sheets of CV-003 GARLAND to create today's scrapbook page!

I started my layout with GARLAND as the base, but wanted to do a little more to highlight it's magnificence. I loved the mint arc in the wreath, and decided to 'fill' inside the wreath with this very same colour (which happens to be the reverse side of - you guessed it, the GARLAND paper!). 

To fill this space, I used a Cut To You cut file called, Flower Circle and backed the flowers and leaves with an assortment of papers from the 6 x 8 PAPER STACK.  

Next, I backed the entire circle with the reverse side of GARLAND - I just love mint watercolor wash of this pattern! 

Here's a closer look....

As I'd already cut into a second sheet of GARLAND, I decided to make the most of it, and fussy cut the floral section of the wreath. I foam mounted both the cut file and fussy cut blooms, and adhered them to the layout. I positioned the Flower Circle in the center of the wreath, and layered the fussy cut GARLAND blooms around the edge of it. By doing this, it revealed the original wreath below, and created the appearance of a thicker & fuller arrangement of blooms. Gor-jus!!!

Aren't those florals just errrrything?!! LOVE!

I tucked my darling photograph into the top right section of both the cut file & fussy cut wreath, and embellished it with the 'smile' FLAIR BUTTON. Next, I fussy cut a large pink butterfly from pattern paper, CV-UF004 PRETTY BITS and tucked it beneath my photo. To enhance this decoration, I added two more butterflies around my photo - a CLEAR STICKER butterfly, and a DIE CUT EPHEMERA piece!

There's no denying that UNFORGETTABLE is the prettiest release of 2019! 

So.much.gorgeousness!!!

The new FOAM TITLE STICKERS are all kinds of awesomeness too! 

I curved my love this title around the outer edge of the wreath arc, and then embellished with a couple more butterflies...

For finishing touches, I added a tiny spot of journaling with the sentiment stickers from the ACCESSORY STICKERS sheet.

Simple, beautiful creating with the new UNFORGETTABLE collection!

I hope my layout has inspired you to get creating with some Cocoa Vanilla Studio lovelies today!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Cocoa Vanilla Studio & Retro Hip Magazine!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio inspiration! 

Today I am sharing a slightly different take on the Throwback Thursday post!

That's right folks! 

I have been getting my 'retro' on and created a Cocoa Vanilla Studio: MORE THAN WORDS delight for Issue 8 of Retro Hip Magazine! Yay!!!

Normally you have to purchase the magazine to see the full projects, but as a special treat for all of you, I have the editor's permission to share this wonderful layout,

"Sweet Thing"

Oh my heart!

Isn't this stunning?!! Throwback Thursday never looked so fresh & new! 

Such an exquisite page!

This layout was created for a special feature on how to make white space work for your designs. I just LOVE using white space to draw attention to my photos, and maximize overall design interest. I used one of my all time favorite Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections; MORE THAN WORDS, some light mixed media and a whole lotta fussy cutting to create this lovely layout. 

You can read the full article in Issue 8 of Retro Hip Magazine here, and by the way, code FRIEND10 will save you 10% off this issue!

In the meantime, here's how I made this beautiful layout....

I started with 12 x 12" white cardstock which I trimmed to 12 x 11 1/2". Next, I machine stitched a half inch strip of pattern paper, CV-MT001 PRECIOUS onto the right hand side of the layout. I used the packaging technique with Shimmerz Vibez in Pop Art Pink, and added a few splatters too! While this dried, I began fussy cutting butterflies from pattern papers, CV-MT003 GOSSAMER, CV-MT004 COLLAGE, & CV-MT006 TREASURE. I also fussy cut the sweet thing wreath from the TREASURE paper too. I then arranged the butterflies, with my sweet photo onto the peach watercolor base.

Here's a closer look....

I tucked in a few DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms into the photo cluster, and added a DIE CUT sentiment banner onto my photograph too. SO pretty!!!

Next I added that fussy cut sweet thing wreath, and a CHIPBOARD STICKER butterfly....

So many pretty details!

You'll notice that I used a few pretty sequins from the Summer Morn' set from SpiegelMom Scraps, as well as a good sprinkling of the MORE THAN WORDS ENAMEL SHAPES. 

For the finishing touch, I fussy cut the sweet heart sentiment from pattern paper, CV-MT006 TREASURE, and layered it over one of the butterflies with foam tape. I just love how effective this looks!

Such a pretty page for my sweet girl!

And there you have it!

Simple, beautiful, elegant!

Throwback Thursday made fresh and pretty!

I do hope you'll check out my article in Issue 8 of Retro Hip Magazine for all my tips on maximizing white space for your scrapbook layouts!

**Oh, if your shopping in the Shimmerz Paints store, type AMANDA in the comments section of your order for a FREE paint! ** 

Thanks so much for stopping by,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Unforgettable Fall Layout!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio inspiration!

Today I am sharing my very first creation with the stunning new UNFORGETTABLE collection!

There are so many gorgeous papers and endless possibilities with this collection, and I wanted to showcase a few of them!

Here's what I created,

"Bloom & Grow" 

Oh wow! Isn't this just divine?!!

When I first saw the UNFORGETTABLE collection, I was immediately struck by the cleverness of Zoe Pearn - a floral collection that reflected both Spring & Fall! Florals and blooms to suit both hemispheres - sheer brilliance! I was also impressed by the whimsical & somewhat bohemian feel that UNFORGETTABLE evoked!

With Fall as my favorite season, I just had to create an Autumnal page for my sweet girl! Here's a closer look for you....

Gosh it's so pretty!!!

For that warm & outdoorsy feel, I used the lovely CV-UF008 NATURAL BEAUTY woodgrain pattern paper as my layout base. Next I added the two large concentric hearts to the center of the page. The larger heart is a beautiful vermilion floral pattern paper from the reverse side of CV-UF005 LACEWING. Did I mention it had my heart swooning?! Such a rich and elegant pattern design - LOVE!!! The smaller heart is cut from simple white cardstock. With a 'clean' white base, attention is drawn immediately to my photograph - perfect!

I positioned my darling daughter's picture onto a base of 3 x 4 note cards which I cut from pattern paper, CV-UF004 PRETTY BITS, and then glued the layers to the center of the page. For the embellishments tucked in and around my photo, I started with 3 larger fussy cut butterflies. These were also cut from the CV-UF004 LOVELY BITS paper (& yes, I used two sheets of this paper so that I could keep to my color scheme). Next I added that fabulous FLAIR BUTTON love this, & the two DIE CUT EPHEMERA pieces. And lastly, the CLEAR STICKER leaves tucked under the layers, and that super sweet butterfly to the bottom of the cluster. That smaller butterfly, and the others that you spy on my page, were all fussy cut from pattern paper CV-005 LACEWING - that paper may be my number one pick from this collection! SO incredibly beautiful!

Here's a closer view of the photo cluster details....

Simply stunning!

As you travel around the layout, you'll notice all the LACEWING fussy cut butterflies either tucked in or on the hearts. I include DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms, foliage & even an arrow or two for added interest. CLEAR STICKERS also adorn the embellishment clusters and enhance the heart design.

The new FOAM TITLE STICKERS were the perfect go-to option for my layout title. The swirly font is super pretty, and the black foam is really striking on the woodgrain paper. I am also impressed with how easily they were to remove from the packaging, and to apply to my project. A new favorite product to the Cocoa Vanilla Studio range!

I arranged the 'grow' part of my title at the base of my layout, and adorned it with a couple of leafy fronds from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack...

Those FOAM TITLE STICKERS are really somethin'!

So many beautiful papers and embellishments!

For a finished look, I scattered a few white ENAMEL DOTS throughout the design.

Volia!

Simple, Timeless & Beautiful.

The new UNFORGETTABLE collection is breathtakingly gorgeous & will suit whichever season your documenting!

I hope my Fall themed page has inspired you!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Sweet Thing Layout!

Hi Friends! 

Welcome back for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio inspiration!
For today's Design Team post, I am sharing a super pretty stamped layout with the lovely  MORE THAN WORDS collection....

"Sweet Thing"



Oh my heart! Sweet thing, indeed!
So many beautiful details to this pretty page of my darling girl! And who said old couldn't be made new again?! I am LOVING creating with this soft and romantic collection again!

To begin, I trim one inch off the side of my 12 inch white cardstock, so that I can layer it onto the reverse side of pattern paper, CV-MT009 SKETCHBOOK. I just love the soft peach tone of this pattern paper, and it frames my layout beautifully! Next, I stamp up the top left and bottom right corners of my cardstock base with the amazing MORE THAN WORDS CLEAR STAMP. To maintain a soft and delicate look, I use a mix of soft blue, pink and yellow inks. So pretty!!! That stamp is all kinds of wonderful!

Here's a closer look....



The stamped base really breaks up the white space, and adds that 'extra' point of interest to the main embellishment clusters.
Next, I create a layer of DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms, and fussy cut butterflies from pattern papers CV-MT003 GOSSAMER and CV-MT006 TREASURE in the top left corner. Onto this bed of blooms, I position my sweet girl's photo, which I have backed with a small piece of white tissue paper. I embellish her photo with the sentiment, "My Darling" from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack. I tuck a few more DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms beneath my photo, as well as the wreath sticker from the ACCESSORY STICKERS sheet.
Here's more detailed look for you....



Aren't those layered embellishments the best?!
 I just adore how the blooms and fussy cut butterflies draw further attention to my cherished photograph! To complete the photo cluster, I add a few VELLUM ACCENTS butterflies, a scattering of ENAMEL hearts & dots, and some journaling with the typewriter font ACCESSORY STICKERS.



Beautiful!
For the lower right corner of my layout design, I embellish with a larger bloom CHIPBOARD STICKER, and the Sweet Thing fussy cut wreath from pattern paper, CV-MT006 TREASURE....



I tuck a VELLUM butterfly under the CHIPBOARD STICKER bloom, and add a few more of the fussy cut butterflies from the CV-MT003 GOSSAMER paper. I add in an extra typewriter font sentiment with more of the ACCESSORY STICKERS, & while I have these stickers out, I also use the fabulous "love you so much" circular sticker for an added point of interest.



For finishing touches, I apply more of the ENAMEL hearts and dots.
Voila!
Simple, Elegant & Oh So Beautiful creating! I just LOVE how this turned out!
I hope I have inspired you to get creating with your Cocoa  Vanilla Studio supplies!

Thanks so much for joining me today,
til next time,
Happy Arty Days,
Amanda xo 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Midnight Collection Inspiration!

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Cocoa Vanilla Studio loveliness with our gorgeous new collection; 

Midnight!

This collection is totally swoon worthy & perfect for my beautiful ballerina! 

Here's my layout.....

"Beautiful"

Isn't this lovely?!!

The Midnight collection is oh-so pretty and makes my sigh every single time I look at it! From the soft and dreamy color palette to the pretty patterns and sweet florals - this collection is errrything! And yes, perfect for documenting the girls (or in my case all the ballet photos) with! Love it!

I have opted for a simple vertical design for my layout today.  I have also been inspired by all the trending vertical titles on layouts that I've been seeing in my social feeds. I love how the horizontal striped CV-MN009 SOPHISTICATED paper really directs your eye into the CHIPBOARD PIECES Beautiful title! And of course, I am crushing on all the blooms and florals on this layout too!

Let's take a closer look.....

That title is really stunning! I position it so it's also aligned with the center of the page, and then support it with those indigo leaves from the DIE CUT EPHEMERA pack. Beautiful, indeed!

I use the CV-MN0009 SOPHISTICATED paper on the right hand side of my layout also. However, this time I overlay it with the reverse side of the super pretty CV-MN007 INKY DEPTHS.To soften the join between the two pattern papers, I add the pom pom trim. Such a small detail, but what a difference it makes! So lovely!

Here's another view of that fabulous CHIPBOARD PIECES title....

Truly stunning!

The remainder of my layout is built around my darling photograph, and involves lots of lovely embellishments! I especially adore those layered CHIPBOARD PIECES & ACCESSORY STICKERS  blooms, and DIE CUT EPHEMERA cascading leaves!

Instead of layering my photo onto pretty pattern papers, I decide to mount a CHIPBOARD PIECES frame onto it. I lightly stick it  onto the white cardstock base, and then tuck a few of the brush stroke CLEAR STICKERS beneath the frame. I also tuck in a couple of the bloom ACCESSORY STICKERS.

Next, I adorn the CHIPBOARD PIECES frame with the leaves DIE CUT EPHEMERA. I foam mount the main DIE CUT bloom over the top left corner of the frame, and apply both an EPHEMERA & CHIPBOARD PIECES sentiment to the base of the frame.

I embellish around the photo cluster with ACCESSORY STICKERS hearts & butterflies, falling leaves DIE CUTS, as well as a CHIPBOARD PIECES heart.  

For finishing touches, I add the ACCESSORY STICKERS journaling sentiments, and a sprinkling of our Hello Lovely collection sequins.  So beautiful!

I hope my layout has inspired you to get creating with the divine Midnight collection!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Little Moments

Hi Friends!

My turn on the Cocoa Vanilla Studio blog today! 

I am sharing a More Than Words scrapbook layout that highlights our gorgeous FLAIR BUTTONS, as well as scraplifting our super talented Ulrike Dold! Yay!

So much inspiration! Let's get started!

Here's my layout,

"Little Moments"

 

Sigh! Isn't this pretty?!!

Pattern paper CV-MT001 PRECIOUS is SO divine!!!

I have a thing for florals and I *may* have been hoarding this paper! It's just so beautiful!

Speaking of beautiful, how fabulous is the filled wreath design from Ulrike? SO good! You can see more of Ulli's work here.

Now back to that gorgeous floral paper, PRECIOUS! The soft colours in the blooms are reflected in my mixed media background, and are just the prettiest! You'll also spy that wreath cut file (it's from Paper Issues) and the daisies in particular, are perfect for adorning with FLAIR BUTTONS.

With so much to look at here it's important that my photo remains the focus. So it doesn't get lost in all those blooms I use a black & white picture, as well as adding a CHIPBOARD ACCENT STICKER frame to make it more noticeable.

 Let's take a closer look.....

All those pretty layers!!! 

And that photo is just the sweetest! Love these two cherubs!

On closer view, you'll see that I actually mounted the paper backed wreath onto foam. Apart from adding dimension and interest to the design, it also creates a visual separation between the coordinating mixed media base and the PRECIOUS paper. Defined space gives the eye a sense of order and avoids the 'messy' look despite the painterly base. In between the paint and the foam mounted wreath, I also tuck in a few DIE CUT EPHEMERA blooms, as well as that very pretty ACCESSORY STICKER tag.

So dear to me, indeed!

I fold the cut file daisies and leaves upward, adding more dimension because I am conscious that I don't want the colours and blooms to all blend in together. My framed photograph is tucked in under that first daisy and then more DIE CUT EPHEMERA pieces are added to this cluster. Each daisy is adorned with a sweet FLAIR BUTTON as its centerpiece.

Simple, but oh-so-sweet and effective!

Cocoa Vanilla Studio create beautiful FLAIR & it's wonderful to be able to showcase how perfect they are! A 'must have' embellishment! I should add that the sequins that are scattered throughout my layout are from the Bits & Pieces in the Love Always collection.

To break up all the flowery goodness, I've added a few DIE CUT EPHEMERA butterflies to the wreath and adorned the outer wreath with CHIPBOARD and ENAMEL SHAPES hearts.

Here's another look at the beautiful FLAIR BUTTONS....

The You Are Loved FLAIR is such a soft grey that I mount it onto an ACCESSORY STICKER before applying to the daisy. In keeping with my design, you'll note that the sticker is in fact a PRECIOUS pattern wreath. Perfect! I love how everything always partners and coordinates beautifully in our collections! So good!

To add more emphasis and attention to my photo, I also add that pretty blue sentiment banner to the frame. The blue really contrasts against the apricot frame and is the perfect finishing touch!

Voila!

I hope my scraplift today has inspired you to use FLAIR BUTTONS in your projects!

Thanks so much for visiting!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: *new challenge* Scrap Soup

Hi Happy Arty Days Friends!

There's a few new challenges starting this month at Paper Issues, 

the first of which is

- Scrap Soup -

You'll get an 'ingredients' list every month from Paper Issues, 

but you do all the concocting ;) 

Oh, and you must use all items on the list too!

Here's this month's list

Note: The 2 long rectangles have no width requirements, so you can make them as thick or thin, as you like!

Here's my take,
"Dream"

Isn't this the prettiest?! Love this photograph of my two together!

I've stashbusted my Hazelwood 1Canoe2 collection leftovers to create this super sweet layout! 

You'll notice that my 11" rectangle is quite thin as I used the bottom of a pattern paper, product label strip for this rectangle. Great way to use up those strips!

Here's a few close ups....

That divine yellow button is from the Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams collection. 

Butterflies, blooms & mason jars! Can it get any sweeter?! 

Love it!

Hope you liked my take on this fabulous new challenge, and will play along!

Need supplies before you start?

Grab them here in the Paper Issues store

& REMEMBER: Use my code AMANDA & you'll save 20% off your total order - Yayyy!

As always, our talented Design Team have more inspirational layouts on the blog post here

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo 

Paper Issues: May Free File Friday

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to our new look Cut File Challenge at Paper Issues,

This month, the challenge is to use one of the Paper Issues free cut files that features florals.
I decided to use the Floral Heart Cut File (pictured below):

Such a stunning design!!!

Here's what I created with it, 

"Gratitude"

Oh,Wow!!! Isn't this preeeeetty!?!! 

I cut the Floral Heart in plain white cardstock, 

and then paper pieced it with Bella Blvd's, Make Your Mark collection: 6 x 8 Paper Pad. 

Infact, 98% of this layout is Make Your Mark - it's just so bright and beautiful!!!

*The sequins and printed veneer are from my stash*

Here's a closer look....

Such a beautiful photo of my not-so-little girl!!! 

She is growing up way too fast! So very proud of the person she is developing into!

That floral heart file was just perfect for her!

The Bella Die Cut Paper Pieces & coordinating Puffy Stickers are just the sweetest embellishments!

Loving the gold foil accents too! 

Super pretty blooms to enhance that floral heart! Love it all!!!

You know I love my florals, and that definitely includes floral cut files! 

Best of all, Paper Issues cut files are FREE - no purchase required! 

Paper.crafting. awesomeness!

Grab your free files here.

And REMEMBER: If you are shopping, use my code  AMANDA to save 20% off storewide!

Yay!!! 

Looking for a little more inspiration?

See what the rest of our talented team created here

Thanks for stopping by today!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo