Scrapping the Everyday with Christmas Papers!

Hi my Creative Friends,

Thanks for joining me today for another Saturday, ahem.... 

Scrapaday post!

Today I wanted to blog about all those Christmas patterned papers we love to buy around this wonderful time of the year.

You know the ones, they're so gloriously Christmassy that we can't actually use them until it's time for December Daily - well, not anymore!

I am not holding back on Christmas papers.

 My challenge is to scrap an everyday page that is not Christmas at all, but still uses the Christmas collection!

I know, trust me to find a tricky challenge, lol! 

Here's what I came up with,

"LOVE"

Isn't this layout the sweetest?!!! This photo melts me everytime! 

And yes, not a drop of Christmas in the page despite being created from the 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Tis The Season festive collection.

Lots of fun and so many gorgeous elements too!

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

Let's start with those awesome pattern papers - seriously fun Christmas colours, but a simple dot or star pattern means we can create more than just festive layouts. Love it!

There's also a journal card popped in under my photo too - it featured a poinsettia so I made sure that was hidden away!

The sequins, flair and wood veneers are also from the Tis The Season collection - but as you can see, they're so versatile & work perfectly with my 'everyday' page.

The green doily is from my stash, but the other two are from Charms Creations.

The one beneath that cute flair is a Butterfly Mini Runner and just trims my photo beautifully!

And there you have it! Christmas papers but not a Christmas layout!

Hope you liked my creation today,

 and moreso, that I've inspired you to give my personal challenge a go!

Would love to see what you come up with! 

Post your take on this challenge on the Deer & Fawn Designs Group Facebook page & I'll randomly select someone to receive a RAK gift from me!

And if you haven't done so yet - please link up your entry to the Deer & Fawn Designs November pretty birdy inspiration challenge! 

There's an amazing prize up for grabs!

Thanks for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

Deer & Fawn Designs: November Challenge

Hi my Deer & Fawn Designs Friends!

Wow! Hard to believe it's November already?! Where does the time go?

But being a new month, it does mean time for a new 

Deer & Fawn Designs challenge!

& this month's is a ton of fun!

Simply take inspiration in any shape/form from the gorgeous image below...

I know - really stunning isn't it?!

So many different ways to tackle this challenge - 

And remember you can create anything you like!

But enough chatter, here's my take on it.....

"Laugh Every Day"

Firstly, how hillarious is my Mr A for Awesome?!! 

Loved that I managed to capture this moment; so funny indeed!

Note to self: Always keep your camera handy ;)

Now, back to the scrappy challenge fun.....

I was totally mesmerised by the blue and green tones of the birds feathers - 

such divine colours to play with!

I was also in a bit of a scrapping 'rut'  when I made this.

Having completed so many 'clean' pattern paper layouts of late, 

I really needed to break away.

Mixed media is always my go to style for renewing my creativity and having a bit of fun!

I love that you never really know what you're finished product will look like, 

it is just about the process! 

And boy oh boy was there a process! 

I've used gelatos, inks, watercolour, mists, texture paste, gesso, well a bit of everything really! 

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

So despite breaking away from pattern papers, 

I still kept with a simple circular pattern throughout my layout. 

Love that Traci Bautista (aka Stencil Girl) circular template - so very cool!

I added the wood veneers to balance all the aqua & black.

And how totally awesome is that chipboard title and speech bubble?

They're from Imaginarium Designs, and I've sprayed them with Charcoal Kaisermist.

Seriously cool!

And that's my take on the Deer & Fawn Designs November challenge!

Hope you liked it - but more importantly, 

I hope it has inspired you to join in on the fun & upload an entry!

There's an awesome prize up for grabs too :)

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, 

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Best Day Ever

Hi Creative Friends!

Hope you've had a fantastic week!

*Don't forget today's the last day to upload your 'All About Me' challenge creations over at 

Deer & Fawn Designs blog*

Today I wanted to share with you a really sweet and simple layout I created of my darling daughter, that uses up some of that trickier heavy patterned paper....

'Best Day Ever'

Isn't she lovely?! Such a beautiful young lady!

As usual I am scrapping from my Cocoa Vanilla Studio stash, and I love the 

Life Is Beautiful collection.

Infact, I love it so much that this patterned paper is all I have left! lol!

This paper is sooooo fun and pretty but I have struggled to use it. 

It's just so bold and busy that I never know where to start?

You may have some of these 'heavily' patterned papers at home too -

 you know the ones, really pretty but how to use them?

Well, that's how today's layout came about. I was determined to use this pretty paper!

For my layout design I wanted to show off the gorgeous paper, so I've kept it as a real page feature.

TIP: Use busy pattern papers in large blocks and combine with very simple embellishing.

I chose to 'dress' my photo rather than the page, and kept it minimal! 

A couple sweet doilies, 3 hearts and a flair button, a small ephemera title and a scatter of sequins is all this page needed to be complete.

So pretty!!! Love it!

Speaking of love, check out those super cute hearts.....

The printed wood veneers (as well as that cute flair button) are from the Life Is Beautiful collection & are just too sweet! They make embellishing your pages too easy!

That larger handmade heart is from Charms Creations & is just lovely.

You can see all of the Charms Creations embellishments here.

& there you have it!

Hope my liked my layout and,

 that I've inspired you to try using some of that busier patterned paper too!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

Boys Will Be Boys!

Hi Scrappy Friends!

Hope you've all been having a fabulous week!

I've been scrapping my boy again,
actually both my boys - darling husband features in this one too!

& I set myself a challenge too -  NO COLOUR.

I know, what was I thinking???

I am hoping I pulled it off - but you be the judge,

Here's my page.....

Boys Will Be Boys

It's a tad monochromatic, lol, but I love it! 

Such a difficult challenge to not use colour!!!

To create this super cool masculine page I've used that incredible 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio collection, 

Made Of Awesome.

It's just too easy to scrap the boys with this paper and embellies!

Here's a closer peak....

Love that mini bingo stub ticket and that too cute grey enamel star! Very cool!

I've also used a very light grey mist in the background too - unfortunately it's quite hard to photograph pale grey! 

Hopefully you can see it!

Yep, my boys being, well.... Boys! ;)

Have you scrapped your boys lately? 

Or maybe you'd like to try my challenge of scrapping with No Colour! 

Either way, I hope I've inspired you to go and get crafty!

Thankyou so much for stopping by!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

Spring Inspiration!

Hello my Ccreative Lovelies!

Hope you've all been having a fabulous week & 

are enjoying the beautiful Spring weather!

The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming - it's such a fabulous time of the year! 

And it's a perfect time to scrap too! Lol! (Any excuse will do!) 

But seriously, the layout I am sharing with you today has taken its cue from Spring.

Soft spring colours, blooms, butterflies....

 but enough chattering, & on to the good stuff!

Here's my layout,

"Just Perfect"

And truly, she is! (Just perfect) - A real sweetie!

She is so kind and innocent & this delicate colour palette reflects that. 

Isn't that patterned paper just the prettiest?!!

A gorgeously girly, Spring inspired, page for my darling Miss M! 

Love it! 

My entire page has been created with the stunning new
 Cocoa Vanilla Studio, "Life Is Beautiful" collection.

A soft, feminine range that is so delicate and delightful!

How sweet are all those butterflies?! 

I am loving those wooden veneers! Divine!

Here's a closer look.....

And even that Lucky Charm butterfly tucked under my flower cluster - gorgeous!

I am also an enormous fan of pattern papers and ephemera.... 

But you've probably noticed that!

Let's take another close up look...

Yep. Love it! 

It's softness & light, delicate and divine, and really flatters my darling photo!

Spring has sprung  & it's inspiration overload!

Hope you enjoyed my creation today!

Time for you to get creating now - maybe even be inspired by nature too!

Thanks for stopping by, 

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Deer & Fawn Designs: October Challenge: About Me

Hi Lovelies!

Super excited to be sharing my very first Guest Designer post with

Wow! 

Thankyou so very much to Debbie, and her amazing Deers for inviting me to join in on the fun!

Now, speaking of fun let's get straight into the good stuff!
The challenge for October is..... "About Me"

Here's my take....

"Hello Happy Days"

Yep. That's me, just a few weeks back.... 

Hmmm... weird to scrap myself but we'll talk about that in a minute.

First up, I wanna talk pretty pretty papers and all things lovely because that is part of who I am - 

a lover of all things girly and pretty, lol!

This page has been created with the gorgeous Hello Lovely collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. Just so stunning! 

Really soft, feminine patterns with gorgeous coordinating ephemera, bitty bows,

 sequins, and flair - divine! 

& Hello Lovely really reflects my personality......

If you know me, a lot of my greetings start with Hello Lovely! (pure coincidence)

  I truly believe that this life IS pretty wonderful! 

I am into affirmations, positivity, and yoga.

 I believe each day I have the potential to sparkle & shine - and to make each day a happy day.

So you can see why I chose this paper collection to create with.

Let's take a closer look at that very pretty ephemera....

How cute is that bitty bow?!!! Gotta love girly accessories ;)

Yep. Pretty wonderful indeed!

Hope you like my page and getting to know 'me' a lil more!

Now, let's quickly chat about scrapping yourself -

For me, it's not something I normally do & it felt awkward :(

But, don't let that put you off - it's so important for our story to be told too! Your children and grandchildren will be so pleased you did! 

So my Top Tip: Use a photo of one of your darlings while planning your page, & then just switch to your own image at the end - that helped me!

Now, what are you waiting for? There's an awesome prize up for grabs - 

so go scrap yourself!

You can find out more at the Deer & Fawn Designs blog here. 

Hope you liked my take on the challenge & that I have inspired you to join in!

Thankyou for leaving a kind comment

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days, 
Amanda xo