Bloom and Grow, Cocoa Vanilla

Are you ready to scrapbook bright and floral and fun? I know I sure am - something to take my mind off the cold rainy days here in Vancouver and bring on Spring in my happy scrappy space! So I reached for the Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Bloom & Grow collection from the Scrap Shotz shop! 

In classic Cocoa Vanilla fashion this collection has fantastic colours, great embellishments, woodgrain elements and more. Their collections are also so easy to play with for all kinds of memories. 

Fold Back

Feature two patterns with just one collection paper! 

For my first layout, I was inspired by the Floral Ephemera - 58 pieces of floral goodies in this one little pack of ephemera! I wanted to create a layout that sort of spilled out these beauties. 

So I picked a pattern paper with both an A and B side that would complement the florals to create a ‘fold back’ design. Super simple to achieve this design: 

1. Select your patter paper and cut a slice in the middle to about half way down the page 
2. Fold back the cut sides so it looks like an envelope or pocket (to show of the other side of the pattern)
3. Adhere down each fold (use pop up dots for some extra dimension) 
4. Cut off the excess paper of the each fold that are off the 12x12 page (or whatever size layout you are working with) 

Once I had my fold back adhered down, I added my photos (each backed with a couple pattern papers from the collection first) over the middle of the fold. Then I embellished with the Floral Ephemera so it looked like florals were spilling from the fold behind the photos. 

The title is from the collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles coloured to a complementing grey using Ranger Ink Distress In. And a few of the collection Accessory Stickers finished off the layout. 

Circle Anchor 

Use a large circle to focus the eye on your photos! 

This design another great way to feature two patterns and still keep your page focused on the most important thing - your photo. Simply cut one of the busier patterns in a large circle and drop into onto a simpler pattern (Cocoa Daisy woodgrain for the win every time). If you done have a machine or tool to cut a large circle, pop into the kitchen for a plate to trace!  

After dropping my circle down, I added some white acrylic paint splatters for my go-to grunge touch. Then I added my two photos - each with a few layers of collection patterns behind at a few different angles to show off a touch of each pattern.

The circle gives you a great anchor for embellishments. I like to go top left and bottom right for my clusters (the flow feels nice to me), or pick three spots around the circle (design rules are usually in three or a triangle) or tuck and layer all the way around the circle - have fun with it! Cocoa Vanilla has the BEST at Floral Ephemera so you cannot go wrong no matter how you do it.

A few stickers tucked here and there and finally the title ‘best friends’ painted white from collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles finished off this one.  

More Circles 

For my third layout, I kept going on the circle theme but this time making them a little smaller. I will admit, almost anytime I have floral embellishments to play, with I am drawn to circle elements as they flow together so nicely. That is especially true with Cocoa Vanilla florals.

I started this layout off with that fantastic tone on tone pink pattern - and added some white puppy paws using a stencil from Peartree Cutfiles and The Crafter’s Workshop - Stencil Butter Pearl White from the shop, and some white acrylic paint splatters. 

I used a circle tool to cut my photos in circles and a few from one of the collection pattern papers. Before adhering them down in a cascade on the left of the page, I distressed the edges a bit and outlined them in white journalling pen.

From there I literally just clustered some of the  Floral Ephemera beside each of the circles. I made one cluster a little bigger than the others so I could use it to anchor my title which is from collection’s Raw Chipboard Titles painted white. A few collection stickers and voila! 

Have you played with Bloom & Grow or other spring inspired collections? Show off your  projects so we can ohh and ahh over on the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group on Facebook! 

Deck the Halls, Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Wow, I can’t believe it is almost Christmas!

I love embracing the holiday season so have all the Christmas inspired goodies on my scrappy desk including the new Deck the Halls from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I am loving this collection - all the seasonal touches but in the soft colours and classy touches that Cocoa Vanilla is so good at! 

Present Inspired 

For my first layout I was inspired by the idea of a present - that first rip your make to pull back the paper and get a glimpse of that amazing surprise inside. 

To create this look you simply pick a pattern paper you like both the A and B sides of (like this one I picked from Cocoa Vanilla - beauty!). Then you fold it to show half of each but don’t fully press the crease down so you get on a little dimension to the page at the fold. Be sure to add a little adhesive to hold the crease down and cut off the small amount from the fold that goes over the edge at the bottom of the page. I like to adhere my folded page down on another coordinating pattern as my background -  like I did here - but it also looks great on white cardstock too. Really pops. 

From there you add your photos and your embellishments on top of that fold. I love when they look like they are sort of spilling out. For my layout I went for the cute little town scene using the Chipboard Sheet and Ephemera so layered a row of homes likes a little Christmas Village along the bottom of my photos. 

A few white splatters to reinforce that Christmas Village look and some stars in ‘the sky’ finished off the look. I added a few little pennants at the top right to balance the busy middle a little and finally a gold title from the Puffy Gold Title Stickers.

Classic Photo Cascade  

They say that designers aim to create ‘threes’ on a page - three embellishment clusters, three photos, etc - it draws the eye. I am not a designer but admit three photos feels very natural to me. Like I did here for this layout. 

I love to cascade three photos overlapping just slightly either down the right or left of the page OR across the ‘just above’ the middle space on the page horizontally. I back each photo with a couple of coordinating papers and then focus most of the embellishments around the photos too. 

For this one, I anchored my title on the fantastic Christmas tree from the collection, and focused on the present inspired embellishments from the Chipboard Sheet and Ephemera to tie into the Christmas tree feature. 

A few white splatters on the page and some of the cute little stars from the Puffy Stickers and a few phrases from the Accessory Stickers finished it off nicely.

White Space 

For my third layout I took a step back from all the pattern papers and instead used white space to focus my design. 

I printed my photos that were taken in quick succession to tell the story of this moment in black and white to balance the colour of the collection. I backed each with a couple patterns each and a couple patterns behind the horizontal clusters too. Before adhering my favourite photo of the bunch I popped it up on foam dots as my focal point. 

From there, I selected all of the Christmas decoration embellishments as my theme and cascaded those down the page - making sure to tuck a few in and around the photos. The Christmas tree from the Chipboard Sheet tucked beside my feature photo helped add further focus on my fav photo. 

To finish off the layout, I used some of the Puffy Gold Title Stickers for my title and a few of the Puffy Stickers in and around the decor. I also added a couple of phrases and hearts to the bottom left for balance using goodies from the Chipboard Sheet and the Accessory Stickers. 

Are you playing with the Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Deck the Halls collection? We would love to see! Pop over to the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group on Facebook and show off your amazing projects! 

Paige Evans - Adventurous

Hello! Have you had a chance to check out the Adventurous Collection from Paige Evans in the Scrap Shotz shop? Such fun! 

This collection is full of the colour and whimsy that Paige Evans is so great at - no one does patterns like Paige does. While this might be a ‘travel collection’ it is perfect for so much more. The embellishments, sentiments and patterns are also perfect for those everyday adventures in our lives. 

Cut Apart Tags

For my first layout, I reached for the pattern paper with the cut apart tags to create one of my go-to designs. I love how the tags give you a great way to showcase so many of a collection’s patterns and colours, and each tag is like a little anchor so I can load up on embellishments! 

I started with the grid pattern paper (great way to make sure your tags line up straight) and added 8 tags from the cut apart in a grid. Outlining each tag with a white journaling pen and splattering it all with white paint. 

I printed 4 of my photos in 2x3 and, after adding  a couple of layers of pattern paper behind each, dropped them onto each of the top layers of tags. Then I printed the photo of me and the hubby in 3x4 as my feature. This one I backed with a few pattern papers and placed it horizontal on the bottom row of tags. 

I finished the page off tucking in a bunch of the Cardboard Stickers, and Puffy Thickers. The title is from the collection’s Puffy Phrase Stickers. I love using a combo of different fonts. 

Another Grid Go-To 

For my next layout I leaned into another of my go-to designs. With Paige Evans collections you want to show off as many patterns as possible and this one does the trick. 

I started with a dark woodgrain from my stash and splattered it with slightly watered down white acrylic paint. Setting that aside to dry, I grabbed 3 different patterns and cut them down to about 9 by 7 (enough width and height to frame 4 3x4 picture or journal cards). I outlined each layer in white journal pen and then dropped them middle of my background with a different tilt to each to show off each pattern. 

From there, I printed 3 3x4 photos and backed each with a few more patterns (which I also outlined in a white journal pen). I left the 4th spot without a photo and just a pattern paper in 3x4 so I would have a place to anchor some embellishments from  the Cardboard Stickers, and Puffy Thickers and the title from collection’s Puffy Phrase Stickers. 

Piece It Together 

For my third project with the Adventurous collection, I reached for all the embellishments and papers featuring that fantastic green and blue! 

I love creating a background using fun angled pieces - like a puzzle. The trick for me is to create a puzzle pattern where each piece fits perfectly and then slice a thin amount of each side so the white background shows through. Really make the colours pop! I added a few splatters with white paint and outlined each piece in white journalling pen as well.  

Once I had my background prepped, I dropped a couple photos in the middle (each backed with a few pattern papers first. I played for a bit with some other green and blue embellishes until I landed on these fun tags from the cut apart patterned papers. 

The title is from the collection’s Puffy Phrase Stickers and I tucked in a few of the  Puffy Thickers in as well.  

Such a fun collection - off to play some more! 

49 and Market Vintage Artistry - more Moonlit Garden

Hello! I am back to share more layouts featuring The 49 and Market - Vintage Artistry, Moonlit Garden. This collection is such a joy to work with! I am playing with the 12x12 Collection Pack,   Filmstrip Frames, Chipboard Bits, Postage Washi Tape, and Ephemera Bits. 

Keep it Simple

I loved the daisies in the collection and thought they would be perfect to showcase this oh-so-cute photo on my niece! 

For this layout, I kept it simple! I started with the daisy inspired pattern paper background and layered on the light brown filmstrips on the centre. I added my photo (first backed on a number of the coordinating collection papers) on top at centre stage. 

From there, I added a number of phrase inspired embellishments to the top and right side of the photo. I also tucked in a strip of the postage stamps on each side of the photo too. To finish it off, I tucked in the chipboard and ephemera daisies to the left and right of the photo. 

A little butterfly by the photo and a couple of hearts above finished off the layout!  

Filmstrips 

Loving the filmstrip anchor from my last layout I kept going on that theme.

I started with white cardstock and used Ranger Ink, Distress Ink in Stormy Sky and Weathered Wood through a Vicki Boutin stencil and some splattered in those same colours on the page to created a messy, simple mixed media anchor. I also added a little water to some Tonic - Nuvo Crystal Drops in Bottle Green and splattered those across the page for a bit of grunge. 

From there, I layered on a few of the film strips lengthwise down the page - just left of centre. I backed my 2 photos 4x3 and in 1x2 with papers from the collection. I used staples to adhere the layers together as a little extra texture. Once those were cascaded down the film strip, I tucked in a few embellishments and phrases from the chipboard and ephemera, including those adorable butterflies, in and around the photos. 

Before finishing the layout, I created a small 3x4 Flip Flap Pocket for my title as a place to add my journalling and some more photos too. 

Oh one more touch. I cut a very small slice of each of the edges of the white cardstock so I could show another one of the pattern papers as a frame all around the layout. 

Grid of Circles 

I was feeling  the need to doodle and make a bit of a mixed media mess on this one! 

I grabbed one of the pattern backgrounds from the collection and using a circle shape from my scraproom and a black journalling pen I messily traced it a bunch of times in a 3x3 grid pattern. To make the circles a little more messy, as I traced I moved the circle shape just slightly and scribbled a little over the lines and around it too. 

After that I reached for a couple of stencils from my stash - one Vicki Boutin and Tim Holtz. I used the Tim Holtz stencil  with some Crafter’s Workshop, Stencil Butter in black and the other with Ranger Ink, Distress Ink in Stormy Sky and Weathered Wood here and there on the page.

From there I printed my photo in 4x6 and backed it with a bunch of the pattern papers and various collection embellishments to sit centre stage of the grid. Then printed and cut a few more photos to sit in each of the circles on the page, leaving a couple circles empty to anchor some embellishments around the page and for my title! 

Just loving this collection! So pretty and so versatile. If you are playing with Moonlit Garden, we would love to see. Join us over on Facebook and pop a photo up on the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group. 

Simple Stories, Full Bloom

Happy Spring! I am celebrating spring here on the West Coast by playing with pretty flowers in my garden and in my scrapbook room! The Simple Stories, Full Bloom collection everything Spring you could hope for - flowers and bees and ladybugs and gardening and sunshine and rainbows! 

In classic Simple Stories style, there are a ton of different goodies with this collection and we have a whole host of them in the Scrap Shotz Shop! I am playing with the Collection Pack, Bits & Pieces Die Cuts Journal, Chipboard Stickers, Puffy Stickers and Decorative Brads. 

Tags, Tags, Tags 

For my first layout I just had to use the tag cut apart sheet - literally a page of tags on both sides of a whole 12x12 paper and not one of the tags are the same. Wow! 

I cut out the tags that made me most happy, and specially picked that ‘happy day’ tag (I added the heart) as my title. After adding some white acrylic paint splatters to the page, I layered the tags and my 2x3 photos across the middle. I focused all my embellishments in and around the title tag and, of course, those cute little snails just had to find a home on my layout. 

All The Patterns 

For my second layout, it was all about the fantastic pattern papers in this collection. I had too many favourites to pick one, so decided to create an angled and ripped paper design to   show off a bunch of them! Creating a bit of a mirror image on the top and bottom of the layout, with the top much smaller. 

When I secured the papers down I made sure to only adhere near the bottom edge of each giving me the little pockets to tuck and layer all kinds of goodies from the collection - and yes, the tags made another appearance! I was going for a fun, crazy, mess of happy things - which is a perfect depiction of me and my nephew’ adventures.

I did add a little bit of stenciling just peeking out from the ripped papers with Tim Holtz, Distress Ink in Mustard Seed and a few splatters to break up the white space a wee bit. 

Photos Dictate the Design 

For this layout, I wanted to capture a ‘all the things growing’ vibe. We bought a new house in fall and it was so amazing discovering all that the prior owners had planted and started to grow and bloom the first spring. So exciting - these are just the best of the pics!

I focused on creating a little garden with the embellishment clusters at the top and bottom of the photo grid. A couple of  the little sign die cuts were blank - so I added a couple of stamped words to each. I also added the botanical stamps around the photos using a Vicki Boutin stamp and Tim Holtz, Distress Ink in Evergreen Bough plus a few puffy sticker leaves from a Vicki Boutin collection too. I love the green on green look, subtle but cute. Some white splatters and outlining the page messily with a white pen finished it off. 

Use Black to Make it Pop 

There is a lot of soft orange and yellow and pink in this collection with only a few contrasting patterns and sometimes I like a really strong contrast … so I made my own contrast. 

The background is a bit of an intentional mess really - I used a stencil to add colour here and there with Tim Holtz, Distress Inks in Mustard Seed and Barn Door. Then added some circles with black ink using a variety of circle stamps from my stash and finally some black splatters. 

I backed the entire layout in black and my photos too. And a black title from Vicki Boutin combined with the collection embellishments gave me that contrast I was looking for! 

Are you playing with the Full Bloom collection? We would love to see, pop your creations up on the Scrap Shotz Paper Crafting Group or tag us on social media. Or looking to get your crafty hands on some Full Bloom goodies, pop over to the shop at Simple Stories, Full Bloom.

Simple Stories, More Good Stuff

Hello, I am here today to wax poetic (again) about the Simple Stories, Good Life! Scrap Shotz sent me this collection to play with this month and I am loving it! You can check out my first 2 layouts here. 

Now, let’s show you a few more … 

Wood grain for the Win

For this layout I wanted to bring in a dark background to contrast the bright colours of the collection. So reached for a dark wood grain pattern paper from my stash. Wood grain is essentially a neutral and should go with anything in your stash. When you are struggling to match (which is my biggest struggle) - reach for wood grain. 

I prepped the wood grain by stamping some little hearts in Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Picked Rasberry and Mustard Seed then outlined each with a white pen, and added some white acrylic paint splatters. The hearts I made were my attempt at mimicking those in the collection. 

From there I focused on the cut apart 3x4 cards in the collection and bits & pieces embellishments. I cut a few big pattern paper rectangles to back my 3x4 card grid design, then focused on the grid. Matting each photo with a few layers and letting the 4th spot of the grid act as a title spot. 

I finished off the layout with these super cute photos of my niece (which I printed with a muted filter so they didn’t clash too much with the collection colours), and tucked and added embellishments and enamel dots all about.

Add Some Black to Make it All Match 

For my next layout I wanted to document a fun, fancy donut shop adventure with me and a couple siblings - all of us donut addicts. I was keen to include the Boca Grande logo I cut from the donut box but it looked too dark with the bright Good Stuff colours. So I added some more black to the collection goodies to make it all matchy-matchy! 

I started with this great circle pattern paper and using a washi tape roll and a glue bottle bottom as a stencil, used a black journaling pen to add black circles just off centre on many of the circles in the pattern. Drawing around each a few times and not perfectly. Then I used my favourite Picket Fence Studios, Paper Glaze in Black Peony and a Vicki Boutin stencil to add those cute starbursts in and around the circles and some splatters. I also messily drew lines around the outer edge of the pattern and backed it on black card stock. 

From there it was just a matter of finding all the foodie inspired bits & pieces from the collection and tucking them around the Boca Grande and my photos. I fussy cut the saying from one of the cut apart cards in the kit to use as my title. 

Let the Collection Inspire Your Design 

For my last layout, I let the Collection inspire me - from photo choice, to story and all the way to design. One of the pattern papers featured these 3x4 cut apart a cards that had the titles: Nope, Maybe, and Yes. The titles reminded me of attempting to take a selfie with our dog and the pictures went for bad to worse. Ha! 

I used each 3x4 card as an anchor and then matched a bunch of stickers, bits & pieces, and brads to the colour of the journal card. It was really fun to focus on the colour instead of how much sense the embellishments made - my fav is that thumbs up in the middle, yellow pile. So fun! 

I did add some white splatters to the background and punched out a bunch of these film strips in white to create a break between the busy polka dot pattern and my photos. Then added a few film strips to the top and some more embellishments to balance the page. 

I had such fun with this collection and love that it was so perfect for just the everyday fun stuff. There are still Simple Stories, Good Life in the Scrap Shotz shop!