cocoa vanilla studio

Hey Bestie

~ dddesignz ~ 1 Comment

This layout is very special to me. I designed it as a birthday gift for one of my life-long friends, Gail, who was celebrating a milestone birthday. We’ve been through decades together, and she’s been there for me through thick and thin. While there may be a few years difference in ages, we’ve had fun together as if we were classmates growing up together. It turned out that we both married the man of our dreams the same year. Coincidently, our husbands share the same first name. The picture in this layout comes from our mutually celebrated 25th wedding anniversary trip to Italy. A dream come true for all four of us!

I used the Hey Bestie cut file from Cut to You as the centrepiece for this design. The cut file was cut from white cardstock and then pierced with a paper piercer to allow a stitched border.

The letters were stitched with pale peach embroidery floss and the heart with pale blue. Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s, These Days, coordinating patterned paper, was used to backfill the letters in the title.

I created a shaker pocket for the heart and added some sequin mix from Cocoa Vanilla’s Daydream collection. These sequins coordinated with this collection beautifully. At this stage, the title was set aside. The background paper for this design came from a Vicki Boutin collection of Ready-to-Use Mixed Media Paper pads. The gold, pink, and peach background was a stunning backdrop for this completed title. In preparation for securing the title to the page, it was backed with Foam Sticky Strips from Taylored Expressions. The photo was placed on a coordinating patterned paper used in backing the title. Once I was happy with the positioning of each, they were both secured to the page.

The page was completed by adding various coordinating embellishments from the These Days collection. The flower cluster, seen at the top left of the photo, was created using various elements from the Floral Ephemera pack. The yellow butterfly was used from the Die Cut Ephemera pack and the small colour-coordinated hearts came from the Puffy Stickers collection. The final embellishments added were the gold heart and the YOU ARE SO LOVED phrase to the bottom right of the title.

When the layout was complete, it was placed in a white shadow box before it was gifted to Gail. She loved her gift and the beautiful reminder of our special friendship. I hope you have at least one friend this special. Here’s to girlfriends everywhere!

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Right Here Right Now

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

Do you remember the joy of Springtime and the welcome change of activities from winter? Owen wanted a basketball for his birthday and was thrilled when his wishes came true this year. I turned, once again, to Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s No Limits collection to document this special moment. I love how the colours in the photo work so well with the colours in this collection. The background patterned paper for this layout is called Spark.

The Right Here Right Now title came from Peartree Cutfiles. I chose several coordinating papers from the No Limits collection to complete this title.

I backed the words in the cut file with four coordinating patterned papers (Stardust, Latitude, Nebula and Orbit) while I popped up the orange arrows (Spark) using fun foam. By doing this, I helped draw emphasis to the picture below.

The Always be Your Awesome Self phrase was cut from the Universal patterned paper sheet. I chose a coordinating green ink and inked around the edges of this 3″ x 4″ phrase for further emphasis. It was also backed with fun foam for dimension. Next, I chose two coordinating phrase strips from the 3″ x 4″ rainbow phrase block as seen on the Universal patterned paper. The edges of these phrase strips were highlighted in coordinating inks.

Before adhering any of the phrase elements to the layout, I took time to plan out the remaining embellishments I would use from this collection. The blue star, rocket ship, and blue ticket were all chosen from the coordinating Die Cut Ephemera package. The edges of the star and ticket were inked with coordinating blue ink. At this stage, all of the phrases and ephemera were layered and adhered directly to the layout. The final touch was adding the date for prosperity. Doodlebug Designs Inc., Teensy Type alphabet stickers, were used to do this.

Thanks for joining me today, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning how this layout came together. This is a wonderful collection of papers and ephemera for all the boys and men in your life. I hope you have as much fun creating with it as I did!

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

You Rock My World

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

I had the pleasure of scrapbooking with dear friends at ScrapFest this past weekend. It was a fun-filled weekend of shopping, cropping, connecting and creating! This is the first of two layouts I completed using Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s newest collection, No Limits. I purchased this collection from Scrapbook Your Joy, a Canadian online store with excellent products and customer service.

Big Bang is the name of the patterned paper base. I wanted to add texture and layers to the page, so I was inspired to stitch the rays on the page. Using a paper piercer to establish the start and endpoints of each line, I stitched them using coordinating embroidery floss. If a line reached the edge of a page, I wrapped the embroidery floss over the edge and secured it with tape. The embroidery flosses used in this layout were DMC 762 and 3848.

Once the stitching was complete, I added a random splattering of coordinating foil stars in teal and silver. The patterned paper had a ring of stars in this area, and I used the foil stars to highlight it and draw your eye to the picture. The picture was matted using teal cardstock and secured to a piece of fun foam for added texture and dimension before adding it to the layout.

I chose some of the random phrases from the No Limits coordinating sticker sheet and added them to the layout between the stitched rays. The remaining elements for this layout came from the No Limits coordinating ephemera, chipboard and puffy stickers. Some of the ephemera were backed with fun foam to provide continued texture and dimension. I added the date using white Doodbug Designs Inc Teensy Type stickers.

This is the first time, in a very long time, that I did not use an electronic cut file on a layout. I did not want to cover up any of the stitched elements on this page nor detract from drawing your attention to the picture.

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope I’ve inspired you to look at your patterned papers in new and creative ways. Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Pink Ukulele

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

Do you remember the excitement at Christmas and your dreams of that one gift you hoped and prayed would be under the tree? All my Granddaughter Madison hoped for was a PINK UKULELE. Imagine her delight when she unwrapped her pink ukulele on Christmas Morning! It was a sweet moment! She loves her ukulele and regularly practices on it.

I dug into my scrapbooking stash to make this layout. I chose the beautiful soft hues in Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s Midnight collection to document this precious moment. Midnight is an older paper collection, but you may still find some at your Local Scrapbook Store. The photo is backed with coordinating papers from this collection.

I found a ukulele in the Silhouette Design Store for this page. The cut file is Design ID #159757 by Doodlebug Designs, and the title is ukulele – fun in the sun. I did my best to match the finished paper ukulele to Maddie’s instrument. To create the 3D effect, I attached white brads to the head of the ukulele and tied black and white twine to each brad before securing them firmly in place. Using a wide blunt needle, I threaded each string through to the back at the base of the bridge. The strings were each secured with tape on the backside. Before adhering the cut file to the layout, I backed it with fun foam to provide dimension and enhance the 3D effect. I placed Couture Creations Diecut’N Bond adhesive to both sides of the fun foam, traced the shape and then cut the fun foam. This process provides a smooth, uniform surface to adhere the items to and guarantees that your page will not warp in your scrapbook over time.

The PINK UKULELE title for this layout was added using Mini Puffy Alpha Stickers from PinkFresh Studio‘s Just a Little Lovely collection (no longer available). The variegated colours in this collection were a perfect match for the Cocoa Vanilla Studio papers. I wrapped the letters around the curving body of the ukulele to pull the eye to this focal point in the design.

The final touches on this layout involved adding all the ephemera, stickers and enamel dots found on the page. While all the stickers belong to the Midnight paper collection kit, the coloured butterflies, grey heart, and enamel dots belong to Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s Unforgettable collection. I love how these collections can work and enhance each other.

And that’s a wrap on a layout that had me digging deep into my scrapbooking stash! Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Hugs

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

There are times we feel helpless when friends are hurting. Life can be so hard sometimes. Add a pandemic into the mix, and those who suffer can feel isolated and alone. Reaching out to them is helpful in any form. Today I felt the need to let someone I know how much I love and care for them. Making and sending a card is such an easy thing to do when you can’t physically be with them.

The pretty papers in this card came from Cocoa Vanilla Studio‘s These Days collection. I often purchase the A5 Paper Stack in these collections, as they are excellent for card making. I chose butterfly paper to cover the whole card front. Next, I used two Stitched Scallop Basic Edged 2 dies (currently not available) from My Favorite Things to shape the soft green leafy paper.

The HUGS sentiment comes from Papertrey Ink, and I have had it in my collection for at least a decade. It is a timeless set that I will continue to use for many years to come. I purchased the coordinating stamp set for these dies and used the word SENDING for the front of the card. Each letter of the word HUGS has intricate cutouts. I wanted these cutouts filled with coordinating colours of this collection. The easiest and quickest way to achieve this was to cut the coordinating papers and back these sections. I layered the completed die cut on fun foam to provide a bit of texture and dimension to the card.

The final touch was adding a few hearts from the These Days Puffy Stickers sheet. I’m very happy with the end result and hope my friend feels the love I’m sending with it.

Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Anywhere With You

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

I love the downtime between Christmas and New Years Day. For me, it’s a time to relax and work on some Christmas layouts. Today’s scrapbook layout focuses on my son Sean, and his fiance, Tanis. With Sean’s career choice, it seems they spend more time apart than together. So when opportunities to slip away to spend precious time together arise, they seize the day. Just before Christmas, they spend a wonderful weekend in Canmore, Alberta. These two love every second they spend in the mountains, regardless of the time of year. You can see it in their faces in this beautiful photo.

I picked the gorgeous Patterned Christmas Trees cut file from Peartree Cutfiles as the central focus for this layout. I chose this cut file because it represented the beautiful treed background in the photo and the holiday season. I also turned to Peartree Cutfiles for the title Anywhere With You. It seemed so fitting as Sean and Tanis are getting married next year.

All cut files on this layout were backed with gorgeous patterned papers from the Joyful collection by Cocoa Vanilla Studio. Once the cut files were complete, I adhered them to the background paper. I chose a coordinating Ready-to-Use Mixed Media Paper from Vicki Boutin’s Color Study collection. I love how the green background mimics a forest background.

Once the picture and cut files were in place, the rest of the layout came together quickly. The cute woodland animals, gifts and branches (around the title) all came from the Joyful Die-Cut Ephemera pack. Gold-Glitter Puffy Stars, also from the Joyful collection, were used to embellish the top of each patterned tree. They are gorgeous fabric embellishments that add a lovely texture, dimension, and feel to the overall layout.

The final touch was placing the ALL I want for Christmas banner directly below the picture. This phrase is so representative of these two beauties. All they do want is time together!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. I hope you’ve had some time to enjoy your hobby this holiday season. I wish all of you a very Happy New Year! May 2022 be the year we start to get ahead of this pandemic!

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Together We Have It All

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

This.

Like all mothers out there, I am proud of my family and all their accomplishments. What I admire most is their ability to be positive and focused, regardless of what life presents. Core to our relationship is an understanding that one of the most important aspects is our strong connection. We are here for each other through thick and thin, for better for worse. Our strong relationship makes us rich in so many ways. This foundation is what matters most to us. When life throws us a monkey wrench, we carry on together.

This summer, I felt like one of the luckiest women in the world. After many months of separation due to COVID, my family reunited in August! Sean and Tanis travelled from Edmonton to join us at the cottage. It has been six long years since Sean had the opportunity to spend time there, and the first time Tanis was able to travel east during the summer. Honestly, having everyone together at our happy place was a dream come true!

As I began designing a layout concept to document this event, I came up with the title but was unable to source it out. I turned to Marie Hurst, owner of Peartree Cutfiles, and asked for her help. Not only did she agree to design the cut file Together we Have it All, but she also exceeded all my expectations! I’m simply in love with the result! Thank you, Marie, I’m so deeply grateful!

I utilized two Cocoa Vanilla Studio collections in this layout, Daydream and These Days. I love how the collections work well together and allow for the mixing and matching of embellishments. All papers in this layout came from the Daydream collection. The background paper is Sweet Serenity, and those used in the title are Garden Variety (backside), All Aflutter and Daisy Days, respectfully. To create the completed title, I offset the letters slightly and then adhered them on top of the base title using Taylored Expressions Foam Sticky Strips. I filled the two cut out hearts with puffy hearts from both the Daydream and These Days collections. They were a perfect fit and complement to finish off the title.

A selection of embellishments from the These Days Die Cut Ephemera package completed the layout. To create the dimension on the butterflies, I placed score lines on either side of the butterfly’s bodies and then gently folded the wings up. Scor-Tape was then applied in the thin centre channel to adhere the butterflies to the page.

The best thing we have in life is to hold on to one another. No matter where we go, what life throws our way, together, we truly have it all. Thank you, Marie, for helping me document a very special time this summer!

Until next time, stay safe, stay well and Happy Scrapping!

Family – Stitched Together by Love

~ dddesignz ~ 2 Comments

We’ve always encouraged our children to follow their passion as they grew up. It’s so rewarding to see them do it, but so tough when that passion takes them far away from home! Our son Sean followed his passion into the military and has been posted in Edmonton for several years now. And how lucky for him, and us, that he was posted out west, because this is where he met his incredible fiance, Tanis!

Late last summer we traveled out to Alberta to visit with Sean and Tanis. It was our first opportunity to meet Tanis’ family and we had an incredible trip. We were so warmly welcomed by this family from the moment we arrived. From welcome flowers and cards to multiple gatherings, game nights and wonderful meals together, this family made us feel loved and special throughout our entire stay! We can’t thank them enough for making our visit so special from beginning to end. You know when you meet people and you just know you’re going to be good friends? It’s so rare and such a gift to treasure. And the very best part of this relationship was seeing first-hand how much this family loves our son and welcomes him into their lives. The picture in this layout was taken during our last get together on that trip, and it includes Tanis’ parents, Linda and Ted. I love how it represents both sets of parents as pillars in their lives. We all know how tough this life can be and how important it is to surround ourselves with people who love and support us.

A good part of this strong connection between us all is the things we have in common. Tanis’ Grandmother Donna, definitely has a soft spot for Sean, and so did my Mother! It was so tough losing my Mom several years ago, but how lucky for Sean to now have another Grandmother in his life that cares so deeply for him. One of the most striking similarities between these two Grandmothers is that they both are/were quilters. I can’t think of a better gift to receive than a homemade quilt. Each time you wrap it around you, it’s like getting a loving hug from the woman who dedicated hours, weeks and months to stitching the quilt just for you. It is the love of these women for their families, and their passion to quilt, that inspired me to create this page. My vision was to represent two families coming together by bringing two quilts together on one page.

The top quilt in this layout is a free cut file designed by the talented Paige Evans. It is called Patchwork and is found on the Scrapbook and Cards Today (SCT) website under Bonus Files – Spring 2021. SCT offers multiple free cut files with each new edition, so be sure to check them out! I cut this file from white cardstock and backed it with coordinating papers from Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s Happiness collection. The colours in this collection were a great fit for the colours in our family picture (and it was just luck that we coordinated so well that day!).

I also wanted another background that represented quilting and the Stitched Diamonds cut file from Confessions of a Paper Addict (COAPA) was just want I was looking for. I used 8 coordinating colours of DMC floss to stitch this foundation page (DMC #500, 502, 820, 825, 991, 992, 3844, 3846). As most of the bottom page would be covered by the top quilt, I only stitched the first 3 sections from the outside in.

Before securing the top quilt to the bottom foundation page, fun foam was adhered to the backside to provide further dimension and texture to the layout. I find this product ensures a smooth and secure look for years to come. Something you can’t achieve by using foam dots.

The title was created using cut file #154615 from Silhouette Design Store entitled family saying – flea market.studio by Doodlebug Design. I created and printed the add on – Stitched together by love – using Microsoft Office Word.

Our love for our children has brought us together and we are all so excited to see them begin to build a life together. While we can’t have Sean close to home, we are certainly blessed that he has a family out west that loves him as much as we do! We left that vacation with the feeling that our family had just doubled in size. We can’t wait to make another trip out west to spend time with this loving and caring family.

Wishing you all a Happy Victoria Day! Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!

Summer Vibes

~ dddesignz ~ Leave a comment

This photo of my grandson Owen just sums up everything about summer for me. Spending time at our cottage in Muskoka is our favourite summer activity! My daughter captured this image on another glorious day last summer. My grandchildren love the water and spend most of their day swimming. You can see the look of contentment on Owen’s face – a perfect day, doing the things he loves most in the place he loves most.

The Summer Vibes cut file from Cut to You was the perfect cut file to document this moment. I chose coordinating papers from the Legendary collection by Cocoa Vanilla Studio for this layout. The yellows, oranges and greens were a perfect fit with the photo. I wanted the title to pop on the page and black cardstock helped achieve this look. The letters for the word summer were offset in Silhouette software to back the file, but the yellow letters for the word vibe were cut to fit the outline perfectly. These letters were backed using Taylored Expressions Foam Sticky Strips and placed within the corresponding black letters. This provided texture and dimension to the title. I mirrored this technique in the sun portion of this cut file, backing the two main sun sections and popping up the sun rays. This helped to provide balance to both sections of the layout.

The chipboard trees in the bottom left of the layout came from Scrapaholics. They came in a set of three called Snowy Trees. They too were a perfect fit for the cottage landscape and helped pull more green into the layout. I coloured them with Tim Holtz Distress Inks – Peeled Paint and Brushed Corduroy before adhering to the page.

Some of the final touches for this layout included adding the stickers to the left of the photo and attaching the “noteworthy” tab at the top of the photo. Both of these elements came from the Legendary collection. The last element was adding the date with doodlebug design inc’s my type cardstock stickers. I feel it is really important to attach a date to a layout as the days and years fly by before we know it!

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you’ve enjoyed our bit of heaven up north! We will open the cottage soon and we look forward to another amazing year of memories at our happy place! Until next time, stay well, stay safe, and Happy Scrapping!