CVS | Too Cool For School

Good Day Friends,
Hello! I'm sharing with you a layout I created using the very versatile, You Rock collection. I decided to document this week a photo of my eldest little meatball on her very first day of Junior Kindergarten. As you can tell from the photo, she's full of spunk and sass and was such a great sport about posing for a few pictures. You Rock has some very cool and "school like" elements and so I thought it perfect to use.

See what I mean about the school like themed elements? The background paper looks like school writing paper, the text paper and the ruler type embellishments that were part of the cut apart border sheet were absolutely perfect! I was excited to be able to think outside the box to document this photo even if this collection is geared towards boys: It totally works in documenting my little girls very first day of school.

I cut strips from the border sheet and a couple patterned papers and adhered them to the top of the background paper giving my background paper some visual interest and a small amount of texture.

My photo measures roughly 4x4 and I matted it with papers from the collection as well as a frame from the Die Cut Ephemera. To embellish, I created clusters behind the left and right sides of the photo. And, that's also where I added my title using black, foam Thickers. I used the Die Cut Ephemera and the Accessory Stickers to create my clusters and add my embellishing. 

Proudly, I also used up a package of Enamel Shapes! I'm happy! Sounds silly but sometimes I refrain from using my supplies because I would like to "save" things for another layout and then the supplies don't get used because I forget. It can't just be me, right? 😝

Continuing with the embellishing, I used the tiny words from the Accessory Sticker sheet to convey the journaling message I wanted to convey. I do this in place of formal journaling. If there is something specific that I'd like to document, I do that on the back of y layout since I don't write on the front of it. I dislike my penmanship and so instead of "ruining" a layout with my own writing, I opt to do it that way instead. It's kind of like cheating but it get the job done!
I also added a Flair Button that sits atop a nest of yellow sewing thread that was just wrapped around my fingers and adhered down.

I hope you all enjoyed my layout for this week as much as I enjoyed creating it!
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
xoLina

CVS | Precious Girl

Good Morning Friends!
Welcome to the blog! Lina here with you today showing this layout I created using the More Than Words collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I've decided to document a sweet picture of my eldest little and myself while we were on vacation last year in Mexico. And to be honest, I don't know how I hadn't scrapbooked it until now :P

The paper in this collection is seriously something else... it's so beautifully done and every sheet makes my little heart pitter patter. For this particular layout, I used the floral sheet called Precious (fittingly enough), the coral sheet Called Sketchbook and Radiant which is that lovely black on white random polka dot. You see, I could not decide on which sheet I wanted to use so  I used many LOL!

My photo is printed in black and white and is matted with random pieces of paper I had from the collection. The sweet black 2x3 card you see to the left of my photo is from the Collage sheet. It was perfect for this layout and the message I was trying to convey. It also acts as a sort of sub-title for my layout.

I created a few clusters in terms of embellishing on my layout and created a visual triangle. I have two larger clusters and one smaller one in the top right hand corner of my photo. To embellish, I used the beautiful ephemera from the Die Cut Ephemera pack. And, I also used stickers from the Accessory Stickers page. Both two of my favourite!

For my title, I used the word "precious" from the Chipboard Titles package and the word "girl" is a AC Thickers in Goldie. I love the combination of fonts and colours for title work. I feel it just makes the entire title fun!

Two things to finish off my layout... First, I created a nest of yellow thread and a home for my flair button to sit. I feel it gives a great foundation and a bit of texture to the entire layout. Secondly, I feel a heathy scattering of Enamel shapes is always a good thing! :)

I hope you all enjoyed my layout today and will be back tomorrow to see what the other ladies are up to :)
xoLina

CVS | Easter Beauties

Hello Scrappy Friends!
It's Lina here this morning sharing my layout using the gorgeously designed, Bohemian Dream. I documented a photo of my littles from this past Easter and this collection compliments the colours perfectly!

I began with my photo this time because I knew I wanted to use Bohemian Dream for this layout. I started on my phone using an app called Color Splash and made my image black and white and left my girl's Easter Baskets in colour. I wanted them to pop and not compete with the papers I was using. Instead, I wanted them to compliment each other.
Next I chose my background paper and that blue and white stripe, Wild Flower was screaming my name. Cutting a piece of the Abundant sheet of paper, I used it as a layering piece behind my photo.

Next, for the matting of my photo, I took pieces from the 6x6 paper pad as well as a couple scraps I had from the collection and layered behind my photo. I also used a photo frame from the Die Cut Ephemera to act as a layering piece. My photo is then popped up on foam for lift and dimension.

For my title, I used two different fonts from Thickers. One is Adorn and the scripty one in Rainboots. I just adore the look of a fun and playful title with multiple fonts.

Next, the fun stuff.... Embellishing! I lovingly sifted through pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera and the Accessory Stickers. I also chose a Chipboard Accent piece, Dream Catcher, to adorn the top right hand corner of my photo and floral layering piece. For some added drama and lift, I decided to add some foam behind a few of the flowers to ensure they jumped off the page and did not get "lost".

 

To complete my layout, I added some of the phrases from the Accessory Stickers sheet to convey some of my "journaling". I also added a Flair Button which sits within a nest of thread. Lastly, I added some splatters with some black ink spray.


And that's it!
I hope you enjoyed my layout! Have a wonderful day!
xoLina

CVS | Be Still My Heart

Hello Scrappy Fam,
This morning I'm sharing this layout I created using the beautiful, More Than Words collection. I scrapbooked photos of my littlest meatball, Juliana. This day was the morning of her second birthday and she had asked me to take her picture. I was happy to oblige 😀

I started by choosing the paper Effervescent for my background. I couldn't resist those bubbles for such a bubbly, full of life little girl. It was perfect! I also used a strip of the ledger looking paper called Noteworthy to break up a bit of the colour and give the photos a bit of a base to sit on. It's the perfect shade of pink and matched perfectly with my daughter's cardigan in the photos.

Next, on to my photos... I printed my photos just shy of 3x3 inches each. I wanted to make sure I had enough room going across to showcase all my photos properly. Then, I matted them with papers from the collection including sheets from the 6x6 paper pad.
Then, I popped two of them up onto dimensional foam for lift.

For my title, I used the word "heart" from the Chipboard Titles. I love mixing different fonts, textures and colours. Overall, it creates quite a different effect which in my opinion, is visually pleasing. Plus, it's fun!

I worked on my embellish next. I took pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera package, Accessory Stickers, and Chipboard Stickers and created clusters. I also tucked in tabs (which I ❤!) under my layers. Using the tiny words and phrases from the Accessory Stickers to embellish and add "journaling" I use that word loosely though as I do not usually put pen to paper on my actual layout. I'm not a fan of my writing and so if I have something important to say about the photos I'm documenting, I opt to write it on the back.

For my finishing touches, I added a Flair Button which sits on a nest of metallic silver thread and a whole bunch of Enamel Shapes. I sprinkled the shapes all around my page. Lastly, I added some silver ink spray splatters to add a bit of pizzazz. The silver tied together the layout because it matched part of the title and the thread underneath the flair.

Thank you for joining me today and allowing me to share my layout with you!
xoLina

CVS | Sweet Moments

Good Morning Scrappy Friends!
Lina here with you today sharing a layout I created using my fave, the More than Words collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I am scrapbooking a photo of my eldest daughter, Alessandra taken the other day at school when the parents were invited to class to share in a poetry recital. My girl was so happy to see both mom and dad in the audience and I snapped this quick photo of her. And as the title states... a sweet moment. Here's what I created...



I began with the background sheet called Radiant a cut the word "moments" using a simple, uppercase font. Then, I used my watercolour paints to create a soft and beautiful watercolour wash. I used tones of peachy pink and a blueish aqua. I took inspiration for both the colours from the in the collection. I then backed the cut word with a sheet from the 6x6 paper pad. That black and white floral gets me every time. ❤

I then worked on matting my photo. Now, I love layers so I was sure to add a few sheets of patterned paper from the 6x6 paper pad plus any "scraps" I had already cut into for previous layouts. Lots of lovely paper and colours makes my heart happy! I then popped the photo onto a piece of foam dimension.

I then began my title. Having already completed the "moments" aspect of my title, the next part was easy! I used the word sweet from the Chipboard Titles. I just adore the mix of fonts to create my title.

Now, my favourite part... to build and create the clusters of embellishment around my photo. I took pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera pack, the Vellum Accents and the Chipboard Stickers. I also added some metallic silver thread and created a nest for my Flair Button to sit within.

I thought that my layout needed a bit of anchoring, so, I added a strip, cut at an angle to the bottom of my layout. I also added some embellishment with some ephemera there as well. Lastly, a healthy sprinkling of the Enamel Shapes and some silver Distress Spray. And voila! My layout is complete!

I thank you for stopping by today!
xoLina

CVS | Cherish These Moments

Hello Dear Scrappy Friends,
I'm excited to share with you my first creation using More Than Words from Cocoa Vanilla Studio! I am smitten with this collection. Every time I fall in love with a collection and claim it as my favourite, Zoe comes along and creates another stunner. I mean c'mon, it's sooo pretty!
The photograph I chose to scrapbook is a picture of my husband and myself. Fitting as how the theme this week on the blog is about love. ❤️

For my background, I wanted to create some visual interest so I started with layering some of the beautiful patterned paper sheets including; Precious, Gossamer and Noteworthy. I cut down stripes and adhered them down horizontally onto Radiant, that wonderful white with black dots. Simple and sweet!

Then, I worked on matting and layering papers behind my photo. I kept it simple this time around knowing that there would be a bit extra going on with all the patterned papers I had already used with my background. I printed my photo in black and white because I knew it would work perfectly with the collection. I was meant to be! I like a little lift and dimension on my layouts, so I adhered my photo and matting onto some foam sheet before sticking it onto my background paper.

Next, I worked on my title using the word "cherish" from the Chipboard Words and "Moments" from the Chipboard Accents sheet. For the word "these" I pulled an older alpha from my stash. These are Mini Markets in blue and cream.
  

Next, my favourite... embellishing! I used some of the gorgeous florals from the Die Cut Ephemera pack, a feather and that beautifully quoted tag that reads "Live for the moments you cannot put into words." I continued to embellish using the tiny word stickers that are included on the Sticker Accent sheet. They always manage to convey the message I'm trying to convey. <3

I thank you all for being here today and letting me share my layout with you. I appreciate it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
xoLina

CVS | Morning Cuddles

Happy New Year Friends!
Today, on the blog featuring this layout I created on my little and her daddy cuddling. This little of mine is a big cuddler and just loves to snuggle, especially in the morning. I used the fabulous Bohemian Dream to document my photo and create my layout.

So, beginning this layout, I printed my photos in black and white. This was important to me as I wanted them to pop against the colours of the papers and embellishments and I didn't want them to "get lost" within my layout. This allowed me to have fun with the elements of the collection but still be able to speak volumes with my photos.

As I always do, I started by matting and backing my photos with pieces of patterned paper, most from the 6x6. I tell you, the paper pad is convenient and I don't have to feel bad about cutting into an entire sheet just to matte an photo. I then popped up my picture with dimensional foam for lift and to create shadow.

Next, I played with the ephemera a chose pieces I wanted to incorporate into my clusters. As I was searching through the paper goodness, I found the cut apart sheet with this wonderful quote on it. The sheet itself is called Boho Bits and I knew I HAD to use it. My husband and I always say our littlest little has a killer smile and she lights up a room with it. She makes people smile when she smiles. Needless to say, the quite was perfect!

For my title, I used alphas in two different fonts and colours. I always love using this technique as I feel it brings a little something extra to my work. A bit of whimsy, maybe.

The butterflies are one of my favourite element in this collection. I used them in this case to draw attention to the top of my layout for some balance since my layout itself is bottom heavy. They just bring everything together and make it more cohesive.

Lastly, I used (you guessed it :P) some gold ink spray to create some splatters. And, really, what's better than gold splatters? LOL!

Thank you all for stopping by today, I appreciate you! Enjoy your weekend!
xoLina

CVS | Good Tidings

Good Morning Friends!
Lina here with you this morning to share I layout I created for this week's theme over on the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Blog of creating a Christmas layout using non-Christmas items. I loved this week's challenge, it forced me to think outside the box. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut but having something like a theme or a sketch to work with totally brings the creativity out in me.
Here's my take...

What a better way than to push my creativity than to use the gorgeous Bohemian Dream collection for a Christmas layout? Haha! It's full of beautiful florals and I thought to myself, "Why not?"
I decided to start this layout with a cut file, so I Googled "geometric Christmas Tree and found one I liked. I then used the Silhouette Design Studio to trace and then my Silhouette to cut it all out. I cut it out twice, once for the background and a second time so I chose a different patterned paper for the outline. I then flipped the original navy, polkadot called Abundant over and used the beautiful floral design in the back to fill in my pieces in the tree. I believe from start to finish, this process took about 15 minutes or so. I just love the effect and feel it's totally worth the extra effort.

I then continued to matte my photo. For this, I used pieces from previously cut into sheets as well as some papers from the 6x6 paper pad. I also used a bit from the cut apart sheet. Love this method!

For the title work, I chose the word "good" from the Chipboard Titles sheet. I knew I wanted my title to be white so I just left them as they were. Then, I went through my stash and picked out some white Thickers in Daiquiri and finished my title, reading "Good Tidings". I think it worked out pretty well. Totally complimented the theme and super simple!

Continuing forward, I worked on my embellishing. I chose pieces from both the Die Cut Ephemera and the Vellum Accents packages. I created my clusters using these as foundation pieces. Creating one cluster in the bottom right and a smaller on in the top left of the photo. I also added embellishments from the Chipboard Accents such as the hearts.

Next, I wanted to use a button from the Flair Buttons and so I chose the minty one that reads, "One of a kind." I created a nest of sorts using metallic gold thread that I wound around my index and pointer fingers and placing on my layout. I put some glue in the middle and then added my flair directly on top. It creates a nice little place for the flair button to sit.
To decorate my tree, I used the Enamel Shapes... an entire package. LOL! How very liberating to use and entire pack of something. Anyhow, I used them to dress up my tree and act as a sort of baubles. So cute!

Lastly, I used some HSCS in Gold to add some gold splatters around my page, mainly focusing around my clusters. Done!

I hope you enjoyed my layout today as much as I enjoyed creating it! Have a wonderful rest of your day!
xoLina ❤️

CVS | You Are My Dream Come True

Good Morning Fam,
Hope you all are having a lovely day thus far! Sharing my latest creation with you for Cocoa Vanilla Studio. Our theme this week was Gratitude. And, like most parents, I am grateful for my little meatballs. They have made me the happiest of people and saved me so many times. I will be forever grateful for their existences ☺️

This is what I created using the newest line, Bohemian Dream...

I know I mention this alllll the time, but I am completely and utterly smitten with this collection. It's just beautiful!
I began with the back ground sheet which is called Kaleidoscope. It's that gorgeous, whitewashed woodgrain you see. Next, I took about a 2.5 inch cut from the light blue sheet and a sliver from the dark purply blue horizontal stripe, and created my base. The entire layout is bottom heavy and I love how the papers act as an anchor for my photo, title and embellishments.

Next, I always work on my photo. I chose a few papers from the 6x6 paper pad and one full sized sheet and matted my photo. Then I popped it up on foam for dimension. I love the over look of this technique; It really allows the photo to jump off the page. In this case, the photo is printed in black and white. I printed it in both colour and Black and white but I liked how the black and white photo looked best against the colours of the collection. 

For my title, I worked with the "dream" piece from the Chipboard Stickers and worked around it using Thickers in Hardcover, a hot pink puffy sticker type. The colour really works well with all the pinks in the collection. I'm happy with how the title worked out. 

Now for my favourite part... embellishing. I used pieces from the Die Cut Ephemera package as well as florals from the Vellum Accents. I really had to stop myself from using "all the things" 😛 I created clusters in the top right of the photo and the bottom left; Layering both ephemera and vellum.

When it came to embellishing, I wanted to incorporate something to signify me and my littles. I used 3 vellum butterflies from the collection, one larger a medium and a small. I only glued the middles down and then folded up the wings to simulate the butterflies in flight. I think this is my most favourite element on the entire layout. It makes my heart happy. ❤️

I then added a few choice tiny words from the Accessory Stickers sheet. You friends already know how I feel about these. LOL! I'm in total love with them!

I also added some gold metallic thread in nest formation and rested a Flair Button on top, using the beautiful pink butterfly flair.

To finish off my layout, I added some HSCS in Gold and some Enamel Shapes. They're both the most awesome finishing touches!

 

I hope you've enjoyed what I've shared today as much as I've loved creating it! Thank you so much for joining me today on the blog!

xoLina

CVS | Big, Beautiful You

Good Morning Friends!
Lina here today and I'm sharing my very first layout using the incredible Bohemian Dream collection. I must first preface this post with saying that I am absolutely smitten by this collection. Zoe has knocked it outta the park for me with all the tones of purple and florals. Perfect!

The layout I'm sharing is of my littlest meatball at about 9-10 months. She was wearing purple and it matched perfectly with the collection so I went with it.
We were challenged this week to use new product... Done and done! Everything I used is new to me and newly available in the CVS shop. Here's what I created:

I began my layout with a crisp sheet of white card stock and a piece of the gorgeous dark purple diagonal stripe paper called, Dreamer. I mounted it to the top of my white card stock and got to work. I chose papers from the new 6x6 paper pad and started matting my photo which roughly measures 4x4 inches.
Next, I worked on my title because it would need to dry before I could use it. I took the words Beautiful and You from the Chipboard Titles and sprayed them with some ink spray. I chose a dark aqua, vibrant pink and a purple. I sprayed the word pieces and used my heat gun to speed up the drying process. I then set them aside and began working on my embellishments.For the BIG part of my title, I used the word title from the Chipboard Sticker Set. I love the mix of fonts!

I lovingly sifted through the Die Cut Ephemera, admiring every detail and piece and chose some of my favourite that would correspond well with my layout. I also used some of the Vellum Accents for layering. I love the subtle look of them. Using some metallic silver thread, I created a nest of sorts for the Flair Buttons to sit within. I used two Flair on this layout.

Next, taking the tiny word stickers from the Sticker Accent Sheet, I added my favourite sentiments in and around my page. I did this with other stickers around my page as well.

Finally, as a finishing touch, I added some of the Enamel Shapes in the Aqua and the Pink. They are a perfect addition to any layout. They just complete the layout in my opinion. 

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share in my layout. I appreciate all your kindness and love! ❤️ Have a wonderful day!
xoLina