Thursday, July 29, 2021

Five Photos! | Cocoa Vanilla Studio DT

 

Hey y’all! Laura here again with a stunning floral filled, multiple photo layout featuring the stunning new These Days collection. Focusing on the A5 paper stack, I used two of the bright happy papers to mat my photos and fussy cut the entire A5 floral paper as well. Layering all of these fussy cut florals around the outside edge of the Daybreak patterned paper allowed the mixed media background to peek through. This photo strip of four 2×3 inch photos was a great way to squeeze in additional memories while still capturing the moment of my daughter and her friend leaning on each other. I love how beautifully the two papers under the photo compliment each other, one a painted stripe and the other an ombre sunset.

In addition to the florals framing the entire layout, I also tucked in two clusters of florals at the top and bottom of the larger photo to fill in the gaps left by the photo strip. This really helps to remove any sharp angles that may draw too much attention to themselves in those corners as well as tying in beautifully with the fussy cut frame I added to the repeated photo. By framing the smaller version, I emphasized the importance of that shot and the relationship it represents.

I especially love the details of the tiny fussy cut florals scattered around as well as the puffy hearts and butterflies that bring a little movement and whimsy to the finished page. I used Nuvo drops in gold to create the small accents and butterfly trails, then a bit of gold ink splatter for fun! The title is a statement all to itself, loving the versatility of the foam words and how many ways they can be used to create a plethora of titles. The little word phrase underneath was just the finishing touch it needed.

 I hope this inspires you to look at your A5 papers a little differently and incorporate them in a big way on your projects too! To see how “These Days” came together, check out the process video below!

Thanks for stopping by!




Sunday, July 18, 2021

Clustering Florals! | Cocoa Vanilla Studio DT

 

Hey y’all! Laura here again with a hand-stitched wreath layout using the stunning new These Days collection! I have two photos of my youngest daughter exploring through a tree in our backyard as she often does, finding new and inventive ways to get into the branches. I love the pops of red in the These Days collection that allow me to incorporate these photos seamlessly. This layout features a chain-stitch border and a hand-cut circle in the center that I backed with the Family Ties patterned paper.

I added in clear sticker trees around my titles to accentuate the Dr. Seuss quote I used for my title. These tiny puffy alphas worked perfectly to follow the line of my stitching and add a pop of color at the top of the layout. After fussy cutting the entirety of the Home Grown 12×12 patterned paper, I created a wreath of florals around the side and bottom of my stitched border. Adding in a few butterflies creates the impression of movement and fills in the gaps around the photos.

To finish off this project, I added gold Nuvo dropos for the butterfly trails, splattered gold ink spray around the edges, and popped two of the wood buttons on the edges of my floral clusters. Beyond the florals, I kept the embellishing fairly simple with a tab above the left photo and a word phrase below the right photos, both from the ephemera pack.

I hope this hand-stitched layout inspires you to try a new technique on your next layout, whether that’s stitching, fussy cutting, or splattering! To see this layout come together, check out the process video below:

Thanks for stopping by!