Happy Summer / Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello again :)  I'm back today to share my newest layout for Cocoa Vanilla Studio.  This week we are celebrating SUMMER, and I'm excited about it!  I love creating Summer pages (duh!), and I love how this one turned out.  I used the gorgeous Make a Wish collection.  Even though it's technically a birthday line, it's very versatile.  I'm obsessed with the gorgeous florals, and I used my favorite patterned paper to cut my large title.  There are BRAND NEW Summer cut files available in the CVS store now, and I just had to use one here.  I stretched it to span across the entire page, and I think it turned out so pretty.  I hand stitched around the entire title with light blue thread to add some texture and to make it stand out.

Before I added the title, I added some pink, coral, golden yellow and blue Shimmerz on the background.  I didn't add much blue since there is so much of it in the photo.  I like to contrast my colors based on the photo's colors.  I think the stitching really sets the title off against those pinks and corals.  I embellished around the photos with floral die cuts and fussy cut flowers.

Hand stitching does take a little bit of patience and time, but the results are so worth it!  The dimension and texture is awesome every time.

I had open space on both sides of my photos, so I layered in a few flowers.  I added a bit of tissue paper under my picture as well as some thread.  I fussy cut "Happy" from patterned paper and stitched it down above the photo.

I think my favorite technique is creating some beautiful watercolor under embellishments like this.  This creates some really fun depth.

I just had to get another photo of the stitching :)

I left the top part of the layout pretty clean so the letters here would stand out.

I created a little cluster down at the bottom using a few die cuts, some chipboard and a few stickers.  I added a bit of thread and some machine stitching to finish everything off.

I had a really fun time creating this...I hope it inspires you to create something bright and fun for Summer!  And maybe try using papers & embellishments that aren't necessarily meant for it.  It's fun to change things up and challenge your creative brain :)

Here's my video if you'd like to check it out...

Thanks so much for stopping in, and have a wonderful day :)