Showing posts with label Cocoa Daisy Design Team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cocoa Daisy Design Team. Show all posts

February 2, 2018

A different kind of POCKET LETTER using PACKAGING

I am sharing a pocket letter today that I made from different bits and pieces from my January and February Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping kits. I especially used those things that you would usually not consider as paper crafting products: mainly all different kinds of packaging. This pocket letter was greatly inspired by Moon Hulsman who shared a very similar idea on her instagram last year.


As you can see, I used one of the big brown paper bags that our kits used to come in as my base and just folded the paper "harmonica style" to create pockets. Then I decorated the paper using the acrylic paint and layered papers and die cuts on top. Then I went on to create the filling for my pocket letter. Once I had gathered all the different pieces, I then went on to mark the width of each pocket and sewed lines along each pocket.


I used the stamp from the Classified kit: memory keeping edition and some lined paper to create some fun stationery for my pen pal and set aside one of the pages to write my own letter.


Here are some of the items I included in the letter: a glassine bag with some sequins and a flair button (all from the Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping kits "Shine Bright"), a partial pack of enamel shapes (from the Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping kits "Always") where I cut down a piece of the backing paper from one of the packages and added it all into another little bag of packaging. A bag with leftover die cuts, I again removed the backing and replaced it with a scrap of patterned paper and added a piece of ribbon to the top. And finally some washi samples from the Planner kits as well as the Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping kits "Shine Bright" that I wrapped around a used Cable Car ticket.


Finally, I used the new yellow polka dot bag that contained our Memory Keeping kits this month to create an envelope. Because I am not so sure about the paper holding up while traveling all the way to the Philippines I used packing tape very liberally.

Here is a closer look at the pocket letter! I can't tell you how excited I am to send it off to my friend who has been waiting for a reply from me for such a long time. Thank you so much for letting me share this with you today!

January 10, 2018

Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping Kits "Always" - January 2018

Hi there! Today I"m sharing a closer look at the January 2018 Memory Keeping Kits "Always". They are the perfect combination of love and winter and will help you get your memories onto beautiful paper and into your albums!


This is one of my most favorite cards of the Memory Keeping Pocket kit! The designs on the cards are so versatile. Several have beautiful quotes and sayings printed on them that you can easily use to make cards or tags and send some love notes to friends near and far.


This die cut from the Memory Keeping Kit is a great prompt to journal about your status quo! What are you currently doing, loving, watching, reading, feeling? Take photos of your everyday life and document where you are at "right now' - these snippets of life are always so great to look back at.

The next three photos show some of the different paper combinations that spoke to me while I was filming the unboxing video.


What do you think about this combination? A busy, colorful pattern, combined with a larger patterned and an almost solid?


Or what about this? It's very dramatic with those bold colors. But it would still work with a smaller pattern contrasting the larger hearts. Maybe it would even work on the awesome mixed media background! I love papers like this one: you don"t have to do the intimidating mixed media stuff, it"s already there!


Now last but not least this paper combination! I think this one with the bright yellows calling for Spring is my favorite of them all! What is yours?

Here is a link to my unboxing video, I would love for you to check it out! What are your plans for your kits? Did you see that there are still some Memory Keeping kits and pocket cards left in the store? Right now, I think I am going to start with one or two spreads in my Project Life 2016 album, I am still catching up and those cards and embellishments are just perfect. Then I would love to create another mini album, a bit different than last month's, more structured. I'd love to capture one highlight from each month of 2017 and create a "Best of 2017". How about you? Have you created a 2017 review layout yet? And then finally, if there are still papers and embellishments left, I might start another new project. Hahaha. As if I hadn't enough already! I would love to hear about your ideas and plans for the kits in the comments! Thanks so much for your time! I'll see you next month!

November 30, 2017

November Cocoa Daisy Kit Fair Isle - 3 Layouts and 1 Project Life Spread

Before I am diving into the December Cocoa Daisy Kits, I want to share the projects that I made using the November kits. I was able to make three layouts and one Project Life spread. I have process videos that go along with each one of them, they are linked underneath each photo.


The November kits included a lot of winter and snow themed references and since we live in California where we usually don't get snow, they were a bit tricky to use. I decided to challenge myself and document our first encounter with snow from this past June. I added some more trees in a darker color using embroidery thread. This helped to create more depth and dimension on the layout. I also used Distress Oxides for a mixed media background. Instead of adding the color directly to the background, I used a scrap piece of cardstock to see whether I wanted the color behind the photos, but it looked so great that I decided to use the scraps as an actual layer. If you want to see the whole process here is my video on youtube: Scrapbooking Process: "shorts SNOW sunshine" * Cocoa Daisy * embroidery.


I created this layout for the Designers Inspiration on the Cocoa Daisy blog. It was a 1-2-3-4 challenge with the challenge to use 4 different patterned papers from the kit. I used 1 acrylic piece, 2 photos, 3 trees (and hearts and stars), and as the challenge suggested 4 patterned papers. I really loved the patterned paper background but needed a space to create my photo cluster on, so I used gesso to tone down the brightness of the paper, then build my layout on top of that.Scrapooking Process: "Gather Together" 1-2-3-4 challenge.

This layout is all about me. I created it for my introduction blogpost over on the Cocoa Daisy blog. I used a go-to layout style of mine. But added five things about me to the background. Each one starts at one of the stars. I handlettered part of the title. The layers behind the photos consist of packaging and pocket cards. It's hard to see but I sewed white journaling lines all over the layout. Here is the link to youtube: Scrapbooking Process: "Du hast nen Vogel * Cocoa Daisy.



I am still catching up on my Project Life 2016 and I love that I can fill up my album slowly with the Cocoa Daisy Memory Keeping pocket kits. For this spread I only used the pocket kit, I love the challenge of making one kit work without pulling in too much stuff from my stash. Here is the process: Project Life Scrapbooking Process: Week 48/2016 * Cocoa Daisy.

August 7, 2017

Studio Tour No. 1: My Planner Station

In May I was on the Cocoa Daisy Blog with my take on a Studio Tour. Yes, it is not a real Studio Tour because I actually don't have my own designated studio space. The only thing that I have is part of our kitchen pantry, a raskog cart from IKEA and a wooden planner station in our family dining room. And this is exactly what I am going to share with you today!


When we first moved here I was very sad that I had to give up my studio: I had been sewing and crafting in there all day everyday for the past six years before the move and now I would only have a dining room table and all of my supplies stored in various places throughout the house. But after we had been here for several months and the boxes had been unpacked and this house had become more of a home I started to enjoy creating at the dining room table.


Over time, I was able to set up a raskog cart with all of my tools and items I need all the time. And just recently, I moved this unused wooden box that I brought from Germany and had been using for Project Life into the built in cabinet and set it up as a planner station. Right next to it, I also keep my journaling pouch that I set up for Doris Sander's Journaling Challenge as well as my pencil pouch.


When I plan or journal in my DaisyDori I often take the box and place it right in front of me on the table so I have all the gorgeous Cocoa Daisy planner items right there. I have a video for you where I walk you through the station and talk a bit more about my "studio space".



Finally, this is where I keep all of my scrapbooking and crafting supplies. The right side of the pantry is all mine: in the cabinets on the bottom I keep my papers and projects in IRIS containers and all of my stickers and embellishments in various containers. The top left cabinet houses all of my mixed media supplies and the top right cabinet is home to journals, inserts, my old camera and refills for my Canon Selphy. On the countertop, I store my current projects, my large guillotine trimmer, all of my stamps as well as an IKEA box (Tjena) with my DITL cards.



If you ask me now I will tell you that I really like my studio space just the way it is: I need to clean up after myself every time I create, so I will never have a desk that doesn't have space for me to be creative. And I also really like that I have to create project kits, this makes creating a project so much easier and faster. And lastly, as much as I was annoyed at my pantry space in the beginning, I really love that I can sneak in the pantry while cooking and work on a project.

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day and reading my little "I don't have a studio" story. Now, please share your studio setup in the comments below: Do you have your own space? Or do you also create in the family space? And do you like it? Or what would you love to change?

April 19, 2017

Cocoa Daisy: April Planner Setup.



I was on the Cocoa Daisy Blog last week, sharing my April Planner Setup. Here it is:

In April I switched from a standard size TN (= traveler's notebook) to a personal size. I have four inserts in my TN: a folder, the April DaisyDori, a monthly insert and a bullet journal insert.

When I made the folder I filmed the process. If you want you want to follow along, this is what you need: cardstock and/or patterned paper and a page protector. I sewed along the edges but you can easily swap the sewing out for washi tape. You can find the video on my youtube channel here: Making a folder with pouch and clear pockets.



I even repurposed the packaging from the Planner Addon kit. My initial idea was to have a place for my dashboard and the Cocoa Daisy Planner stickers. However, the stickers had about 1 cm overhang, so I put them in the pocket in the front of my TN.



Then I decorated the cover of my April DaisyDori with a Cocoa Daisy dashboard, some exclusive paper, the April sticker from the sticker sheet and this beautiful puffy butterfly sticker. Yes, I know: there is a huge contrast between my colorful, mixed media-rish dashboard in the front and this very clean and simple cover. That is exactly the way I like it! This photo is a bit older that is why the DaisyDori is sandwiched in the folder. I have since moved the DaisyDori to its own elastic because it was moving a lot when I wrote in it. That bugged me. A lot.



Before I'll move on to roughly show you what I use the other two inserts for, I want to give you a closer look at my DaisyDori setup. I am using the monthly calendar to record my step count in April and if this works out, I might continue to do so in the following months.



Then on the first two pages I have -and always had ever since I started using the DaisyDori- my meal plan for the whole month on one side and on the other my monthly goals. This month I chose three because it is Baseball season and two of my sons play. So I am very busy and don't want to overwhelm myself with too many goals. I have learned this the hard way and put myself up to failure last spring.



One of my goals is getting back into a cleaning routine. I have had times when I cleaned the whole house in one day and it worked well but since starting my youtube channel, creating for Design Teams and volunteering a lot at our elementary school, I didn't want another full day blocked and not having time to be creative. So I am trying to clean one room each day, leaving Saturdays for Baseball and reserving Sundays to supervise the kids when they do their chores. To keep track of my success I cut down one of the weekly pages from the personal planner pages to fit into one of my folder pockets. I added a tab and a "clean" sticker and can now check off each week. I really like to have this separate so I can check my progress after the month. Since this is not a routine yet, I make sure to add it to my daily to do list as well.



I use the rest of the DaisyDori as a daily planner. The DaisyDori has 36 pages, minus the first and last page and minus the two pages I use for meal planning and goals, this leaves 32 pages to be used. I don't pay any attention to the page design, some of my daily pages are divided in sections and have a grid, some are lined, some are blank and some are sectioned. Since April has 30 days I will end up with two spare pages in the back. I haven't thought about a use for them yet. But I am also not concerned if they will be left blank.



Here is a look at my MO2P (=month on two pages) in my monthly insert. When I used the DaisyDori in standard size for March, I actually used the calendar in the front. In my monthly spread I indicate birthdays, doctor's appointments, lunch dates, school breaks and any other activities that aren't reoccuring.



Finally, the last insert in my TN is this bullet journal insert. This is where I house all of my lists and collections that I want to keep separate from my daily and monthly planning, mostly because I need to refer back to them all year. Since I just moved from a standard size TN to this personal size, I still need to move some of my lists.

In case you want to find out more about me, here is how I introduced myself on the Cocoa Daisy Planner Fans Facebook group: Introduction. I have been subscribed to the DaisyDori since January 2016 and if you want to see how I started my DaisyDori journey, I am sharing them on my youtube channel here: Throwback Thursday * Planning 2016.

Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to read about my April planner setup, I hope I was able to inspire you to get creative. If you want to know more about my change to a personal size Traveler's Notebook or how I use my standard size DaisyDori, make sure you check out my youtube channel and follow me on instagram.

March 18, 2017

Cocoa Daisy Saturday Seminar: A5 sticker sheet.


Today for our Saturday Seminars in the Cocoa Daisy Planner Fans group, we talked about the A5 sticker sheet. This is a tricky sheet for me both in size and in the way I use it: the size only fits into my standard size traveler's notebook if I cut or fold it in half. I usually fold it right underneath the tab stickers, then I'll only have to use one sticker right away and there is no damage happening to any other stickers. The stickers itself are a mixture of both: functional stickers and pretty stickers. And this is where the problem occurs, I usually use the functional stickers very quickly but have a hard time using the pretty stickers. I tend to hoard pretty things instead of using them and have just recently started to force myself to use all the things. In my opinion, I have been doing very good so far in March, there are a lot of stickers already used. But there have been months where I haven't used a single sticker.


I'll start with showing you how I used the two top stickers: they are always to rectangular stickers, one with the month printed on it and one label. Putting the monthly label on the cover of my insert is something I have been doing almost every time I got my hands on this sticker sheet. The clear label I used this month to note my stats for youtube and instagram on the first. I also used one of the little hearts right next to the label to emphasize the milestone. Yes, I have actually reached 1000 youtube-subscribers at the end of February!


These next to photos show how I often use the tab stickers - for decoration on my pages. I hate it when my tabs are too floppy which is often the case with these sticker labels. So I tend to use them for decorating and layering. For this I cut them apart in the middle. In both cases here, I actually added text into the tab, but there have been numerous times when I simply covered the tab with a die cut or another sticker. In the right photo you can also see two more stickers from this sticker sheet: I added the small arrow from the "flag and arrow" stickers to the tab embellishment cluster making it quite clear that it was Theo's birthday. And since this is indeed a very important day, I also used the corresponding sticker at the top of the page.


Every month the sticker shapes are the same on this sticker sheet but the design and the words are different. In the past I have really struggled when I tried to use these quarter circle stickers on my pages. But this month they fit perfectly as appointment reminders. I hope to use the rest of them as well and try to keep going in April. The flags from the "flag and arrows" were equally hard for me to use: I always need some kind of edge to place them and never thought outside the box enough. So -in my mind- I only had the top of the page and they never worked there. But by simply drawing a box or a line or adding some washi for the sticker to rest, I can now place this sticker anywhere on the page.
This month the arrows were stickers indicating a specific event like the start of daylight savings time or St. Patrick's Day. In the right photo you can see how I used the "hop forward" sticker on March, 12 and then also used the tiny arrows to add the tasks for that day.

Are you using your stickers? Or are you a hoarder like me? After trying really hard to use my stickers and not hoard them since the start of March, I can tell you: it is far more satisfying to use all the things instead of having a growing stash and a slight feeling of guilt. And using pretty things makes me happy!

March 17, 2017

Cocoa Daisy: April Planner Kits and TOP 5


When my package from Cocoa Daisy arrived at my house on Wednesday, I filmed an unboxing video and then arranged all of the items from the kits on my white foam core for some pictures. Theo -my youngest- was home with me and pointed out the different things he liked and was generally very interested in all of the pretty planner things, that I had the idea of a new little series: every month Theo and I will pick our TOP 5 items from the kits and share them.

Theo's choices are dominated by the pretty butterflies, he picked those first and then he also chose the washi tape and the week on one page from the personal planner pages. I totally understand why: the stripes perfectly represent the color scheme of the month and are always an eye catcher. Then his and circled above the die cuts once more and the minute he read: "Today will be a good day!" he dove down and made his last pick.

I leaned towards the clouds this month: I chose the puffy cloud paper clip as well as the cloud sticker sheet. I love the patterns on the clouds and I cannot wait to use them. Then I chose the journaling card which not only includes my favorite pattern from the patterned papers but also this quote from Shakespeare. And even though I don't use the tab die cuts very often, I love them non the less and this one has a raindrop pattern! Lastly I chose these two dandelion die cuts which are by far my most favorite item in the whole kit. I just LOVE dandelions.

March 11, 2017

Cocoa Daisy Saturday Seminar: Functional Sticker Sheet.


In the Cocoa Daisy Planner Fans group on facebook we are starting a new series: the Saturday Seminars. In these we are trying to show ways on how we use the product that come in the Cocoa Daisy Planner kits and add-ons. This week we are concentrating on the functional sticker sheet. Lindsey from the planner team has actually listed all the different stickers on her blog, there are 110 stickers on this sheet. I have taken some pictures on how I use them in my planner.


Let's start with a sticker that I had neglected previously: the skinny arrows. There are 8 arrows on the sticker sheet in two color ways. This month I have been using them as arrows to point at important things throughout the day. When I had a list of things I used it to highlight the most important task by highlighting it. I really love that it is so skinny - it doesn't take up too much space which means that the line spacing stays the same. And line spacing is important to this nerdy person.


Moving on to the bullet flags. Four of them are included on every sheet. I use them to make lists, they fit perfectly on the grid section in the inserts and each bullet lines up nicely. Most days my to do list includes more items than four, so I use it on days where I know I can only handle four tasks because the rest of the day is so busy. Or I might divide my tasks into different topics and then use one for chores or video making or kids. This particular day even a sticker didn't help me to get things done, I had to move all four tasks to the next day. Ooops.
Here you can also see how I used the arrow (or as I call them house) stickers. For the afternoon, I marked the two most important things with them. They helped me to space the activities out nicely on the paper. I really am a sucker for a well designed layout - right now, I am using my DaisyDori insert as a daily planner, so each page is one day. The days do not have to be cohesive in their layout but each day's layout needs to be "pleasing to my eye" to work for me. I will do a whole blogpost on how this new setup is working for me, if you are interested, just leave a comment below!


This is another one of the arrows, they differ slightly from the ones above and are included in two sizes on the sticker sheet. You get eight narrow and four wide arrows. I use them very similarly to the arrows above. They would also work well with some writing on them. What I didn't know about them, until just recently, is the fact that they were specifically designed to fit into the date flag stickers. You could mark work days (and hours) or days off or a vacation or other special days like that.


Here is an example on how I used the circle stickers from the sticker sheet. They come in three different sizes, the middle and large circles are two colored. There are six large, six middle and sixteen circles in total. I often use the smallest size to mark out different activities or appointments that I have to remember. But I haven't really used the other two sizes, so I tried to use them and here are two examples. In the photo above I used the circle sticker to highlight a stamp. I partially stamped onto the circle. This way the stamp was more visible and prominent on the page. I also used it to note my stats and fit the word "STATS" into the circle.


I mostly struggle with the word stickers, there are thirteen on the sheet and they all have different words on them. I have only used two of them this month. One can be found in the picture above: I used it to mark the start of the weekend and simply added "Yay, it's the" in my handwriting. The other one was used to mark grocery shopping - one picture above this one. I guess, I need to be a little more creative next week to get them used up by the end of the month!

Yes, I really do want to use up most of my kits every month, I am trying very hard to use the things I love instead of hoarding them. I am a hoarder by nature, always thinking there might be a better opportunity to use a sticker, paper or embellishment. It might sound strange but this for me is "living in the now". Enjoying pretty (and functional) planner things now and not waiting for the perfect moment. It is a very satisfying feeling when I put these things to good use and I love it!

March 7, 2017

Cocoa Daisy Planner Team: Introduction


Each member of the Cocoa Daisy Planner Team is introducing themselves in the Cocoa Daisy Planner Fans facebook group this month. Today is my turn to introduce myself but I feel like I have so much to tell. I hope you'll make it to the end. My name is Simone, I am German living in the Bay Area with my husband and three sons. We moved here only 1.5 years ago, but have adjusted pretty well.

I have been crafting ever since I was little because my mom was/is a very talented crafter, there are photos where I am weaving, trying to crochet and sew. I collected stationery items when I was in my preteens and I still have that collection. As a paper nerd I had a list book where I would list my favorite foods, my friends, the boys I had a crush on, animals I wanted to have and so on.


I then forgot about my paper obsession for about 10 years when I moved on to fabric and sewed mostly clothing for my sons and me. I returned to paper crafting when I found Project Life in 2014 and then started to watch youtube videos in bulk. And this is how I came across Doris Sander​'s videos where she shared the DaisyDori. I bought a leftover Dori from a previous month to try and then immediately subscribed.


In August 2016 I actually cancelled my Dori subscription because I felt so guilty not using all the pages and tried different kinds of layouts for planning in a midori insert. Just when I thought I figured it all out, my system started to fall apart and I needed to adjust.

March 2017 is the first month that I am back in a DaisyDori for my planner. I changed to daily pages (so I will definitely use all the pages) which gives me enough room for all my plans, afternoon activities and thoughts. My planning style could be described as functional first, then pretty. I want my planner to work for me first, then I will pretty it up. I am trying to use all the stickers that come in the kit and they help me to visualize more important tasks and create a "layout that is pleasing to the eye."


In January I started to journal/memory keep/scrapbook in a DaisyDori as well. I affectionately call it smashdori (which is a word by Arleigh, the designer of the pretty planner things from Cocoa Daisy) because it reminds me so much of smashbooking. I thought this was something new, but I just pulled out my old journal from 1991 (that is 26 years ago) and it looks less colorful but the tendencies are there. So maybe this is something that is very natural to me.

****
See, I told you this was going to be long. But I still want to add three random facts about me:
1. I am the oldest of five children.
2. After I became obsessed with sewing, my mom got back into this hobby as well and actually opened a fabric store several years ago at age 58.
3. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been together for 21 years.
****

My social media:
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/seemownay
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seemownay/

February 27, 2017

Planning in a Traveler's Notebook: Planner Struggle & March Setup.



If you follow me closely on my other social media like instagram or youtube, the things I am going to tell you now, might be old news to you. But if not, here it goes.

For the past several weeks I have been struggling to use my planner, I didn't have enough room to actually make it work as a functional planner, add some pretty embellishments and at the same time be still pleasing to the eye. I also used to carry my planner everywhere but had started to leave it at home because it was too bulky and heavy. Add to that the fact that some of my additional traveler's notebook covers didn't work as planned. It was time to face the inevitable: the way I had sought out to plan in 2017 in the beginning of January needs to be changed. I filmed a lengthy video about my planner struggles, please check it out here.



My idea is to switch things up completely by using a personal size traveler's notebook starting in April, this should help with the weight and bulkyness. For the month of March, I decided to go back to my Cocoa Daisy insert, the DaisyDori in standard size and try to use one whole page for daily planning. This should address the issue of roominess. Again, I filmed a process and setup for my March DaisyDori, what I didn't expect was that I was completely stumped when it came to the layout of the daily pages. So I decided to take it one step at a time and only prepare the first couple of days and then move forward from there.

And finally, the last thing I wanted to share is by far the most exciting: I have been chosen to be on the Cocoa Daisy Day Planner Team for 2017. Alongside other lovely ladies I will be sharing my planning and memory keeping process with their products and hope to be inspiring to you all!

February 21, 2017

Journaling in a Traveler's Notebook: January Journal


Just in case you haven't seen me sharing photos and videos of this project, I wanted to collect them all here, so that it is easy to check them out. I stopped doing Project Life in the traditional style in a 12x12 album for 2017. Instead I am now journaling in a Traveler's Notebook insert, specifically a DaisyDori from Cocoa Daisy in the standard size. I didn't know where I was going with this in the beginning of January and just started with what was on my mind at that time.


The first part of the journal is reflecting on goals and things I want to achieve in 2017 and then went on to journal about all the events and moments, big and small that I wanted to remember. I specifically made sure to journal from my point of view and only talk about things that are important to me.


This journal is stuffed full with stickers, cards, washi tape and stamps. I still try to balance the page but I enjoy the messy look, it reminds me of the way people used to fill their smashbooks when they were still popular. I love the way this complements my scrapbooking layouts, which are so different but no less fun to make.


Here are all the videos for my January Daisy Dori.
I am already working on my journal for February and can't wait to share the videos and process with you!