This 1 to 3 Challenge is even more exciting than usual. Why you ask? Well, us Scrapstorian gals finally got our hands some Cocoa Vanilla Studio! Specifically the Boys Rule Collection that we have been drooling over on Instagram for months.

A few times we have attempted to order the product from Cocoa Vanilla but getting the product from Australia has just been too far outside our scrapbooking budgets. Shipping from Cocoa Vanilla to us here in Canada is well over $50 dollars – ouch! Well, Serendipity has made it possible. I mean Serendipity quite literally…

Serendipity is the name of a  scrapbook store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where 2 of us Scrapstorian gals reside. The store just recently started carrying Cocoa Vanilla Studio. No joke! Whoop, whoop! While Calgary  is not local for me (I am the Scrapstorian who lives in Vancouver) it is a whole lot closer than Australia and the much smaller shipping cost also made it possible for me to get my Cocoa Vanilla studio fix on!

We are all so excited about the Cocoa Vanilla Studio goodness that instead of just one of us Scrapstorian gals showcasing a 3 to 1 Challenge, all three of us gals are doing it! How fun is that!? This is going to be an extensive (and thoroughly enjoyable) kit review.

What is a 3 to 1 Challenge

The 1 to 3 Challenge is a scrapbook kit review. A member of the Scrapstorian Design Team samples one scrapbook kit and applies it to three different sketch challenges in a month. We then document our experience for you – providing our thoughts on the kit company, the contents and how versatile it was for different challenges. We also talk about the sketch challenges themselves. Check out our past 1 to 3 Challenges.

About Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Cocoa Vanilla Studio is a company based in New South Wales, Australia by the super talented and beyond creative Zoe Pearn. She designs scrapbooking products and fabric lines out of her home studio and has turned her design dreams into an epic scrapbooking product company that has reached as far as us folks here in Canada. In fact her amazing products are now in over 100 stores worldwide – go Zoe!

Cocoa Vanilla Studio, Boys Rule Collection

Now this is the collection of collections – the colours, the patterns, the chipboard, the ephemera and the little skull and cross bones with a crown on, and the little Sasquatch guy who is always up for adventure. Wow!

Wow, right?!

Sketch 1 – Sketchabilities 

Let’s start the Challenge by using the kit for three online sketch challenge. First up is Sketchabilities Sketch #152 which features a couple of photos with some layering behind and a couple of great spots reserved for embellishments.

I really liked the horizontal strip below the photo and was inspired to use this design element for my title and to anchor the journaling on this layout. The sketch inspires some messy paint splatters and thanks to Cocoa Vanilla this came ready made on the pattern paper I chose for the layout background.

This layout is all Cocoa Vanilla with the exception of some Bazzill Basics Paper Cardstock, Avalanche to back my photos and my journalling strips; and I used some Ranger Ink, Enamel Accents (White) over some of the background paint splatters to give a bit of dimension randomly around the page.

Sketch 2 – Let’s Get Sketchy

Next up is the Let’s Get Sketchy  – September 1, 2018 Sketch Challenge. This sketch is another one that features 2 photos (I love multi photo sketches), layering and lots of space for splatters and embellishments.

I really like this sketch and flipped it so I could use my portrait oriented photos that I just had to pair with the Boys Rule collection. I was so inspired by the die cuts and ephemera of the collection that I may have gone a little crazy with the embellishments.

I also added some string from my stash; a Freckled Fawn Puffy Heart; and some American Craft Thickers too for the title and as chevron arrows (which are actually alpha brackets). The photos, pattern layers and journal strips are backed in Bazzill Basics Paper Cardstock, Raven, or Bazzill Basics Paper Cardstock, Avalanche.

Sketch 3 – Paper Issues

Finally we played with the Paper Issues, Keep It Sketchy September 2018 challenge. This sketch offers that messy, paint splatter look that pairs perfectly with Boys Rule.

I again flipped this sketch to make it work for the 5×7 photo I had in mind. I struggle finding collections that work for scrapbooking photos of my husbands men’s rugby team pictures and believe it or not this collection really worked. The grey’s and distress look are wonderful for adult photos, and were not too childish at all.

I added some additional splatters using the Stampin’ Up, Grunge stamp with StazOn (black) to beef up the distress look of the background; popped on some Freckled Fawn, Puffy Stars (black); and layered the photo on a variety of Bazzill Basics Paper Cardstock, Raven, Bazzill Basics Paper Cardstock, Avalanche and a red scrap from my stash.

Cocoa Vanilla Studio Kit Review

The paper quality of Cocoa Vanilla is amazing. The colours are great and the paper quality is phenomenal. Even stamping on the ‘The Best’ layout using Staz On didn’t go through the paper one little bit. The chipboard die cuts and ephemera are fabulous. Lots of coordinating items with a good mix of big and small pieces which makes tucking and layering the bits so much fun.

Finally, and my favourite of all time, the collection comes with a cut file and its very own matching background pattern paper. I wanted to spread the love as much as possible so used just the matching cut file star background for the ‘Awesome’ layout above saving the white cardstock cut file for another layout.

Wow, what a collection – I am so happy we got our scrappy little hands on it. Give us a couple days and we will have the next 3 to 1 Challenge up by Cheryl or Shar. I know they are having as much fun as I am playing with all these Cocoa Vanilla goodies.

Brande