Friday Favourites: Amanda Baldwin: Paper Pretty!

Hi A Piece of Cake Lovelies!

Hope you've all had a fabulous week!

& are ready to sing, "Hooray for Friday!!!"

Let's kick start that weekend early with some scrap happy inspiration :)

I am still totally diving in to my July Main Cake Kit....

I know - so many paper pretties in this kit!

And that's where today's page came from - 

It's a simply because the papers are so pretty I had to use them page! Lol! 

Here it tis...

"Best Day Ever" 

Naww... such a beautiful moment! Hello Best Day Ever indeed!

Told you those papers were pretty! 

I've used the Crate Paper Inc Confetti paper, and combined it with the Simple Stories So Fancy stickers, those amazing Jen Hadfield puffy stickers, and a few scattered sequins. 

A fairly simple page design - but with these gorgeous products you don't need much to make your layout complete.

Love it!

Let's take a closer look.....

Yep. That be pretty paper - LOVE!!!

And those stickers are really awesome too....

Aren't they divine?!! 

But if I have to pick a favourite it would be that floral bouquet - it just compliments that paper perfectly! 

Oh, and I am sucker for those black puffy stickers too tho!

Isn't that black heart the coolest?!

 SO many pretty things in the July Kit - making it my Friday Favourite!

Hope you liked my layout, & that I've inspired you to dive into your kits a lil more ;)

Have an Awesome Weekend!

Happy Arty Days, Amanda xo

Thoughtful Thursday: Amanda Baldwin: Posting Positivity!

Hi A Piece Of Cake Lovelies!

Amanda here, sharing an absolutely uplifting Thoughtful Thursday with you! :)

How's your week been so far?

Our gorgeous Miss M has been having a bit of a challenging time of late - it seems 9 is the new 13! And friendships are at a difficult stage... 

So sad when she is such a sweet and innocent soul. 

So what to do?

Well, it got me thinking about the importance of positive messages and affirmations for children. 

Children even growing up ones, need to be surrounded by radiating love.

In our family, we believe in the power of the mind - and  literally, 

"What you think, you become...."

So it's super important that we embrace our daughter's growth and change with nothing but pure positive support. 

So.......

 I've decided to create M an 8.5" x 11" album full of beautiful photographs 

(for 'those days' when you may feel vulnerable about yourself ) 

&

lots of uplifting quotes, affirmations and wonderful memories.

I am hoping that on days when she comes home from school teary-eyed, 

she can flick through this album and feel the love!

Have you seen our fabulous July Main Cake Kit ?

Gorgeous, huh?

Well, if you look carefully, you'll spy the Simple Stories: So Fancy 4x4 Elements cards -

 which have some really wonderful words on them.

Perfect for a page in Miss M's new affirmations album! 

Here it 'tis.....

"You are..."

Told you she was a sweetie! Isn't she beautiful?!

Hopefully, pages like these will serve as good reminders :)

And how awesome are those 4 x 4 Element cards?! 

So Fancy stickers too!

Let's take a closer peak......

As this is such a 'clean' design layout, I added just a lil messy stitching for texture.

And, one small distressed panel stitched into place for dimension & interest.

Isn't that typewriter sticker divine?!!

& speaking of stickers, this one below would have to be my favourite.......

A golden patchwork heart! Soooooo prettty! 

(Just like our precious Miss!)

Ooooh, and I tucked a few of those golden flower sequins under my photograph too - they're just the right amount of embellishing without being too much!

And that's where I've been at this week - 

filling a new album with pretty, happy moments that uplift and inspire!

(Oh, & we've started mum and daughter yoga again - 

more mindfulness, centering and focusing on strength. )

Having loads of fun and laughing as we fall out of our poses, lol! 

Thanks for stopping by beautiful people, 

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Workspace Wednesday: Amanda Baldwin: Where's Washi?!

Hi A Piece of Cake lovelies!

Welcome back for another Workspace Wednesday with Amanda!

If you're one of our awesome subscribers, then you've probably just started playing with the delicious new July Main Cake kit......

Prettiness overload here!
If you don't have a subscription, don't worry!
You can always try your luck on SALE night,
 OR for guaranteed joy,
 read all about our subscription offers  here, 
So you never miss out on all this scrap happiness again!

Anyways, it's Workspace Wednesday & I spy washi tape in the new kit!
How do you like to store your washi tape?
I like to keep mine in this cute teal dish....

 (um, ok,  that really is a chip 'n' dip platter)
But it's super cute,
easy to reach on my desk,
And....it's teal!
(I have a thing for teal, gold and or mint accessories! ;) )

Yep, grab & go is definitely workspace friendly!

When I opened up this scrumptious new kit, I just had to get that washi into my stash pronto!

I was also immediately drawn in by these yummies...

Needless to say they're also what's on my desk today - 

& here's what I created with them....

"Hello Awesome"

Such a sucker for gold & Crate Paper!

Luuurvve those arrows - bringing attention straight to my photo -

 & how sweet is that photo?!

 One of my faves! 

Literally, 'hello awesome', hence the title.

And speaking of titles, how fabulous are those puffy gold stickers?

It's hard to believe that they're stickers! So beautifully crafted!!!
Here's another view...

Some Simple Stories, So Fancy sticker love here too!

And that oversized paperclip?! Well, it just had to go on my gold page!

Too cute!

& there you have it!

My first layout with the new July Kit - hope I've inspired you! 

Thanks for visiting & leaving a comment, 

Let me know how you store your washi tape,

Or better yet,

 tag us in your storage pic on instagram @apieceofcakedesigns

we'd love to see!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days xo

Friday Favourites: Amanda Baldwin: Office Sweet!

Hello A Piece Of Cake Fans!

Hope you've all been having a fun, scraptastic week! 

Amanda here, and let's be honest,

 thank goodness it's Fri-YAY!

 I love weekends (who doesn't?!)

 & what better way to ease into some R & R, than with a lil Friday Favourite.....

Without trying to sound like a bad rendition of a Julie Andrews song,

 here are a few of my favourite *scrapbooking* things from this week; 

*Big titles: Bold is back! Nothing like a statement title

*Negative, or white space: Clean, simple designs & exercised control

*Pastel pattern papers: So pretty, need I say more?

&

*Sewing: I just got a new sewing machine at loooooong last - so I am back to stitching everything

And what do all these favourites have in common?

Well.... the June Cupcake Kit, of course!

How delicious!

The Fancy Pants Office Suite collection is literally SWEET!

Here's what I created with my favourite things in mind.....

"LOVELY"

Oh, I love this photo! I can't believe how quick;y she's grown up! 

(This photo was from 3 years ago?!!) 

But isn't she lovely?!

Such a pretty page for my gorgeous girl!

Let's talk Office Suite - divine isn't it? 

I love pastel anything! I always have, so naturally this collection is a dream! 

Whether you prefer block pastel colours or simple geo designs this pattern paper has it all,

And those oversized alphas are just fabulous!

Let's take a closer look them....

So cool! 

As I said, I am loving big, bold, statement titles & this fits perfectly!

As stitching is a bit of a thing for me again, I've sewn the alphas into place, as well as my pattern papers.....

And can't forget to mention those super sparkly gold hearts - apart from looking incredibly sweet, they help to anchor my photo too!

So there you have it! 

A few of my Favourite Things to inspire you into a crafty weekend!

Hope you liked my layout, 

& if you're super quick; 

there's one or two of these awesome Cupcake Kits left in the store ;)

(Quick! Shop here!)

Thanks for visiting,

Happy Arty Days, Amanda xo

Thoughtful Thursday: Amanda Baldwin: Happy Snap Your Loved Ones!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back for more cake-a-liscious delights!

Amanda here, and today I am sharing a little thoughfulness.... 

Ever put some photos away for safe keeping only to stumble upon them months later? 

Well, that was me last week...

A whole box full of beautiful photos that I was planning to scrap but never got around to.

I can't believe how much children can change in only a few months - they grow up so fast! 

Thought of the day: Be sure to happy snap your loved ones every single day!

 I found this gorgeous photo of my daughter and was just suddenly hit by how fast she's grown up - definitely not my baby anymore *sigh* !

Naturally, I couldn't put that photo back in the box, I just had to scrap with our June Main Cake Kit

Here's the page I created and that photo...

"LOVE" 

Yes, she's definitely not so little anymore - but she will always be my baby! 

Love my darling so very much!

How fabulous is that Gold Spot Vellum? It  works so well with the confetti style pattern paper  & scattered sequins!

I am loving the Cocoa Vanilla Studio Die Cut Ephemera too - tickets, typewriter font embellies, and diamonds (every girl's best friend!)

Let's look a lil closer......

Pretty colour doilies in this kit too!

- Don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle - 

An oh-so-pretty page with our June Cake Kit! 

Hope you feel inspired to get creating with those photos you've kept aside - or better yet, go grab your camera and snap a few more!

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, 

Have a wonderful day!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days xo

Friday Faves - Amanda Baldwin: June Cake Delights

Hi A Piece of Cake Connoisseurs!

Hope you've all had a fabulous week!

Amanda here today, & I am so super-dee-duper excited to be sharing my very first post with you.

As a devout APOCD fan, 

I have been creating with my June kit for a little while now and I just have to say it's jam-packed full of paper pretties & delights!

Here's a quick reminder of what it looks like....

I know, so many scrappy yummies in one kit! 

Cocoa Vanilla Studio are one of my absolute favourite scrapbook companies of all time, so it seems only appropriate that today's Friday Favourites features their gorgeous products!

I thought I'd share something from my personal scrapbooking collection today, as a sort of getting to know me.... 

It's all about my two beautiful children - the reason I memory keep  - but enough chattering about it.

 Here's my page,

"She & He" 8.5 x 11" layout

Naww! How cute are She & He?! 

They truly are my everything!

 I love capturing the everyday, here & now moments and that's exactly what this page is all about.

Because of the smaller layout size, I tend to write little notelets for my journaling. I pop them in handmade envelopes & attach them to the back of my pages for my children to read later on in life -keeping more of the memories alive!

How do you like to journal?

Speaking of journalling- how sweet is that journal card?!

Let's take a closer look....

An oh-so-simple card that sums it up perfectly, these are the moments to remember forever.

Love all the delicate features of this page - the soft colour palette, the repeat pattern of polka dots, the stitching and those very pretty embellishments. Check out that doily - heavenly!!!

The sequins and gold dots vellum add to that 'special' feel and add balance to all those pretty pink embellishments too.

Yep, a really pretty page dedicated to She & He!

I hope it has inspired you! 

Have you been creating with this Kit lately too?

Please join us at the Facebook Group: APOCD Cafe & share your creations with us - it's a really wonderful place to post in & get inspired too!

Thankyou for visiting, & leaving a comment -

I really appreciate it!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days xo

Workspace Wednesday: Amanda Baldwin - On My Desk....

Hi Lovelies! 

Welcome back for more cake-me-up paper delights!

Amanda here, & today I am sharing a little Workspace Wednesday love! 

I've been having lots of fun playing with the scrumptious June Cupcake Kit this week, 

so this is how I found my desk today.....

Cute, huh?! 

I LOVE pastel everything! I am such a girly girl!

 The Fancy Pants Designs Office Suite collection is just divinely pretty! 

I am planning to re-order more of this - it's that good!

Have you seen the June Cupcake Kit?!!

Awesomeness!!!

(& best news; it's still available for pre-order in the shop - but get in quick!)

So you've seen those pretties on my desk,
But here's what I created with them....

"Hello, darling" layout 

Oh those pretty papers!

Not only do they look divine, but they're also really textural. 

They feel wonderful to handle - almost like a lightweight watercolour paper :)

As the papers are 6 x 6", I needed to be clever with how I used them. 

This meant lots of trimming, distressing & stitching to make the most of the pattern papers.

 By splitting the pink crosses paper & covering the split with a solid colour, I've not only created interest but, also given the appearance of a full 12" sheet of paper. 

This is a really simple (& super easy) technique for coordinating smaller papers into full size layouts.

Did I mention that the coordinating Office Suite alphas are just too sweet?!!

Infact, all the embellishments in this kit are!

Let's take a closer look.......

A super cute doily from Bo Bunny no less, 

but what I am really loving at the moment are those divine Crate Paper Confetti puffy stickers!

Love gold embellishments with pastels, they partner perfectly!

Even the twine in this kit is the prettiest shade of sky blue!

*sigh* super paper pretties make my day!

Hope they made yours too!

I hope you feel inspired to get creating!

Thankyou for visiting,

Happy Arty Days xo