Hello, friends!
If you have seen the Umber & Gold Collection then you have seen the mixed media elements throughout this collection. We were so inspired by it,  that we challenged our Creative Team to create a little mixed media of their own to complement this collection. Let's see what beautiful spreads they created!If you follow Carol on Instagram, you know that she is a bit of a wizard when it comes to mixed media.  
"The Umber & Gold Collection takes the cake when it comes to mixed media in print. Y’all, the Watercolor Washi in the Umber & Gold Traveler's Notebook Memory Keeping Kit is glorious! What a blast I have had digging into many elements from all things the Umber & Gold Collection. I am still documenting the 31 days of art journaling I did back in May 2021 in a Traveler’s Notebook Format. To include elements like patterned paper, a focal title, and torn bits, meant I needed to do a double-page spread.
To kick start my title, I used the “Today’s good mood is sponsored by” sentiment from the Traveler's Notebook Memory Keeping Kit on top of a purposely torn piece of patterned paper. I love that the die cuts are adhesive-backed!
On the right side of the spread above my photo, I mirrored a similar technique with torn paper and layered a water-colored leaf sticky note from the Umber & Gold Modern Memory Keeping Kit. This makes it look like I’ve gone to the trouble of pulling out my paints -without having to do so. I added an adhesive die cut from the Traveler's Notebook Memory Keeping Kit directly on my photo to emphasize my passion for art journaling and finished off the spread by sprinkling some of the gorgeous matte enamel dots throughout both pages.
I did end up whipping out my paints for splatter but overall, this kit lends itself to being effortlessly full of all things mixed media that my crafty heart loves. Wouldn’t you agree?"
Natasha used mixed media elements from the collection to inspire her own painterly design.
"One of my most favorite things about Cocoa Daisy Kits is the mixed media elements that are more often than not included in the collections! I know that I am not alone in this! Maybe like myself, it is one of the things that caught your eye when you first saw Cocoa Daisy products online. I am always very inspired to pull from these mixed media designs to develop my own mixed media creations for my memory-keeping layouts.
For this project, I used some watercolors to create a simple background painting wonky circles of paint with a variety of colors found in the Umber & Gold Collection. Creating simple shapes with your supplies can create such a dynamic background for your layout. Plus, if you set out to create whimsical, wonky, shapes that can help take the pressure off of the outcome.
In addition to the warm tones of the browns and oranges, I pulled in some blue chipboard pieces from the My Escape Collection, to pull in the blues from my photos. As blue and orange are complementary colors it all flows seamlessly, looking like it could have been pulled from the same collection!"
We love how Audrey replicated the mixed media elements while making it all her own!
"I absolutely love the soft watercolors of the Umber & Gold Collection and for this 12x12 mixed media design, I did my best to replicate them using watercolors from my stash and the lusciousness of this collection.
Once I got my background to my liking, I added embellishments. I started out with a 4x6 journaling card from the Umber & Gold Modern Memory Keeping Kit that just perfectly told my story. The quote is from Vincent Van Gogh, a fellow artist, and compliments this picture of "mini me" nicely.
I ended this layout by scattering some embellishments around the page and using some of the letter stickers to give it the "mini me" title. The Umber & Gold Collection has so many beautiful mixed media elements that whether you create your own like I did or use the collection, your layouts will be stunning."
Creating with collection gives you the benefit of mixed media fun even if you aren't an enthusiast yourself! Share with us your designs by tagging @cocoa_daisy on social media or posting to the Cocoa Daisy Fan Page. Make sure to visit our Pinterest page for more inspiration.
