Author: moanaj

Woodland Scene

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

The awesome techniques used in making this card certainly aren’t new, but I finally got around to trying it myself.  I have always wanted to, and last weekend I had the perfect opportunity.  Interestingly enough, I spend enough time preparing to teach others, I often neglect teaching myself.  Thank you YouTube!  And of course all of those terribly creative crafters who share their videos.

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This project didn’t take too long to create in its basic form, but I did spend a good amount of time water coloring it.  The truck stamp was stamped with versafine ink on the recessed side of the embossing folder.  Then the paper was placed and those pieces were run through the big shot machine.  This gave me the embossed trees and the stamped truck. A brayer was inked up with crumb cake and gently rolled over the embossed trees. That is how they became colored so tidily.

After that, it all came down to painting.  Some parts went quickly, like the sky and grass, but I took my time on the truck.  I went over areas several times to get the tones I liked and fix the creative moments I might not have wanted to happen.  When I finished the painting it looked a bit too crisp for the setting, so I sponged over all the the card front and then heavily around the edges.  That worked.

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I did make a tag with the stitched framelits that says happy birthday.  I just couldn’t bring myself to place it on the front.  I didn’t want to cover up any of the picture.  It ended up being placed inside.  It isn’t like me to have a layered sentiment inside of a card, but today ended up being that day.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Open Me Already!

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These two guys do nothing but make me grin!  I haven’t used them together before, but here they are in all their glory.  Also, I changed up the big monster by turning his closed eyes into eyebrows and giving him some google eyes as well.  Thought that was cute.

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This kit was a birthday card and I think this one could work for that as well.  But any type of celebration could enjoy a project like this.  The hexagon dynamic texture embossing folder got to work in a different way.  I used the debossed side, the normal version has the hexagons raised up instead of recessed.  To bring in a little color I lightly sponged over the top of the embossed paper and look what happened!  What a great effect.  Also, I couldn’t wait to get my chicken stamps back out and use this background like it was chicken wire.  What a fun find.

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The confetti image from the balloon adventures stamp set really got some work.  It was used on the sentiment tag, the card front as well as the inside.  Pretty darn fun if you ask me.  I have another one of these kits left, I think I will get that put together pretty quick.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’re a Good Egg

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I know Sale-a-bration is over this year, but I had to play again with my favorite chicken stamp.  This guy just makes me giggle, and that is why I create things like this, to make me and others smile.  I do hope you got yourself this stamp set while it was available though.  I usually end up purging a bit after the sale is over since those products aren’t available anymore, but this Hey Chick set is a keeper.  That is why I got it in a wood mount set.

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This combination might look familiar since I just did a card with this kit making a floral thank you project.  This is the sixth of seven projects re-using left over workshop kits making them into something totally different.  Mission accomplished here once again.

The background was stamped with the Hardwood stamp in smokey slate and sponged heavily.  That is such a classic stamp.  I am sure it will be around for a long time.  The chicken was stamped in the upper center of the card front as to leave room for the ribbon and sentiment below.  Water color pencils came in handy for a quick color job and touched up with an aqua pen to blend the colors in.

Instead of a bow like the last card, I wrapped it twice around and gave it a little know. It looks great!  To keep with the sponged look of the wood background I sponged the card front equally well.  That also helped to draw additional focus to that awesome chicken, as if he needed help.

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The inside got a little stamp from the same set and a second sentiment.  The cute egg got the same coloring treatment and a touch of sponging around the edges of the paper.  It was a fairly quick project, always faster when the papers are all ready to go.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sweet Happy Birthday

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This recycled kit was originally a valentines card with all kinds of little die cuts and stamping.  Real big difference and I am totally in love with it.  It is so sweet, and I came across a stamping technique that it going to be used again and again.  It isn’t new I am sure, but new to me, so it counts.

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I love this particular balloon stamp set.  The outline images and then the fill stamp to give it a little interest and fun.  My first thought for the card front involved several free floating balloons with hand drawn strings.  Those strings just didn’t do it for me, they were distracting from the pretty balloons.  So I tried again using the bouquet of strings for the balloons.  That worked much better for me.  I then adhered punched out balloons over the top of the stamping using a glue dot at the base of each balloon.  It was enough to hold it in place and I don’t even mind that you can see the adhesive, totally worth it.

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I had to add some on the inside as well.  Giving the interest I love without a lot of bulk. Don’t get me wrong, when it is time to pile it on I go for it, but sometimes it is nice to not worry about putting something through the mail.

The tag was fun to add.  The stitched framelits are adorable.  They give a lovely finished edge so easily.  I wanted to use the ribbon from the kit but I didn’t want to interrupt the lines of the balloons, so I kept the ribbon to the tag.  I thought that worked out nicely.

While I love the look of a clean and simple card, the tag had a burst of color and it left the balloons out of balance.  So I went back to the stamp set looking for some help. There are these two little dandelion flower guys that I thought could work.  I placed them on the same block and stamped them across the bottom of the card in a bit of an upward angle.  I thought it looked like the breeze was blowing them gently up into the air.  The tag looked a bit bleak, so I gave it the same treatment.  For me, the new technique was to carry the look of motion, or the flowers blowing, across the front of the tag.  So fun!

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Taking these old kits and putting them to work in a different way has been so much fun. Only two more days of sharing this little series, but I think it will change how I work. I always want to have kits on hand to play with.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Artistically Asian

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Here we are at day four of this little series and I loved the challenge.   Although the original card was one of my favorites, this one sure does bring a smile to my face.  I have really enjoyed playing with these left over kits.  I might even make a habit of making some every so often just to play with like this.

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The photo may look like part of the card is missing, but it is actually kind of a z-fold.  I had to modify it some to cover some damaged areas of cardstock.  Not all of the kits come back home from workshop is good working order.  That is okay, no mistakes, only opportunities.

The stamping kind of looks 3-D instead of a shadow.  I should have stamped the second time closer, but I was distracted I guess.  No mistakes though, right?  On I went.  I tried to soften the green image some and connect the two by brushing the area with an aqua brush to push the color around.  It worked for me.  The best part of this is the lovely stamp in the right lower corner.  I believe it is a phrase that talks about having faith in God.  So beautiful, the concept and the stamp.  I would love to be able to write like that.

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I put the layers together, raised the floral sentiment area up some, and wrapped it in some beautiful from the recent Sale-a-bration catalog.  I hope you got some of that, I have absolutely loved it.  A second floral stamp was placed on the inside to tie it together.  I really do love inside stamping.  I like being able to use more of the stamps in a set and having access to the inside is like another canvas to work with.  Good stuff.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’re in my Thoughts & Prayers

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This is day three of seven projects re-purposing leftover workshop kits.  The only thing this card has in common with the first sample is color and a floral motif.  Wow, I love how it turned out.  When I made this I thought it was lovely, but didn’t have a special someone to give it to. Sad to say that now I do.  I do love having somewhere to express sincere thoughts and feelings. This will be perfect.

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The card front was stamped with the huge image from Rose Wonder.  The small flower image is also from the same set and I used it plenty all around.  I then sponged color lightly over all of the images.  I wanted soft color not exact or even water coloring.  The color almost glows. Then I ran it through the big shot with the elegant dots embossing folder.  The look was stunning.  I nearly left the rest of the decoration off.  It was lovely enough to be a one layer card.  But I kept on and dressed it up some more.

The doily was sponged with sweet sugarplum to match perfectly, love that option.  I crumpled it up some to offer more texture.  I was surprised on how many flowers I got out of that little piece of glimmer paper in the kit.  Careful use of specialty paper sure does make it last.  I staged the doily and sentiment tag before putting down all of those flowers.  There was a nice spot for everything if I do say so myself, and I do.

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Everything was sponged and sponged some more.  It put everything in a soft focus look which lends itself to a card like this.  I didn’t want any harsh lines.  I don’t always re-create a project, but I can see myself making this one again.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You Deserve a Happy Birthday!

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Here we go with day two of this little seven day adventure.  Use up my extra kits and make them look different.  Some parts I like better than others, but here it is just the same.

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The background cardstock had some floral stamping from the flower shop stamp set and then was run through the big shot with the lovely lace embossing folder.  The patterns might not have gone the best, but I stuck with it.  When I continued the stamping on the sentiment layer I wasn’t sure again.  I thought black wording would look too similar to the night of navy so I went with flirty flamingo.  Wouldn’t you know it that one of the words got hidden in a flower. So I stamped the sentiment again offset with versamark and then sprinkled on copper embossing powder.  It coordinates nicely with the foiled pattern on the designer series paper.

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It did give it a bit of a 3-D look, but you could read it easier.  I still wasn’t sure about all of the patterns going on here.  It seems like they are fighting for attention.  I don’t think I could tell you who won, but I kept on with it anyway.  I tilted the card a bit for this photo trying to show the foiled paper and matching embossing, you get the idea I think.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Love You More

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You know when you plan, prepare and get all ready?  And then suddenly everything gets in the way and it seems your work was in vain?  That was this morning.  However, I am trying to get it sorted out and keep my commitment to myself and have fun doing it.  How do you do that? Just keep smiling and pushing forward.  Twelve hours later, here is the blog project I had all ready.  Technology isn’t always my friend, but I want it to be.

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I gave myself a challenge to create seven projects from my leftover workshop project kits.  The goal is to use the materials provided and make it look different than the original.  This one was hard to reinvent because of the designer series paper.  Kind of had to stick to the pear thing, but I still managed a bit of a twist.  The stamping is definitely different as well as this fun and funky burlap ribbon.  I like it, but it is kind of hard to work with.

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This project was relatively simple, and even more lovely.   Creating something new out of something old can be very rewarding.  Cleaning up my desk has actually been kind of fun. Enjoy the next several days as I share more of my tidying up.

Hope you had a creative day!  Mind was more frustrating than creative, but still satisfying.

Moana

Just Keep Swimming!

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I don’t know, these fish look cool, elegant and creepy all at the same time. The color choices have created a neat look, but almost skeletal.  Well, you get the idea, right?

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To get the water color I simply pulled open my drawer of distress inks and grabbed four colors making sure they were dark to light.  I did a wet on wet water color technique to blend the ink together putting dark at the bottom and going up to the lightest color.  I came back in with a brown for the sandy bottom and stamped the stones in the same color.  Having some sunshine at the top peeking in was a great idea, but with my blue choice I got more of an algae look, but it looks good too.

The fish were stamped in black stazon to allow me to water color all around without ruining the image.  I knew I was going to go back with gold, so I didn’t worry about how dark they looked.  Guess I should have.  The sea weed or plant guys were stamped in green tones all around the fish and spritzed with water to soften the images.  The stamp set also came with these cute little bubbles, for the fishies of course.  So they were stamped in the darkest blue I used for the water.  I also used a splatter image from the Touch of Texture stamp set to give the water some dimension.  Even with all the color it looked kind of flat.

Then it was time for the gold guilding flakes.  The second layer of the fish set was stamped in glue and the flakes were pressed over that.  I let it set for just a moment before I started rubbing around with my finger then a bristle brush to remove the excess.  The gold sure does shine.  Different than embossing, but still exciting.  I tried to glue on some googly eyes, but it made the card look too silly, another time for those.  So I just drew some little dot eyes with a white gel pen.  Maybe a bit too creepy, but I left it.

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The sentiment was stamped in versafine black ink on velum cardstock.  While it was still moist I sprinkled iridescent ice powder over the top and heated it in place.  So sparkley and pretty.  I had some fun threads that matched and down they went.  A fun, but interestingly elegant card.  I sure had fun making it though.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Out of Limitations Come Creativity

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When a couple of friends get together to explore a few techniques, really cool things can happen.  The sentiment reads, Out of Limitations Comes Creativity.  Sometimes the limitations are our own minds, not finding new things to try, or new ways to try the things we already have.  Great example below if I do say so myself.

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We wanted to try a technique Jennifer McGuire recently shared using versamark ink and perfect pearls.  That was a lot of fun.  My beginning samples are fun to look at, and might turn into a project, but might not.  I still have them at my desk, but they led me to this project.  The sentiment was created with this technique.  It was neat though, how the perfect pearls clung to areas of the water color paper that weren’t all the way dry.  A neat accident that really adds to the look.  I also gave distress crayons a go.  Those are pretty darn cool.  I bought a set that came with the stamps I used here as well as a basic technique booklet.  Those techniques were put together and actually turned into this project.

Literally, we sat down with several products, a technique idea, and some great conversation. That was so much fun!  So, maybe I should have a sentiment stamp that says something like, Good Company Sets Free Creativity, or something much more poetic, but you get the idea.  Can’t wait til our next time together. Creative friends are so much fun!

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Talk About Wow!

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This was one fun experiment session!  I sat down with a few items and literally ended up with this trio of awesome cards.  This is exactly why you should give yourself challenges every so often.  You can come up with amazing ideas.

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I had this die cut in mind with black glitter, that is where it started.  I have this huge roll of very wide tear n tape that gave me a large stick surface to work with.  I covered my card front with two and a half strips of this tape, trimmed it to the right size and set down my die cut piece.  I created three die cut pieces from three different tones of metallic paper. That gave me lots of different circle pieces to work with.

The first card had to be all about the glitter.  When the silver die cut went down I was left with all this open space just waiting for the glitter to fill it up.  I sprinkles and rubbed until the spots were filled.  When I poured the glitter back into the jar it was still full, I thought I would have used up more than than.  Go figure!

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Then I moved onto filling in the die cut piece with the circles from the other colors.  That was fun and a bit tricky to get them right.  With the in between spaces, other than the circles, I filled in with more black glitter and rubbed it all in.  That took care of the second one quite nicely.

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This last one didn’t get any glitter.  I used tombo glue to place the die cut as well as the circle inset pieces.  I wanted a bit of umph so I ran it through the Big Shot with a cool embossing folder.  Great choice.  I just grinned at the card front for such a long time.  The photos are okay, but these are super awesome in person.  You really have to try this.

This trio sat at my desk for a few days because I didn’t know how to finish them off.  I knew that embellishments were out of the question and a sentiment choice had to be simple, elegant and subtle.  Talk about pressure.  I got that sorted out with some velum cardstock and sentiments from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set.  All good, all good.

Please get out some different product, watch a few inspiration videos and try something new.  You might create something amazing.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Don’t Quit Your Day Dream

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Glimmer paper makes everything look better.  How fun!  These projects were part of this last weekends workshop and the ladies really enjoyed making one.  Good thing we worked with the glimmer paper from this years sale-a-bration because it ran out and they would have missed out completely.  So glad I could share a little at least.

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Pretty straightforward cards here.  A few layers, some stamping and a delicate little bow. I helped out the ladies by pre-diecutting their leaves.  Folks get a bit frustrated waiting to die cut or emboss their work, so I try to make it a bit easier.  Maybe one day I will add a second Big Shot, maybe.

The sweet sugarplum glimmer paper may be gone, but the blushing bride is part of the annual catalog, so I can make more of these.  I am thinking about a thank you card gift set and this might just be the thing, with a different sentiment of course.  I think yes.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

A Simple Thank You

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Sometimes you just need a simple thank you card.  This is just right.  Not too bland, but a quick put together too.  The ladies at my card class this last weekend really liked it, quick and pretty is always welcome.  A project doesn’t always have to be a big production to say what you want.

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I used the three small flowers from the So In Love set to decorate the paper here.  They were placed together on one block for quicker stamping.  It really made quick work of decorating. Each time I added another stamped set of flowers I turned the block a quarter turn.  This gave the flowers a different look without trying to use each blossom one at a time.  I will be using that idea again for sure.

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Of course I had to add some to the inside to tie the card together.  This delicate ribbon is only a quarter of an inch wide and somehow has room for three rows of stitching.  Isn’t it precious?  That is as decorated as I let myself go here.  I was tempted to water color the flowers and get into some sponging, but I held back.  The result is simple yet perfect.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Make a Wish

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This last weekend was my card workshop and this was one of the projects we made.  Some of my ladies get intimidated easily, so I do try to keep it fun and simple.  This one fit the bill quite nicely.

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The card base and ink are bermuda bay, even the glimmer paper that is hi-lighting the candles.  That glimmer paper has been super fun to work with, I will be sad to see it go away at the end of sale-a-bration this month. I will probably get one more pack with my order this month.  Maybe it will be put into the new catalog this summer?  One can only hope.

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I die cut the candle framelit three times along the strip of very vanilla and adhered a strip of glimmer paper and daffodil delight paper underneath.  Such a nice accent.  That little set was then added to another strip of bermuda bay for the top layer.  The sentiment was direct enough, stamp and punch, my favorite.

The background piece is from a great paper stack.  I must have used half of it so far.  That is unusual for me, I don’t always love so many of the patterns.  Yes for sure this time around. I gave the ladies several choices for their cards and they all looked so different depending on the background piece.  Fun stuff there!  The inside earned a stamping of ‘Happy Birthday’ from the coordinating stamp set, window shopping, because I didn’t like it on the front.  It was a distraction. Can’t have that!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Hello Glimmer!

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Glimmer paper, floral stamps and dies, water coloring, beautiful ribbon, these are several of my favorite things.  Seeing them all together really does make me happy. I needed a special thank you card and this has more than accomplished that.

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I hadn’t had the detailed floral thinlits out for a bit, so that was reason enough.  The sweet sugarplum glimmer paper is where it all started though.  It is such a fun paper pack.  Four 6×6 sheets in three colors, sweet sugarplum, bermuda bay and mint macaron, and the set is free with a $50 purchase.  If you are going to enjoy great product, why not get a bonus at the same time, right?  Since sale-a-bration ends this month, I will have to make sure I get another pack.  So pretty.

The background had a light patterned water color wash in the same ink color and then lightly stamped as well.  I glued the edges of the detailed cut outs to secure them easily. This allowed my ribbon to be tied easily and not look like it was pulling on the paper.  I stamped lightly on the inside as well to coordinate it.

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The thanks sentiment was cut out four times from inexpensive white cardstock and then glued together one piece at a time. A bit sticky, but worth it. I then added the glimmer paper one to the top and used my trusty tombo glue to place it on the front at a slight angle.  I was temped to add more, but made myself stop.  Details are great, but not if they distract from the simple beauty you started with. My club ladies would love this card, but I think a large group would be too messy, so I will just share the sample for ideas.

Have a creative day!

Moana

A Perfect Day

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It is kind of ironic that I created this card last Thursday evening for Friday’s blog post. Then I entered into a series of hectic, not perfect days at all.  So, here it is five days later.  Today can still be that perfect day though, right?

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I usually am not into realistic photo paper, but this designer series pack has some really nice pieces in it.  This one especially. It looks really dimensional to me and I know it isn’t. It did create a lovely background though, and is the inspiration behind the card, literally.

I went with the country feel and scattered flowers all around the sentiment.  That was stamped, die cut and layered up a bit.  Those stitched shapes framelits are cool.  I debated turning the sentiment into a wall hanging with brads and linen thread, but knew I wanted to use burlap ribbon, so I left it alone.

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The pearls were so fun to place.  I usually don’t use the largest ones that often, or so many, but this card called for it.  I might have to make an envelope for this one, I don’t think it will fit, or very well.  Works for me!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Dream

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Blending colors can be just too much fun.  What a great set of vibrant colors here, right? I started with four and ended up with eight.  I literally had to tell myself to stop, before the colors went too far, leaving me with a brown mud card.  This project is so alive, I love it!

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The ink was applied to a lightly wet surface.  I wanted the color to flow, but not all over the place.  I left intentional gaps in between colors to allow for blending, trying not to make too specific a pattern.  My projects often lean toward stripes, and why not, they are great!

The vision for the die cut was different to begin with, but it did not work out as planned.  No problem, I love it in black as well.  It makes the card look a bit more elegant.  My original thought was to die cut a wide section of adhesive tape and brush it with black glitter. The release paper cut fine, but the adhesive did not want to work with all the detail pieces.  I ended up having to totally clean the die of sticky adhesive before I could use it again.  Live and learn I guess.  But I still want to to make that happen somehow.  Maybe just glitter paper next time?

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I wanted a bit of interest on the colors, so I opted to add a light flower stamp.  The color is a light neutral, sahara sand.  I thought that would not distract too much from the colors and keep the tone well.  It worked nicely.  I added some droplets of water to distress the background somewhat and called it done.  Such a fun card.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Blooms & Wishes Gone Wild

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Using a stamp set different than intended can lead to some lovely results.  The main image here is a flower base and the sentiment does come from the same set.  However, when you change it up some, and maybe create a silly creature instead, that same sentiment remains tender, but also very silly.  That kind of sums me up I guess.

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The background took some time, and I nearly tossed it when I was sure it was wrecked. Since I make myself walk away sometimes and return with a new perspective, I kept on. The colors came together nicely and I wish I could repeat it.  Sadly, I think this will be a one of a kind for sure.

The flower creature was stamped in black, leaving plenty of room for those little legs. He got a heavy brushing with gold wink of stella and a couple of google eyes.  I tried a mouth, kind of, but let it go.  It will just have to remain a mystery.

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The inside got some echo stamping with a smaller flower from the same set and that was all it needed. What an adorable card if I do say so myself, and I do.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate

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A simple card can look quite complicated at the same time.  That is definitely the case with this project.  It is all about color, and only a few for the front.  That is the beauty of color blending, you always get more than you started with.

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I grabbed a few distress markers from my stash that I liked together, a purple and two pinks.  I just scribbled them on a pallet and used an aqua painter to start painting wet on wet.  The purple was at the left, a bright pink in the middle with the lightest at the right.  I kept adding layers to each colors until they were vibrant enough and then began to blend. It was so fun to watch the pretty colors come together.

I had planned this card to be a shaker card with the candle border punch as a focus.  The inside color needed to contrast, so I chose green.  I tried to measure my coloring to have green candles with a yellow flame.  At certain angles you can see it, but not very easily. The acetate sheet distracts it, especially in the photos. I used liquid metal green and gold to give them a little extra sparkle.  Since the gold looked so nice I decided to do a quick overlay to give a lot of sparkle.  It worked wonderfully.

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The shaker frame went just around the candle punch area and was filled with a small amount of sequins.  I think it turned out great.  I ended up stamping a birthday sentiment on the inside of the card because I couldn’t bring myself to add anything that would distract from the front.  With the candles there, it could be any kind of celebration card, I happened to make it a birthday card.

Have a creative day!

Moana

 

Golden Garden in Bloom

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Distracted, distracted, distracted.  That would be my theme for the last several days. Sometimes we complain when we get stuck in a run, other times we stress out looking for that comfortable rut.  I think mine was on another planet all together.  Still looking, but getting closer for sure.  This lovely project has waited on my desk for four days to be shared. Worth it though, it is so pretty.

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I sat down, picked out five different colors and began a water color background. That has to be one of my favorite activities, just making soft blending colors.  Almost soothing. When it was dried I added the huge floral stamp from the garden in bloom set. Some images were stamped full strength and others stamped off once. I wasn’t quite happy there, so I took it up a notch. I have these awesome guilding flakes that give a really cool embossed look. You brush on glue from a pen, set them on the glue and swirl a stipple brush over that to get rid of the excess.  This time I brushed the glue directly on the stamp, stamped a glue image and then put the flakes on.  It worked out so great!  Can’t wait to do it again.

The tag was simply created with water color paper.  I stamped the image, rounded the corners and sponged the edges.  It was a bit stark so I took a light wash of color right over the top.  It blurred the sentiment a bit, but not too much.  A touch of ribbon on the side anchored with metallic thread and I was ready to go.

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The inside got a bit of echo stamping of course. I nearly always put that in place.  It just ties it all together so nicely.

Have a creative day!

Moana