Because You Care and Gold Soiree

March 28, 2015March 28, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Today is all about the paper. And I couldn’t decide on which combinations to use. The Gold Soiree specialty designer series paper is more than wonderful. The other sides of these two papers are equally awesome. You will get to see those tomorrow, so come back to check.

Can you see the obvious glare on the paper? I know my photos are less than ideal at times, but the glare is on purpose. I wanted you to see the glossy reflection. This paper is so smooth and glossy and just fancier than the rest. Hence the specialty title.

The colors in this set are some of my favorite. Especially calypso coral. Can I just say that in my last house I painted my laundry room just a few shades lighter than this. It was called marmalade. I got teased, but it was so super happy in there.

As you have noticed, I have been creating extra birthday cards. My mother-in-law is so good about sending out cards. So I keep her supplied. Last night she picked up six. She only needed three this month, but couldn’t decide and took six. So cute. Now I have to get back to work!

Hope you have a super creative day! Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to see how the other side looks.

Moana

Lovely Amazing You and Wisteria Wonder

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Well, I finally did it. I jumped on the ‘feather’ bandwagon. I really didn’t see the big interest, just thought it wasn’t my thing.

That is until a friend talked about them at our last workshop and how she thought they were different and looked nice. You know what? She was totally right. Something else to be grateful for that was carried over into the spring catalog from last fall, the feather set. More to buy, oooops!

I did enjoy taking the paper and softening it up with ink. With the card above I just gave it a gentle sponging all over with the coordinating wisteria wonder ink. Below I gave it the ombre look. The photo gives you an idea, but it looks better in person, of course.

And of course I loved that I got to use a favorite ribbon that hadn’t been out in a while. I do so love the chevron ribbon. Good stuff there.

As we head into the weekend I think you should take a little time for yourself, and have a creative day!

Moana

Throwback Birthday!

March 26, 2015March 26, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How about another Throw Back Thursday? You got it! The designer paper I used was from last years Spring Occasions catalog and it was my favorite. I used it like crazy, but kept one pack whole just so I could love it some more. So pretty.

It was the watercolor wonder set. If you didn’t get any, you should be crying about it. Really, you should try to find some on ebay or something. Why am I going on about it now? Well, every catalog has paper that is specific to it and then it goes away when the catalog is done. If you find a paper you love, stock up before it’s gone!

I paired this awesome paper with two current sets. The Age Awareness photopolymer set and Work of Art. Both are absolutely fantastic sets that are loaded in fun! I even dipped into some really old sweater trim. Remember that stuff? I have loads of it. I stocked up when it hit the clearance rack. I love a good sale.

Can you see just how big this bag is? I scored a whole sheet in portrait mode and created this monster. If you want to know how the handle worked out, you will have to send me a comment. It was an accident, and I love how it worked out. Might be a new regular for my bags.

Have a super awesome creative day!

Moana

Bloom With Hope Birthday

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I don’t think I can ever get enough of this color combination. It is just so soft and elegant. I am trying to get my fix of coastal cabana in before it retires this summer. I really do love this color.

The sale-a-bration designer paper I used is already soft and pretty. But doesn’t it look even dreamier with velum over the top? Absolutely yes!

This cute box is open on top and is ready to be filled. My girls thought it should be filled with hershey’s kisses. How fun to have this out and ready to be shared!

Can you see the echo stamping I did on the inside of the card. It looks just as pretty in blue as it does in black on the front. I do love the inside stamped.

Well, this set speaks for itself, in volumes. You should try it out.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Birthday Bash Times Two

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Can you see a theme at my work station? Yup, still working on birthday cards. With paper this beautiful, you don’t really need a lot of extras.

I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but several of the printed balloons are in gold foil. It is just so pretty. It could easily have gone without stamping, but I did just for fun.

I thought with the color combination it could easily be masculine. Even with the seam binding ribbon. Simple and strong.

I could go on and on, but these cards speak for themselves. Dip into those pretty papers and put them to work. Don’t be shy, just cut into them and make something beautiful. That is why you bought them, right?

Have a creative day!

Moana

Perfect Pennants Birthday Bash

March 23, 2015March 23, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Aside from the rushed photos and my crazy allergies, I think these cards are rather fun! They are a definite challenge to the cloudy rainy day we have here. We need the rain and I need the pollen washed away. Actually, everything has a dusting of pollen that gives it a crushed curry look. Funny…

My mind is pretty darn blank today. Again with the allergies. But I needed some birthday cards and wanted to brighten up my desk. Mission accomplished.

The banner framelits really make a fun look. So simple to do, my favorite kind of excitement on a card. It doesn’t have to be all tricky and unique to give the right effect. Having everything all tidy and clean really gives a professional edge. Nice.

So, get out there and make some birthday cards! You know you need them and it is always nice to have them on hand.

Have a creative day!

Moana

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I gave myself a little challenge for this card project. I went to my color coach and flipped through the color trio displays on the back and picked out a set I thought might not work after all. What do you think?

We have perfect plum, blushing bride and sahara sand. When I put the card stock on my desktop I wasn’t too sure myself. But, as always, I pushed ahead. I put together a collection of framelits to create most of the elements, added an inked up doily, and only used a background stamp. I surprised myself when I opened up the I Love Lace stamp and discovered that I hadn’t used it yet. Talk about being unorganized sometimes!

That has to a favorite thing about doing this blog activity. I really get to use all of the stamps I have collected. This background stamp is just awesome!

I still was unsure of the card all the way to nearly the end. After I added a bow I was good. So, it came together after all. Such a fun card.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Kinda Eclectic Ray of Sunshine

March 21, 2015March 21, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Eclectic is the true nature of this card. A little bit of everything coming together to create something beautiful. With these colors, stamped images, punches, and a perfect Walt Whitman quote, how could you go wrong?

Of course I had to layer in the 1/8th” fashion as is my thing these days. But it makes me happy, even if it seems a bit wasteful. I often punch or cut out underneath anyway, so it isn’t too bad. I didn’t think I would notice if I inked the edges or not in such a narrow border, but you totally do. It looked almost plain otherwise with this combo. Interesting.

When I stamped inside I used just the corner of the sunburst, it was just right. It made me think of a quilt block I have never been brave enough to try. I think I have seen it called New York beauty and it involves paper piecing to keep those points just so. Beautiful, but daunting. Maybe someday.

Well, today is workshop day, so I had to keep it brief. No time for a second variation of the card and a matching bag. I still have to get to the store before I go!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Just Kidding, Tap Tap Tap

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I can’t even tell you how much this stamp set makes me laugh. Stampin’ Up! comes out with new photopolymer stamp sets during the year and their themes are all over the place. You need to look up this set and get ready to laugh.

I think this set would be perfect to share a little gift with a crafting buddy or two. I could put tons of little goodies in the gift bag. One of my favorite things.

This spiral border punch I used is so much fun. I have to be careful, or all of my projects are going to get that look. Do you ever fall in love with a product and just want to go crazy with it?

These tiny little buttons are part of a free gift with purchase set. They come along with the little twines you see on top of the tag. I pulled apart the strands for a lighter look. They come in all five colors, five yards each, and a collection of these little buttons. They are so sweet.

I think this will be project number two for workshop tomorrow. I picked the first one from a prior project and I will post the third in the morning. They are a fun mix for sure.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Wildflower Meadow Watercolor

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How about waking up to a ray of sunshine? This feels like a spring sunrise. The kind you wish you could get lost in, or just put on pause so you can stay there.

I was sulking over my blendabilities tragedy and wanted to play with color. So I pulled out some watercolor paper and decided to make a mess. I picked my colors, mushed some ink from my pads onto wax paper, sprayed them with water and started putting my paper on it to make patterns. Those colors were too dark, so I switched to the ones you see. Soft sky, daffodil delight and blushing bride. I repeated the process and the colors were just right. I dried it with my heat gun because I have no patience, sheesh…

I then stamped the wildflower meadow stamp in black stazon and went for it. I love the texture that shows through the ink. I finished it off with a tiny stamp from the Tap Tap Tap set to just say “hi”. I used the tiny oval to punch it out, inked it and backed it with another oval punched in daffodil delight.

A healthy smattering of basic pearls and a big hug in seam binding ribbon and this guy was ready. I raised it up on dimensionals and called it done. Kind of simple, but has lots of interest at the same time. Give it a try!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Guy Greetings

March 18, 2015March 18, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Can this set get any more masculine? I didn’t think so. I have to admit, I bought this stamp set entirely for these three stamps. Which is a bit excessive, but I loved them so much it didn’t matter. The rest of the set is super as well, but these are my favorites.

I know this has a Father’s Day look to it, but that isn’t who I had in mind when I made them. Actually, it was my husband. I did learn a lot from my dad, but when it comes to working with tools, that would be my husband. He has taught me so much and is endlessly patient with my questions. So fun.

I kept these pretty darn simple. I did like how when I put the sentiment on point they reminded me of caution signs. I wanted the tangerine tango more narrow to match the narrow background boarder, so I tried something out. After I cut out the tangerine tango square, I put it back on the cutting plate, and put the framelit on again but shifted it up at a diagonal. So I was cutting an L shape away. It worked out the first time. I could have done more to match the 1/8th” boarder, but went with it.

I used some dimensionals on the almost artichoke one and left the tangerine tango flat. Just some variety there. Of course I had to stamp on the inside and distress it all the way around. Tools aren’t tidy after all.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Balloon Bash Gone Wild

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This got a bit wild I think, but my girls thought it was great. I suppose for teen girls it would be. Sometimes we need to just step outside a bit and see what happens.

I suppose I should have done something green, for St. Patrick’s Day, oooops. I am wearing what I call my grinch shoes. Quite comfy, if a bit silly too.

I digress…so let’s focus here. This tiny bag is just 2 x 2 x 3 1/2″, but you could fill it with lots of little treats or a gift or two. It looks adorable, don’t you think?

I normally have to use a die cut or punch for my sentiments. I was distracted and found myself fussy cutting. So I just went that way all around. Admittedly, I am not the best at that. I avoid it as much as possible actually. I know, it’s silly.

The stacked with love paper stack isn’t just about Valentine’s Day. The back side of the red prints are more than fun in all of these exciting black and white patterns. I use it more than my other stacks to be honest. Interesting.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Painted Blooms with Lotus Blossom

March 16, 2015March 16, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

I finally gave in and cut into those whole sheet pieces of art in the Painted Blooms DSP. I have used several of the other patterns, just not the one lovely enough to be framed. I got brave and was really pleased with the results.

A trio of happiness for sure. Along the top left and top left of the paper it opens us, just like it would in a flower garden. I used those spaces for stamping and then again as my inside paper. It was as if I had stamped it, but didn’t need to. And I didn’t want to not use it, but it wasn’t the right balance for a card front.

This need to make matching gift bags is really starting to fill up my work station. I can count ten bags from where I am sitting. Seriously now, I need to do some gifting.

I really enjoy the combination of rose red and wild wasabi. They really are beautiful together. Sweet words, pretty colors, flowers and butterflies, my work is so happy here.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Adventure Awaits with Lullaby?

March 15, 2015March 15, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes traditional, sometimes floral, and sometimes, just right. That is how I feel about the projects for today. They came together so effortlessly. I guess when you are in the zone good things happen.

Can you believe these designer papers came out of the lullaby set? They could speak baby, I guess, but really have a lot more uses than that. Super fun with even a twist of masculine.

I snatched the anchor from the Guy Greetings set to add to the nautical theme. My husband told me that the color combination felt like the beach. Guess it worked.

I brought in the spots stamp from the Perpetual Birthday set and it gave just the right touch. The largest spot is the exact size as the small epoxy sticker from the sticker set. Things just lined right up! I do love decorating the inside of the card to match.

With the square and circle framelits to do my cutting, it kept the sentiments large but still a nice layering effect. I have gotten into 1/8″ boarders on my layering. Those are hard to line up without using tombo adhesive to wiggle it into place. Love that stuff. And I even got to use more of my Sale-a-bration ribbon stash! Winning all around!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sheer Perfection

March 14, 2015March 14, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I had taken a break from blackberry bliss, since I couldn’t leave it alone. I went through a pack of that paper pretty darn quick. Just had to order another. I absolutely love, love, love that color. I am glad we get it for another year.

Isn’t this velum paper just beautiful? It is yet another free gift with a qualifying purchase during Sale-a-bration! Those folks at Stampin’Up! did a really clever thing during this sale. By the time we hit March, things have slowed a bit, so they introduced four new gift items! Wheeeeeee!

I picked my favorites right away of course. This pack has several patterns and they are all wonderful. You should really get some of it, really.

The gift bag I made to go with is pretty darn simple. I probably should have done more, but I was wasn’t feeling it. My daughter thought it would be perfect with a couple of candy bars inside. What bag wouldn’t, right?

Either way, I finally got these together. Some Saturday’s are busier than others, and today was chuck full of very wonderful distractions. Life can be so good.

Hope you had a creative day!

Moana

Bundled Baby Shower Invitations

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Do you remember this one? It was one of the choices for a baby shower invitation. So, today isn’t a new project, just a whole slew of them with another color option.

This is what fifty of these bad boys look like. Kind of impressive.

I used up all of my pistachio pudding paper and had to dip into a little so saffron. I think it worked out pretty nice. The biggest work portion was all of the inking on that awesome star embossed sale-a-bration paper.

They are ready for delivery and my fingers are ready for a rest. Enough said.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Back to Black Throw Back Thursday

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

I let myself get so caught up in the fun of the spring and sale-a-bration catalogs that I neglected one of my favorites. Digging into old product and paying homage.

It might be hard to tell just what is retired here, because it looks familiar. Well, the pool party paper used here is the retired version. If you look closely, you can see some of the texture. Remember that? Just a subtle thing, but nice. Also, how about all of that bling? I was quite generous with the rhinestones, even the retired ones. Yup, the large rhinestones. When they hit the clearance rack, I bought a bunch. It will be sad when that stash is gone, but that won’t be any time soon.

I might have used all of the floral punches, but one. Have to love a good floral card and matching box right? Now it just needs something fabulous to go inside. How about some jewelry or truffles? I like it.

If you want to re-create any of these, just get out your back to black dsp, all of your floral punches, pool party paper and matching ribbon, and a healthy stash of basic rhinestones. I took the guesswork out of the box and used my box punch board. You might notice all the lift. Of course there is a serious dimensional party going on here too. So, join in!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate This!

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I always call it a celebration when you get to use product that has been sitting quietly waiting its turn. It seems I have been doing that a lot lately. That would be the difference between preparing for workshop projects and blogging daily. I think the daily thing is a lot more interesting, even if a bit tiring.

I have to admit I struggled with this one a bit. I tend to lean to the softer look and this one was pretty darn edgy. But, I absolutely adore orange, so I persevered.

Late night and early morning work tend to make for a lot of shadows in my photos. But when you have a family that comes first, those tend to be the available hours of my day. I can cope well enough with the shadows, most of the time.

This gift bag had a different plan to start with. I had a math problem while using my scoreboard and I had to improvise. It is actually a pretty nice size. It used a whole sheet of cardstock with only a little bit snipped away.

On a side note, it was extremely satisfying to use hexagon shaped dimensionals on a hexagon shaped punch. For those of us who like things just so, it is definitely just so.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Let’s Celebrate Gold Soiree!

March 10, 2015March 10, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

How beautiful is this paper, right? Well, having it to look at is fun, but using it is better. Sometimes we hang on too long because it is so pretty. If you have it, use it. That being said, this is only my second project with this paper pack. Oooops…

This is on its way to becoming a six card set. I have a friend hosting a baby shower for her daughter and I am on prize patrol. Yup, the prizes will be card sets and the like. How fun will that be!

This was one of those cards that as I started I was pretty unsure. I though the calypso coral and garden green would just take over and my paper would be lost. Leave it to Stampin’Up! to have everything go together so perfectly.

I just kept going and was pleasantly surprised when it looked better than I thought it would. I really love the boarder stamp I used inside. It is so delicate. Why don’t you give it a try!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Just a Little Sumthin’ Sumthin’

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

Today is all about quick and simple. I was able to attend a girls camp planning meeting last night and of course I had to have something to share with the girls. Imagine this set times four.

It only took about an hour to whip up twenty handouts! How about that! I got into my stash of retired designer series paper and pulled out these awesome colors. I cut the squares 6×6, put adhesive on two perpendicular sides, rolled into a tube and squished one end together.

Fill with candy and staple shut! Really, it was just about that simple. I used the other side of the paper to give a more solid pattern to frame my stamped phrase. It was so quick.

It makes people feel special when they know you made them something, even a little something like this. What a great use of awesome products, right?

Have a creative day!

Moana

studio824

Creativity for all seasons and reasons.

Author: moanaj

Because You Care and Gold Soiree

Lovely Amazing You and Wisteria Wonder

Throwback Birthday!

Bloom With Hope Birthday

Birthday Bash Times Two

Perfect Pennants Birthday Bash

Kinda Eclectic Ray of Sunshine

Just Kidding, Tap Tap Tap

Wildflower Meadow Watercolor

Guy Greetings

Balloon Bash Gone Wild

Painted Blooms with Lotus Blossom

Adventure Awaits with Lullaby?

Sheer Perfection

Bundled Baby Shower Invitations

Back to Black Throw Back Thursday

Celebrate This!

Let’s Celebrate Gold Soiree!

Just a Little Sumthin’ Sumthin’