CD Gift Envelopes

December 27, 2015December 22, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

More gifts? Well of course! Giving little favors to people is just one of my favorite things to do. I have found that nearly everyone I give to loves a hand made gift. Works for me!

These are actually decorative covers for some holiday CD’s I gave out this holiday season. There are a few little treats inside and a horrid extreme sour warhead candy cane. My daughter loves them, I am not a fan. But those that got these gifts also appreciate sour stuff like that.

This particular last minute gift set was so close to Christmas that the paper was on clearance! Good for me, but definitely cutting it a bit too close.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Treat Boxes for Friends

December 26, 2015December 22, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I worked ahead so I could enjoy the holiday. These little treat boxes have already been delivered and hopefully enjoyed as well.

I am finishing up just a few things before the evening is done, and sharing this little bit of joy is one of them. Just a little reminder to share more of yourself with those around you. Even if Christmas was yesterday, keep the spirit going strong.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Merry Christmas from the Jacobson Family!

December 25, 2015December 22, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Yes, we are just about this odd. Last year during the holiday season we spent a fun day at Six Flags and had this drawn. It is of course larger, and I had grander plans.

However, when it came time to plan out the card for this year I thought this would be so much fun. Totally different that the usual, but that is just how we are.

So, you shouldn’t be hanging around this blog, you should be with your family and friends. That is where I am. But, I did think it would be fun to share a different look for a Christmas card.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Moana

Big Gift Box

December 22, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How big is big? This one took two 12 x 12 sheets to make it work. This bag/box measures 5 x 6 x 6. How awesome is that? The gift inside is pretty much hilarious. Another gift exchange for my husband at work. Quite the group there.

I could have fit at least six stamp sets inside this guy. That could double for DVD’s or any other combination for sure. It is made with last years craft holiday paper so it is super sturdy. I could have made a fun tag and decorated it more, but it was a quick make this morning.

Could I find gift tissue to match? Nope. No worries though, there was a Santa hat close by and it did the job quite well. Actually, I think this might be a repeater idea. I probably won’t remember it, like the measurements for the awesome bag. It was a custom design for this huge mug. One thing at a time, and getting last minute holiday fun done is more important.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Flameless Candle Favors

December 21, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Two days off in a row? What is up with that I would like to know. Well, these little babies are to blame. Well, these are the ones left over from the original 150 I made. Yes, there were 150.

Our church youth group decided to go Christmas caroling to a few nursing homes in our area and well, the final decisions came a bit late. We normally would have collected fuzzy grippy bottom stockings, or made knitted hats or something along those lines. I live in a small town and couldn’t gather up enough of those kinds of things this late in the holiday season. So, it ended up being a paper crafting moment, or two, or more.

My Saturday was spent making these little treasures. If you weren’t making a ton it would be a super quick craft. I cut 6″ squares, scallop trimmed the tops, punched two snowflakes on opposite sides and tucked in a candle at the bottom. The candles got a little extra grip from glue dots to make sure they stayed put. It is a tight fit, but just in case. They are tubes so you can turn the candle on and off without taking it out. Pretty simple, but very nice.

As we sang the kids passed out lit favors to the nursing home guests. It really was a lovely experience for everyone. Christmas is about giving after all.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Paper Pumpkin Re-Make

December 18, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What says thank you better than a big bar of chocolate? A really pretty bar of chocolate with a coordinating card, that’s what! I really like how this Paper Pumpkin set got used so differently than I normally do.

I have mentioned my teacher aides before and how awesome they are. The holidays are the perfect time to share that gratitude. Especially when they feel special and others get to see that too. Okay, they are teenage boys that love to feel awesome and oh so cool. This works very well, just like they do.

I used the card base to wrap over my vanilla cardstock and it fit around so nicely. I was able to give it nice little scores and get two swipes of fast fuse to keep this together. After a hefty wrapping of ribbon, I know it is so secure. These holly leaves and little adhesive backed berries are so adorable though. I could definitely get into a die cut to make more of these. I will have to look around for one.

It is fun to go to work when you have this kind of joy to share. Besides, today is the last day of school before a very nice and long three week break. Phew!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Paper Pumpkin Makes Me Smile!

December 17, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

While I was visiting my children and parents during the Thanksgiving break I had a little fun with my November Paper Pumpkin kit. My mother and I love to craft, differently mind you, but love it still the same. So we sat down and did half of our kits together. It was so much fun.

Yes, this is only half. The kit came with materials to make ten cards, two different designs. I just loved them. I usually don’t share these unless I do something different than the kit suggests, but it was the time spared that was the fun share. My favorite part of crafting in any form is sharing it.

And when you have kits as adorable as these, it is easy to share more than you might think. These will be going to some special people, but not until they get some candy to go with them. I will blog that part tomorrow. I am going to turn the other five cards into candy bar wraps for the gift part and give them with these cards. Fun stuff, right? See you tomorrow then!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Garden Green Gift Box

December 16, 2015December 15, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Need a gift box or two? During the holidays we are always looking for something to wrap a last minute gift or party favor. That is what my husband needed for a work party tomorrow.

They are having a white elephant gift exchange, so I thought a really great box would throw them off completely. The ornament inside is nearly bizarre, but almost interesting at the same time. It has a flying pheasant, with a hunting fest hung below, and then a pheasant call hung below that. Yes, somehow I let that one not go on my tree. I wonder how that happened.

This box though. I used two sheets of garden green cut at 8.5 x 8.5 and scored at two inches all the way around for the sides. The top score lines were moved a smidge over so the lid would be just a bit larger than the bottom and fit snug. Mission accomplished. I used the snowflake stamp from the Perpetual Birthday Calendar set. Love that one so much. It gets used all of the time. I put a whole in the center with a circle framelit, which gave me funny half circle edges on two of the sides, but I couldn’t see a way around it, so I just went with it.

The window sheet was embossed with the elegant dots folder and stuck down inside. The sheet measured 4 x 4 and I used fast fuse to keep it in there. I ended up wrapping the gift in some 6″ wide burlap ribbon and doesn’t that look great? Surprised me too. Then this lovely box was given a big hug with some satin ribbon, gold to match the stamping, after being sponged like crazy of course. Now, the fun begins!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Your Presents

December 15, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Good morning to this bundle of happiness! My daughter was teasing me about how I get these ideas, don’t know if they will work out, because they always look amazing. Well, I don’t know if my original vision was achieved, but I do rather like how it turned out.

Wouldn’t it be fun to see a big pile of gifts like this? With the holidays here and Christmas right around the corner, I guess it could happen. It reminds me of growing up with the way my mother decorated and wrapped gifts. She liked everything to coordinate, the wrapping, the tree, decorations, everything. If someone gave a gift that didn’t coordinate, she would wrap it over to make it match. She would approve of this card for sure.

Just one stamp set and all of this pattern just happened. I bet if I worked harder I could have gotten more. I know that I will get to use this for countless birthday cards. A holiday stamp that can keep going on is my kind of stamp. I just stamped and layered with glimmer paper. The gifts were sponged lightly and a couple got bows stuck on top with glue dots. A few stars inside and one on top of the pile and it was done. So cute.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Workshop Wonders

December 14, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What do you get when you bring together some creative friends? A really unique workshop that was more fun than work that is for sure. Just look at these adorable projects they created!

We really did have a wonderful time sharing ideas, laughing, exchanging gifts and enjoying a lovely luncheon. I think they impressed themselves more than each other. And I loved crafting with them.

I already blogged mine on Saturday, but wanted to just show theirs. Two of our group couldn’t attend this one and they sure missed out. Next time I am sure they will share something wonderful. The ladies liked the activity so much that we decided to do it twice a year, once in December and once in the summer. I do love these gals!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Happy Christmas Exchange

December 12, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I usually don’t get the chance to blog on a workshop morning, but since we are doing things a little differently, my morning is a bit different.

For today’s workshop, my club ladies are each sharing a project and making a kit for everyone to complete. This is my contribution. It does need to be simple, the prep work done, and the project should be able to be completed in 5-10 minutes. We then get to come home with several different projects and my ladies get a chance to show off their skills too! I call that a win.

This project is all about simple layering with 1/4″ borders, two stamps, two different sized square framelits and a touch of ribbon. Oh, and sponging please, plenty of sponging. Really, it should be pretty satisfying.

We are also doing a little gift exchange and I am bringing my big bin of retired product that is their own little clearance rack. I drag that out every 3-4 months after I add a bit here and there into it. This will be our third year doing this, and I think it is a tradition here to stay.

Have a creative day!

Moana

White Christmas

December 11, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I had intended on making a matching bag for yesterday’s card, but I spent so much time on the card I had to call it and move on. Yet the large piece of velum was still waiting for me to finish it up. I made an effort or two.

My original plan didn’t work because I didn’t punch my holes along the bag top evenly and the ribbon stitching looked horrible. I cut off the top and tried again. There were improvements, but it is still uneven. It did look really nice with the card, but this is like the Where’s Waldo of crafting goofups to be honest. Can you find them all?

How about this obvious one. I was chatting to my daughter and not paying attention to my scoring and the measurements got off. You don’t waste foil velum though, so I continued on. That is when I goofed up the hole punching the first time, and a bit again on the second time. I didn’t bother putting treats inside because I don’t know if I can let this goof off the desk.

But, the set does look nice even if I made mistakes. I always tell my ladies that there are no mistakes, only opportunities. I don’t know about this one, maybe an opportunity to learn from my mistakes?

Have a creative day!

Moana

Bitty Boxy Holiday Bags

December 9, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

I managed to sneak yet another project out of that paper set. I still have enough for a couple of cards or a medium sized gift bag. Dang, what a lot of fun I have had using this paper. But these tiny little bags certainly do take the cake. Aren’t they just absolutely adorable?

My husband was given a large bag of candy as a thank you and he brought it home. And he opened it. So that is just dangerous. I knew I had to come up with several little bags to use them up. I am getting there.

Three different styles of box bags to get me going today. I am partial to a milk carton style to be honest, but the tiny pinch pouch is just so sweet. I used up three scraps of paper with a touch of glimmer paper to give them some bling. I don’t know what I love more, the cording or metallic thread, so I had to use them both.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Tiny Gift Tower

December 7, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Little tiny gifts need to be put in adorable little boxes. How about those gifts that go together, but you want to wrap them separately? Look no further, this adorable little trio is just what you need. Me on the other hand, now I have to find three little gifts that go together to put inside. Sounds like fun!

The gift box punch board was my primary tool here. I made the small, medium, and large boxes using 6×6, 7×7, and 8×8″ measured paper. The color scheme is neutral enough for a masculine gift I think. Besides, Christmas lets you have all kinds of leeway on decorative wrapping, right?

I put them together with gold ribbon and made an extra ribbon for the top. A tiny ornament would have been cute as well, but those were not at my desk sad to say. I don’t think I could find them anyway, it is a disaster! Again, I squeaked out another project still using the Merry Moments dsp. All that I have done so far has been from one set. Yup, one set. It is nearly gone, but not yet. I will still get a couple of gift bags and a card to two, just wait and see.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Glittering Holidays

December 5, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

After nearly a two week run of a clean and simple holiday gift set I have been more than ready to make something fabulous. That is exactly what I did, if that sounds a bit showy, well, just look at it! I have been planning it all week.

I really just had the flowers in mind and knew they should go on top of a box. So, to get my brain going, I picked some paper, ink and a stamp and got to work. The paper alone was just lovely. I stamped in a way to further elongate the tall box I had in mind. I really wanted it to be about the flowers. I did have to use my hot glue gun to keep these guys in order. After they were assembled I attached them to each other. The ribbon is threaded between them to hold them on top, so they are not attached otherwise and can be used again.

The box is just scored every two inches for the side measurements and the same for the top and bottom. Simple there for sure. I closed the bottom, but just folded the top in place. I am so going to use this for a wonderful gift, so I needed to get back inside. Not just for a blog post, nope.

My husband actually designed the card for me. We chatted while he drove to work and he did a great job with the stamp choices I must say. I stamped in silver ink and heat embossed in clear to give it an extra shine. So pretty. I added flowers with metal rimmed pearls in the centers and added a thin ribbon to finish it off. The ribbon also helped tie the gift box in as a set.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Happy Christmas

December 4, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

And this would be my absolute favorite stamp from the set Oh, What Fun. The sentiments are fantastic, but this one is the true reason I bought the set. Just look at how lovely the card is with just the sentiment. Giggles and grins here.

I used a single layer of Merry Moments DSP for the card front, love those adorable ornaments. I stamped on a doily and centered it nicely and then finished it off with a gold cord ribbon wrapped all the way around. It is a tall fold card so my cording goes around the whole card front.

The reason I like that so much is that it allows a space for gift cards to be put inside and still allow for plenty of space to write a message. You have to have both for sure.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Oh What Fun

December 3, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Adorable, adorable, adorable. There is only one more to share in the set after this one, but I do love this one especially.

Some time ago I came up with a little way to attach a tag in my twine and thought it would work well with this card. Yes, it worked out great! A bit of a threading thingy, but definitely not tricky. Just looks neat. I did have to use a dimensional to keep it straight across the card though.

The triple banner punch came in handy to make the tag super easy. I am not one to have success with a square punch to make the banner end, so I think they made it for folks just like me. Thanks for the frustration reliever. Light sponging went into this one to finish it off. Simple and sweet and easy to make. Give it a try!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Do Not Open Until Christmas

December 2, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How cute is this ornament print designer paper? Almost like sweet polka dots, but done holiday style. Here is yet another card from the gift set. Several of them would be great to use as gift card holders.

One simple layer of paper, one single stamp and one punch. Nothing complicated here. I punched a hole in the tag for my ribbon to come through. I tied the ribbon in a knot first and threaded the ends through the tag. I did use a heavy card stock, but was still careful not to tear it. The know popped through and finished it off just right. I did really want to add ornament die cuts for extra fun, but made myself keep to the simple tool list. Phew! Hard work to keep things simple sometimes.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Merry Wishes

December 1, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Red, red, red, I love holiday red. Plenty of that going on here for sure! More of a rustic look with the crumb cake card base and chunky twine combo. How fun is that?

I used the last of my snowflake embellishments on this card. Sad but happy. I have loved putting them on everything, but will miss their sparkle. I did just get a box of Stampin’Up! product yesterday though, with two packs of metal rimmed pearls. They will keep me going just fine. Not to mention the beautiful ribbons that I got on a steal of a deal with the holiday sales. So much ribbon to play with. All about that satin ribbon these days.

I also got a new die cut that makes all kinds of flower parts. Not just the lay flat those are so pretty kinds, but roll and layer and make 3-D looking ones. And a bunch of glimmer paper. I see sparkly flowers in my immediate future. Can’t wait to get off work today!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Joyful

November 30, 2015November 28, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Just like yesterday, thought I would plan ahead. I haven’t even left for home yet, but I know I will be tired and fussy going back to work Monday morning after a lovely week off. So, one more helper for me. I could get used to this.

Another card got the wrapped present sentiment look. So perfect for Christmas cards I think. I guess it would be great for birthdays too, and other gift giving occasions. Well, I have some work to do!

More of the lovely Merry Moments dsp, soon to be retired. These trees are so awesome. At first they were not my friends, but I have grown to love them. And even that silly coordinating punch. One stamp for the sentiment, just a single word. But it is perfect for the holiday season. I love how this stamp, and the rest of the set too, have a water color style to it. I have been practicing my water color writing, but will stick to stamps for a while yet. Plenty of sponging going on here too.

Have a creative day!

Moana

studio824

Creativity for all seasons and reasons.

Christmas

CD Gift Envelopes

Treat Boxes for Friends

Merry Christmas from the Jacobson Family!

Big Gift Box

Flameless Candle Favors

Paper Pumpkin Re-Make

Paper Pumpkin Makes Me Smile!

Garden Green Gift Box

Your Presents

Workshop Wonders

Happy Christmas Exchange

White Christmas

Bitty Boxy Holiday Bags

Tiny Gift Tower

Glittering Holidays

Happy Christmas

Oh What Fun

Do Not Open Until Christmas

Merry Wishes

Joyful