Inspirational

Enjoy the Little Things

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday was a very thoughtful day.  I was able to enjoy a day all to myself, which is quite rare in itself.  I had grand plans, a bit too grand, but decided to change them all around and enjoy it differently. This was one of my moments spent, a very indulgent chunk of time working ink all over this lovely card.

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I was given some new paper and brushes for my birthday, so of course I had to get to work using them.  I took this beautiful paper to the brink of maximum absorption.  Sometimes it just takes more time to get the colors just the way you want them.  If you were to smooth your hand over the top of this card you would feel the difference in texture.  The edges of course kept their very smooth surface, but the inked area is actually raised up.  Cool, right?

I did start with the embossed phrase first.  Then I worked around the edges and started in with all of the color mixing.  This copper embossing powder is so fantastic, I absolutely love the color.  It gives a much more masculine feel and goes better with my kind of color pallet ideas for sure.  So, I basically just embossed my sentiment and then went to town on the ink til I was happy.  And I am so happy, so very happy with this one.  I tend to do my best work when I am creating for someone in particular, especially when that someone is my husband.  What more can I say?

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Flourishing Phrases

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This particular project went through a few different phases.  This is how it started out, all about blue.  I had the ocean on my mind and gave it a try.  I had intended on using a new embossing folder after I water colored, but to be honest, I forgot once I got all this going.

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After I painted with all of the blue inks I have I did some detail work using my gold wink of stella.  I focused on some of the watermarks and edges of color.  The look it creates is really awesome.  It is tricky to know when to stop because it is so much fun.  Mission accomplished here for sure.

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The next step was to add a special tag.  This one got a bit out of control and went to a busy style that really isn’t my own.  However, I decided to leave it and see how it balanced out with the huge butterfly addition I had in mind.  I water colored large areas of paper to provide both my tag area as well as the butterflies.  It is much easier to paint whole sheets instead of small specific die cuts.

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When this butterfly combo came along I really began to wonder just what I was up to.  I think that is because I love decorative painted backgrounds so much I rarely cover them up. They are such great all occasion cards, but I pushed forward.  I did edge the butterflies with the wink of stella, which of course you cannot see in these photos.  It is there though, and it looks so pretty.  You can see it better in the lead featured image which is much more close up.  Basic pearls, gold metallic thread with a little more patience and this project was finally finished.  It measures 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 plus the butterfly hanging off the edge.  A custom envelope will definitely be in order here.

Have a creative day!

Moana

I am Much More Me When I’m With You

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What do you do with a huge pineapple stamp?  Well, just about anything you want I guess.  I loved it, but probably had more questions than answers.  This is definitely one of those answers.  I asked my daughter to pick out a stamp from my stash of new product and give me a color.  She chose light green and this stamp.  Sometimes you just need a nudge in the right direction to get moving.

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Yesterday, and well into the evening, I spent my time helping a good friend with a wedding photo shoot.  You never know how much you are needed, but judging how tired I am today, it would have been so hard for her without me.  And of course we had an absolute blast.  We work nearly seamlessly together, another plus.  I thought this would suit us nicely.

I went with light water color washing using only two colors.  I wasn’t sure how they would blend in the middle, hoping it wouldn’t make some kind of brown.  It turned out great.  I opted for minimal distressing and one single stamping.  The leaves needed a bit, so I used my aqua painter to blend them a bit, but left the pineapple pattern alone.  I stamped it again on the inside, but more in the corner for more interest.  Good stuff there!

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The tags & labels framelit set fit perfectly around the sentiment and provided the perfect place for my favorite ribbon.  A few of the new enamel dots found there way as well.  The card front and inside panels were both layered with an additional piece of pear pizzazz card stock and the front was popped up with dimensionals.  There you go!

Have a creative day!

Moana

We’ll Weather This Together

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A project can go through several phases, and some can be unexpected.  The original vision kind of got lost somewhere along the way, had some confusion, but ended up reasonably pleasing.  These ladybugs though, too much love there.

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My daughters have a canvas in their bedroom that inspired this little card.  I was looking at it recently and thought of the new stamp and framelit set that could help me create my own version.  I pulled some of my favorite pastel colors for the background and started the process.  The more colors I use the longer it takes me to become satisfied with how they blend and flow together.  I went through this one three different times and then once more when I added in the yellow around my little bugs.

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I water colored on a scrap piece a mix of pool party and blushing bride.  The umbrella was then cut out and hit again with more blushing bride.  The clouds and raindrops were cut from areas that just had pool party.  And yes, I did glue all of those parts down, even those little drops.  I love the dimension the thick water color paper gives to them. Before I stamped my sentiment I added a touch of wink of stella to the clouds and raindrops.  All the pieces were layered together and put in place.  And before the blog had even been finished I was able to use it to brighten someones day.  Wonderful.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Artistically Asian

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

New stamps, new stamps, new stamps!  I love having new stamps!  This particular one caught my eye right away on my first browse through this seasons catalog.  I could easily get lost exploring the possibilities, there are so many.

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But, I am totally in the mood for water coloring, so what else would I turn to just now?  I thought some of the new in-colors combined with gold would compliment the Asian feel of the stamp set.  And, I absolutely agree with myself.  Good thing too…

Flirty flamingo is the card base and the main color I painted with.  These colors go so very well together.  I used a lot of water and kept the color light building the intensity but not overdoing it.  Experimenting with this kind of painting is really something you just need to sit down and do it.  I have learned some things that work better for me, and of course there are tons of very talented people online that generously share their techniques to learn from.

I did stamp over the floral image again with both flirty flamingo and gold encore ink.  I wasn’t looking for a particular effect, just more of the image itself.  Then I hit it pretty hard with the gold wink of stella brush pen.  I accented the image quite a bit then followed along some of the water mark lines.  They ended up giving me a bit of a mound for the plant to rest on and maybe an interesting mountain or two in the background?  That wasn’t the intention, but I keep seeing that when I look at it.  Judge for yourself.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Layering Love

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Summer is here and it seems like love is everywhere.  How fun is that!  I wanted to capture some of that carefree spirit that summer can bring and had a fun time giving it a try.

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I must admit, I have been enjoying my water coloring quite a bit, but it is still my favorite medium right now.  I thought I might use a die cut on this image and layer it, but I forgot about that until I started typing.  I was wondering why I left the image off center like that.  I then remembered my original plan.  Well, I am okay with how it turned out.

It began with stamping the sentiment in versamark ink and then embossing with white embossing powder.  The next step was to create some kind of heart over and around the words.  When that was done I stared at it for a while trying to decide on a background color. My oldest daughter suggested tempting turquoise since it felt like summer.  That went with my plans, so I went for it.  I kept the color the strongest in the corners and painted towards the heart.  I was trying to create a lighter area around the heart to make it look like it was floating a bit.  That worked pretty good.  Wish I could make a more balanced heart, guess that is why I love die cuts and punches so much.  They correct my work some…

In the end I was happy with the result.  I went ahead and did a touch of blending along the edge of the heart and the blue background.  This provided a bit of a border and gave some cool layering effects.  I went back around the lettering with a wink of stella brush which gave a bit of shadow, but also made the image appear almost blurred.  Interesting, but I still went with it.  I left it a single layer on the card base of watermelon wonder and there you go.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

God is Love

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A quick stroll through my scrap pile kits and I found this treasure.  I swapped out the embossing folder and stamp sets and came up with something wonderful.  Before it was a different nature scene with a sympathy sentiment.  I like this one too.

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The Trust God stamp set has finally reached retirement.  I cannot tell you how many times I have used this particular set.  This, along with yesterday’s Swallowtail, will join the special shelving unit of stay with me stamps.  I couldn’t part with it.  The new catalog has a couple of sets that are very nice, but in my opinion, won’t be replacing this one.

The tree was stamped in the center with early espresso and sponged with crumb cake.  That is the same treatment for the sentiment, which was punched with the also retiring extra large oval punch.  Dang, I am going to miss that one too.   I do enjoy trying new things, especially when it challenges my crafting.  Plenty of dimensionals and a touch of basic pearls finished this card off.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Love You

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Love, love and love.  It is in the air like crazy and I can’t seem to get enough of looking at it, feeling it, and most of all, sharing it.  What a great thing in life to experience.  Less than two weeks now and my oldest will be married!  How exciting!!!

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Simple layered card today.  I stamped the background paper with the floral heart from the Bloomin’ Love stamp set.  Real quick work there.  I did a tiny love you stamp on a scrap of whisper white and punched it out with the soon to be retired large oval punch.  Sad days there.  I matched it with the scalloped oval punch in bermuda bay.  That was sponged along with the card front and the card inside.  The inside also got a bit of stamping, my favorite. Then the ever so lovely, and larger than life, striped ribbon got to be used once more.  What a fun and huge bow.  Yes, this will need a custom envelope and extra postage, but it is worth it!  What a great project for today!

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Have a creative day!

Moana

 

You Are My Everything

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

There are days when I really don’t know what I want to make, but that isn’t today and it shows.  When I know who I am creating for it shines through.  The awesome extra free stamp set in this months paper pumpkin kit had the stamps I had to use.  How beautiful are they?  Well, I will be using them excessively I am sure.

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I knew I wanted to make a card for my husband with the two stamps  that share the phrase ‘You Are My Everything’.  It couldn’t be more perfect.  Once I knew that I knew the color pallet I needed and the medium as well.  Blues and water coloring are the perfect combination for him.

The technique of water coloring really doesn’t have a lot of guidelines.  I do start with a wet masked surface.  Then I begin to add and take away color, dry and wet again sprinkle and dab, and color all over again.  It is more of keep going til you get the results you want than a step by step process.  So much fun, really.

Then I stamped the large flower in bermuda bay, once stamped off first, here and there.  I added a fern stamp a few times, full strength not stamped off.  Then finished with the two stamps that make the sentiment.  I did a little echo stamping to coordinate the inside with the card front.  To complete the project I layered the art onto another piece of bermuda bay card stock and wrapped it several times in silver metallic thread.  Then up on dimensionals for a little extra style and sit back to enjoy the view.  I do love this card.  I think it looks like a beautiful batik fabric I would love to own and sew with.

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Have a creative day.

Moana

Thanks to You I Grew Up Loved

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What a sweet, tender card.  I was thinking of my mother as I put this one together.  She is all about flowers and everything that go along with them.  As I shared this one with her, we shared a few tears.  Having a wonderful mother that helped you grow up loved is more than a blessing, it is an absolute treasure that we both share.

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This lovely card showcases the dsp almost as much as the sentiment.  It is hard to decide which is the focal point, so I will call it a draw.  I stamped the sentiment on whisper white and punched it with the most narrow portion of the triple banner punch.  I then created a border of calypso coral and repeated the punching  to give a nice quarter inch boarder that tied the entire card front together.  After a lovely bow tied with seam binding ribbon I decided to put the tag on an angle.  It turned out so adorable and yet so simple.  One of my favorite ways to work.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Thanks for Being You

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Day two in this adorable little series finds me fortunate enough to be in Utah visiting family, family, and more family!  How wonderful is that?  It is  more than fun, especially for me.  So many fun social opportunities.

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I do love this paper.  The little dandelions dancing in the wind are so cute.  Simple and fun but it will be the perfect thank you for the person who has been so kind.  Giving cards is always so much fun.  This gift set will be fun for my daughter to use.  And use it she will.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

A Very Special Invitation

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I know I used a bunch of retired product, but I still love it too!  The wonderful thing about tools is that you can use them again and again no matter how long you have them.  This stamp set and coordinating embossing folder are retired Christmas product.  I think they are still beautiful and perfectly wonderful for this project.  So there, use the product you have and love!

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These were special handouts for a Sunday church lesson I taught to a group of 14 & 15 year old girls.  They are so dear to my heart, I can’t help myself but make them something special every time I teach.

I embossed my card front after I did my stamping.  The stamp is photopolymer, so exact placement was super easy.  Then I centered my folder just where I wanted it to be.  I traveled through my framelit collection to find one that had the shape to match the background stamp and my sentiment stamp.  Of course it was the last one I looked at.  But it was a perfect fit.  A touch of sponging on the diecut piece and it was done.

I did get the cording out and do a few loops of it behind my card front.  After I had placed my dimensionals behind my diecut, I looped the cording and set it on the exposed sticky side.  I added a couple of glue dots over the top and stuck it down on the card front.  No problems there!  The cording wants to loop because it is stored on a spool.  Even better!]

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Thoughts & Prayers for my Friend

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

When someone close to you experiences loss it is always painful, more for some than others.  This is a time when I spend an extra amount of time for just the right expressions and feelings.  There are just so many.

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This young man recently lost his twin brother to cancer at the tender age of 15.  He battled very hard, three times  over, but just couldn’t prevail in the end.  I must say though, he never complained or looked unhappy.  Truly inspiring.

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I spent a lot of time with color and layering for both the outside and the inside of the card.  I really wanted to spend plenty of time.  It helped me gather my thoughts so I could write what I really wanted to say.  It definitely means more to me to have a hand made card for occasions like these.

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Have a creative day.

Moana

Watercolor Wings Just for You

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Saturday mornings are usually busy with everything under the sun and then some.  I had the opportunity to chat with my oldest daughter while she got ready for work.  We put each other on speaker phone so we could keep moving along.  This is what I did during our chat.

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With all of the excitement of Sale-a-bration products and the wonderful spring catalog, it is easy to put aside all of the great product in the annual catalog.  This set, Watercolor Wings, has been a favorite since it came out.  I hadn’t had it put to use lately and thought that was long overdue.

I stamped my ink layers onto watercolor paper this time not quite sure how it would all turn out.  The initial stamping was a bit too detailed for the effect I was going for, but I remained patient and kept going.  I moved in with the aqua painter and began blending, but still wasn’t satisfied.  Perhaps because I had stamped off to get the tones I wanted the ink didn’t want to move around too much.

I thought things were a bit stark still so I came in with pear pizzazz for my background. That really helped out a lot.  But the butterflies still weren’t what I wanted.  I got a spritzer out and put more water on.  Which led to dabbing water off, spraying again, and moving along to the heat tool and doing it all over again.  I did finally get a result I liked, but decided to bring out the wink of stella pens, both the clear and gold glitter ones, and put in finishing details.  I think it all worked out, but I wasn’t sure for a while.  Sometimes watercolors can be that way.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Beautiful Ride for My Nali Bug

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This card has been in the planning part of my brain since the spring catalog came out.  I waited to get the set because I thought it would be one more for me than anything else.  I just might turn out to be wrong on that one, but we will see.  I made this one for my oldest daughter, Denali.  Some of my pet names for her are Nali, Bug, and the coziest is My Nali Bug.  That is just what this card is, My Nali Bug.  I shared it with her before this blog went live and she was so cute about it.  How fun is that!

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I simply stamped the car in the lower portion of my water color paper and got the ink out.  I had originally thought to write her name on the car door, but changed to the balloon last minute.  I think I could get lost in this stamp.  How many creative ways have you seen one of these cars painted in the years they have been driving on the roads?  My brain is thinking of ways to make them on this little guy too.  So much fun and never enough time.

Simple layering of my two focal colors, and this card was done.  I enhanced the layering inside the card to give it a bit more color, but that is really it.  I added some wink of stella to the windows and the silver ink areas of the car.  I touched up the rims with a white gel pen.  It wasn’t perfect, but the surface wasn’t ideal for that pen.  The texture of cold press water color paper is my favorite, so there will be some concessions here and there.  Good enough.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Best. Day. Ever.

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes you need to step outside your comfort zone and do something different.  I usually work exclusively with Stampin’Up! product, but that doesn’t mean that is all I have. I have been know to purchase an odd pack of paper now and again, but I do try to refrain.  This one was purchased for a daughters school project on Japan and ended up not being used.  Lucky me.

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I decided to use it for a special handout for a church lesson I had the opportunity to teach this last Sunday to some very special young women.  The lesson turned out rather nice, tissues were used, mostly by me of course, but I was so impressed with their knowledge and ability to learn.  When people talk about the youth today being lost, I don’t always agree.

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Yes, this stamp is from last years Sale-a-bration.  I loved it so much I couldn’t part with it.  Remember, we buy creative products because they bring us and others joy.  And when you purchase quality product, it is built to last.  Stampin’Up! surely does that.

Each of these card handouts was made from a 6 x 12 sheet of cardstock.  They were scored at 4 1/4 and 8 1/2″ to create the tri-fold.  I wanted a bit more stability, because it was intended to be opened and closed as well as written on, so I inserted three panels of white card stock on each portion.  It really made a difference and provided a great writing surface.

While I might not always start with the best attitude for my service opportunities, I can honestly say that I always end up with great feelings of joy and gratitude.  Nothing better.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Pedal Pusher Through Wildflower Fields

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I was so excited for this stamp set to show up I could hardly stand it!  Last year during Sale-a-bration Stampin’Up! added some new freebies half way during the sale to perk things up. It went so well they did the same thing this time.  This little set is one of them and it is the best!  It even made my husband grin.

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There are other sentiments, but this one is my favorite.  There are several different items that could be stamped in the basket, but I chose flowers to coordinate with my background paper choice.  Talk about riding through a spring meadow, wish I really could though. Having a tandem bicycle is something my husband and I can’t wait to have.  Maybe that is why I love this set so much.

I also broke out some markers to do my coloring.  I tend to prefer my aqua painter, but it is good to use other things too.  They worked great, of course!  I did water color the basket, the bike seats, and my country road.  What a fun time I had creating this project.  Like I said, I just got it yesterday.  The rest of my box is still on the kitchen table, not gone through, not inventoried or anything.  I just dug through it, got this set out and made something right away.  The sign of a great stamp set for sure.  This could also be a workshop project I think.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Press Forward

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

When it is time to make a set of invitations, I usually struggle to keep them simple.  That was needed this time around though, and I managed to pull it off.  I even got to put some retired product to use.  Love that.

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The invitations are basic and only one sided.  The graphic was provided, I do love it though, and I put it to work.  I got a little digital for this project.  I opened the image in InDesign and started picking fonts.  It didn’t take long to decide, I made it white and placed it as an overlay on the image.  Then I included the basic details below in a softer gray because black looked too stark.

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I used the full graphic, including the title with supporting scripture reference, for a water bottle wrap.  I think these will look adorable.  When digging around, I came across another retired product I could use.  First, ribbon for the invitation, second, bakers twine for the bottle wraps, and third, paper to make a box for the invitations.  Everything gets used eventually, and I love having it on hand for quick project work.  This one wasn’t that quick, but took a good portion of the day from conception, design, prep work and assembly.  All done and ready to go though!

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Rose Wonder

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This was a fun project for sure.  As you have heard me say so much recently, I do love to water color with my stamping.  I wasn’t sure if these two colors would come together in an attractive mix, but they did well.  Having the touches of navy with the blush as a primary is really enjoyable.

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I think I might be making the decisions a bit tricky for these bridal shower invitation choices.  I am not sure which one I like better between the two, guess I will have to come up with another one just for good measure.  I can’t spend too much time playing though, I have workshop coming this weekend.  It is fun to play though.

I stamped this huge wonderful rose on water color paper with stazon ink.  I didn’t goof it up too much, so I went with my first attempt.  I did a trial run with the colors on a scrap of water color paper just to check it out and I liked it.  So, I wet down my stamped image and got to work.  I spent a bit of time trying to be cautious, then I just went for it.  That is why I love to water color, it is pretty darn forgiving.  I even used my trial scrap as a background punch, cool right?  I do try not to waste.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Forever Begins Today

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This was for yesterday, however, yesterday was for my family and there wasn’t time to share this with you.  I am sure it was worth the wait though.  Aren’t these flowers just the best thing ever?

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One framelit set gives you all of these pieces, plus a couple more.  And they coordinate with velum, designer series paper just to name a couple. I have been planning this one for a while now, with a very specific goal in mind.  I am fortunate enough to have my son getting engaged and this is how I am going to approach the second reception.  What else could I possibly use for my inspiration piece, right?

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I do admit that once I cut into a piece of designer series paper for a card front, I look to the remainder of the sheet and immediately think of a bag or box I can make to coordinate.  I have a hard time stopping myself to be honest.  I also have a bit of a problem filing back my scraps of cardstock when I work.  All of these colors were available to me in my stack of put me away papers.  I put them to good use for sure.

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Have a creative day!

Moana