The Best is Yet to Come

January 20, 2016 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

The project I had in mind for today was just too time consuming. That will have to be later on, perhaps Saturday. It was floral, so I still had to get my fix in there. The main stamp from this lovely hostess set was perfect.

I try to work when my family is busy, but this was done in the middle of a rushed morning. So, as I tried to accomplish a quick water coloring, I created something that made me less than happy. I was doing the no line technique and well, my lines got lost, almost completely. It looked like I was looking through a frosted glass. Instead of starting over, I just embraced the look and put some velum over the top. Win!

The project was just about some simple layers, nothing too tricky. I love being able to hide my adhesive well when working with velum. Yup, glue dots underneath the lovely silver spots. How great is that. I wanted to use the thread, but with the tags I usually punch a hole and make a bow. The card is too large in scale for a tiny bow like that, so I tried to go without. That did not work. A metal rimmed pearl came to the rescue and finished it off. Even though it wasn’t quite what I had planned, I do love how it turned out. What a great all occasion card to have on hand.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thank You Friend

January 17, 2016January 17, 2016 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Last Christmas my stamping group had our own holiday party. Part of that adventure was a crafty themed gift exchange. Not going out and buying new necessarily, but cleaning out old product that you don’t use anymore and making a gift of it.

Today I have made this special handout for a Sunday lesson I am teaching and I was able to use some of the fun gift I received. The embossing folder and lovely sequin trim to be specific. I sure had fun experimenting. The paper I embossed on is a heavy water color paper and I thought I would be doing something with a dark blue wash. It didn’t look like I wanted, so it stayed clean. I think it turned out rather nice.

I made an extra for a different friend. She always posts these super inspiring quotes on Facebook that bring me so much joy and hope. I thought I would share back my way. I love good friends, I truly do. We all have a greater purpose and I hope the young women I am teaching today can find a way to theirs.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate Forever

January 16, 2016January 16, 2016 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

The other day I asked my husband and youngest daughter to draw me a doodle that I could use for a card front. I make cards all of the time and rarely hesitate to get to work. This was different though.

I don’t have stamps, or papers, or materials that go with his style of art. It presented a challenge to be sure. If I had been thinking ahead I would have had him draw on water color paper. You work with what you are given, right? It is easy for me to focus on all of the problem areas, but I think it will work nicely. And it is an original, one of a kind.

I used two different sentiments to create this combo. I masked off half of each phrase and got just what I wanted. I think I have gotten a bit spoiled to have just the right tools for nearly everything I do. When I had to trouble shoot I got pretty darn frustrated. Plenty of learning opportunities today. I hope you get brave and try something different, even if it is a bit overwhelming.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thoughts & Prayers Raining Down

January 10, 2016 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This is the lovely view I have had all this past week. It has been so wonderful to enjoy the cool cloudy days filled with light rain. It makes everything look bright and clean, and the smell is wonderful.

I stamped my image first and washed the paper with plain water. I then proceeded to layer on my ink until it was dark on the top and the right layer of light on the bottom. I continued dabbing my brush along the top pointing down for ink to kind of fall down. It started to look more and more like rain. I finished it off with spritzing water, allowing it to dry some and doing it again. The last time I spritzed heavier allowing for some drops to form, and then controlled them down the piece. It worked wonderfully. How simple is that?

Have a creative day.

Moana

Christmas Advent Book Service Project

November 12, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

I did think I would get to blog yesterday, but this project completely took over my day. The absolute, entire day. Seriously, from 6:00 in the morning to after 9:00 in the evening. And yes, there is still more to be done.

What is going on with all of this? Well, it is a service project that a friend of mine and I designed for our church’s young women to work on. So many peoples lives were turned upside down with all of the fires this year. My friend teaches with another woman that is from one of the many areas devastated by fires. We made a goal to do something for a dozen families that could help them enjoy the Christmas season a bit more.

These are advent books that will have an activity, scripture, story and a Christmas song in each of the twenty-five envelopes. They are designed to be all inclusive. Additional materials are not needed to enjoy the activities, just your family. Since there are so many people still displaced, Christmas might not feel the same. Maybe this will help a dozen families find some comfort.

There is still work to be done, but it won’t be long now. They will be delivered before December begins so they can start on the first. Serving others makes even something as fun as paper crafting even more fun and rewarding.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sparkly Seasons Pumpkin Patch

November 9, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

It may not look very busy, but these little pumpkins almost did me in. I nearly got to the point of just showing you how frustrated I was and that there was not much to show for it. Then I thought about iridescent ice, and the world came together.

I love that stuff. It can make the most simple things look almost magical. I used three different framelits for my pumpkins and got to work. I used a large stylus to create grooves and texture to the surface, but from the back side. It really broke down the fibers a lot. Then I began to water color streaks to give dimension. That didn’t do a whole lot. Then I spritzed water and swiped ink on with my finger. It got better. Then I sponged with pumpkin pie and added early espresso too. At that point they looked okay, but still kind of sad.

That is when I tried the iridescent ice. I daubed the whole surface with versamark and sprinkled on the powder. I only used one coating and thought that would be enough. It was just right. I did sponge a bit more with early espresso afterwards. I layered the pumpkins together using dimensionals, with the stems too, and wrapped them all in linen thread. I wanted to leave it then, but decided on a simple word phrase. And there you go!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Believe Bookmark with Lighthearted Leaves

November 8, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to my Sunday morning. When I have the opportunity to teach a church lesson I always feel blessed. Teaching often gives more to the teacher than to the student. Maybe not at a school setting, but church, for sure.

I do my best thinking while I am crafting, so I almost always have some kind of handout that relates to the lesson. It also allows me to think of who I am teaching individually, and to make sure I am taking into consideration who they are and how they feel. Such a wonderful time.

I definitely dipped into my retired product stash for these bookmarks. The cardstock and ink are hello honey, current, but the other color is summer starfruit. What a great color to work with. I thought they went well together, so I got to use some of my retired dsp stash and retired ribbon too! Win for all. I think people often overlook the fact that it is okay to stamp on patterned paper, as long as the pattern is small. That was the case for this pattern for sure. It came together so quickly. Once the design was clear in my mind, about five minutes, another thirty-five and I was all done. Yup, I churned out a dozen of these in less than an hour. Again, a win for all.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Christmas Lighthearted Leaves

October 19, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What a crazy morning! However, slow and steady wins the race, right? Like I said earlier in the week, I planned on casing myself from another project that looked like Christmas to me. Here it is, my ‘Believe’ card.

As I stamped these leaves last time I kept thinking about mistletoe. Of course, by the time I got done painting all the leaves green, I kept thinking of seaweed. So now I want to do an ocean project. What a great stamp set, right?

I painted the ‘berries’ real read and went with cucumber crush for my green. It is such a fun, bright green. When I trimmed my cardstock down I was left with a few narrow strips and decided to put them to work. I thought about using some quilling techniques, but kept it simple instead. I did decorate one of the leaf images with rhinestones for a little bling and loved how it turned out. So, just like all of the other retailers out there, I have made some Christmas happen before Halloween. It was fun though, definitely fun.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Lighthearted Leaves

October 13, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I fell in love with this stamp set from the moment I saw it. The images from Lighthearted Leaves are absolutely wonderful. Artsy enough to get your attention, but not so simple as to be boring. Such a nice balance. I think I will case myself and make a Christmas version of this project. I see mistletoe.

I can also see an ocean theme. The leaves kind of remind me of sea kelp and could be holding little fishies somewhere. I do love an optional stamp set.

The layering is simple here. Narrow borders help to not distract from the thin lines of the designs. All around, I am very happy with how this turned out. using the tags & labels framelits also make me happy. Subtle touches of color to accent the sentiment without taking over. Just enough room to have a simple bit of ribbon and one little rhinestone in the center. How perfect is that. What more do you need than to ‘believe’?

Have a creative day!

Moana

Banner Blessings Gift Set -Shine

October 4, 2015October 4, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

This is card four, the last of the set. The gift box is so lovely. I can’t wait to show you. But this card was saved for last because it is my favorite one. So pretty and such a beautiful sentiment.

I used the falling snow embossing folder to give me a starry background. Since it was more sparse on the top, because it was to show snow not stars, I put it through again turned around and ran it through half way and ran it back out. That gave a lovely balance I think.

The star border punch doesn’t get to come off my shelf much, but this was the perfect job for it. Stars stars and more stars. The heavens are full of them and I wanted the card to do so as well. Mission accomplished. The card base is made from the heavy weight whisper white. Sometimes I cannot get enough of this stuff. I accented the sentiment with a hefty twisting of metallic gold thread. I decided it made my sentiment look kind of like a shooting star or a comet. I love feeling creative.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Banner Blessings Gift Set – Joyful

October 2, 2015October 2, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I get to be out of town this weekend and enjoy some time with my two children away at school. Utah is so pretty this time of the year, the rain is making it even better.

This is the second card in the gift set I made for my daughter. Bright and cheery for sure. The color scheme certainly does go with the word joyful. I love this stamp set. Very inspiring and the writing style is awesome.

The card base is the heavy whisper white. Love having something this heavy to work with. I stayed away from white cards, but not any more. I enjoyed sponging the front to bring out the heart detail. A couple of hearts punched on the front and inside to coordinate. Second card in the series is done. Wait til you see the gift box.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Banner Blessings Gift Set – Friend

October 1, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

The morning took off without me, and there was nothing I could do about it. This has sat at my computer waiting for me to take a lunch. Well, never happened. How about a tiny break? Works for me.

This is the first card of a set of four with a coordinating gift box. It was so fun to make. I actually made it for a special someone and I can’t wait to deliver it. Should be tomorrow!

I attached the island indigo torn card stock to the thin whisper white before I ran it through the fluttering embossing folder. Everything got done at once. The sentiment was stamped in black stazon and sponged a bit with coordinating ink. I love the cotton ribbon, it makes such cute bows. The inside stamping is actually negative punching. I punched a butterfly or two from the white insert and revealed the card base. Simple and very effective! So fun. Those pretty pearl accents. I could really get used to those. I had it dot the “i”, even though it wasn’t needed, I wanted to use one and it fit the image. A bit of dimensionals and this card was done!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Gather Sunshine

September 29, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

It started with one stamp, ‘gather’, from the Seasonal Snapshot 2015 set. I love it, just love it. Then I began rooting around for word stamps or images that would go with it.

I pulled out Crazy About You, because it has all of those phrases and word sets. There it was, sunshine. I immediately went to the Kinda Eclectic set because of the beautiful sunburst in it. Great combo going on for sure.

I wanted more than one yellow tone going on, so I have three. The sunburst and the card base are So Saffron. The base of ‘gather’ was done in Daffodil Delight and layered over in Hello Honey. Sunshine was stamped in stazon and the inks were put away. The paper layering is simple with a double layer of smooth whisper white put up on dimensionals. No ribbon, nothing else, just clean and simple. Not my usual style, but I rather like it.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thoughts & Prayers

September 28, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I took a day away to recover from a great birthday celebration for my youngest. I can’t believe she is 15 already. Family first, so it was all about her. Even so, some things still have to get going. These projects were made to give to the young women I taught a Sunday lesson. There were fourteen of them all together and they looked wonderful.

I usually share current product, but made an exception for these. The paper is retired from last year and the heavy bakers twine is from the last sale-a-bration. The stamps, doilies and punches are current though. I do love how things coordinate together so nicely though, very satisfying.

Setting a piece of paper on my score board is so liberating. A little bit of math and you are off and running. I cut the 12 x 12 sheets in half and went for it. They came together rather quickly and the girls really enjoyed them. I love to make things for people, I truly do.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’ve Got This

September 26, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

Sometimes simple words are all you have, and sometimes that is all you need. That is just how I feel this morning.

I took my time painting this lovely flower with a few of my favorite inks. I stamped the flower in almost artichoke and did light water coloring to get the base down. I added cajun craze but kept it light the first time through. Adding more water helped to do a little blending, but I didn’t want too much of that. I like that two colors together can create a third unexpected surprise. In person, you can see the blended areas have nearly a cherry cobbler tone. Cool, right? I thought so too.

The entire image was accented in gold encore ink, still using the aqua painter. That really creates a fun look and is surprisingly easy to control. One simple sentiment in black stazon ink with a little gold metallic thread and this simple card was done. Well, I did have to stamp inside as well. I stamped off twice before I placed the stamp on the inside paper. Nice and light. And look, absolutely no sponging! Crazy.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Game On Dear Heart

September 25, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I absolutely love, love, love making my own paper with unique stamps. Most of the time my friends can’t even place which stamp set it came from. I have overlooked several stamps myself. Example, look at this cute little fish!

Sometimes we feel like we don’t fit in, but I feel like that is a beautiful thing. I made this card with that theme in mind. He is stamped in melon mambo, water colored a bit, and water colored again with silver encore ink. Everything is lightly sponged and there are plenty of dimensionals here.

The sentiment was stamped on a little scrap, punched with the bitty banner punch on one end, and given a bit of ribbon on the other. How easy is it to just staple some ribbon on. Some cards need just that, a little different look. And of course this is layered up as well. Did you see the little fish repeated inside?

Have a creative day!

Moana

For All Things and Flower Patch

August 26, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

While enjoying a long and lovely visit with my daughter this morning, fall came up. It is her favorite season of the year. She is getting excited because where she is attending university fall has begun. The temperatures, the colors, the smells, she loves it all. So, together we created this card. What a fun way to stay connected.

The card is made from a Hello Honey card base, layered with a Cajun Craze framed stamped card front. I used the leaf stamp from the For All Things set to create the paper. One full ink stamp and then several others around it until the ink runs out. I did this using Cajun Craze, Hello Honey and Almost Artichoke. Such a great trio.

A quick stamp from the Flower Patch set for the sentiment and it was nearly done. I adhered a strip of the new Striped Cotton Ribbon and layered my sentiment with a bit of color. The Bitty Banner Punch helped me get the banner edges and it was all done. Well, I did have to sponge nearly everything of course.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’ve Got Me

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

I love it when everything coordinates so perfectly, but today is all about the sentiment. I love these paired phrases, simple but strong.

The card layering is fairly basic and puts a few favorite punches to work. A dash of basic rhinestones to draw further attention to the sentiment and the front was done.

I don’t normally stamp inside a card, but this one needed it. I zoomed in on the detail, but it actually measures barely over a square inch. When that card gets opened, that is what you see. “You’ve Got Me.” How perfect is that.

This new paper pack is loaded with beautiful paper. I just used one sheet for this card. The green floral is the other side to the main floral front. My little flowers are from scrap of the same sheet. I love putting all everything to work.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Remarkable You

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Working with great paper makes everything so much more fun. Colored embossed paper, in such pretty colors? Of course, why not!

The project began with the new heavy weight whisper white cardstock, I love having such a heavy base, and gathered layers of stamping and more color. The image and sentiment come from the same set, which is delicious by the way, and were stamped in black stazon. I knew I would be water coloring, so that is the perfect ink to work with.

I blended watermelon wonder with a touch of crumb cake and it turned out so nice. I chose crumb cake because I was using linen thread and wanted to tie in the colors. A large ribbon wasn’t going to work here. It took too much focus away from the flower and sentiment.

I think I would add a mat or two behind the flower next time, but left it alone for now. It turned out nice, just right. I do love a simple water color.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’ve Got This

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

I love beautiful paper, just love it. This Timeless Elegance set is truly wonderful to work with. Once I cut this piece for a card front the rest of the card came together so easily.

The card base is very vanilla with a narrow background of the same color. It isn’t easy to see, but it gives it just the right touch. The stamping was also done on the same color and cut out with the tags and labels framelits. That new set makes me very happy. I like a tighter border in layering and this set does it well.

Of course everything is layered up on dimensionals, I have to have that. And that ribbon. I just got this one and couldn’t wait to use it. The stitched satin ribbon is lovely, just lovely. A pretty bow and then on to flowers.

The petite petal punch and the flower from the itty bitty accents punch pack make it work. I filled the corner up nicely and gave everyone basic pearls in the center. Simple and yet very elegant.

Have a creative day!

Moana

studio824

Creativity for all seasons and reasons.

Inspirational

The Best is Yet to Come

Thank You Friend

Celebrate Forever

Thoughts & Prayers Raining Down

Christmas Advent Book Service Project

Sparkly Seasons Pumpkin Patch

Believe Bookmark with Lighthearted Leaves

Christmas Lighthearted Leaves

Lighthearted Leaves

Banner Blessings Gift Set -Shine

Banner Blessings Gift Set – Joyful

Banner Blessings Gift Set – Friend

Gather Sunshine

Thoughts & Prayers

You’ve Got This

Game On Dear Heart

For All Things and Flower Patch

You’ve Got Me

Remarkable You

You’ve Got This