Lovely Amazing You

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

When you live in a house with teenage girls you get to enjoy all of the fun that goes along with it. That includes having a healthy obsession over a fun band, One Direction. My husband bought us concert tickets last fall, as a Christmas gift, and the concert was this last weekend.

While we were waiting for the show, I studied the stage and, guilty as charged, I started thinking of a card idea. Well, why not, right?

I used three different stamp sets to put this together, and I could have done more. I love how so many sets have these little accent stamps that can be used tons of different ways.

This comes down to a thank you card that will never be sent, I am sure my daughter will just want to keep it. It was a blast to be with my girls, watching them totally fan girl over their ‘boys’, and revel in their happiness. Just like Christmas morning magic for a child, really.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’ve Got This

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

My mind is a little more scattered than usual this morning. That is because there are more than one exciting things going on. Yes, and that includes me finally getting to showcase this awesome stamp set!

Good things are about to happen, truly. This is a weekend made for family, friends, and fun. How exciting, right?

This card though. I kept the layering very simple and clean. I wanted to see both of these stamps well and not have one overpower the other. I think that worked out pretty darn well if I do say so myself.

I stamped the image in versamark ink and heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. When I stamped over with the background stamp, in sahara sand, the image showed through so nicely. I did have to rub it a bit with a paper towel to get the ink off the embossing, but not much. And there you have it!

I repeated the stamping somewhat on the inside using the background stamp edges. I can see so many possibilities with this set. I think I will have to set one day aside to see just what I can do with it.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thank You for Everything and More.

July 4, 2015July 4, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What a wonderful way to start this special holiday. Making this card this morning gave me some quiet alone time to contemplate. I do my best thinking while I am crafting, I really do.

This project was more about the sentiment than anything. Of course the color choices were important. I kept everything subtle so the message was clear.

Gratitude, plain and simple. Grateful for the freedoms I know I have, but so much more. There is a larger picture that regular citizens are just simply unaware of, and sometimes grateful for that ignorance. I do feel truly blessed for the way I am allowed to live my life.

Take the opportunity to share the gratitude you feel in the way you feel most comfortable. I get to enjoy my quiet beginning, attend a flag raising social at my church, and spend the afternoon with family. Just wonderful.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You Are So Kind

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Nothing says elegance quite like a white on white greeting card. I love how they look and how subtle their beauty is. I am not sure this will fit into a regular envelope with all of those layers. I think I will have to make a custom one.

I knew I wanted to use the new brick wall embossing folder, I have been so excited to get it. I also knew I wanted to use both sets of butterflies dies. I just didn’t know for sure how to fit them all together nicely. They ended up all layered together, all five of them.

I only used one stamp from the watercolor wings set for the sentiment. I haven’t let myself play with all of the other stamps. I do try to budget how much time I give to my craft each day, otherwise nothing else would get done.

I used the bitty banner punch to give me banner ends on my sentiment and layered everyone up with dimensionals. I glued my butterfly layers together using tombo and put the final butterfly object on dimensionals as well. I finished it off with basic rhinestones, a string of nine for the body, and a scattering along the left side and bottom. Just right.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Remarkable You

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I think going on that pioneer trek took a little more out of me than I thought. I tried to sit down at my usual 5:30 this morning, but I could hardly focus. Time to get into a good summer routine.

I absolutely fell in love with this stamp set when I saw it in the catalog. The floral images are so elegant. They cover several of my favorites. I had to use this one first, because it is my absolute favorite.

I started by stamping the image in garden green. I got out my aqua painter and drew in the color for the stems and some of the outer lining. I brought in daffodil delight and hi-lighted with so saffron. Just a touch of color there.

I used the oval framelits to make my layers with the third largest for the flowers and the second largest for the frame. I stamped and sponged and put everything I could up on dimensionals. I tried out the triple banner punch and it works like a champ. That is going to get a lot of use. Finally, I hid my glue dot under the velum with a rhinestone. I used a section to curve around the top left of the frame and called it done. I didn’t even stamp inside! Scandalous, I know.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Trust God

June 28, 2015June 20, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

So much has happened during the last week, even as I write in advance for this blog, I know my heart is both heavy and full at the same time.

Taking yet another child to university is so exciting, but reminds me of how little time we actually have with these children and how soon they grow up and leave home. Luckily, I still have a few more years with my youngest.

Then partnering that event with a demanding and fulfilling pioneer trek has surely put me over the edge. But in a good way. Even though it was surely to be physically and emotionally difficult, I have complete faith that I loved it and will treasure it always.

I created this set knowing how I would be feeling, and knew there would be a lot on my mind. The flowering flourishes has been one of my favorite stamp sets for a very long time. The results it gives are always different and very beautiful. This color combination is soft yet ornate at the same time. I wasn’t sure about layering the stamps over each other, but these colors allowed it. I hope you have enjoyed it as I did.

Have a beautiful, and very creative day.

Moana

One Butterfly Too Many? I Think Not…

June 27, 2015June 20, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

It was time to gather the butterflies, and I didn’t even use them all! There is another punch and framelit and other stamps as well. Clearly I love these! Can you blame me? They are so beautiful. I am getting excited for a new stamp set that is on its way. It has a dragonfly in it and those are my favorite.

It is hard to match this combination though. I wonder how many butterflies I have seen so far on my pioneer trek. I might be too tired this morning to notice. But today I get to come home. This yellow is the accent color in my skirt and matching apron I made for this trek. What an event it must have been. I will have to tell you more later.

I layered up this beautiful butterflies after I sponged their edges pretty heavily. I wanted them to be one color, but have a subtle difference as well. It worked nicely, I also used the tiny butterfly stamp from the perpetual birthday calendar set to create a flock of them flying up the side and across the top. That was really fun. With some heavy sponging that look was complete.

I didn’t know if I wanted to stamp my sentiment with so saffron or black. I started with so saffron, decided it wasn’t bold enough, and offset a second stamping in black. It worked out really well. The photopolymer stamps really make things like that super easy. I repeated some of those stamps on the inside and then blinged up the butterflies properly. They do look grand, do they not?

Have a creative day!

Moana

Kinda Eclectic with a Ray of Sunshine

June 23, 2015June 20, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This burst of sunshine should be posting while I am in Utah getting my Denali all settled at university. She is a huge burst of sunshine in my life, so it suits the day perfectly.

I have used the sunburst stamp from the Kinda Eclectic set in so many projects. It is why I bought the set, but the rest of it is just as beautiful. I am so glad that it carried over to the new catalog. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

I loved using the super smooth whisper white card stock to make a matching bag. It folds rather crisp, but is easier to manipulate that the other card. And of course I love the stamp. This set is done in hello honey and it works so well. I even got out an embossing folder to give it a little extra.

A simple card that is all about the saying and a few bright touches to bring it full circle. Perhaps this one will find its way to someone in need of a pick me up. Sounds about right!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Wondrous Wreath and My Plum Trees…

June 19, 2015June 19, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

I was out looking at my plum trees last night and decided I wanted to bring those colors into a project. My photos aren’t the best, you can hardly even see the mossy meadow layer in-between the two others, but it is there. I so need a new camera.

Either way, I still love how it turned out. I stamped off once on my first layer of leaves. So when I added the second layer of leaves with the second stamp I left it full strength. Lovely contrast if I do say so myself. I did the berries in rich razzelberry to match of course. I continued those little guys on the inside, and they are so cute. I can see me using the berry stamp to make a background paper.

I know my wording is a bit slanted, but I was tired. The heat has been so bad lately that by the time I get to settle down to work, I am so warm and tired that I don’t have the patience I should.

My brain is so all over the place. Just too many things to get done and not enough time. Summer break may be here, but I have yet to really enjoy any of it. July will be better, supposedly.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Banner Blessings with Beautiful Bunch

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

I so enjoyed getting the silver ink out yesterday that I went back for more. I really love working with metallic inks. I hadn’t water colored with them before, but I thought I would give it a go.

The idea came from my daughters art final. She pained this beautiful water color and brought in gold. It looks much more dramatic on her project, but hey, it is a start, right? I liked how it turned out.

I wanted to use a stamp from my collection that would suggest a star, to match the sentiment, without being a star. I ended up going with the flower centers from the Beautiful Bunch set. I tried a different one first, but it looked more like paint splats or bad graphics from an old Star Trek episode. I settled with the one you see here. I do love making my own background paper.

I repeated the stamping on the edges of the card base and of course had to stamp on the inside opposite corners of my insert. I even did one on the back bottom center, just to make Donna happy. I love how the gold ink looks on blackberry bliss. I see another project with those two coming along soon.

I used my aqua painter and the gold ink to highlight the scripture reference. I stamped ink on a clear block and used that as my pallet. It worked like a charm!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Camp Bountiful in a Card

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

Spending a week with a wonderful group of ladies working together to serve the most beautiful girls, communing with nature and worshiping God, it is obvious why I created the card I did.

Lovely as a Tree will remain one of my long time favorites, always. Being surrounded by nature and removed from technology and distractions brings solace like no other.

The girls, that huge group of lovely girls, worked together, learned together, laughed together, and cried together. It was such a wonderful experience and I hope I get the opportunity to serve again next summer.

It wont be easy to get back into the routine of life, but there isn’t a choice. But, I can choose to keep myself in tune with the things I learned and felt. I will continue to serve those I love.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Adventure Awaits on Sea Street

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I do enjoy it when a designer series paper set has a matching stamp set. Everything just goes together that much better. I thought this stamp from the Adventure Awaits set had the perfect sailor sentiment. All kinds of happy here.

I don’t know why I can’t just make one card, but I like everyone to have friends, even my crafting projects. That sure does make extra stacks of cards to deal with. I have taken to just giving people blank cards to play with. It works for everyone.

Adventure Awaits on Sea Street

How about the cute little bag though. It started out as a bag, I measured wrong, tried a box, then went bag to a modified bag. What a busy bit of paper.

Of course I had to do some inside stamping. Those little flags are so adorable. If I had more patience last night I would have colored them with markers, but I kept it one color for the sake of sanity. Everyone needs some of that.

The designer paper is retiring, as well as the little oval punch I used to punch out my little anchor from the Sea Street set. I use that punch a lot. I will keep that one on hand for sure. Too useful.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Ray of Sunshine CASE

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What happened to yesterday? Well, it was absolutely all over the place! It started out with finishing up this batch of handouts for a church youth lesson, 32 of them to be exact. I had to enlist some family help to get them done in time. They really looked beautiful all splayed out on the dining table.

We were off to church and it was so lovely. My lesson went really well, because I have a great group of young ladies that I get to work with. I made sure to share the extras before I came home, no need to add to the large stack of blog projects. We went up the hill to have dinner with my husbands parents, spending much needed time there. Only to return home to remember a church girls camp meeting that I had indeed completely forgot. What a busy day.

I did CASE myself on this one. But I needed a sunrise background to match the phrase which went perfectly with the theme of my lesson. Inking up all of those backgrounds can give your hand a bit of a cramp. But since I was all over the place I didn’t have a chance to share them with you.

So, I missed a day, sorry about that. It should be a bit more calm today, I hope. Let’s hope work is reasonable. Oh, and I get to pre-order today in the new Stampin’Up! catalog! It doesn’t go live for another month, but that is a perk of being a demonstrator!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Little Buddy Birthday and Petite Pairs Retirement Party

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

Well, after yesterday’s absolute shenanigans, I really wanted to keep it simple. I think things went well enough. These are two stamp sets that I will really miss, not to mention basic gray.

It is hard to tell in this photo, but I did stamp that adorable armadillo all over this basic gray paper. The little lines of the stamp almost disappear, but not quite. Perfect for a treat or a little gift card.

I painted this adorable little guy with me aqua painter using basic gray, smokey slate, and a touch of blushing bride for his nose. Really, how adorable.

I used one sheet of card stock for this trip. I cut the paper to measure 5 x 8.5, just under a half sheet, to make the little bag. Then I took the 6 x 8.5 portion, turned it on its side and cut it in half so the two card bases measured 3 x 8.5 and then scored at 4 1/4. The card fronts and inserts measure 4 x 2 3/4.

There, I even gave some measurements, I am trying to improve what I share. One day at a time!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Ray of Sunshine with Perfect Pennants

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

Color, color, and more color. I obviously had color on the mind. I have been wanting to make a card that felt like a sunrise. This fit the need nicely.

It wasn’t easy for me to leave it alone with just ink and a sentiment, but I managed. I have coordinating ribbon, but didn’t want to break up the colors. My supporting committee backed me up and here they are.

A friend of mine recently had an adorable little girl and I couldn’t wait to use this stamp for a baby card. It feels like a warm cuddle, just like a baby. Yummy.

I took my inks and sponges and went to work. I started at the bottom with crushed curry and sponged and swirled away. I progressed across the card with the four different colors ending with night of navy on the top. After the ink dried I stamped my sentiment where I wanted it to sit and embossed it with black powder. I headed to the big shot and cut out my image. Yes, that left a hole in my background piece. But with my framed bit also done in night of navy, it was all covered up. I just popped that up on dimensionals and called it done. A great technique on both fronts.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Flowering Flourishes with French?

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

Saturday is usually my day to go all out with some totally extravagant project. But today is workshop, so making sure I have everything just right takes priority. I couldn’t not do something though.

Clean and simple cards may not be my strength, but I totally nailed this one! I started out with the idea of stamping my background paper. After the first two stamps up one side I fell in love. I added one little flower in the top corner and stopped. Such an interesting feeling.

I knew I needed a tiny sentiment, so I went on the prowl. I came across a retired hostess set called Good Greetings. I had earned a couple of free sets and put the wrong code in for one of them. That was the french set. But I couldn’t bring myself to exchange it. And doesn’t it fit perfectly? You know it does.

How did I choose these colors? Well, I recently made an order to take advantage of that no shipping sale and stocked up on paper. The heavy stuff for sure. I added a few spools of cotton ribbon. You guessed it. Whisper white, blushing bride and island indigo. There they sat it the box just telling me to do it. Done.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Love is Kindness with Newsprint DSP

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

I wasn’t sure what I would come up with last night. I had pulled some product to work with, but when I sat down to do it, I wasn’t feeling it. Total do over. How about this awesome stamp instead? Absolutely!

I had been waiting until closer to Mother’s Day to use this beauty, because it so reminded me of my mom. She always makes flowers look beautiful, no matter how they show up. Even in rumpled newspaper.

I had to do echo stamping inside, but wanted my gift bag to mirror the stamp as well. I think it worked out pretty good, don’t you? Both the card and bag were made from one sheet of card stock, plus a little scrap to frame my stamped image.

I really couldn’t wait to make the little pretend newspaper on this image, like so many other stampers have done. It was so fun, even if it was a bit tricky. You should totally give it a try.

Just looking at this set under my spotlights makes me smile. I absolutely love them. With workshop coming this weekend, I might have to change a project? No, I will stay firm, but I don’t want to.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Crazy About You With Elegance

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

“When you feel terrible, can you still create something beautiful?” That is what I asked myself last night. I had an endodontist appointment yesterday that I thought was headed one way and took another. So, I wasn’t feeling very creative.

Or so I thought. I knew black was my base, I had been wanting to make something with black for several days. But the flower I wanted to stamp with I had just used and didn’t want to just create another card in another color. I pulled the Crazy About You set out and picked this flower out of it.

I was reaching for my momento tuxedo black ink when I saw the silver. I thought it could be cool to layer the stamping. Was I right or what?

I love how this turned out. I did learn, and please trust me on this one, that you have to clean your stamp after each layering stamp. I stamped in silver first and let them dry for a while. I went back in with the black, but it was picking up silver and then I was putting it back into the pad and getting silver in it. Not fun. So I ended up cleaning the stamp after each black flower was stamped. Not too tiring, but necessary. And yes, my ink pad survived nicely.

I placed just a few of the large basic rhinestones in the centers of the black flowers. It is kind of hard to tell with my photos, but they are the perfect touch. I added a touch of ribbon and left the sentiment out of it. They turned out very elegant. My matching gift bag has an angled purse look to it, and I absolutely love it.

Sorry for the long post, I was apparently feeling a bit chatty.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Blooming With Kindness Trio

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This set started with an experiment, had some problems, then turned the corner and gave me something beautiful. Pretty fun experiment there.

I started out wanting to use pink pirouette, saraha sand and very vanilla. The papers looked lovely together, however, the way they looked on the very vanilla compared to whisper white made all the difference.

The pink looked so different on the vanilla that it made it look like my card stock was the wrong color. That was odd for sure. But I loved the paper I had created using the huge flower from the blooming with kindness set, so I had to get creative.

I made other cards using the front and inside bits I had stamped on the very vanilla. Then I made another background piece on whisper white and the pinks were much more friendly. And I ended up loving the secondary cards more than my original. How about that?

Even though my results went a bit off, I do love the look I made. I stamped the flower with versamark ink onto the card stock and quickly sprinkled iridescent ice powder on the wet ink. I heat set it and while it was still tacky I hit it again with the powder and heat set it again. You can kind of see how shiny and sparkly it is.

Each card got a different sentiment, and they are all so beautiful. My daughter is the one that said we had to have the set. She was so right, my creative buddy.

Remember, there are no mistakes in art, only opportunities.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Throw Back Thursday with Essence of Love

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I so enjoy dipping into my older stamps to create something. It is easy to get caught up in all of the new product available. It is the perfect reminder that I love all of the stamps I buy, and they should still get used, even if they are retired.

As you can tell, this floral stamp still looks as crisp and beautiful as the first time it got used, which was nearly ten years ago. I even pulled out some retired paper. That venetian romance dsp set is so beautiful. I opened my last pack of it to make these cards.

I loved mixing all of these elements together. Any time I get to use oranges I am a happy crafter. This particular card set brings together all of my favorite things. Flowers, butterflies, elegant ribbon, more flowers, lots of orange (tangerine tango), and the most beautiful sentiments ever. Like I said, my favorites.

With all that said, get into your stash of your favorite things, make something beautiful, and have a creative day.

Moana

studio824

Creativity for all seasons and reasons.

Inspirational

Lovely Amazing You

You’ve Got This

Thank You for Everything and More.

You Are So Kind

Remarkable You

Trust God

One Butterfly Too Many? I Think Not…

Kinda Eclectic with a Ray of Sunshine

Wondrous Wreath and My Plum Trees…

Banner Blessings with Beautiful Bunch

Camp Bountiful in a Card

Adventure Awaits on Sea Street

Ray of Sunshine CASE

Little Buddy Birthday and Petite Pairs Retirement Party

Ray of Sunshine with Perfect Pennants

Flowering Flourishes with French?

Love is Kindness with Newsprint DSP

Crazy About You With Elegance

Blooming With Kindness Trio

Throw Back Thursday with Essence of Love