Nature

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

Lots of Love

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I had this little treasure ready for yesterday, but never got to share it.  I guess that is what happens when you are this close to throwing a reception for your child. And yes, that would be today.  I was obviously thinking about them and how sweet they are together.

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This focal image is taken from a new host set called Love You Lots.  I am not usually one to go for whimsical images, but this set was way too cute.  I stamped these guys on water color paper and proceeded to take my time.  The background went through phases, several of them, then I finally just had to stop.  My girls were happy with how it turned out, but I am still a bit unsure.  Either way, here you go.

I wish I could just sit at my desk and water color my day away, but this household has a list of many last minute things to be done.  Some were pushed from other to do lists, but the day of the big event has things that can’t be done any earlier.  These are tasks of joy though, absolute joy.

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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

Farewell Swallowtail

~ moanaj ~ 4 Comments

I have loved this stamp for so long.  It is sad to say that it will retire at the end of this month.  However, there is a stash of stash of retired stamps that I cannot part with.  This is definitely going to join those.  Other retired ones I sell off, but ones that are just too wonderful get to stay out with the current product.  Kind of like a wise old tree.

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The butterfly was stamped on a piece of masked water color paper in black stazon.  The color pallet was different, but intentional.  I picked colors that would create interesting blends with the idea that none of the original painting would  stay to true color.  A lot of blending went on here.  I painted coordinating sections first without blending.  After I added crushed curry I kept with that color and used it to begin blending the edges the color sections.  I just did that until I was happy.

The background was painted in mint macaron, darker to one side trying to create a bit of a shadow.  Distressing had to happen here and boy did it.  I flicked water, dabbed it up, and repeated that process again until I was satisfied.  Then the gold wink of stella pen went to work in a few areas.  Again, hard to see, but it is there.  Use your imagination, where would you have painted light lines of gold glitter?

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Brushstrokes Through a Garden In Bloom

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The ‘Brushstrokes’ background stamp finally made its way into my collection and I am wondering why I waited so long.  This project reminds me of a summer picnic.  The red checked table cloth, I think we have all had one at one time or another.

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I stamped vertically and then horizontally with real red on water color paper.  I did tape it off first to give me the extra border I love so much.  The flowers and butterflies were stamped in black stazon and followed with the second step stamps to fill them in. Additional painting was done to sharpen the color some and touches of silver got in as well.

I used half a sheet of cardstock for the card base and couldn’t leave the other half just sitting there, so I made a tiny box to go along.  The black butterflies were stamped with the same set and I scored each panel measuring 7/8″ and topped it with a baby bow.  Adorable. Now another set can be added to the donation collection for Saturdays scouting fundraiser.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

 

Corner Garden Bliss

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

As another catalog year comes to a close I have to be brave and say goodbye to the things that I have loved so much.  This card has so much of that in it.  The stamp, and three of the colors.  A very sad farewell indeed.

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I masked a piece of water color paper and stamped the floral image in black stazon ink.  I have loved this stamp so much.  I do think it will stay with me even when it isn’t available to purchase.  The only color I wanted for the flower petals was blackberry bliss.  So, that meant some had more color than others and they all got special treatment to make them look unique but coordinated.

Before I painted the leafs and stems I applied the soft sky background.  I knew that mossy meadow would cover easily and I still wanted to allow it to blend out a bit.  It worked like a charm.  The flower centers were painted in hello honey and allowed to blend out a bit into the flower.  After the painting was done I  just stared at it wondering how I wanted to distress it.  I didn’t want splatters or spots, but didn’t want to leave it either.

I decided to use a spritzer and water.  Several sprays later I started to like what I was seeing. I did some sponging with a paper towel to lift off some color, then a neat thing happened. I took my damp, inky paper towel and sponged from the bottom to the top which brought a very light amount of blackberry bliss with it.  It looked pretty great so I went with it.  I bet I couldn’t recreate it though, but I will most certainly try.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

June Weddings and a Sheltering Tree

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Planning a wedding and the receptions to follow can be an exciting time, although very stressful.  Wanting everything to be wonderful, people to be happy, and a general feeling of love in the air.  Sometimes things, or even people, get in the way.  Everyone needs someone to shelter them from stress and frustration.  That is this tree this morning.

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I am fortunate enough to have a son getting married this June to an absolutely wonderful woman.  It couldn’t be more wonderful.  The way this card looks is how I am attempting to transform my yard.  There will be other things too, really awesome stuff. but this look is all around.  My brain is full of wedding ideas these days.  No escaping it.

I stamped the tree base in black stazon and the leaves in mossy meadow.  The night sky is painted with night of navy.  I also painted the grass in mossy meadow.  I stamped sparkly flowers from the same set in versamark and added white embossing powder.  I added touches of daffodil delight around the ‘flowers’ to give them a bit of a glow.  They will be sparkly lights after all, and candles a plenty.  Wheeee!  There goes the wedding brain again.

I used tombo to glue the painting on another piece of night of navy card stock that has just a 1/8th” border.  Then that combination was layered onto a card base also in night of navy with plenty of dimensionals.  I left any sentiment off as well as additional embellishments. I couldn’t decide on any, so there you have it.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

You Are My Everything

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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

Birthday Blooms with Blackberry Bliss

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And a happy good morning to everyone!  I do love a Friday that is full of promise and enthusiasm.  The only problem is that I usually have my goals too high and get frustrated when I fall short.  Either way, I love Friday and the fun evening often in store.

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This little thank you is so adorable, yet lovely.  I used a half sheet of very vanilla for the box, scoring at 2″, 4″, 6″, and 8″.  Then turning one quarter turn, portrait now, to score at 2″ for the bottom.  I used a companion piece of very vanilla for the stamped and embossed layers. The piece is cut first at 3 1/2″ so the stamping could be done.  I just used the large floral image to create a pattern.  Then the second cuts came at 1 3/4″ each, needing four of these all together.

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Before they were attached I embossed them with the fluttering embossing folder.  Such a nice result.  I layered them up with dimensionals and thought about leaving it just the way it was, but continued on with the plan.

I made the tag from the scrap left over from stamping and punched it with the extra-large oval punch.  A added a ribbon handle and attached the tag to the under side of the ribbon tail.  A few butterflies later and a smidge of pearls and I was ready to add my treats.  So much fun, just so much fun.  Now to deliver!

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Helping Me Grow

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I do love to water color, that much is more than obvious.  Since spring is everywhere I knew I had to do some flowers like the ones I see everywhere.  How about lupin?  Pretty sure I spelled that wrong, but they are the prettiest wildflower, next to the poppy of course, that are growing all around this time of year.  My husband even recognized the flower on the card, and that is saying something.

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I stamped the large floral image on my masked piece of water color paper in black stazon. The flowers were initially painted in marina mist, letting the ink run lighter as I went up the flower.  After, I added in hi-lights of wisteria wonder in the centers and across some of the petals.  The stems were done in pear pizzazz.  I did a touch more with the gold wink of stella to give it a sparkle.  That was both on the petals and the stems.  I know, it is hard to see in the photo, but it is there.

I painted the background in so saffron, allowing it to be lighter and darker just here and there.  I didn’t have a specific rule in mind, I let it happen.  I then used my aqua painter to drop clean water across the card to make water spots.  I let the drops sit there for several minutes then came back and dabbed them up with paper towels.  That removed ink and left the fun spots behind.

A simple bow across the front finished it off.  I used a piece of very vanilla for the inside.  I decided not to leave it blank and opted for a repeated image of the front.  Instead of black, I used so saffron stamped off and placed it right in the middle just like the front.  The idea is that it is light enough to be written over, kind of like a water mark.  It looks great.

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Have a creative day.

Moana

Flowering Fields with Botanicals for You

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I did start out with a St. Patrick’s Day card set in mind.  Hence the green and gold. However, it quickly changed into something more elegant and much more useful.  I do know several people that truly do love to celebrate this holiday and this would work wonderfully for them as well.  What fun, right?

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This Flowering Fields stamp set will be gone soon.  I do love the fun free products available during Sale-a-bration, but always are sad to see them go.  I do know that there are always new things on the horizon that I will love equally well, but I do have my favorites that stick around year after year.

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I ended up using a full sheet of very vanilla, part for the card front and inside, and used the rest to make a gift bag.  I prefer to have paper used up with as little waste as possible.  I even used the snipping left from cutting the front and inside to be my sentiment tag.  Very little waste today indeed.

This glitter tape is so much fun.  I admit I have stashed it a bit too long, I thought I had learned my lesson.  Guess not.  So, I broke it out and put it to work.  Just a little bit does so much.  And it is so tidy, no glitter messes to be found.  A win for everyone for sure. I do think I will use some tape to close the bag when it gets filled with a treat or two.  Yeah!

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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

Picture Perfect Hummingbird

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Is it possible to be defeated by a stamp set?  It was surely happening with this project.  I decided to tackle a four step stamp, yes, this innocent looking hummingbird.  I took a photo of my study series, or my path of frustration to say the least.

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I am much more used to sitting down, getting out whatever I want, and having it turn out pretty darn amazing.  This was not to be the case.  However, if I was to come across 3-D glasses, I might have had more fun.  My first two attempts obviously were poor color choices.  The hummingbird I had in mind was not going to come together.

I changed to monochromatic thinking that might help.  It did some, and I improved, but was still unhappy.  Keeping this guy all lined up, even being able to see through the stamp, was proving harder than anticipated.  I switched to water color paper and played some more.  I gave it one more try, with elegant eggplant, night of navy, gold, and black stazon.

Stamp one was in elegant eggplant, stamp two in gold (the little neck), stamp three was done in night of navy, and the final stamp (which included the beak) was done in black stazon.  I got to work with my aqua painter for the background wash, in soft sky, and then added coloring to the bird.  It got out of control fairly quick and I thought I was done for sure.  I was being so careful, so I thought.  I ended up putting a thick layer of paper towels over the image to seep up the crazy color mess.  When I peeled it away I got a little hope, it didn’t look so impossible.

When I had finished I fell in love with it.  I am not sure if I could duplicate it, because of all of the water color layering effects, but I won’t be scared to try.  It is such a pretty image and I love it in water color.  Especially with the gold ink and the wink of stella added in.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Sweet Li’l Things

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I haven’t visited my little chickie for a while now and loved saying hello again.  This stamp just says adorable like crazy.  I normally wouldn’t get a stamp set for just one image, but this one was just too perfect to pass up.  Of course it helped that it was a free gift with purchase, so there you go!

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I used the Sweet Li’l Things DSP for the background.  That is how I created the pallet for my water coloring today.  I was a bit distracted chatting on the phone with my daughter while painting, so I didn’t dry as often as I should have, but I decided I could live with the little edge goofs here and there.  Besides, I wasn’t going for a blue ribbon, just a smile or two.

The strawberry patterned paper underneath the card is the other side of the designer paper I used for the background.  I think I will turn that into a matching gift bag when I decide to use the card.  Might not be too soon because I want my lil’ chickie to be on my desk for a while.  I made a tiny triple banner set for the greeting and used the bitty banner punch for the edges.  So easy to make the edges just right.  The paper strips are 1/2″, so they fit right inside the punch.  I twisted them the way I wanted them and gave them a quick staple.  Then I used my bone folder to give them a bit of a curl then added a ribbon knot to finish it off.

Everyone is layered in 1/8″ borders and set up on dimensionals.  This one would definitely require extra postage going through the mail.  But since I plan on using this as a gift set, I didn’t worry one bit about how thick it got.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Remarkable You

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It is so nice to have a day off from school and work, but it does put things off more than a bit.  I seem to be having more and more of that as of late, but I do keep trying to get it back in the right gear.  Now I have wedding reception plans to toss into the mix.  Exciting!

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I pulled a few ink colors that I wondered about going together.  Blackberry bliss is such a strong color I hesitate sometimes to put it with others.  This pastel grouping compliments it nicely though.  I don’t think I have watercolored with it yet either.  That was fun for sure.  I used a basic card front made from cold pressed water color paper, masked a quarter inch border off and got to work.  This project was one of the times I just let it happen without too much planning or thought.  I find that less stressful because you don’t have an exact finish in mind, just simple imagery and colors.  Works well for me.

I layered my front on a backgroun of mint macaron with a narrow 1/8″ border, and then placed it again on the card base.  I didn’t do any inside stamping this time.  Just a simple and clean piece of whisper white waiting to be written on.  I think that was all it called for.

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Have a creative day.

Moana

Everything Botanical

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Well, this project started somewhere else, but the results are great.  Sometimes it is hard to see past your ‘opportunity mistakes’, I managed though.  Once I fussy cut designer series paper I am totally committed.

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The free items you can earn from Sale-a-bration are all unique, but this one caught my eye right away.  A patterned velum paper that not only coordinates, but actually outlines designer series paper, well that is amazing.  I fussed a bit matching it up, but found the exact spot.  I almost did a 6 x 6 card just so I could see the whole pattern line up.  It would have been worth it, it looked so pretty all lined up.  I moved on though.

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My opportunities came from the glue experience.  I thought I could put tiny tiny dots of glue on little flowers and it would look kind of neat, and hide the adhesive at the same time.  Well, my tiny dots were not as tiny as they needed to be.  Several fixes later, it worked out.  Basic rhinestones, a larger sentiment with tag layering, and using one of the many coordinating framelits.  Phew!

I added a touch of inside stamping with a leaf from the coordinating stamp set.  I don’t usually go for a whole suite of product.  This one is different, I loved all of it.  However, it is my favorite color pallet, floral, and it goes together so wonderfully.  I couldn’t resist it.  So I didn’t.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

 

Rose Wonder

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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

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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

The Best is Yet to Come

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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.

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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.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Thoughts & Prayers Raining Down

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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.

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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?

Thoughts & Prayers Raining Down

Have a creative day.

Moana