Bloomin’ Love

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I do enjoy making something special by request.  It isn’t always easy to start, but once you do, the ideas just begin flowing.  This is my first go at a bridal shower invite.

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The brides colors are a blush pink and navy blue.  My blue looks a bit royal purple here, but it is a deep navy.  How about this lovely framelit die cut?  I thought I might go a bit bonkers trying to get it all detailed out, but I managed.  I am not always the most patient one, but this die requires it.  I had to put it through the big shot back and forth several times to get all of the cuts done.  It was worth the fussing though.  The detail is amazing.

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I might have gotten a bit carried away on the inside stamping.  I was chatting while I stamped and before I knew it, it had gotten pretty busy.  If this one ends up being the choice, we might have to print the details on velum to be an overlay.  That would be pretty though too.  Love is definitely in the air.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Oh Hello Baby Box…

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When something is this tiny, all you can do is giggle.  Especially when you are greeted by an adorable little smiley face that is just large enough to fit inside a 1/2″ circle punch.  The ribbon is just 1/4″ wide.  I absolutely adore tiny things.

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This is made entirely from my to be filed scraps on the side of my desk.  Just like the flowers from my last project.  I guess if I keep pulling from there I won’t have anything to file back.  There is a thought.  I am hoping to spend some time cleaning up a bit today.

The dimensions of this box are 1″ x 1″ x 3 1/4″.  How about that?  I wasn’t sure if the striped dsp would match up okay, but it did pretty darn good.  I tried to save on dsp and cut only a strip off the end to snip up into place.  If I had cut a square and then my strips they would have lined up better, but I chose to save the dsp.

A double layer of the bitty banner punch with one tiny little stamp.  The image is from the Hello free Sale-a-bration set.  As I have said before, I love it when a stamp fits into a punch.  Makes my life easy and keeps the images super clean.

I thought about putting candies inside, switched to a chapstick, but I think I could even put a lovely lipstick inside.  I will have to see what I get up to on this one.  Love it though!

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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

Know What I Love?

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My youngest is in the throws of re-decorating her room and the colors are so awesome.  I thought I would work with them for a few projects.  She has real red, basic gray, smokey slate, whisper white and basic black.  I used Stampin’Up! color names because that is just how my brain works anymore.  You get the idea.

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Either way, this card was so quick and fun.  I just used a bit of the stamps available in the Know What I Love stamp set.  We may still be in winter, but I couldn’t wait to start with some spring things.  Rain is so welcome, and flowers won’t be far behind.  How exciting!

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The card is pretty basic, just a few layers.  I do love it when a stamp sentiment fits inside a punch I already have.  It just makes life easier and definitely more fun.  If I hadn’t been distracted with other projects, this card would have come together in about twenty minutes, including design time.  That is what you get when you have great product to work with, and I definitely do.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

First Sight

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I keep getting drawn into playing with water colors.  Maybe that is just my thing for right now, and I love it.  The effect is just so soft and subtle.  And it isn’t even very tricky.

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I do have a hard time putting embellishments on top of this kind of card front.  So I settled for a short strand of basic pearls and a hint of Wink of Stella.  I drew a few hearts and hi-lighted my stamped flourish to give it a little interest.  You have to turn the card to see it, so it is very subtle.  I didn’t want much to get in the way of the color blending.  When I tried different ribbon options it just was this huge separation that was pretty sad.  Clean and simple does the trick today for sure.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Thank You Friend

~ 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.

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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.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate Forever

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Courage Doesn’t Always Roar…

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I wasn’t sure about posting this one, it is definitely not my usual type of project.  And if I am being totally honest, it is a bit of a mess.  It wasn’t my idea, but I needed to make a sample, so it happened.

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I work with the youth in my church, specifically the young women ages 14-15, and this was our project last Wednesday night.  One of the girls had suggested this activity and we went at it.  I was to make the sample and I rushed through it a bit too quickly.  We only have a little over an hour to work with, so I was on a timer.  Also, this wouldn’t be my best crafting area.  It is so okay to know there are areas to improve in, and I don’t mind sharing my learning opportunities. (I don’t like to call them mistakes.)

I used two sheets of dsp for this project.  I love the paper. I did get a bit of teasing from the girls.  “Are those artichokes?”  Yes they are, and I love them.  The back side of the paper reminded me of a double wedding ring quilt pattern, so it was a win all the way around.  We were to modge podge pretty paper to a clip board, add some decoration, and finish it off with a favorite inspirational quote.  I have creases and bubbles, but I still love it. I also got into my retired stash of ribbon and found a bunch to use.  I will be happily using this clipboard.  I do need to sand the edges a bit, but otherwise, it is all done.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Hello Little Sunshine

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

It is so wonderful to have stamp sets that speak to you.  I literally would say this phrase over and over to my children when they were little.  Now that they are much older, it still manages to sneak in for a tender moment or two.

Hello Little Sunshine

When I started making the background for the card by just stamping off as I went along, I knew I needed to make a coordinating gift bag.  That little sunshine stamp is so adorable.  I could see myself sneaking it in lots of places.  And to top it off, the Hello stamp set is a free one during Sale-a-bration!  Free is nice, but free and adorable is not a common thing.

Hello Little Sunshine

A tall slender gift bag was in order today.  I was feeling like a different gift option, but of course I could totally see a big yummy candy bar going inside.  How about a fat quarter of fabric instead?  Yes, my quilting friends would totally agree with that one.  Maybe I could find some sunshine paper too?  Or stamp some to match?  A project and a gift, sounds great!

Hello Little Sunshine

Have a creative day!

Moana

Perfectly Artistic Gift Box

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Sometimes you just need a big box to fill with treats.  I have found that if I keep treats on hand to put in my blog projects, I just eat the treats.  So this guy is on display empty, but I imagines it with Lindt truffles, the white chocolate ones that come in a white and silver wrapping.  Wouldn’t that be lovely?  Thought so too.

Perfectly Artistic Gift Box

I did use a whole sheet of paper for this project.  But when it is a free paper pack, love that Sale-a-bration, it is easier to do that.   I had to fight the urge to tack down my banners so the sentiment was easier to read.  I will need to remove the ribbon to fill it up for gifting, so I  had to just let them dangle.  I do like how they look with the ribbon tails though, so I am good with it.

After I did my scoring and folding I ran the paper, folded in half and half again, through the big shot all at once with my oval framelit.  I know they are designed to be used with one layer of paper at a time.  I have found that when the design is simple, they do great with more than one layer.  I would be cautious with cardstock, but the dsp worked like a charm.  That way my oval windows were all exactly the same placement.  And that makes me very happy.

Perfectly Artistic Gift Box

Have a creative day!

Moana

It’s My Party

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What kind of chatter do you need to say anything about a suite that speaks so much for itself?  The paper stack is huge and full of so many great patterns.  Bright, fun and exciting.  Just like any birthday celebration should be.

It's My Party

How about this bitty balloon punch?  It comes in a trio along with a tiny candle and a cupcake.  They are so sweet.  This stamp set is going to get a lot of use for sure.  Birthdays are going to happen, so why not have a diverse stamp set to give plenty of options, right?  I used glue dots under the balloons and bakers twine to keep them in place.  They were just a bit too tiny for dimensionals and I knew the glue dots would hang on to the twine better.

It's My Party

Have a creative day!

Moana

Flowering Fields Thank You

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So I was looking through my blog site and discovered this as a draft and not a blog.   Oooops on my part.  I really loved this one too.  Enjoy!

 

While browsing a catalog I came across this book.  The title was awesome, but to be honest, I knew I had to make a card that looked like it.  It sat at my desk for several days until I had a little time to experiment.  I got my inks out and went to work.

Flowering Fields Thank You

I went back and forth on using just ink, or a versamark with gold embossing powder.  I went with just ink and then used my aqua painter with some ink to add details and make the flowers a bit more prominent.  Aren’t these pretty?  Yet another awesome free set during Sale-a-bration!  Wheeee!  The thank you came from Another Thank You.

Flowering Fields Thank You

I masked the water color paper and brushed it heavily with water before I added ink.  I added, dobbed, and added more until I was satisfied.  So much fun, honestly.  I could do that a lot.  Wouldn’t it be fun if we could just hide away in a creative bubble?  Either way, I absolutely loved making this card.  But not more than sending it to share a very special thank you.

Flowering Fields Thank You

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sky is the Limit

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I love it when a card comes together better than intended.  This is a mix of three awesome products, one of which is free during Sale-a-bration.  How great is that?

Sky is the Limit

The mottled dsp stack is fantastic.  The color combinations and patterns are so strong.  They lend a masculine feel, but I don’t think they are exclusive.  The free stamp set is actually really versatile.  This is the sentiment, but there is a great plane, fun clouds and some other elements as well.  I wasn’t too sure about it, but my youngest talked me into it.  I am so glad I did.

Sky is the Limit

I layered two pieces of very vanilla with the spacing I  needed.  I used just a touch of snail to keep them together during the embossing.  But before I  did the embossing, I stamped the sentiment in the upper right trying to predict a bit where a smooth place would remain.  When I placed the papers in the folder, I centered the sentiment in Asia, or the part shown, so it would stay smooth.  It worked great!  I wanted the embossing to stay lined up, so I picked up one side, put two dimensionals down, then picked up the other side and did two more dimensionals.  I raised up the levels and kept the embossing lines in place.  I am in love with this folder.

Sky is the Limit

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.

Thoughts & Prayers Raining Down

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

Birthday Buzzard Gift Set

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I was asked to make a gift box for a specific sized item for an 80th birthday gift.  I of course had to make a matching card because I had just the thing!

Birthday Buzzard Gift Set

I am normally quite the Stampin’Up! purist when it comes to product, especially my stamps, but I couldn’t resist these.  I purchased them at a recent convention I went to from http://www.stampsbyjudith.com.  There are actually three used for the front, a sentiment for the inside, and then little flies as well.  Yes, I said flies.  Like I said, I couldn’t resist!

Birthday Buzzard Gift Set

The box used a whole sheet of the heavy Shine On Specialty DSP, and isn’t it lovely?  I needed something strong because the jar going inside is heavy.  I made the largest box with the Gift Box Punch Board, but left the flaps open since the jar was too tall.  I think it will just have to get some fun tissue or something.  I will leave that to the giver.

Birthday Buzzard Gift Set

I know I goofed my stamping some, but I was having too much fun to care.  I honestly just forgot to mask off some of the sign for my vulture to sit on.  I think everyone will live through it though.  The humor in the card is just too awesome!

Birthday Buzzard Gift Set

Have a creative day!

Moana

Inspired First Sight

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I have a thing for unique mugs and my oldest daughter gets me.  She found this little treasure and couldn’t resist.  It reminded me of simple water coloring, so I thought I would create a card around it.

Inspired First Sight

Of course it had to be water color somehow to go with the simple brush strokes on the mug.  I matted a card base with painters tape to leave me a clean 1/4″ border and brushed the whole surface with plenty of water.  I then dabbed my aqua painter in the ink colors to coordinate with the mug and created a very soft background.  When I was satisfied I went looking for the perfect stamps.

Inspired First Sight

One of the new sets in the spring catalog caught my eye.  It is called First Sight and has more than one use.  It isn’t all about Valentine’s Day, or Mother’s Day but really has several uses.  For me, that is when a set gets purchased.  Having a stamp for just one use better be pretty darn amazing to get into my collection.  And as of today, the catalog is live so you can have the stamp set too.  How fun!

Inspired First Sight

Have a creative day!

Moana

Bouquet Bigz L Die Meets Thrift Store Skirt

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

My daughter gave me a challenge.  She took a photo of this wild skirt she saw at the thrift store she works at.  She wanted to see it made into a card.  Well, I took it a different direction.  And yes, the skirt looks this wildy.  How fun!

Bouquet Bigz L Die Meets Thrift Store Skirt

I made flowers using the Bouquet Bigz L Die with real red.  It was actually the maiden voyage of that die cut.  As I looked at it I decided I could spend way too much time playing with it.    I distressed the petals before I put them together.  Even though it adds time in the process, it was worth it.

Bouquet Bigz L Die Meets Thrift Store Skirt

I attached them to a rectangle of black cardstock so I could put the flowers on the ribbon and not the box.  Makes for easy opening and the opportunity to re-use both the box and the flowers.  This box though.  The pattern of this paper is more than fun, don’t you think?  And with a simple wrap of satin ribbon it was done and ready to be used.

Bouquet Bigz L Die Meets Thrift Store Skirt

Have a creative day!

Moana

Just For You Gift Set

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One of these days I will be able to create beautiful calligraphy like this, but until then, thank you Stampin’Up! for making yet another beautiful phrase for me to use!  Isn’t it just so pretty?

Just For You Gift Set

The set has three secondary phrases to go with it.  However, I think that it could stand alone quite easily.  You do know how I love to make a matching gift set though.

Just For You Gift Set

I finally got on board and got the curvy corner trio punch.  I can totally see why it was on back order so much.  Love that guy!  This set was made with one sheet of dsp, and I have a section left still, and a single card base.  Not a lot of tricks here, just the basic layering with beautiful product to work with.  Nice.

Just For You Gift Set

Have a creative day!

Moana

Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

It is so nice to be able to sit and create something beautiful.  Some people have their best thinking moments in the shower, well, mine is at the craft table.  Now, if I could just figure out how to get more working space in my area, that would be wonderful.  I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack

This vellum paper though.  It comes in eight different patterns and you get three sheets of each in the stack.  And yes, it is only available during Sale-a-bration and is only a free item.  With a $50 purchase, you might choose this one as your gift.

Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack

The card itself is quite simple.  I cut both my vellum and the card front sheet at 4 x 5 1/4″ and layered them together with glue dots.  I covered my glue with basic rhinestones, and then I went a little crazy and there you have it.  I then added a wrap of satin ribbon with a lovely bow on the front.  That front is layered on to the card base with lots of dimensionals and I called it done.

Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack

Have a creative day!

Moana