Tiny Gift Tower

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Little tiny gifts need to be put in adorable little boxes.  How about those gifts that go together, but you want to wrap them separately?  Look no further, this adorable little trio is just what you need.  Me on the other hand, now I have to find three little gifts that go together to put inside.  Sounds like fun!

Tiny Gift Tower

The gift box punch board was my primary tool here.  I made the small, medium, and large boxes using 6×6, 7×7, and 8×8″ measured paper.  The color scheme is neutral enough for a masculine gift I think.  Besides, Christmas lets you have all kinds of leeway on decorative wrapping, right?

Tiny Gift Tower

I put them together with gold ribbon and made an extra ribbon for the top.  A tiny ornament would have been cute as well, but those were not at my desk sad to say.  I don’t think I could find them anyway, it is a disaster!  Again, I squeaked out another project still using the Merry Moments dsp.  All that I have done so far has been from one set.  Yup, one set.  It is nearly gone, but not yet.  I will still get a couple of gift bags and a card to two, just wait and see.

Tiny Gift Tower

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sheer Perfection Gift Set

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Sitting down with a tool in mind instead of color, design, or even a sentiment can get a bit interesting.  I wanted to make a quick pillow box with a new punch board I just bought and needed some paper that was six inches wide.  Sounds like an easy start, right?

Sheer Perfection Gift Set

The only thing I had at the ready was a retired velum stack, not the easiest stuff to make boxes with.  But, I was trying to be quick, so I stuck with it.  The board wasn’t too tricky, but I was scared of tearing the paper, so I was a bit timid.  It managed to work out.

Sheer Perfection Gift Set

I thought it needed a matching card and this little number came together.  But I kept on getting held up on embellishments.  Little flowers on top, nope, coloring, nope, tags, nope.  So, I just left it as is and called it all occasion.  Good enough?  It was for me.  And it turned out that my daughter needed a little thank you gift and card this morning, so treats went in and smiles will happen.

Sheer Perfection Gift Set

Have a creative day!

Moana

Glittering Holidays

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

After nearly a two week run of a clean and simple holiday gift set I have been more than ready to make something fabulous.  That is exactly what I did, if that sounds a bit showy, well, just look at it!  I have been planning it all week.

Glittering Holidays

I really just had the flowers in mind and knew they should go on top of a box.  So, to get my brain going, I picked some paper, ink and a stamp and got to work.  The paper alone was just lovely.  I stamped in a way to further elongate the tall box I had in mind.  I really wanted it to be about the flowers.  I did have to use my hot glue gun to keep these guys in order.  After they were assembled I attached them to each other.  The ribbon is threaded between them to hold them on top, so they are not attached otherwise and can be used again.

Glittering Holidays

The box is just scored every two inches for the side measurements and the same for the top and bottom.  Simple there for sure.  I closed the bottom, but just folded the top in place.  I am so going to use this for a wonderful gift, so I needed to get back inside.  Not just for a blog post, nope.

Glittering Holidays

My husband actually designed the card for me.  We chatted while he drove to work and he did a great job with the stamp choices I must say.  I stamped in silver ink and heat embossed in clear to give it an extra shine.  So pretty.  I added flowers with metal rimmed pearls in the centers and added a thin ribbon to finish it off.  The ribbon also helped tie the gift box in as a set.

Glittering Holidays

Have a creative day!

Moana

Happy Christmas

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

And this would be my absolute favorite stamp from the set Oh, What Fun.  The sentiments are fantastic, but this one is the true reason I bought the set.  Just look at how lovely the card is with just the sentiment.  Giggles and grins here.

Happy Christmas

I used a single layer of Merry Moments DSP for the card front, love those adorable ornaments.  I  stamped on a doily and centered it nicely and then finished it off with a gold cord ribbon wrapped all the way around.  It is a tall fold card so my cording goes around the whole card front.

The reason I like that so much is that it allows a space for gift cards to be put inside and still allow for plenty of space to write a message.  You have to have both for sure.

Happy Christmas

Have a creative day!

Moana

Oh What Fun

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Adorable, adorable, adorable.  There is only one more to share in the set after this one, but I do love this one especially.

Oh What Fun

Some time ago I came up with a little way to attach a tag in my twine and thought it would work well with this card.  Yes, it worked out great!  A bit of a threading thingy, but definitely not tricky.  Just looks neat.  I did have to use a dimensional to keep it straight across the card though.

The triple banner punch came in handy to make the tag super easy.  I am not one to have success with a square punch to make the banner end, so I think they made it for folks just like me.  Thanks for the frustration reliever.  Light sponging went into this one to finish it off.  Simple and sweet and easy to make.  Give it a try!

Oh What Fun

Have a creative day!

Moana

Do Not Open Until Christmas

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How cute is this ornament print designer paper?  Almost like sweet polka dots, but done holiday style.  Here is yet another card from the gift set.  Several of them would be great to use as gift card holders.

Do Not Open Until Christmas

One simple layer of paper, one single stamp and one punch.  Nothing complicated here.  I punched a hole in the tag for my ribbon to come through.  I tied the ribbon in a knot first and threaded the ends through the tag.  I did use a heavy card stock, but was still careful not to tear it.  The know popped through and finished it off just right.  I did really want to add ornament die cuts for extra fun, but made myself keep to the simple tool list.  Phew!  Hard work to keep things simple sometimes.

Do Not Open Until Christmas

Have a creative day!

Moana

Merry Wishes

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Red, red, red, I love holiday red.  Plenty of that going on here for sure!  More of a rustic look with the crumb cake card base and chunky twine combo.  How fun is that?

Merry Wishes

I used the last of my snowflake embellishments on this card.  Sad but happy.  I have loved putting them on everything, but will miss their sparkle.  I did just get a box of Stampin’Up! product yesterday though, with two packs of metal rimmed pearls.  They will keep me going just fine.  Not to mention the beautiful ribbons that I got on a steal of a deal with the holiday sales.  So much ribbon to play with.  All about that satin ribbon these days.

I also got a new die cut that makes all kinds of flower parts.  Not just the lay flat those are so pretty kinds, but roll and layer and make 3-D looking ones.  And a bunch of glimmer paper.  I see sparkly flowers in my immediate future.  Can’t wait to get off work today!

Merry Wishes

Have a creative day!

Moana

Joyful

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Just like yesterday, thought I would plan ahead.  I haven’t even left for home yet, but I know I will be tired and fussy going back to work Monday morning after a lovely week off.  So, one more helper for me.  I could get used to this.

Joyful

Another card got the wrapped present sentiment look.  So perfect for Christmas cards I think.  I guess it would be great for birthdays too, and other gift giving occasions.  Well, I have some work to do!

More of the lovely Merry Moments dsp, soon to be retired.  These trees are so awesome.  At first they were not my friends, but I have grown to love them.  And even that silly coordinating punch.  One stamp for the sentiment, just a single word.  But it is perfect for the holiday season.  I love how this stamp, and the rest of the set too, have a water color style to it.  I have been practicing my water color writing, but will stick to stamps for a while yet.  Plenty of sponging going on here too.

Joyful

Have a creative day!

Moana

No Peeking

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

Planning ahead and definitely working ahead is what works best for today.  As this posts, I will be heading back home from my wintery holiday with family back to sunny California.  Not really good timing to let myself enjoy early morning blogging like I do.

No Peeking

For a simple card, there is a lot of dimension going on.  The ribbon and thread work great together with the tag duo and still manage to lay flat.  Three strands of ribbon were poked through the tags and then bound in linen thread.  I left the lengths of linen thread rather long and just curled them a bit with my bone folder.  Love it!  The ribbons were cut at different lengths to add interest and that finished the tag.  I thought it would be an adorable gift tag too.  Might have to make more of those.

Well, of course I sponged this lovely plaid paper before adding it to the card base.  A few wraps with even more thread were just what I needed.  I certainly have enjoyed this holiday card series, but we aren’t done yet!  Still five more cards to share.  So much fun!

No Peeking

Have a creative day!

Moana

Holly Jolly Ho Ho Ho

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Another Christmas card is ready to go!  I think this one is adorable.  I wasn’t sure about these dots, but they turned out pretty cute.  It is hard to concentrate this morning as I need to drive down to Provo and it is snowing, and sticking.  Such a pansy anymore.

Holly Jolly Ho Ho Ho

Either way, I love this little card.  I actually got a little brave and did a little curving with the photopolymer stamp.  The ‘ho ho ho’ is actually straight, but I wanted a circle punch and it had to fit.  So now it does.

Holly Jolly Ho Ho Ho

Have a creative day!

Moana

Happiness and Cheer

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

A simple card like this can be so lovely too.  I really like the look of a ‘wrapped’ sentiment for a Christmas card.  Some of my favorite holiday elements are in this card.  I will be sad to see them go.

Happiness and Cheer

It is really just the paper and embellishments that will go, the metallic thread is a keeper!  I use that all of the time.  Maybe too much sometimes.  It was perfect for today though because it didn’t take over, but definitely made itself known.  I wrapped it a bunch to give more shine and couldn’t be happier.

This card series started out as a gift set but has turned into a reminder that simple can be so satisfying.  I do love having lots of tools and product to work with, but I really enjoy simple beauty.

 

Happiness and Cheer

Have a creative day!

Moana

Wishing You a Sweet Season

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving!  It feel odd being surrounded in snow, but that is how it is working this year and it is rather pretty.  Just not fun to drive in.  I have gotten soft over the years and have lost most of that snow driving confidence.

11-25 (1)

Either way, I love this card.  Talk about simple elegance.  I thought it was kind of adorable that after I tied on the gold cording the strands fell into a large ‘s’ shape.  Totally unintended, but it made me giggle.

I stamped and layered my sentiment on the heavy whisper white cardstock.  I absolutely love that stuff.  I wanted the edges to show a bit, but didn’t want the uneven look of sponging.  I just put the edge directly onto the inkpad and got the most crisp even lines possible.  Not too dark and it didn’t bleed into the paper.  Thank you!  It turned out wonderful!

11-25

Have a creative day!

Moana

From Santa

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Another wonderful day in Utah.  I sure could get used to this vacation thing.  My girls are fast asleep and looking adorable.  I took a photo of them, but they would not be happy if I shared, so it stays with me.  So cute. However, here is one of the adorable cards from my gift set.

11-26 (1)

This is definitely a clean and strong look with these wonderful stripes.  They are the focus of the card for sure.  So I kept the sentiment simple and stamped on a strip of velum.  I backed it with another piece of paper from the same dsp set, only one set of paper used in this series, and wrapped them together with silver metallic thread.  I just love that thread!  The ends were punched with the triple banner punch and it finished it off quite nicely I must say.

11-26

Have a creative day!

Moana

Christmas Card Gift Set

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I have the pleasure of visiting my children and family during this Thanksgiving holiday.  Well, when I see my daughter I like to give her card sets.  So, I thought I would share them with you.

Christmas Card Gift Set

It couldn’t just be simple for me though.  I gave myself a challenge.  I let myself have one set of dsp and access to coordinating cardstock and only two stamp sets.  The challenge was to use these things, keep them simple but elegant, and make ten cards.

Christmas Card Gift Set

She is a young stamper and has loved having access to my supplies over the years.  But being at college she doesn’t have all of that, but does pretty well of course.  I thought I would make a set that she could see as doable for herself.

 

All of the cards are basic in shape, so they would fit in the card holder, with only one layer of dsp as the front.  A series of single stamping, sometimes an accent, and tag punches.  I am going to share her gift with you over the next week, so enjoy!

Christmas Card Gift Set

Have a creative day!

Moana

Service With a Smile

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

What is all this about?  Well, yesterday I shared a great lesson with young women from my church and we talked about staying strong and serving others, to sum it up.

Service With a Smile

I challenged them to think of others when they are feeling down, and to look for those who are struggling.  Little gifts of kindness mean so very much. They were to take as many gift bags as they wanted and share their kindness with others.

There were so many, I cleaned out the entire gift bag and box blog drawers.  Wow, I am so excited for all of the kindness these wonderful girls are going to share!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Wonderful Wreath Noel Set

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I certainly am in the mood for Christmas cards that is for sure.  I am also working towards a goal though.  The other day I blogged about a service project I was involved in.  There turned out to be twenty four advent gifts to share.  I thought it would be appropriate for the young women who had worked so hard on them should write a personal Christmas card to accompany the gift.  So, I need several cards.

Wonderful Wreath Noel Set

I am notorious for a matching gift bag though.  I love putting a treat or two in a little bag and sharing it, so I call this a win.  How simple is this card though?  A simple layering of designer velum on a card front made just smaller than the base, love my 1/8″ narrow borders.  It was accented with a single strip of ribbon that I didn’t even make a bow or knot or anything!  Unheard of really.

Wonderful Wreath Noel Set

The Wonderful Wreath framelit set has this lovely ‘Noel” die in it that was just perfect.  Blackberry bliss is one of those colors that goes in almost any season, but Christmas is a good one most certainly.  Glue dots were hidden behind the silver dots so the adhesive wouldn’t show.  I used tombo on the ‘Noel” and it stayed put quite nicely.  On to the next project!

Wonderful Wreath Noel Set

Have a creative day!

Moana

Birthday Hamburger Box

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This die cut hasn’t been out in a while and I miss it!  I have had so much fun making boxes of one kind or another and I just love the shape.  I am pretty darn good at making a box or bag for a custom gift, but boxes like this just need a die cut.

Birthday Hamburger Box

One of my TA’s has a birthday today and I thought he would get a kick out of this guy.  I think he is expecting something because he has mentioned his birthday several times in the previous weeks.  Well, of course I had to deliver.  I think I will pick up a wonderful pastry this morning to put inside.  Yummy.

Birthday Hamburger Box

One sheet of  island indigo went into the box.  I was left with scrap enough to make the matching gift card and leave a couple of good sized scraps behind.  That is great.  I did sponge all of the edges really well before I glued it together.  I also used tombo to put the edges together.  Much easier with a little bit of wiggle room while it bonds and then it is there to stay.  My kind of adhesive.  I ran my bomb stamp down one direction of the die cut and then flipped it around and went the other.  The pattern turned out random enough to look like patterned paper.  I love making my own background paper for projects.

Birthday Hamburger Box

Have a creative day!

Moana

Joyful Season

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

This little red cardinal has eluded me a few times over, but today was my lucky day.  I wasn’t sure just which bird I wanted to create, but decided to stick with the cardinal.  Call it Christmas whimsy.

Joyful Season

The red inside was stamped first and then I added the outline in black.  It was easier for me that way.  I tried to do the outline first and then the inside, but wasn’t happy with my efforts.  I managed to get the extra front stamp pretty good giving the darker black around the face and I even got the beak color in the right spot.  Woo hoo!

 Joyful Season

The oval framelits worked nicely to frame the image.  I decided to frame it in early espresso to match the branch.  Again, nice results for sure.  These were layered up with dimensionals over another layer of real red.  That layer was put through the softly falling snow embossing folder and sanded a bit to add interest to the flakes.  A simple bow with a snowflake embellishment and the card was done.  How nice is that?

Joyful Season

Have a creative day!

Moana

Schoolhouse Thank You Gift

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

People do kind things all of the time and never ask for anything in return.  I am fortunate enough to have people like that in my life.  A school secretary is definitely a wonderful person.  They do more than most people imagine.

Schoolhouse Thank You Gift

As it happens, I have been helped along once again.  So, I wanted to thank her, again.  This lovely box was made to look as school like as possible.  The Schoolhouse DSP had so many patterns to choose from, but I needed a vehicle of sorts, so I went with the bicycles.  I used a whole sheet of 12 x 12 card stock in Hello Honey and a good portion of the dsp to decorate it.  It is filled with large pretzel sticks that have been dipped in white chocolate. So yummy.

Schoolhouse Thank You Gift

I got into the Chalk Talk framelits for this huge tag.  I wanted to have a stamp and a spot for a tiny note.  Just right, don’t you think?  I forget about that set sometimes, but the tag options are really wonderful.  I gave them a bit of a go over with my bone folder for some added texture and clipped it around one of my favorite ribbons.  Gift done!

Schoolhouse Thank You Gift

Have a creative day!

Moana

Everyday Chic Gift Bag

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

Inspiration can come from the most unlikely places.  I like to ask my youngest daughter what colors to work with so I don’t go to my favorites all of the time.  Last night she said, “I don’t know.”  Classic teen response.  However, she was wearing an adorable white shirt with a gold studded neckline and a lovely long turquoise scarf.  Inspiration complete.

Everyday Chic Gift Bag

This bag is hearty enough to hold plenty of weight for sure.  I used a whole sheet of bermuda bay card stock for the bag and a good portion of  a 12 x 12 sheet of Everyday Chic DSP.  Before I assembled the bag I used a gold marker to color in random hearts for a little bit of accent.  That was actually quite relaxing.

Everyday Chic Gift Bag

This ribbon is so wonderful.  I knew I wanted a huge bow out front, so I threaded it a bit differently.  I made sure to have the ends out front, both long enough to make this pretty bow.  I just tied the ribbon together with bakers twine right at the front of the box which left two long strands of ribbon hanging down just ready to go.  I did have to fuss the bow a bit to get it where I wanted it, and used a couple of glue dots to keep the bow pulled back a bit.  Now I am ready to fill it up and give it away.  So much fun!

Everyday Chic Gift Bag

Have a creative day!

Moana