Brick Wall Embossing Folder

For You

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This was the third project we created at workshop last weekend.  I know this stamp and framelit set are about a whole lot more, but as yet I still haven’t gotten past the hydrangea. I think with fall and the holiday seasons coming I will enjoy more of the trees, but not yet.

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I used the heavy weight whisper white card stock for the background.  I handles the deep impressions of the embossing folders much better.  Also, I had plans for spritzing some color and that would have made some warping sadness otherwise.  It isn’t easy to see, but there is a light tan speckling going on there.  Such an easy technique to employ.

I stamped on wisteria wonder with elegant eggplant for the different tones and accented with more elegant eggplant.  The ink, thick bakers twine, and border piece were all done in elegant eggplant.  It is a dark color, so I kept it under control.  I didn’t sponge anything, that was a challenge to be honest.  The die cutting was simple and then layered in place. The stamping was done last. It did give a bit of a crease line in the sentiment, but worth it.  I worried if I stamped and then spritzed the wording would bleed and I wanted it crisp.  Done.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Comfort & Healing to You…

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

There are so many talented people out there that love to share their projects like I do. Sometimes one will come along that I not only enjoy, but have to give it a try.  This project is a mix of a couple of different ideas with my own twist.  I do love how it turned out.

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One of the projects I studied had the card base smooth, which was lovely, and no extra layers, just the circle tag.  The other had the same layers I used with a different embossing folder, but I didn’t want to use that one.  I decided on the brick wall folder, but thought it still looked a bit plain.  After it got a good sponging and distressing I was much happier.  I even sponged the die cut piece because it just didn’t match the rest.  A healthy dose of basic pearls finished everything off.

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The inside of a card almost always gets a whisper white or very vanilla piece, but I went with the card front color of so saffron like another example showed.  The color is light enough to be written and stamped on equally well.  A very nice touch.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Yellow Brick Road

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

I have gotten a bit lost over the past few days over a different series.  It is a re-telling of The Wizard of OZ, very unique perspective.  It is actually a quite twisted tale of what happens after the story we all know.  Working with middle school aged children gives me permission to read young adult fiction and I must be honest, I love it.  This one is no exception.  Hence my yellow brick road card today.  Book three done, but it continues on…darn!

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Either way, how about this fun, bright and cheery card!  Using my brayer to apply ink to the inside of my embossing folder really makes these bricks interesting.  However, I wanted more, so I distressed as well.  First, I gave the freshly inked paper a hearty spritz with water.  That got the ink moving nicely.  I knew I was going to work this over a bit, so I did start out with water color paper, quite necessary.  I added more ink with my aqua painter all around the bricks, sponged off with a tissue to lighten areas, then dripped water all around and dabbed to remove ink too.  Great look here at the end.

I also had a bit of fun with the tag.  I stamped and punched my sentiment on water color paper.  I then liberally rolled the edges and in a bit too in the ink pad.  Then I spritzed it too. That caused the ink to move to the middle, but not all of the way.  So much fun.  The leaf die cuts were smushed in the ink pad too and then spritzed as well.  Everything got the same kind of treatment.  It allowed a different but connected look for all of the elements.  Wheee!

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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

 

Hearth & Home Thinlits Fun

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

After a full day of workshop excitement, I finally have a few minutes to share the third project we did.  This one just about did my ladies in, but they managed though most of it.  I didn’t have to help too much really.

Hearth & Home Thinlits Fun

The base of this candle holder is made with old olive from one sheet of cardstock.  Two card bases with 1/2″ cut off from one side and 1/2″ score on the other with a score in the middle.  With two of these joined together, the box frame was made.  Four panels of heavy whisper white cardstock were put through the Bigshot in the Brick Wall embossing folder that had been brayered with old olive ink.  It gave the perfect mix of a soft brick wall that coordinates nicely with the base.

Hearth & Home Thinlits Fun

Cherry cobbler was used to create the window frames.  The Hearth & Home Thinlits set is simple, but what a great look right?  The window frame is a great focal point that I chose to back with velum to allow an opaque look in.  I had provided fun battery operated candles that fit nicely inside.  When they flickered it made it look like there was a very colorful set of Christmas lights going on inside.  So pretty.  A couple of buttons, some twine with a simple saying set the front panel apart from the others.  Along with a few little shrubs made from mossy meadow paper punched with a scalloped circle punch.  Really, a cute project all in all, even if it was a bit of work.

Hearth & Home Thinlits Fun

Hope your day was creative, mine sure was!

Moana

Vintage Butterfly Basics

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This project started out as something entirely different, but I love where it ended up.  Would you believe I thought I was going to make something dark and dreary with a Halloween theme?  Well…like I said, it ended up lovely.

Vintage Butterfly Basics

The floral images were stamped in black and water colored with blackberry bliss and mossy meadow.  The ferns were also stamped in blackberry bliss.  Then the soft suede ink was put to work.  Lots of sponging and swirling and edging went into image.  I ended up with something that look almost tea dyed.  Just what I wanted.

Vintage Butterfly Basics

A double layer of blackberry bliss became the frame for the card front.  Linen thread was pulled through my blackberry bliss sponge to give it a tint to coordinate.  The tan color it comes in didn’t quite go with the soft suede.  Extra attention went into dimensionals to give  lots of height.

Vintage Butterfly Basics

A narrow boardered piece of soft suede card was embossed with the brick wall embossing folder and then sponged to give additional detail to the embossing.  All together, these elements created something lovely, just lovely.

Have a creative day!

Moana

More Thankful Swaps

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Isn’t this a lovely pairing?  The colors of fall are so beautiful to me, truly my favorites.  It should be turning fall here, but is still hot like summer.  A girl can dream, and enjoy pretty cards about fall, right?

More Thankful Swaps

These are other swaps that were completed samples for me, but I can’t wait to make them myself.  I have a lot of the tools, but didn’t get that cute little bear.  It comes from the Thankful Forest Friends set and I saw it as a bit too whimsy for me.  I think he, and his friends, are adorable and have put it on my wish list.

More Thankful Swaps

This window frame framelit set is a must have.  Paired with the brick wall embossing folder, there are endless options to enjoy.  I can honestly see myself making way too many projects with those in hand.  How fun!

More Thankful Swaps

The Into the Woods designer paper is so wonderful.  As I said, fall colors are my favorite, and these showcase them beautifully.  Hard to resist for sure.

I think my little stamping group would love the swap idea.  We haven’t yet, but I am going to have us try this out for sure.  Everyone has a different style and a unique set of artistic skills.  It is so fun to experience so many all at once.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Grateful

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It isn’t very often you get to design a special card like this one.  Tomorrow will be me and my husbands 25th wedding anniversary and I feel truly grateful for every day we have loved together.

Grateful

I didn’t want to use a traditional ‘anniversary’ stamp or theme.  That isn’t how I feel.  I feel gratitude.  Having a lasting marriage isn’t the norm these days and I feel very fortunate to be among those who get to celebrate like this.  Hence the grateful sentiment.

Grateful

This card was made with the ever so lovely heavy weight whisper white cardstock.  I love that stuff like crazy.  Especially when embossed.  It handles the embossing folders so much better.  Look at that texture!  The flowers are my favorite, like always.  They were attached with glue dots and given a basic rhinestone center.  Just right.  Now, about the grateful phrase.  That thinlit will be available for order on September 1st, but since I am a demonstrator I got to get in on the pre-order during August.  Such a fun perk.  So, you can get to it too, soon.

Grateful

I wanted it to be dimensional a bit, so I used glue dots on it too.  I rolled a glue dot up a bit and stuck it on thicker parts of the word.  I ended up using four dots all together and it turned out great.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Bombs Away Birthday

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Did you ever buy something just loving it and being so excited to use it?  That would be the inspiration for this card today.  When Stampin’Up! first started coming out with their own photopolymer stamp sets I was so excited.

Bombs Away Birthday

I would buy them and have an absolute blast.  But, as you get more, some get neglected.  This particular set was so funny to me that it was a must.  I pulled it out and remembered why I hadn’t used it yet.  I loved the sentiments but was stumped on what to pair them with.

 Bombs Away Birthday

Enter the super awesome brick wall embossing folder.  I used my brayer to roll some cajun craze on one side of the folder, embossed a piece of the heavy weight whisper white cardstock and knew I had found the perfect pairing.  The way the ink beads up a bit on the folder actually gave the bricks a porous look.  Unexpected and very welcome indeed.

Bombs Away Birthday

Simple layering, sponging to make me happy, and a touch of gold metallic thread and this project is ready to be mailed!  Would you believe I have three different guys in my life that this would be perfect for?  Yes, they are all very much alike.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thoughts & Prayers, Praying For You

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How weird is it to make a card with yourself in mind?  I have to think that sometimes that is more than okay.  More than okay, it is a great idea!

Thoughts & Prayers, Praying For You

I have to say that I am proud of this little card though.  My thoughts were more than scattered as I sat down to work.  I have a small stack of scraps to the side that I just haven’t filed back.  Today I made this project entirely from scrap, with the exception of the pearls and ribbon.  How cool is that!

Thoughts & Prayers, Praying For You

That makes my work easier, cleans up that little stack, and keeps my main stash of paper untouched for one more day.  I do feel a paper order coming on though.

Thoughts & Prayers, Praying For You

 

I love love love this brick embossing folder.  It makes so many fun looks and I love how it is 6×6 so I can have my bricks facing how I want regardless of my paper direction.  Wheeee!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Lovely Amazing You

~ 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.

Lovely Amazing You

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?

Lovely Amazing You

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.

Lovely Amazing You

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 Are So Kind

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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.

You Are So Kind

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.

You Are So Kind

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.

You Are So Kind

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