Corner Rounder Punch

Love You More

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

You know when you plan, prepare and get all ready?  And then suddenly everything gets in the way and it seems your work was in vain?  That was this morning.  However, I am trying to get it sorted out and keep my commitment to myself and have fun doing it.  How do you do that? Just keep smiling and pushing forward.  Twelve hours later, here is the blog project I had all ready.  Technology isn’t always my friend, but I want it to be.

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I gave myself a challenge to create seven projects from my leftover workshop project kits.  The goal is to use the materials provided and make it look different than the original.  This one was hard to reinvent because of the designer series paper.  Kind of had to stick to the pear thing, but I still managed a bit of a twist.  The stamping is definitely different as well as this fun and funky burlap ribbon.  I like it, but it is kind of hard to work with.

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This project was relatively simple, and even more lovely.   Creating something new out of something old can be very rewarding.  Cleaning up my desk has actually been kind of fun. Enjoy the next several days as I share more of my tidying up.

Hope you had a creative day!  Mind was more frustrating than creative, but still satisfying.

Moana

Golden Garden in Bloom

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Distracted, distracted, distracted.  That would be my theme for the last several days. Sometimes we complain when we get stuck in a run, other times we stress out looking for that comfortable rut.  I think mine was on another planet all together.  Still looking, but getting closer for sure.  This lovely project has waited on my desk for four days to be shared. Worth it though, it is so pretty.

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I sat down, picked out five different colors and began a water color background. That has to be one of my favorite activities, just making soft blending colors.  Almost soothing. When it was dried I added the huge floral stamp from the garden in bloom set. Some images were stamped full strength and others stamped off once. I wasn’t quite happy there, so I took it up a notch. I have these awesome guilding flakes that give a really cool embossed look. You brush on glue from a pen, set them on the glue and swirl a stipple brush over that to get rid of the excess.  This time I brushed the glue directly on the stamp, stamped a glue image and then put the flakes on.  It worked out so great!  Can’t wait to do it again.

The tag was simply created with water color paper.  I stamped the image, rounded the corners and sponged the edges.  It was a bit stark so I took a light wash of color right over the top.  It blurred the sentiment a bit, but not too much.  A touch of ribbon on the side anchored with metallic thread and I was ready to go.

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The inside got a bit of echo stamping of course. I nearly always put that in place.  It just ties it all together so nicely.

Have a creative day!

Moana

You’ve Got This

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

A simple floral card really speaks to me.  Like so often happens, I had started in a different direction with this project, but it took its own way.  I love how it turned out, but I don’t know if I can make it happen like this again.

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The background stamp came from the same set as the flower and sentiment, You’ve Got This. It is supposed to look a little more water colored, or even just painted.  Well, I believe my water color paper acted a bit more like a resist than intended.  I thought about spritzing it to have the color spread more, but decided to leave it until it was time to color the flower.

The flower and sentiment were both stamped with versamark ink and embossed with copper embossing powder.  With the flower I forgot to use a static resist tool and it was very obvious.  I cleaned it up as well as I could without destroying the image, but it still showed my mess.  The sentiment, I remembered and it is super clean.  I did water color the background of the sentiment, but very lightly.

I painted the flower with sweet sugarplum, blushing bride and old olive.  It turned out really lovely.  The odd messy dots of extra embossing really add to it.  That is what I meant by trying to re-create it somehow.  Accidents aren’t always easy to control a second time.

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Either way, it turned out quite lovely.  A sweet inspirational card is wonderful to make, but even better to give away.

Have a creative day!

Moana

We Might as Well Dance

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

When things get crazy it always helps me to have a creative outlet. I think the theme of my projects this last weeks speaks volumes.  Good thing I have a way to share that really brings me joy as well as peace.  Just yummy.

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This is my kind of card.  Lots of layers, a bit of interest, a touch of water color and a lovely sentiment.  Not to mention wonderful designer series paper as a background. This one has to be a workshop project for sure.  So great!

The layers were simple and all of the corners rounded. I even found tag framelits that would also carry the rounded corner.  The card base was cut normally measuring 4 1/4 x 11″, scored at 5 1/2″.  There is an additional score to fold the front back on itself perfectly in half.  That half folded front became the base for the decorative front to be place.  A little different, but not too much.

The water color pencils don’t come in all of the classic ink colors just yet, but the colors I chose match really well.  I used bermuda bay, daffodil delight, pacific point and calypso coral.  It worked out fantastic.  Light coloring and even lighter water coloring with the aqua painter.

To complete it I wrapped some of this years Sale-a-bration free ribbon.  Metallic ribbon often is a bit stiff and not fun to work with.  Not this, I love how soft and pliable it is. I would love it if this became a regular product carried in the annual catalog.  Fingers crossed!

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Truly a wonderful project today.  I couldn’t be more pleased, hope you enjoyed and better yet, try one out for yourself!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Every Heart Needs

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Gift sets are so great! A bit better than this paper series, but not by much.  I usually am not the kind of person that wants realistic photo paper prints, but this set has my attention. The way the lace is folded really looks dimensional here, even if my photos don’t capture it well.  It is lovely.

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I used one 12 x 12 sheet for this set.  The first cut was to give me a sheet 4 x 12, then a second cut at 5 1/4″ for the card front.  I used the remaining piece to trim out the decorative layers.  The larger section left, measuring at 8 x 12, was scored to create the matching bag. Put that pretty paper to work, otherwise you are left with a bunch of paper that you love and cannot bear to part with.  I know it is hard, but how pretty is this set?

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The doilies are so lovely.  They are very vanilla on one side and whisper white on the other. So versatile, and made from paper that can be worked with a bit.  As you can tell, I sponged these two and gave them a proper crinkle.  A doily doesn’t lay flat after all.

The sentiments came from two different sets and I went against my usual on this one.  I stamped and fussy cut.  I really love a die cut or punch to take care of that, but it had to be done.  Both projects were finished off with this elegant vanilla satin ribbon.  And yes, it is that smooth and delicious to the touch.  I love beautiful ribbon.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Rainy Sky or Under Water, Yes

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

This lovely water color started as a fun project with my daughter-in-love.  We sat down together with a bunch of blue ink and totally different ideas.  I can’t wait to see what her card ends up looking like.  I wanted to create dimension in a single layer water color.  I love how it turned out.

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I started with a wet brush and paper.  I put different colors in all four corners and the lightest blue in the center.  The wet ink blooms did a lot of blending, but I moved the paper around to control the rest.  My patience runs thin often, which ends up in me drying my projects along the way to speed them up.  This time was different.  I only dried the paper enough to apply some stamped images here and there.  Then, I spritzed the entire piece to soften the images and allow more blending to happen.

After a few hours I came back to see how it ended up.  Just like this.  I even controlled myself and didn’t add anything else.  No more color, or blending or water droplets.  It was accented with copper foil paper and copper metallic thread.  What a great all occasion card to have on hand.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Fruit Stand Delight

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This project is a different take from a prior card I made.  The first one was a full water color card front, stamped and water colored.  This one uses the coordinating designer series paper with a single pear stamped and water colored.  I like the difference, and so did my card workshop ladies.  They are the best!

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I added an extra layer, but the process was the same.  A single pear stamp in pear pizzazz, and water color the lighter areas of the image with daffodil delight and blend it together. The leafs and stem were done in garden green and blended a bit too.  The background was a light wash of daffodil delight.  Then, top the pear with a tiny bow of linen thread with a glue dot and grin at your work.  What a fun way to spend time with friends, making cards like this.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

You’re in My Thoughts

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This is me getting more comfortable with this sassy paper stack.  I have to admit though, the colors are what make it work.  Aren’t they beautiful together?  I don’t think I would have paired them myself, but I will be now.

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Sometimes a simple card works for me.  This one just has a few layers focusing on the patterns of the paper and a simple sentiment.  I left a bit of a gap at the top of the sentiment so I could wrap a bit of ribbon around it.  This ribbon, I love it.  It looked kind of funky in the catalog, but I went for it anyway to share it with my class.  Glad I did.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Shine On Birthday Gift

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

It seems like I have gift bags and boxes on the brain lately.  Nothing to be done about that but enjoy the ride.  This one was a touch different than my usual, but only because I wanted to show both sides of this awesome craft card stock.

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I created a tall slender gift bag using the entire sheet of paper.  I gave additional score lines along the center of the side panels for a much easier fold when the bag was shut.  The tops of the sides were removed which left me with these pretty top flaps, which when folded over showed the foil patterned side.  So very pretty.  The pack has several prints and the paper is very hearty.  You could really put heavy items in these and they will be quite secure.

I hadn’t had out my trusty petite petals punch for quite some time.  Kind of like a long lost friend.  It sits on its shelf, along with the others, but other toys were getting more use.  When I was at a bit of a loss as to how I wanted to finish off the embellishments, there it was.  Worked like a charm and made me very happy with the results.  Now I will have to make a card to match it instead of the other way around.  Something different for a change is nice.

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Have a creative day!

Moana

Big News with Perpetual Birthday Calendar

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I must be one of the few Stampin’Up! demonstrators not showing new product today.  It is the first day with the new annual catalog.  Well, I have a different perspective sometimes.  I get just as excited for the stamp sets I already have that carry over to the new catalog.  So, there you have it.

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The first is Big News.  It has these fun sentiments designed around exciting news and events.  They are written like we talk in a quirky way.  It makes it kind of fun.  The second is Perpetual Birthday Calendar.  I sure have gotten a lot of use out of this set.  An easy background maker if you ask me.  It really gets a lot of use.

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I am also happy that the cotton ribbon, which was new last catalog, stayed with us.  It really makes such a pretty accent.  I must say, this bow is nearly perfect.  I kept this card pretty simple, but sometimes that is all I want.

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I did a small pre-order earlier in the month to get the new colors that I have already shared with you.  I also got a couple of host sets, and they will be so fun.  Now I will let myself get into the new catalog and get a few stamp sets.  Isn’t that fun?  I thought so.  You should check it out.

Have a creative day!

Moana