Choice and Accountability

June 10, 2015June 7, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Another cute handout for another awesome day! And, you guessed it, matching orange jelly beans inside. Today is more of a card style. Orange is my favorite color, and pumpkin pie is a lovely shade of orange.

I used the same punch combo to give this uniform look. It really makes it easy to get lots of work done with great tools. I just might be a bit anxious by now, since I haven’t been able to craft for a few days. I am sure I will survive. Everyone needs a break, right?

I have also taken advantage of using up retired accessories, like this tangelo twist satin stitched ribbon. It coordinates so nicely with pumpkin pie.

And, another boost of jelly beans to get them on their way. I might be needing a few by now. We will have to see. I sure hope these posts are working like they are supposed to.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate Today – Happy Graduation!

June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Yup, today is the big day! Our Denali is graduating! How exciting! Glitter, or shall I say glimmer paper, is definitely in order. I don’t use this very much, but this more than called for it! I even managed to make these without her seeing. She might have been distracted, since it is the last day of school, and all they do this morning is practice the ceremony. To be honest, she is so ready to be done.

Even so, celebration time is here. We have family in town, a dinner planned, and a special gift or two. Now, if the planets can only align, it might all come together. This card is a perfect start though.

My card base is tangelo twist, with a full layer of silver glimmer paper, and a card front in whisper white. I kept it very clean, just about the sentiment here. You know how hard that is for me, but I did it!

I used the confetti star boarder to give the inside a bit of bling. I love how that looks. Still plenty of room to write, a fun look, and maintains the clean style.

I know the ribbon is retired, but it matches and I had to match. I am glad that there are other colors of this satin stitched ribbon in the new catalog. It is so lovely to work with. Off to get many other things done. I took the last day of school off, how selfish right? Not really, family first.

Have a creative day!

Moana

May Workshop Club Thank You!

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Everyone does their workshops in their own way. I just love to say thank you in fun little gift ways. I have the privilege of sharing Saturday mornings with some really wonderful people. Some are regular club members and others come just for the projects.

Both sets of friends come away with plenty of wonderful. I go overboard on my projects on a regular basis, so that is always fun. But my regular shoppers get a little extra. I shop ahead and plan for special thank you gifts. Like this awesome ribbon that I have had for quite a while. It retired last year and I have been waiting, and waiting. But getting a ten yard spool of awesome ribbon is so worth it! They are going to be so pleased!

I also try to make something that they can re-gift. No need to be wasteful. They are also getting a little embellishment treasure. We all oogled over the something borrowed embellishments but decided they might be a bit too pricey. They went on sale and I got us a pack to share and one for me to keep. They are so pretty.

As I write this I am watching the clock. I need to leave in just over an hour to be nice and early for setup. The bag is made with a half sheet of hello honey and coordinating paper and ribbon. The paper will stay, but the rest is retiring. The new product is lovely though. Two weeks til the new catalog goes live!

Have a creative day!

Moana

B.Y.O.P. Grad Card

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

It is that time of year again. Graduation. Not just high school, but university and the like. It seems like I need a fleet of these this year. How exciting is that?

These particular ones are done in my local high school theme. We are the Marysville Indians, and yes, our colors are orange and black. Do you like how I tied all of that together? Me too!

You can’t read the inside sentiment as well, but it says ‘Congratulations GRAD’. Just right. The stamp set this came from is all about making fun and pretty cards when the gift will be a gift card. It is always nice to have a wonderful card to wrap your gift card in.

I know a couple of special Marysville Indians heading off to university this fall that could use a gift card or two. Now to pick the right ones.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Sweet Taffy Gift Bag

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How about a huge bag made from awesome paper? Sounds like the perfect thing to me. It wasn’t hard to decide which paper to use, but which stamp would go best on the tag.

I knew it had to be bold and long. But I didn’t want the reader to turn sideways to read it. So I had to dig into my sale-a-bration stash and use this beauty. I have used this one like crazy.

I used the dotted hexagon stamp from the six-sided sampler set to coordinate with the paper. I thought it paired wonderfully. The bow does make it a bit more feminine, but if had put it in a knot it would be great for a guy as well. Good stuff there.

Just how big is the bag? I used a whole 12 x 12 sheet to make this one. I measures nearly 3 x 3 at the base and goes up to 9″ to the top. Plenty of space to put in a light gift or two, maybe even a stash of taffy?

Have a creative day!

Moana

Mixed Bunches of Sassy Salutations

May 1, 2015May 1, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Well Good Morning! Isn’t this just a huge ray of sunshine? Bright, happy, sunny, and they make me smile. What a great combo!

There is something about huge polka dots that just makes me smile. After adding a smattering of flowers and an adorable greeting, all you need is someone wonderful to share them with.

Out of this set, what is retiring? The paper of course. Such a versatile set, I will miss it. The angled tag topper punch. I am glad it have it. I love the curled and pretty ones, but sometimes you don’t want that. And of course the flower stamp used. It is from a set of designed flowers that also have center round stamps for layering and extra fun. I make backgrounds out of those all of the time. There is a coordinating punch for the flower that I didn’t use on this one. I didn’t have crushed curry ribbon, but the hello honey was just right. This particular ribbon is retiring, but the color will be with us for another year. It is hard to tell in my photo, but the ribbon is just a shade or two darker. And I love it!

These went together really fast. The perfect example of simple stamping with coordinating products to give it the professional look we all love.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Petite Pairs and Punches Retirement Party

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Good morning to this retirement party! Every time I get into one of those designer series paper stacks I get a surprise. It is always something like, I don’t remember seeing this pattern, I should use this. My poor brain.

I do really like this grouping here. It is colorful but subtle at the same time. Can you believe how many products will be retiring out of this? The artisan label punch is one of my favorites. It will stay in my stash for sure.

Petite Pairs and Punches

I also didn’t think to put this bright of a yellow with lost lagoon. But I tried to use a daffodil delight card base to bring out the yellow, and it was too much. Just a little bit then, not too much.

And to complete any card combo is a cute little bag. This guy is made from one sheet of the stack. A simple scoring, a bit of ribbon, and a flower from the other punching and it is just right. And yes, a gift card will fit inside just right. My cuteness must have an additional purpose other than being cute. Who says that, right? But it is true.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Love is Kindness with Newsprint DSP

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I wasn’t sure what I would come up with last night. I had pulled some product to work with, but when I sat down to do it, I wasn’t feeling it. Total do over. How about this awesome stamp instead? Absolutely!

I had been waiting until closer to Mother’s Day to use this beauty, because it so reminded me of my mom. She always makes flowers look beautiful, no matter how they show up. Even in rumpled newspaper.

I had to do echo stamping inside, but wanted my gift bag to mirror the stamp as well. I think it worked out pretty good, don’t you? Both the card and bag were made from one sheet of card stock, plus a little scrap to frame my stamped image.

I really couldn’t wait to make the little pretend newspaper on this image, like so many other stampers have done. It was so fun, even if it was a bit tricky. You should totally give it a try.

Just looking at this set under my spotlights makes me smile. I absolutely love them. With workshop coming this weekend, I might have to change a project? No, I will stay firm, but I don’t want to.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Mother’s Love

April 13, 2015April 13, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This card is clean and simple, but perfect. I just got back from a trip visiting family and getting my second ready for university. I just had to make a Mother’s Day card right away. I wish I could just walk it over instead of mail it.

I am normally a stamp, punch, lots of layers kind of girl. But this stamp set just didn’t call for it. The stamps go so nicely together. I can see myself using these flowers all of the time. But I made myself wait until now. I hate waiting, but I love the feeling of something new to work with.

I also don’t usually stamp sentiments inside. I like to leave them blank for whatever I want to write, which is usually lots. But this set had such a perfect companion sentiment that I just had to, and then show you. Isn’t it wonderful?

Mom’s are the best, so they deserve beautiful things like this to know how much they are loved. I have many friends whose mothers have already passed, but don’t we all know a mother we can celebrate? Of course we do! Truly a great project.

Get out there and have a creative day!

Moana

Mixed Bunch Work of Art

April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I have Easter on the brain and these are the colors that keep coming to mind. So saffron and pear pizzazz. They are so lovely together. This might suggest I am ready for Easter. Ooops, I am not. I still have a bit of time though.

So, are you a card person, a bag or box person, or do you need a matching set? I keep going back and forth. But I do like a bag that is beautiful enough to be a card as well. This bag is big enough to hold a nice gift for sure. Almost too big for candies. Wait, is there a bag too big for candies?

I used the same stamp to decorate each piece to tie the set together. But, since they have the same sentiment, I wouldn’t use them together. They just coordinate nicely.

Either way, I enjoyed making them. I also hadn’t had the work of art set out for a while. That one just begs for a quiet afternoon to play with it. When does that happen anymore?

Well, I am off with my girls to enjoy our first day of spring break. Shopping and nails then lunch. Wonderful for sure!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Part 2 with Gift Cards as Promised

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

These little cards are just so cute. And yes, all eight of them do fit nicely in yesterdays box project. It was hard not to share them together, but I managed.

I thought the cards were perfectly sized to write a tiny note and put in a gift card. This would be a great stash to have on hand. The cards were made simply with 1/4 of a page of card stock and then scored in half. That way I was able to make all of the card fronts from one sheet of whisper white.

I stamped the whole page and then chopped it into eight pieces. How easy is that? It was super easy,no questions.

Now, you need to go try something fun like this. Have a creative day!

Moana

Sheer Perfection

March 14, 2015March 14, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I had taken a break from blackberry bliss, since I couldn’t leave it alone. I went through a pack of that paper pretty darn quick. Just had to order another. I absolutely love, love, love that color. I am glad we get it for another year.

Isn’t this velum paper just beautiful? It is yet another free gift with a qualifying purchase during Sale-a-bration! Those folks at Stampin’Up! did a really clever thing during this sale. By the time we hit March, things have slowed a bit, so they introduced four new gift items! Wheeeeeee!

I picked my favorites right away of course. This pack has several patterns and they are all wonderful. You should really get some of it, really.

The gift bag I made to go with is pretty darn simple. I probably should have done more, but I was wasn’t feeling it. My daughter thought it would be perfect with a couple of candy bars inside. What bag wouldn’t, right?

Either way, I finally got these together. Some Saturday’s are busier than others, and today was chuck full of very wonderful distractions. Life can be so good.

Hope you had a creative day!

Moana

Celebrate This!

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I always call it a celebration when you get to use product that has been sitting quietly waiting its turn. It seems I have been doing that a lot lately. That would be the difference between preparing for workshop projects and blogging daily. I think the daily thing is a lot more interesting, even if a bit tiring.

I have to admit I struggled with this one a bit. I tend to lean to the softer look and this one was pretty darn edgy. But, I absolutely adore orange, so I persevered.

Late night and early morning work tend to make for a lot of shadows in my photos. But when you have a family that comes first, those tend to be the available hours of my day. I can cope well enough with the shadows, most of the time.

This gift bag had a different plan to start with. I had a math problem while using my scoreboard and I had to improvise. It is actually a pretty nice size. It used a whole sheet of cardstock with only a little bit snipped away.

On a side note, it was extremely satisfying to use hexagon shaped dimensionals on a hexagon shaped punch. For those of us who like things just so, it is definitely just so.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Tap Tap Tap

March 7, 2015March 7, 2015 ~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I have to admit, when the spring catalog comes out I get a little distracted. I sometimes forget the annual catalog and all of the stamps and products I love from it This stamp set is one great example.

Isn’t it just so cute? I made the cards a little different this time. I put a masculine and feminine emphasis on each one. It made me happy.

What really made me happy was this awesome bag! I don’t know if someone else has made one with these dimensions before, but it is all new to my brain. It was my families favorite. It can hold a huge candy bar, and even several greeting cards. How about a combo of both?

The typewriter is great, but I love the tap tap tap stamp. It really makes me giggle. So, it had to get used as much as possible. I would have done more if I could.

What products did I use for these projects? Tons! I worked in basic black with the Typeset Specialty designer series paper. I accented in hello honey and blackberry bliss stitched satin ribbon. I even played a touch with that super fun handheld stapler. Much easier to use than my desktop one, much. Of course I had to add petite petals in black with basic pearls. I grabbed a sentiment for the bag from the Sale-a-bration stamp set A Happy Thing. Really, tons of fun stuff here.

Now, how about you go out there and have a creative day!

Moana

studio824

Creativity for all seasons and reasons.

Satin Stitched Ribbon

Choice and Accountability

Celebrate Today – Happy Graduation!

May Workshop Club Thank You!

B.Y.O.P. Grad Card

Sweet Taffy Gift Bag

Mixed Bunches of Sassy Salutations

Petite Pairs and Punches Retirement Party

Love is Kindness with Newsprint DSP

Mother’s Love

Mixed Bunch Work of Art

Part 2 with Gift Cards as Promised

Sheer Perfection

Celebrate This!

Tap Tap Tap