watercolor paper

Just Keep Swimming!

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know, these fish look cool, elegant and creepy all at the same time. The color choices have created a neat look, but almost skeletal.  Well, you get the idea, right?

3-28a

To get the water color I simply pulled open my drawer of distress inks and grabbed four colors making sure they were dark to light.  I did a wet on wet water color technique to blend the ink together putting dark at the bottom and going up to the lightest color.  I came back in with a brown for the sandy bottom and stamped the stones in the same color.  Having some sunshine at the top peeking in was a great idea, but with my blue choice I got more of an algae look, but it looks good too.

The fish were stamped in black stazon to allow me to water color all around without ruining the image.  I knew I was going to go back with gold, so I didn’t worry about how dark they looked.  Guess I should have.  The sea weed or plant guys were stamped in green tones all around the fish and spritzed with water to soften the images.  The stamp set also came with these cute little bubbles, for the fishies of course.  So they were stamped in the darkest blue I used for the water.  I also used a splatter image from the Touch of Texture stamp set to give the water some dimension.  Even with all the color it looked kind of flat.

Then it was time for the gold guilding flakes.  The second layer of the fish set was stamped in glue and the flakes were pressed over that.  I let it set for just a moment before I started rubbing around with my finger then a bristle brush to remove the excess.  The gold sure does shine.  Different than embossing, but still exciting.  I tried to glue on some googly eyes, but it made the card look too silly, another time for those.  So I just drew some little dot eyes with a white gel pen.  Maybe a bit too creepy, but I left it.

3-28 (1)

The sentiment was stamped in versafine black ink on velum cardstock.  While it was still moist I sprinkled iridescent ice powder over the top and heated it in place.  So sparkley and pretty.  I had some fun threads that matched and down they went.  A fun, but interestingly elegant card.  I sure had fun making it though.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Hello Glimmer!

~ moanaj ~ 1 Comment

Glimmer paper, floral stamps and dies, water coloring, beautiful ribbon, these are several of my favorite things.  Seeing them all together really does make me happy. I needed a special thank you card and this has more than accomplished that.

3-17

I hadn’t had the detailed floral thinlits out for a bit, so that was reason enough.  The sweet sugarplum glimmer paper is where it all started though.  It is such a fun paper pack.  Four 6×6 sheets in three colors, sweet sugarplum, bermuda bay and mint macaron, and the set is free with a $50 purchase.  If you are going to enjoy great product, why not get a bonus at the same time, right?  Since sale-a-bration ends this month, I will have to make sure I get another pack.  So pretty.

The background had a light patterned water color wash in the same ink color and then lightly stamped as well.  I glued the edges of the detailed cut outs to secure them easily. This allowed my ribbon to be tied easily and not look like it was pulling on the paper.  I stamped lightly on the inside as well to coordinate it.

3-17 (1)

The thanks sentiment was cut out four times from inexpensive white cardstock and then glued together one piece at a time. A bit sticky, but worth it. I then added the glimmer paper one to the top and used my trusty tombo glue to place it on the front at a slight angle.  I was temped to add more, but made myself stop.  Details are great, but not if they distract from the simple beauty you started with. My club ladies would love this card, but I think a large group would be too messy, so I will just share the sample for ideas.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Dream

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Blending colors can be just too much fun.  What a great set of vibrant colors here, right? I started with four and ended up with eight.  I literally had to tell myself to stop, before the colors went too far, leaving me with a brown mud card.  This project is so alive, I love it!

3-10

The ink was applied to a lightly wet surface.  I wanted the color to flow, but not all over the place.  I left intentional gaps in between colors to allow for blending, trying not to make too specific a pattern.  My projects often lean toward stripes, and why not, they are great!

The vision for the die cut was different to begin with, but it did not work out as planned.  No problem, I love it in black as well.  It makes the card look a bit more elegant.  My original thought was to die cut a wide section of adhesive tape and brush it with black glitter. The release paper cut fine, but the adhesive did not want to work with all the detail pieces.  I ended up having to totally clean the die of sticky adhesive before I could use it again.  Live and learn I guess.  But I still want to to make that happen somehow.  Maybe just glitter paper next time?

3-10 (1)

I wanted a bit of interest on the colors, so I opted to add a light flower stamp.  The color is a light neutral, sahara sand.  I thought that would not distract too much from the colors and keep the tone well.  It worked nicely.  I added some droplets of water to distress the background somewhat and called it done.  Such a fun card.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Blooms & Wishes Gone Wild

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Using a stamp set different than intended can lead to some lovely results.  The main image here is a flower base and the sentiment does come from the same set.  However, when you change it up some, and maybe create a silly creature instead, that same sentiment remains tender, but also very silly.  That kind of sums me up I guess.

3-9

The background took some time, and I nearly tossed it when I was sure it was wrecked. Since I make myself walk away sometimes and return with a new perspective, I kept on. The colors came together nicely and I wish I could repeat it.  Sadly, I think this will be a one of a kind for sure.

The flower creature was stamped in black, leaving plenty of room for those little legs. He got a heavy brushing with gold wink of stella and a couple of google eyes.  I tried a mouth, kind of, but let it go.  It will just have to remain a mystery.

3-9 (1)

The inside got some echo stamping with a smaller flower from the same set and that was all it needed. What an adorable card if I do say so myself, and I do.

Have a creative day!

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.

3-7

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.

3-7 (1)

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

Nailed It!

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How about a tiny tool kit for a gift bag?  These tool framelits are so fantastic, they really just make me giggle. This set is a little more elegant than others, but I still found myself playing with them before I put them in place.  I realized this photo makes it look like it could be a card, but it is a gift bag made from half a sheet of cardstock.  The tools were die cut from a piece of water color paper that had been painted with several ink colors and some liquid metal colors as well.  Love that look!

3-2

I tried to keep the whole hexagon theme going on here and it turned out nice. The paper is so great it speaks for itself.  What a great set of paper, really.  This piece is foiled and heavier than the others.  After I die cut the large hexagon piece, using a die from the same set, I embossed it for another layer of dimension.  The sentiment background was cut from another piece from the same set.  The classic label punch worked pretty great for the actual sentiment and kind of nestled as well.

A bit of ribbon for the handle was all it took.  I was trying to give it the look of a bucket handle.  Not sure if that happened, but it looked pretty good. The large hexagon was placed before the tools, raised up on a couple of dimensionals.  Then I just started wedging the tools in place and squished some tombo glue underneath to keep them in place.  Fun!

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.

2-23

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.

2-23-1

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

Elegant Botanicals

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I started this lovely project yesterday, but got distracted by a shopping adventure with my mother-in-law and two sister-in-laws.  The weather was terrible, but the company was great, and who doesn’t need a shopping adventure once in a while!  This was waiting for me though, and I couldn’t wait to finish it.

2-21

On Sunday I created some favor handouts for a church lesson I taught and they were so cool. Nothing like this card, but the paper I painted for the die cuts had left overs I knew I could use again.  That is where all of these flowers came from.  Yes, a scrap pile.  You never know what those scraps could turn into.

I created a simple background with three liquid metal colors wet on dry.  They were too stark, so I gave a water wash over the top and was much happier.  I had some accidental splotches happen, so I gave a bunch more to disguise them and called it good.  Then the placement of all of these flowers.  Phew, it took some time.

I first layered the flowers together with different sized floral pieces and began my arrangement.  After I was done I began to adhere them down.  Since they were die cut from water color paper they were more pliable, even kind of molded.  The leaves really looked great with some curling and bending.  Little by little the arrangement came together.  Some pieces were adhered with dimensional foam, some with glue dots and several with tombo liquid glue.  Again, no worries because of the weight of the paper.  So very liberating!

I layered the front on another piece of water color paper and repeated the choice again for the card base itself.  It looks so clean and elegant.  It isn’t always easy to capture the different elements on camera, but this didn’t turn out too bad.  Just look at all of that metallic shine.  It took a bit of time, but was absolutely worth it!

2-21-1

Have a creative day!

Moana

Kudos

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

When you have a little more time than usual to create, things get really fun.  Being home all week due to evacuation stress hasn’t been relaxing of course, but this does help so much. This vulture makes me laugh, a lot, right ahead of that tiny fly.  Seriously, who doesn’t need a fly stamp in their stash.  I have a toilet paper one along with a plunger.  I will use those another time.

2-17

I know I should be more precise with layering like this, but I usually just wing it.  The rocks and grass went down first and I eyeballed the post and it worked out.  Made me happy.  I did try to mask part of the sign to give my vulture claws a spot to be, but then forgot about the post top.  To be honest, it all worked out really well.  Then I got a bunch of distress inks out and played and played.  I hit the point when you have to stop and felt satisfied.

The card front was just placed single layer on top of some early espresso cardstock and I didn’t even put one extra thing on top.  Not my easiest task to accomplish that is for sure. Now I just have to decide who needs this card.  Not everyone likes being called an old buzzard, but it really makes me laugh.

2-17-1

Have a creative day!

Moana

First Time I Saw You

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Too adorable for words.  How can you make a masculine card adorable?  Just like this.  The catalog shows this product more in line with Father’s Day, but I seriously couldn’t wait.  I felt like making the die cut pieces and just playing with them, how silly.

1-27

The background paper was stamped with the saw image in delightful dijon in a random but still kind of organized way.  I then layered that piece on a slightly larger piece of coordinating card stock.

The saw and sentiment were stamped on water color paper so I could paint on them without warping.  I used the same delightful dijon on the saw blade and went with a wash of early espresso for the handle.  I did go over the screws on both the saw and the sentiment with gold wink of stella.  Subtle, yet just enough.  You can’t do too much on a masculine card, kind of defeats the purpose.

1-27-1

I touched each side of the sentiment tag in the ink to give a strong edge and still washed the rest of it in yellow.  It worked out nicely.  I tried to stamp the sentiment in early espresso, but my water coloring over made it too light.  I went back to my standby of black stazon. That is just my favorite!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Yummy in My Tummy

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

What a busy day yesterday!  I started this set early yesterday morning, but couldn’t finish before I had to leave for the day.  So I finished them this morning and shared them together instead of different days.  They come from the same stamp set, and they look adorable together, so why not!

1-26-2

These were stamped in black stazon on water color paper then colored with water color pencils.  After I put the color down I wanted I moved it around with the aqua painter.  That has got to be the easiest way to water color ever, outside of having someone else do it for you. Seriously, it is shockingly easy.

I had to add some hearts around this little green guy.  The clean and simple look really appeals to me, but  I had to have something.  Green hearts seemed to work nicely, but stamped alone they looked to different from the painting.  I went over each stamped heart with the aqua painter and it instantly made it look like I had somehow painted all these perfect hearts.  No way!

1-26-1

Big red just had to be alone.  Seriously, how adorable.  I couldn’t add anything else around him.  Little rosy cheeks and a stamp on his belly.  Giggles and grins all day!  I wanted a little sentiment to go with my green guy, but decided to put my own on.  My marker choice was a bit too stark for my taste, but live and learn, right?

1-26

Have a creative day!

Moana

Here’s to Another Year Full of Adventures!

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

That sounds like a perfect theme for the year, doesn’t it?  Well, it also makes one great statement for a birthday card.  I made this card along with yesterday’s project so they definitely go together.

1-21

I wanted to use both sides of the designer series paper just to see the differences.  The polka dots were a bit more whimsy with this side definitely leaning towards the masculine side. This new candle border punch could keep me busy for days!  Doesn’t it give such a great look both inside and out?  I had to restrain myself from keeping all of the punched pieces to build little candles on other things.  Another time perhaps.

I kept the stamping light as well as the water coloring.  Just one color here, delightful dijon, and I love the simplicity of it.  I did have to tie some metallic thread though, it needed it.  When I looked at the stamping I wanted a bit more with some of the words, so I had a couple of ideas.  I colored in the ‘another year’ portion with the daffodil delight water color pencil, it matched great!  I also went over the ‘full’ portion with the gold wink of stella brush pen and loved it.

I did distress the water coloring a bit with water drops, just can’t help myself sometimes.  I do what I love and I love what I do.  Can’t wait to try this one again.

1-21-1

Have a creative day!

Moana

Thank You Very Much

~ moanaj ~ 2 Comments

Holiday weekends offer a lot if you are willing to enjoy.  I love the extra time to sort through all of life’s adventures and endless “to do” lists.  But it is also a time to pace yourself and reflect.  This project offered me that time.

1-16

I started with the idea of more precise painting, but quickly learned that it had other things in mind.  Since I have such a hard time waiting for much of anything, my colors couldn’t stay still.  So I went with it and created a much more fluid and dreamy look.  You can tell from the warp of the side of the paper just how much water went into this project.  I had fun though, and it was truly relaxing.

1-16-1

The sentiment was stamped on very vanilla and cut out using one of the dies from the Bunch of Banners framelits set.  I love the crisp edges of a die cut.  The inside stamp was another image from the same stamp set.  This particular set isn’t available for regular purchase, but at a reduced price when you host a workshop.  Sounds like a win win to me!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Blooms & Wishes

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

This stamp set sat in the annual catalog and teased me often.  I would try to pass by it saying that I surely did not need yet another floral stamp set.  Well, I broke down and bought it.  So very glad I did.  What a beautiful watercolor piece, right?  Great stamps make all of the difference.

1-15

I chose a few spring colors to work with, focusing on daffodil delight.  With all of the rainy, cloudy days we have had I wanted something bright and cheery. Mission accomplished for sure!  I stamped the large flowers from the set in different colors, stamping off as I went along.  The centers were all daffodil delight and more of an idea than a detailed center.  I sponged more yellow ink all around the flowers filling in most of the white areas before moving on to spritzing with water.  It was just a matter of managing the water spritzing to allow some ink movement, but not blurring too much.  It didn’t take long before I was satisfied.  A quick drying moment or two with my heat tool and it was ready for the sentiment.

That was stamped on a strip of velum cardstock and then wrapped around the bottom of the card front.  I used a lovely mint macaron satin ribbon to accent the bottom and layered it up with dimensionals.  Such a lovely spring card.  Of course I had to stamp a bit inside with a few yellow daisy images and one for the back too.

1-15-1

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.

1-13-17

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.

1-13-17-1

Have a creative day!

Moana

Awesomely Artistic at last!

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

I have made it through my June adventures and have finally been able to sit down with a long awaited stamp set and designer series paper.  I am still way beyond tired after completing a sixteen mile handcart trek, so it took me longer than normal to get going, but I did it.  It kind of feels a bit vintage and a strong nature theme.  So pretty.

Awesomely Artistic at last!

I learned my lesson with the last designer series paper that I loved too much to use for way too long.  I opened this pack up, took out my favorite pattern, and cut it for the card front.  Quite brave if you ask me.

Awesomely Artistic at last!

I stamped inside with two of the stamps from the set using night of navy and soft suede.  I have a hard time leaving the inside blank.

Awesomely Artistic at last!

I used a piece of water color paper to stamp the dragonfly a few times.  I started with black stazon, water colored with night of navy on the wings, then used some two way glue to attach dazzeling diamonds glitter to the wing edges.  I absolutely love dragonflies.  They are my signature mark and have been for some time.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Swallowtail Watercolor

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

The only thing I could think about was getting out my Swallowtail stamp.  I love this huge guy.  I had visions of a muted but colorful butterfly on watercolor paper.  Well, it took a few tries before I didn’t hate what I was doing.  Sometimes my vision and my technique process don’t connect.  Then something new comes up.

Swallowtail Watercolor

I took a piece of watercolor paper and spritzed it heavily with water.  I then applied drops of ink randomly, focusing on one color at a time.  I used my spritzer to dilute the ink drops further and helped them spread out more.  I ended up with four colors.  I put my heat gun to it until it was nice and dry.

Swallowtail Watercolor

I really had my heart on using black stazon for the butterfly, but that just wasn’t looking right.  I switched it up and stamped it in wisteria wonder.  That gave the perfect look.  I think because the ink is water based and could be loaded up heavier gave a better impression on this type of paper.  Not sure exactly, but it sounds good.

Of course I had to make a little bag.  The need to make matching sets is so strong sometimes.  When you see a card or a bag on this blog by themselves, you know I had to tell myself to just walk away.  This time, it had to be done.

Swallowtail Watercolor

I actually love it so much, I can see myself making a large set of these for a gift for someone.  They are truly all occasion, not a sentiment to be found.  That also took great self control.  Not to mention how badly I wanted to add basic pearls.

Swallowtail Watercolor

I have gone on and on, but I wanted to give more detail today.  You should really give this one a try.  It is so liberating and actually, quite simple.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Wildflower Meadow Watercolor

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

How about waking up to a ray of sunshine?  This feels like a spring sunrise.  The kind you wish you could get lost in, or just put on pause so you can stay there.

Wildflower Meadow

I was sulking over my blendabilities tragedy and wanted to play with color.  So I pulled out some watercolor paper and decided to make a mess.  I picked my colors, mushed some ink from my pads onto wax paper, sprayed them with water and started putting my paper on it to make patterns.  Those colors were too dark, so I switched to the ones you see.  Soft sky, daffodil delight and blushing bride.  I repeated the process and the colors were just right.  I dried it with my heat gun because I have no patience, sheesh…

Wildflower Meadow

I then stamped the wildflower meadow stamp in black stazon and went for it.  I love the texture that shows through the ink.  I finished it off with a tiny stamp from the Tap Tap Tap set to just say “hi”.  I used the tiny oval to punch it out, inked it and backed it with another oval punched in daffodil delight.

Wildflower Meadow

A healthy smattering of basic pearls and a big hug in seam binding ribbon and this guy was ready.  I raised it up on dimensionals and called it done.  Kind of simple, but has lots of interest at the same time.  Give it a try!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Letterpress Winter Throw Back Thursday

~ moanaj ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to another Throw Back Thursday!  Don’t you love this invite?  So simple but still lots of fun.  I needed a batch of invites for a girls camp kick-off meeting.  It filled the order nicely.

Letterpress Winter

So, what is old and what is new?  The only current products are the spiral border punch and the splotchy stamp from the perpetual calendar kit.  They are awesome though.  You might recognize the infamous gumball green color and last years spring catalog designer series paper that was all about awesome water color looks.

I just love bringing out product that is retired and loving it all over again. Remember to mix the old and the new for fabulous projects every time.

Have a creative day!

Moana