Crazy About You With Elegance

“When you feel terrible, can you still create something beautiful?”  That is what I asked myself last night.  I had an endodontist appointment yesterday that I thought was headed one way and took another.  So, I wasn’t feeling very creative.

Crazy About You with Elegance

Or so I thought.  I knew black was my base, I had been wanting to make something with black for several days.  But the flower I wanted to stamp with I had just used and didn’t want to just create another card in another color.  I pulled the Crazy About You set out and picked this flower out of it.

Crazy About You with Elegance

I was reaching for my momento tuxedo black ink when I saw the silver.  I thought it could be cool to layer the stamping.  Was I right or what?

Crazy About You with Elegance

I love how this turned out.  I did learn, and please trust me on this one, that you have to clean your stamp after each layering stamp.  I stamped in silver first and let them dry for a while.  I went back in with the black, but it was picking up silver and then I was putting it back into the pad and getting silver in it.  Not fun.  So I ended up cleaning the stamp after each black flower was stamped.  Not too tiring, but necessary.  And yes, my ink pad survived nicely.

Crazy About You with Elegance

I placed just a few of the large basic rhinestones in the centers of the black flowers. It is kind of hard to tell with my photos, but they are the perfect touch.  I added a touch of ribbon and left the sentiment out of it.  They turned out very elegant.  My matching gift bag has an angled purse look to it, and I absolutely love it.

Sorry for the long post, I was apparently feeling a bit chatty.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Mother’s Love

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.

Mother's Love

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.

Mother's Love

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?

Mother's Love

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

#You’re Welcome

Literally, one of my favorite things has become a card and matching box or bag.  This little project set fits that perfectly.

#You're Welcome

The Balloon Bash stamp set is full of whimsy.  The saying is all cute and pretty and then has the punch line at the bottom.  How often do people forget to say thank you anymore.  They really ought to make a card, but the words would do.  This one just made me laugh.

#You're Welcome

Could the paper be any more exciting?  The Birthday Bash Specialty dsp is almost full of energy.  All kinds of confetti going on here.  I stamped the sentiment I wanted and fussy cut it out.  It didn’t look done, so I fussy cut a boarder as well.  I do prefer a framelit or a punch, but we can’t have that every time.  In the bottom corner I snuck a little star with a matching epoxy sticker over the top.  Just right.

#You're Welcome

I repeated the pattern on some calypso coral card stock with the confetti stamp from the same set.  Tone on tone is a beautiful thing.  A little treat bag with some heart candy and topped with coordinating chevron ribbon.  Just right.  I did sneak some of the retired sale-a-bration ribbon to wrap around the french fry box, love that die cut, just to give it a hug.  It really did come together pretty quickly.  And of course I had to sponge absolutely everything.  No holding back there.

Have a wonderfully creative day!

Moana

Cheerful Critters Party

There are never enough birthday cards to be made, never.  Sometimes I just dip into my stash of designer paper, pick a sheet, and get working from there.

Cheerful Critters Party

That is exactly where these two came from.  Of course I love the Cheerful Critters stamp set.  I know I teased it at first, but I have fallen in love with it every time I use it.  Really, how cute are these guys!

Cheerful Critters Party

I absolutely love my inside stamping to coordinate with the my card front.  It makes me very happy.  To the point that I have a hard time leaving the inside blank.  Kind of like doing your hair.  Everyone can make the front look nice, but the back needs just as much attention, or so my brain says.

Cheerful Critters Party

I had a fun time using my stampin’ write markers on this guy.  I have such confidence issues with them and making it look smooth.  But I have to say, this one didn’t turn out too bad.  Maybe I can do it after all.

And let me just say one more time, the perpetual birthday calendar stamp set is so absolutely wonderful.  I use those little guys all of the time.  Since they are designed to accent different months of the year, they go with everything.  How perfect is that!

Have a creative day!

Moana

Blooming With Kindness Trio

This set started with an experiment, had some problems, then turned the corner and gave me something beautiful.  Pretty fun experiment there.

Blooming With Kindness

I started out wanting to use pink pirouette, saraha sand and very vanilla.  The papers looked lovely together, however, the way they looked on the very vanilla compared to whisper white made all the difference.

The pink looked so different on the vanilla that it made it look like my card stock was the wrong color.  That was odd for sure.  But I loved the paper I had created using the huge flower from the blooming with kindness set, so I had to get creative.

Blooming With Kindness

I made other cards using the front and inside bits I had stamped on the very vanilla.  Then I made another background piece on whisper white and the pinks were much more friendly.  And I ended up loving the secondary cards more than my original.  How about that?

Blooming With Kindness

Even though my results went a bit off, I do love the look I made.  I stamped the flower with versamark ink onto the card stock and quickly sprinkled iridescent ice powder on the wet ink.  I heat set it and while it was still tacky I hit it again with the powder and heat set it again.  You can kind of see how shiny and sparkly it is.

Blooming With Kindness

Each card got a different sentiment, and they are all so beautiful.  My daughter is the one that said we had to have the set.  She was so right, my creative buddy.

Remember, there are no mistakes in art, only opportunities.

Have a creative day!

Moana

Balloon Birthday Bash

The happiest of birthday wishes start with an awesome card and the wonderful things you write inside.  Doesn’t this set just look like a party waiting to happen?

Balloon Birthday Bash

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how to proceed with the framelit banner pieces.  They are so adorable, but tiny and stuff.  But, as always, it came together and looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself.  How fun!

Balloon Birthday Bash

Everyone needs a friend though, even an adorable card. Hence my continual need to make a matching bag or box to go along.  The stamping tone on tone made the perfect connection, don’t you think?  Treats and a gift card seem the perfect fit for this darling little bag.  It measures 2 x 2 x 3.5.  In case you wondered, I made both of these treasures from one sheet of card stock.  How perfect!

Balloon Birthday Bash

Have an absolutely wonderful and truly creative day!

Moana

Stacked With Love and Paper Pumpkin

Cards for holiday seasons are always fun.  But can’t you tell someone you love them any time you like?  Of course you can!

Stacked With Love

I really couldn’t help myself though.  This is the first Valentine’s card I have made this year, and it does drip in hearts galore.

Stacked With Love

The sentiment comes from the January Paper Pumpkin kit.  There are several to choose from, and I love them all.  I already have my candy ready to make all of the treat bags up and give them out.

A pretty traditional card with real red, basic black, whisper white, and silver foil. I used the sweetheart punch for the large hearts and the heart from the itty bitty punch pack.  There are more inside the card and even a little one on the back. Donna, that is for you, giggle…

Have a creative day!

Moana