Andrea Ewen : MajaDesign

Just Because

5 June, 2014 - Cards, Vintage Autumn Basics

Morning Maja friends! It’s already been two weeks since we last visited and now it’s time for some more card goodness! I have to say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the new Coffee in the Arbour collection to make it’s way to my front door, but in the meantime, I’ll default to my next favorite line of papers…Vintage Autumn Basics: All stamps and dies are courtesy of Verve and I added lots of paper/fabric flowers, twine, pearls and butterflies to enhance the design. I also made my own vellum/sequin flowers by simply punching out a flower design with Stampin’ Up!’s Boho Blossoms punch from vellum and adding a Shine Bright Sequin to the middle. I also added a dab of Star Dust Stickles to each flower point for a bit more sparkle. Love me some sparkle!

Thanks for spending part of your day with me, see you soon!

The Simpler Things

Posted by Andrea Ewen

22 May, 2014 - Cards, Life by the Sea, Sofiero, Vintage Summer Basics, Walking in the Forest

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Morning Maja lovelies! It’s Andrea here with you today, bringing on some, hmm…CAS cards. Now mind you, these are not true CAS (Clean and Simple), though for me, they are quite toned down. I went to a ‘Stamp Camp’ the other day and I was so impressed with the cards we made and most of them were just straight-forward, easy designs, but effective. That’s the trick! Here’s what I mean: I used just one sheet of the West Coast from Maja’s Life by the Sea collection. I added a cork frame dotted with liquid pearls and a bright red polka dotted bow/flower embellishment. Okay, now I start adding more stuff:

Vintage Summer Basics collection is highlighted here, I added a heart die along with some leafy sprig dies. I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I added some liquid pearls. Then I decided to sew the perimeter. Still reasonably low-key, according to my standards. Here’s one that’s {gasp!} flat:

I am just in love with the Sofiero papers, I’m hoping that Marie will bring them back someday {wink, wink}. I used the back of the description at the bottom of the page for the floral trim pieces and then added a lacey border trim. More liquid pearls to add just a little sparkle… And speaking of more sparkle:

This final card showcases the Walking in the Forest line of papers. This card is really very simple, to make, being that the flower/feather embellishment is one piece. The only other details I added were the liquid pearls and the leafy die cuts. I did also lightly sponge the edges and added the “Smitten” sentiment, which is courtesy of Verve.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderfully crafty day!

For the Love of Pearls

Posted by Andrea Ewen

8 May, 2014 - Cards, Ska Vi Ta En Fika?, Sofiero, Vintage Autumn Basics, Walking in the Forest

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Morning Maja lovelies! It’s Andrea here with you today, bringing you some cards made with one of my most favorite Maja Design paper accoutrements…pearls! I simply love the elegant look of pearls and in contrast, you can soften and feminize a grungy, shabby card with delicate pearls. Maja Design papers are so delicate themselves so when you add pearls, you just up the elegance factor. This first card features the Sofiero collection (I tend to hoard these papers as they are no longer available {insert sad face here}):

This next card uses both Walking in the Forest and Vintage Autumn Basics. I love how I can mix collections of paper and they all coordinate beautifully:

My last card was kind of an experiment, or a ‘pearl of wisdom’ if you will {insert wink here}. I had a doily, wanted to use a doily, didn’t want to use a doily AGAIN, so I settled for laying down the doily, inking it up with some Walnut Stain distress ink with a dauber over some Ska vi ta en fika paper and then removing the doily and….voila! The look without the paper! I then stamped my Verve sentiment in the middle and adorned the perimeter with strips of Zva Creative pearls.

Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me, hope the rest of it is wonderfully creative! …And don’t forget to bring out those pearls!

A Collection of Thanks

Posted by Andrea Ewen

24 April, 2014 - Cards, Life in the Country, Ska Vi Ta En Fika?, Vintage Autumn Basics

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Happy Thursday Maja friends! It’s Andrea here with you today…sharing some creativity and inspiration, I hope! I had gone away a few weeks ago to a ‘scrapbooking weekend’ getaway with some gal friends…and since I could only bring what I could carry (hard to pack up an entire craft room) I had to get creative with the limited supplies I had. Luckily, Maja Design papers do all the talking, with minimal accoutrements required:This card features the Ska vi ta en fika collection of papers. I adorned the horizontal panels with some paper piercing, vintage lace, paper flowers and buttons.

I guess that it’s no secret that I love liquid pearls. This card is from the Vintage Autumn Basics collection and is absolutely doused with those lovely liquid delights. I love the freedom I have with them…I can put them just about anywhere. Another benefit of the liquid pearls is the size of the application. Around the outside border, I made very tiny dots. On the inside panels, I made larger ones, just by changing the amount of pressure applied to the bottle. I added some lace, ruffled ribbon, a line of paper flowers and some corner punches on the sentiment panel to finish off the card.

Lastly, I made this hidden sentiment card with the Life in the Country series. I picked up a cute embossing panel which is just 2″ X 6″…perfect for making the white horizontal panel. I added some paper flowers, blue stamens and punched leaves. I also added some Zva Creative crystal flourishes in addition to liquid pearls. Here’s a peek of the inside:

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me, I hope you were inspired!

A Dash of Cozy

Posted by Andrea Ewen

10 April, 2014 - Cards, Ska Vi Ta En Fika?, Vintage Spring Basics, Vintage Summer Basics

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Hello Maja lovelies! It’s Andrea here with you today with a ‘garden-style’ variety of Maja Design collections to show you. I’ve been quite busy at work lately and have felt my creativity tank leaning dangerously towards empty…but I have to say that when I pick up a vintage floral patterned paper from Maja…I can feel my mojo rejuvenating itself! Here are a few cards as the result of my ‘fill-up’: This card features Vintage Spring Basics collection. I decided that since the crystal flourish from Zva commandeered prime real estate in the middle of my card, I would do something different with my sentiment. I stamped each letter of ‘smile’ individually using a masking technique and then cut out each letter (so that they didn’t look cramped). I then tucked the edge underneath the floral panel. I added a bit of aged lace, pink ribbon, paper flowers and lots of distressing.
I made the above card with Ska vi ta en fika. The edges are all distressed and I also added to this one some lovely rose ribbon. The paper flower pulls in the lighter purple from the striped and polka dotted paper. The stamp is from Verve’s Celebration of Thanks set and the pearl flourishes are courtesy of Zva Creative.
I have lots of crocheted flowers in my stash…and one day I will learn how to make my own! I thought that they would make a cozy addition to the Vintage Summer Basics papers I used on this card. More vintage lace, a doily, Zva Creative blue pearls, some plaid washi tape and seam binding all come together to give my card a homey sort of feel. The centers of the flowers were made with Zva Creative crystals and the sentiment is from Verve’s No Matter What stamp set.

Thanks for tuning in today…hope you enjoy your day!