Technicolor Thanks

Posted on by
4

I love making custom cards, and I had a very special order a couple of weeks ago. I took my inspiration from the graphic design in a proposal to create these thank you cards for the team that put the proposal together:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

  • Stamps: Love What You Do, Artisan Textures, Handcarved (retired)
  • Color Palette: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise (retired)
  • Accessories: Big Shot, Subtle Dynamic TIEF (swoon), Watercolor Paper, Ink Refills, Brush, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

First things first. When I first saw the Subtle Dynamic TIEF in the catalog, I thought it was just a titch TOOO subtle – I couldn’t see anything. But it really sounded like the sort of thing I would love, if it were what it seemed to be – get my drift?

Oh Em Gee.  It is gorgeous. I highly recommend giving your cardstock a very light spritz before running it through the embossing folder. I use rubbing alcohol because it dries very quickly, but you could use water. The results are stunning.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

I was looking for some DSP to put into that angled section between the two Tempting Turquoise panels, and I started to play with water and ink and the light went on. I used an ordinary paintbrush with ink refills to draw lines across some Watercolor Paper, and I was thrilled with the results. Cutting it into sections really made it pop.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

I can’t show you the source of my inspiration, but the graphics and colors are similar. (I hope you’ll forgive me for using Tempting Turquoise, but that was the best match and I still had some in my craft room.) There was a LOT of measure twice, cut once-ing and I still had a few things that went wonky on me, but this was a really fun project. You can find inspiration in the most unexpected places…

…but if you want to shop for supplies, it’s easy. Shop HERE.

 

 

Advertisements

July: Little Elephants

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve got Little Elephants in a parade across my desk this month!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! DIY Easel Calendar 2018 Little Elephant

This charming stamp set and the coordinating punch were on my “Must Have” list for the new Annual Catalog! I wasn’t thinking of it at the time, but they’re the perfect size for my DIY Easel Calendar.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! DIY Easel Calendar 2018 Little Elephant

The Builder Punch even punches out a separate little ear ❤

I used Stampin’ Write markers to color the balloons. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the way they appeared, but despite the minor smudges, I’ve changed my mind. They look translucent and reflective, as a proper balloon ought to do.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! DIY Easel Calendar 2018 Little Elephant

Stop by and see what Cheryl and Crystal have on tap for July. And if the Elephant Builder Bundle is on your Must Have List, shop HERE.

Bouquet Blooms and Gatefold Blossoms: Annual Catalog Sleepers

Posted on by
Reply

I recently chanced upon this bundle in the new 2018-2019 Annual Catalog, and honestly, I think it’s a real sleeper! The stamps and framelits don’t really jump off the page, but oh, my, can you do fabulous things with them:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Bouquet Blooms Gatefold Blossoms

All the stamped images are from Bouquet Blooms – a sleeper, am I right? I left off the sentiment because a) I like the uncluttered appearance of the focal point and b) I like to have a few cards in my stash without a sentiment so that I can add an appropriate one when I need a card pronto.  I’ll add it on the inside for this one.

The Tranquil Textures DSP is GORGEOUS and starting on Sunday, you can indulge yourself because it’s part of the Buy 3 Get One Free promo running the entire month of July. I’ve got my list ready – do you? (Hint: In addition to Tranquil Textures, you absolutely NEED the Wood Textures DSP pack – maybe TWO packs. Trust me.)

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Bouquet Blooms Gatefold Blossoms

I stamped off a few leaves – yes, from Bouquet Blooms – to dress up the inside of the card. The framelits are easy to use and create a beautiful gatefold enclosure. This card is notecard sized – 3 1/2″ x 5″ – and as my friend Desiree pointed out, would be perfect as a gift card enclosure.

The circle stamp was cut out in one pass with the Layering Circles Framelits. Use the Magnetic Platform and line up the inside and outside of the image with nesting circles and you’re all set.

Check out this video from Stampin’ Up! to see exactly how everything works together:

If you’ve made it this far, there’s even more news! Stampin’ Up! has gotten the shipment of the new tones of Stampin’ Blends and they are in the Online Store. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that these new colors will be HOT HOT HOT and you might want to act quickly.

Colour INKspiration 36: It’s an honour!

Posted on by
14

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration banner

Welcome to the Colour INKspiration Blog Hop and Colour Challenge #36. I’m quite honoured to be a guest designer with the Colour INKspiration Crew this month. The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month this talented group of crafters design projects focusing on the Stampin’ Up! colour palette. The 2nd Wednesday challenge is currently working through the newly revamped Colour Families (CI #35 was Neutrals) and the 4th Wednesday – like this one –  uses a Pinterest-based image for inspiration. #CI36 features Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Basic Gray and Silver Foil, with Basic Black, Whisper White, Very Vanilla and Metallics permitted as well.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration 36 Palette

(PS doesn’t that adorable little girl look as though she has been asked to eat something she has never seen before and can’t imagine putting in her mouth? Just saying!)

I confess to having been just a bit intimidated at the thought of using Soft Suede and Basic Gray on the same project – a little outside my comfort zone – but this is a challenge, after all!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration 36 Guest Designer

I think I pulled out most of my craft room and had it spread all over the desk trying to put this together!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration 36 Guest Designer

I honestly don’t remember where I began! When I stamped the large flower from Flourishing Phrases in Crushed Curry, I immediately thought I should layer it, and once I embarked on that process, I just couldn’t seem to stop. (I used a LOT of Stampin’ Dimensionals on this project!!) I had leaves and berry bits and ribbons all around me, and I just kept arranging and rearranging them until I was happy.

The Stamparatus was indispensable in aligning the sentiment so that I could stamp in both Soft Suede and Crushed Curry. If you haven’t taken the ‘Ratus Leap, treat yourself!

In order to find a balance between light and dark, I used the largest Stitched Shapes Framelit circle to ground my floral abundance. The Silver Foil behind the Woodland DSP also added some light, and I used Wink of Stella (a crafter’s best friend)  to emphasize the trees in the Woodlands TIEF.

All the little bits and pieces are tucked in and adhered with Glue Dots. The Silver Metallic thread is also held fast in the same way, but all of the main layers are adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration 36 Guest Designer

The Colour INKspiration Crew is a South Pacific team, but the challenge is international. I hope you’ll give it a try! All entries are posted to the Colour INKpiration Facebook group.

One note for those of you outside Australia and New Zealand: challenges open and close in AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time). Many of us are on the other side of the International Date Line, and sometimes the math gets a little tricky. You can Google the current time, but I use a free app called Miranda that allows me to select any time in my time zone and see what it is in any other time zone. My family is spread halfway around the world (quite literally) and this app has come in quite handy!

Thanks for stopping by my part of the Pacific. You’re headed West now to Canberra and Monique Fielder, and I know you’ll enjoy her beautiful artwork. If you’re in the U.S. and you’d like to shop for the supplies to create your own version of this card, visit my Online Store.

Maui Stamper Colour Inkspiration Next Button

 

Colour INKspiration 35: Petal Palette in Khaki

Posted on by
Reply

I loved my own layout so well that I did a second version. The gray version, lovely as can be, is a bit somber. I wanted to lighten things up:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

This card parallels my first CI35 submission with just a few exceptions. I added the Linen Thread and the Corrugated Elements tag – much lighter in feeling – as well as a few clear sequins from the Metallics collection. I don’t know which came first – the chicken or the egg – but Glue Dots fit PERFECTLY underneath our sequins.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

Which version do you like better? If you’d like to try your hand at this, all the supplies can be found HERE. Happy Crafting!

PS. Back in the day, Crumb Cake was called Kraft in the Stampin’ Up! Colour Palette.  When I created my title, Petal Palette in Khaki just sounded better to my ear.

Colour Inkspiration #35: Petal Palette in Gray

Posted on by
3

I love monochromatic design, and lately it seems like the card-o-sphere does too.  Colour Inkspiration challenge #35 is all about neutrals – anything from the Stampin’ Up! Neutral Colour family – and I chose gray:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays

In order to keep it tone-on-tone, the roses had to be gray. I used Stampin’ Blends to create some depth without losing the definition of the image. Blends are really forgiving, and despite my reservations, my gray roses worked.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays I can’t say enough about the Marbled Background Stamp. I liked what I saw in the catalog, but I wasn’t sure how much I would use it.  Well, buckle your seatbelts, crafty friends, you are going to see a lot of this! This design is exactly what I want in a background – it doesn’t distract but rather enhances anything you layer over it.

Colour Inkspiration is a closed group on Facebook, but if they let me in, they just might let you in too! The challenges are posted every other week, the quality of the submissions is high, and the camaraderie is excellent.

Do you need any of these products? I’m certainly glad I have them – you can shop HERE to add them to your crafty stash.

Varied Vases in Mint and Heather

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve already made dozens of cards with Varied Vases, but this is one of my favorites:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases in Mint and Heather

I used a sticky note to create a mask for the stems. It was a bit of fussy cutting, but I couldn’t NOT do it. The beautiful stems in this versatile set lend themselves to tropical arrangement, and I’ve had so much fun arranging these flowers.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

Fussy cutting isn’t my favorite thing, but when it’s worth it, it’s worth it. The only difference in this second stepped-up version is the fussy cut stems, but I love the added dimension. Sharp eyes will spot tiny dots of Daffodil Delight in the blossoms.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

One more version, this time with the current Silver Metallic Edge ribbon.  I also used a Blender Pen to hand color the stems so that I could vary the tones.  You’ll want to do the coloring before you cut this one out, as the cuttings is VERY fussy.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

Inspired? Find everything you need HERE.  When you place your order, be sure to enter Host Code 32K6EETG for a special new catalog gift. Hint: it’s all about color!