New to card-making?

Introducing the Everyday Occasions Card Making Kit!

Maui Stamper Everyday Occasions Card Kit 2013This kit comes with everything you except scissors and adhesive!  It includes:

* Card stock and envelopes for 20 cards of a variety of sizes
* Twine, buttons & clips
* Pre-cut paper embellishments
* Mini ink pads (Stampin’ Spots)
* Seven-piece Occasions Stamp Set & clear slim stamp block
* Full color “Tips & Tricks” brochure to guide you while making the cards
* A delightful, giftable storage box

Maui Stamper Everyday Occasions CardsThis kit is perfect for beginners – or to have on hand for Card Emergencies (ever have one of those??)   To order, contact me directly or go to my Online Store, click “Shop” and enter 134797 in the search box.  Click on the picture, click add to bag, and you’re almost done!  If you’re a new crafter, you may want to add some adhesive – I recommend SNAIL (#104332, $6.95) or Tombo the Wonder Adhesive (#110755, $3.95).  Don’t have a pair of nice sharp paper snips?  Ours are the best – #103579 for $9.95.  You can keep on shopping, or just head to the checkout where you’ll log into your existing account or create a new one in a heartbeat.  You’ll be on your way in no time!

ACCE: Anne and Crystal’s Christmas Extravaganza

Crystal and I have been putting on a Christmas stamp camp for a few years.  This year it’s October 12 – coming soon!

By now, you’ve figured out that I am fundamentally lazy – and I like to abbreviate.  We began calling our stamp camp the Christmas Extravaganza, then added in our names, and now refer to it as ACCE – “ace” if you want to say it out loud.

Maui Stamper Anne and Crystal's Christmas Extravaganza October 12, 2013One of our classes is a packages class – two boxes, a bag-in-a-box, and two gift card/money card presentations.  This class is $20 and will run from 11:30am til 2pm.  There’s also a cards class in the morning and a multi-media class in the afternoon.  If you’ll be on Maui the 12th I hope you’ll join us!

Early Bird deadline is October 1st – every class goes up $5 if you register after that day.  Don’t wait!

 

QUICK! A new Halloween set!!

Stampin’ Up! just shared this yesterday!

Maui Stamper Halloween stamps spider webIf you haven’t tried our photopolymer stamps you’ll be delighted with the clarity of the images and the perfect alignment you get with completely clear stamps!  Order “Bite Me” through the Online Store – #134622 just $13.95!

Epic Day DSP

I’ve had the Epic Day This ‘n That Designer Series paper on my craft desk this week:

Maui Stamper handmade card Hello Lovely

  • Hello Lovely and Simply Sketched (hostess) stamp sets
  • Crumb Cake and Whisper White card stock
  • Epic Day DSP
  • Calypso Coral and Crumb Cake FFIP
  • Decorative label and oval punches
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Linen thread

Maui Stamper handmade card Hello LovelyI love the frame from Hello Lovely but to tell the truth I can’t imagine anyone I would actually say that to…in person or on a card.  Hello Lovely??  It just doesn’t seem to trip off my tongue.  I covered it up 🙂

What do you think?  Would you say it?  Send it?

 

Sweet Thoughts

Sometimes simple is best, but it can always use a little twist:

Maui Stamper handmade card For the Birds

  • For the Birds and Summer Silhouettes stamp sets
  • Whisper White and Smoky Slate card stock
  • Smokey Slate FFIP
  • Pink Pirouette Stampin’ Write marker
  • Pink Pirouette 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • 1 3/4 inch circle punch
  • Corner rounder punch

I cut the Whisper White card to 4 x 5 1/4 inches and mounted it on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch square of Smoky Slate.  Just a little twist!

Here on Maui it’s been so hot and HUMID the past week or so.  I can’t think about fall at all.  And I’ve got red and green all over my craft room, but I’m not quite ready to share that.  Soon, though…in the meantime…

Maui Stamper handmade card For the BirdsI love this technique.  It’s so simple.  I used a punch here, but it’s easy to do with framelits, too.  And framelits have so many shape options!  Just for the record, I punch first, make tiny pencil dots at four points on the inside of the card (around the punched space), then stamp.

For the Birds is an overlooked stamp set.  Give it a second look!

Stampin' Up! For The BirdsClear mount #126407 $24.95

Wood mount #132001 $32.95

 

Takin’ a break from holidays

Feels as though I’ve been crafting in orange-and-black, red-and-green for DAYS.  I needed a change of palette!

Maui Stamper Lovely As A Tree Mojo311

  • Lovely as a Tree, Woodgrain and Express Yourself (hostess) stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Soft Sky, Gumball Green, Baked Brown Sugar and Marina Mist card stock
  • Baked Brown Sugar, So Saffron, Soft Sky and Marina Mist FFIP
  • Baked Brown Sugar and Gumball Green Stampin’ Write markers
  • 2 1/2 inch circle punch
  • Sponge Daubers
  • Soft Sky Seam Binding
  • Distressing tool

Love that distressing tool.  I call it the shredder.  Most of the FFIP were just a source of ink for the daubers, and I markered the trees.

Maui Stamper Lovely As A Tree Mojo311I used this week’s Mojo Monday sketch – Mojo311 – as the basis for this card.  Tomorrow it will be back to designing for classes, clubs and events – but tonight it was nice to take a little break.

Something RemARKably Different

Welcome to the September RemARKable 25th Anniversary Blog tour!  This month I’m working WAY outside of my usual comfort zone!

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatStampin’ Up! demonstrators who went to Convention 2013 might have seen Carrie Cudney’s presentation on Living a Creative Life.  She showed us three mixed media canvases, and I was inspired to try my own.  Talk about a learning experience!!  And photographing this was a challenge.  I’ve got some detailed pictures to help you get a better feeling of what this really looks like.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatHere’s a closer look at my cat wearing the Sorting Hat from the Best of Halloween stamp set.  The cat was based on the Frightening Feline MDS image and was sketched onto Witches Brew DSP and cut out.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatLinen thread whiskers were dragged through Basic Black ink, and Rhinestone Jewels were colored with a Sharpie® marker.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatThe background DSP is also from Witches Brew, and I masked a circle to create a full moon.  One of the things I learned is that if you apply Mod Podge before you add in your color, the color doesn’t sink into the paper (DUH).  Although it would dry, as soon as I tried to add anything over it the color would move.  My background ended up being darker than I would have liked, but I learned something!

That’s Witches Brew Washi tape in the top left corner.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatI took the spiderweb idea straight from Carrie’s project.  I used a black marker for the lines, then added Black Stampin’ Glitter (which did not photograph well at all, so imagine lots of sparkle here!)

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatThe bats are already on the DSP, the lines and blotches are from Gorgeous Grunge, and Trick or Treat is from the Best of Halloween.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatThe pumpkin uses the Extra Large Oval punch, the Bird punch (the wing is the leaf) and LOTS of sponging.  The orange glitter is kind of everywhere, but at least it shows in the photo!  And btw, Mr. Maui Stamper has seen this project and neither he nor I have mentioned said glitter.  If you don’t acknowledge it, it doesn’t exist.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatThis corner photo gives you a better idea for the feeling of the whole project – and a good look at that spooky tree from Best of Halloween.

Maui Stamper mixed media Best of Halloween CatHere’s the cat’s tail and a view of the haunted house.  I used white chalk – classroom type – to outline the cat in hopes of giving it more definition.  This photo also gives you an idea of the way the ink moved around when I put the final coat of Mod Podge on – very annoying.  I won’t make that mistake twice!

Maui Stamper Tag  Best of HalloweenThis stamp set is especially well suited to tags!

Maui Stamper Tag  Best of HalloweenI used one of the Bitty Label punches to create a little interest around the opening for the ribbon.  Did you know that gorgeous black and grey striped ribbon from last year is now available as part of the Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit?  I was VERY happy to see that!

Maui Stamper Tag  Best of HalloweenOne last look at the tag…and it’s time to head over to Trinity Design Studios to see what Robin has up her sleeve!  The tour logo below will take you there, or click on the link in the list of blogs at the bottom of the post.  Thanks for stopping by!

blogtour-25years-nextNancy Amato                     http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com
Melissa Bolinger                 http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191
Jackie Bottomley                http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com
Susan Carlson                    http://stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com
Tamra Davis                        http://www.thecardladies.com
Sherri Eddleblute                http://www.sweetestdesigns.blogspot.com/
Kathy Hamrick                   http://www.countryroads.typepad.com/
Crystal Kondo                    http://www.card-ed.com
Deb Lehigh                        http://thestampinhut.typepad.com/
Anne Matasci                     http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com      YOU ARE HERE!!!
Robin Merriman                 http://www.trinitydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Maria Pane                        http://www.stampinandscrappinwithriri.blogspot.com
Andi Potler                        http://www.absolutekreations.com
Michele Reynolds              http://www.inspirationink.typepad.com
Sharon Tisdale                  http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/coveredbridgesstamper/blog
Janet Wakeland                 http://www.remarkablycreated.com

The Sorting Hat

If the Sorting Hat were Elegant Eggplant it would look like this:

Handmade card Best of Halloween Maui Stamper

  • Best of Halloween and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets
  • Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie and Very Vanilla card stock
  • Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant and Pumpkin Pie FFIP
  • Silver Encore Ink pad
  • Extra-Large Oval punch
  • Rhinestone jewels

Handmade card Best of Halloween Maui StamperThis Best of Halloween 25th Anniversary stamp set is AWESOME!  Be sure you check back on Sunday for the RemARKable 25th Anniversary Blog tour – because we are featuring this set!

blogtour-25years-sept

Three by three

Love making gift cards – 3 x 3 is fun size!

Maui Stamper hand made gift card I can’t take the credit for this – Peggy designed it for our Maui Stampers gathering last week, and I cockaroached it for my Hostess Club this week.   (Cockaroach is a local expression and in stamping terms it would translate to CASE.  And yes, it has that “extra” letter a in the middle.)

  • Fabulous Phrases stamp set
  • Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso card stock
  • Season of Style DSP
  • Early Espresso FFIP
  • Circle punches:  3/4, 1 and 1 1/4 inch

Maui Stamper hand made gift card There’s Old Olive and Whisper White card stock on the inside in addition to the above colors, and the circle punches are 1/2 inch and bitty.

Maui Stamper hand made gift card envelopeWe made the envelopes with the new Envelope Punch Board – oh, yeah!  Can you make envelopes with Simply Scored?  Well, of course you can.  Can you make them more quickly, easily and professionally with the Envelope Punch Board?  YOU BETCHA!!!

And if you’re gonna order it, go ahead and order in the Online Store and be sure to enter X369CEC2 in the Hostess Code box.  All September Online Orders will share in the Hostess Benefits at the end of the month – but you MUST enter the Hostess Code to be included.   It’s product # 133774 and $19.95

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Envelope Punch BoardWhile you’re at it, the Magnetic Platform is available to order on September 12 – HOORAY!!  Product # 130658 priced at $39.95 and it is WORTH EVERY PENNY.  Don’t delay – who knows what will happen with this hot product!!

Ooops – almost forgot to show you the last photo…

Maui Stamper hand made gift card  and envelopeEnjoy!!

 

A Pocket Sketch Challenge

Maui Stamper CCMC267 Pocket CardIt’s been a long time since I’ve played with a sketch challenge.  I was wasting time online doing research the other day and ran across Create With Connie and Mary.  Seems as though I’m always pinning cards from their challenges, so I decided to jump in.  Here’s the sketch:

Create with Connie and Mary CCMC267 sketchPretty simple, wouldn’t you say?  And my concept came together quickly – UNTIL – I got to that embellishment on the top.  (There’s always an “until”, isn’t there?)  Lots of fussing and fiddling, but I finally made a decision.

Maui Stamper Sketch Challenge CCMC267Honestly, I think there are 5 or 6 stamp sets here.  I can tell you that the DSP is Epic Day This ‘n That, the card stock is Crumb Cake, Soft Sky and Pear Pizazz, and the ribbon is Naturals Trim and Burlap.  I cut the top of the pocket and the top of the insert with the Adorning Accents edgelit, and I double cut one of the Chalk Talk framelits to create the shape behind the postage stamp.  I hauled out my sewing machine to stitch the pocket together.

Maui Stamper Sketch Challenge CCMC267Here’s the card outside of the pocket.  Yes, I see that the sentiment is crooked,  I have decided that is my trademark.  However, please also note the glorious arc of the trim at the top.  Clear mount stamps rock my stamping universe!!