It’s a RemARKable Autumn

Posted on September 7, 2013 by mauistamper

Trick or Treat!

Halloween goodies – or a bag full of Creepy Crawlies? I’m hoping for treats, not tricks.

The Halloween Bash stamp set has fun images to play with, and I thought these tickets were just the thing to add to the top of my tag. They’ve got a little sparkle courtesy of Vanilla Smooch spritz. And the hole for that gorgeous ribbon at the top is made with the small ticket punch – it makes a generous opening. I’ve used the beautiful black and grey striped ribbon that’s available again as part of the Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory kit.

I stamped the main image once in Tangerine Tango, then again in Black Staz-on. I cut out the word “CRAWLY” in black, snipped the ends, and added Basic Black card stock extensions to the ends. The black rhinestone gems at the bottom are colored with the black Sharpie® marker that NEVER leaves my desk!

The tag can stand alone without the bag, but we do love those Tag a Bags! Don’t miss the textural stamping on the Tangerine Tango tag base courtesy of Gorgeous Grunge, the stamp set that does everything – even the dishes!! (ok, I’m KIDDING there…)

It’s a challenge for me to get in the mood for a true Autumn card, but I think the muse was working for this one:

Magnificent Maple is a single stamp and it is truly a magnificent rendition of a leaf. I’ve masked and stamped it in Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze and Old Olive. I chose Naturals Ivory card stock for the card base, but I used Very Vanilla for the tag – the Naturals papers have just enough texture to them that a bold image such as that tag doesn’t come out with enough definition to please me.

I used the Tags for You stamp and punch bundle and popped the label up on a dimensional. “So Grateful” is from Apothecary Art, and the spatters are from Gorgeous Grunge. (If I keep using that stamp set it’s gonna get a Maui Stamper Abbreviated Name, but for now I’ll spell it out.)

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Stamp-of-the-Month projects and I encourage you to take the full tour to see what everyone is sharing. Robin is up next and I KNOW she’ll have a treat in store for you! All the blogs on the tour are available below in case you want to re-visit a favorite or just take the tour in your own quirky way. I encourage that kind of behavior 🙂

Butterflies on sale!

Posted on September 6, 2013 by mauistamper

Do you love a deal?

Well DUH..who doesn’t?

The Papillon Potpourri stamp set and Bitty Butterfly punch are discounted 15% through September 30.

The Clear-Mount bundle is $26.27 (#135311 – be sure you use the bundle item number!)

The Wood-Mount bundle is $29.67 (#135312)

Need them now? Order at my 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.

Enjoy the savings!

A Serendipitous Chicken

Posted on September 5, 2013 by mauistamper

Last Spring, Mr. Maui Stamper and I were in Phoenix and took the opportunity to spend a few days in the Grand Canyon. WHOA. It is grand! But this isn’t about the Grand Canyon, it’s about something I saw there. I saw a Chicken made by Edith John.

Edith is a Navajo from a family of Navajo crafters. II saw her work at the Heard Museum in Phoenix too. (It’s a FABULOUS museum – but this post is not about the Heard.) I have a soft spot in my heart for chickens, at least hand-crafted chickens. The real thing…well, I like them in principle, but I’m not much of a Green Acres kind of girl and I don’t see myself putting a chicken coop in the back yard.

ANYWAY…I had spent some time looking at Edith’s chickens while I was at the Heard, and I saw them again in various gift shops throughout Grand Canyon National park. I couldn’t make up my mind. I didn’t see one I really loved above all the rest, and to tell the truth, I’d already spent enough money for one trip. Edith’s chickens are well priced for hand-crafted art, but they are not inexpensive. I came home without one.

About 3 weeks later, I was in my local thrift shop looking for bits and pieces for a craft project and I saw a chicken. I held my breath as I turned it over…

Oh.My.Goodness. If ever a chicken was meant to live in my home, this was the one. Not to mention that the price in my local thrift shop was many times less than the price at the Heard or at the Grand Canyon.

SUCH a handsome bird!!! He was a tad dusty and clearly needed rescuing from the thrift shop. There’s a little ding or two in his paint job, but that just endears him to me all the more.

Clearly this chicken was the one I was meant to have. He has a permanent home on my kitchen counter. I would love to say that I was listening to that small, quiet voice inside when I was shopping at the Grand Canyon, but if I’m honest, I have to acknowledge that I was listening to the nagging voice that pays the bills. Either way, this was a truly serendipitous find.

Back to Mixed Bunch

Posted on September 3, 2013 by mauistamper

I’ve let Mixed Bunch sit on the shelf too long…

Mixed Bunch, Best of Butterflies, Serene Silhouettes and Express Yourself (hostess) stamp sets
Primrose Petals, Gumball Green and Whisper White card stock
Primrose Petals, Gumball Green and Daffodil Delight FFIP
Blossom and 3/4 inch circle punches
Vintage Buttons
Stampin’ Dimensionals and Glue dots

We made this card at a Very Special Class over the weekend with a very talented group of young ladies, and when I say young I mean 7 and 11 year olds. They did very, very well and were loads of fun too. Nothing fazed them.

One of the girls was a little worried when she got ink on her fingers but I told her it was a badge of honor and then she smiled and said, “Well, these ARE my favorite colors.” How can you argue with that?

This card was cased on a beautiful monochromatic card from Wanda Pettijohn

September Travels

Posted on September 1, 2013 by mauistamper

August 2017: Edited to correct the stamp set.

My observant reader, Roberta Koster, contacted me this week to let me know that I’d listed the wrong stamp set with this calendar page. It’s not Travel Post, it’s Postage Due. Thank you for submitting this correction, Roberta!!!

Back in the BC (Before Children) days, Mr. Maui Stamper and I loved to travel in September. All the families with children were home starting school, the weather was still perfect in most parts of the world, and we enjoyed the relative calm of traveling off-season.

Then we had children.

Now we live the “Duo Life” again. (We decided the term “Empty Nest” is negative.) September travels await!