Author Archives: mauistamper

Welcome back, Baja Breeze!

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Color is such a subjective thing.  What makes one person’s heart soar leaves another person squarely in the dust.  I don’t know about you, but Baja Breeze makes my heart soar and I am thrilled beyond words that it is returning to the Stampin’ Up! color palette in July.  I have carefully guarded my stash of Baja Breeze cardstock and grudgingly doled out bits and pieces of my Baja Breeze Designer Series Papers over the past year, but no more!  I can’t wait to see what the Design Geniuses at Stampin’ Up! have in store for us in the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog.  In the meantime, I offer you this:

Awash with Flowers Circa Notebook insert

  • Awash with Flowers Stamp Set, Very Vintage Stampin’ Around Wheel
  • Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi and So Saffron card stock
  • Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper (retired – don’t remember the name)
  • Wild Wasabi and So Saffron Classic ink pads
  • Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, and Real Red Classic ink refills
  • Aquapainter, Wheel Guide and White Taffeta ribbon
  • Circa Notebook from Levenger Catalog

Don’t you love this color combination?  Wild Wasabi has been retired two years and Baja Breeze for only one year.  I’ll be using these colors together again and again!  And I love the options for two-step stamping and/or watercoloring with the new Awash With Flowers stamp set – don’t forget that it’s a 2010-2011 Sneak Peak and will be available only through April 30 (that’s Friday!!)  Go to my Online Store and place your order now, or you’ll be waiting until July 1 and wishing you’d placed your order now.

Someday I will take a watercolor class, but in the meantime I play around and make messes.  I love to work with color saturation and layering different colors, and even when it doesn’t turn out as I planned I find the process enjoyable.  I’ll warn you, though,  when you watercolor with Real Red ink refills, it can look positively magenta!  That was a bit startling, to say the least.

Have you heard of Circa notebooks?  I am addicted to this system.  Infinitely customizable in a variety of sizes, I love the specially punched papers, covers and rings.  They are available through the Levenger Catalog (stores in Boston, Chicago, and I think Florida) and the concept is absolutely brilliant.  Circa provides a very pedestrian cover for the notebooks, but because of the way the system works you can easily remove their dull-as-dirt cover and create one of your own – and that’s what I’ve done here.  This is a Junior sized notebook, and the cover is 5 1/2″ x 8″.   It’s my To-Do list notebook, and it keeps me on track  on the days when I want to follow an agenda.  Some days – like this weekend – I jettisoned the To-Do list in favor of the spirit of  What-Do-I-Want-To-Do-Now?  Needless to say, it was a lovely weekend.

A Fond Farewell to Green Galore

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Didn’t think I’d give Green Galore it’s own day, did you?  Not after yesterday’s bashing…that wasn’t very nice of me.  Poor Green Galore.  {snort}

Colour Q Challenge Green Galore Eastern Elegance

  • Wonderful Favorites, Eastern Blooms and Embrace Life Stamp sets
  • Whisper White card stock
  • Bravo Burgundy, Green Galore, YoYo Yellow and Tangerine Tango Classic ink pads
  • Aquapainter

I had to try that Colour Q challenge again…can’t really explain why.  That’s the mystery of playing challenges, I guess.  This time I chose to make the card a single layer to avoid the dilemma of balancing colors.  I did a fair amount of masking and used both solid and line art images to keep the sense of lightness that a white card provides.  As you can see, I couldn’t resist using the Aquapainter to blend some of the color.

There’s so much color and so many images that I’m not convinced this card is truly Clean and Simple, but with no layers OR embellishments I think it comes close.  The style is growing on me…one of these days I’m going to take it to another level.  Just not today.

A Fond Farewell to YoYo Yellow

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Fond may be stretching it!  I think I am still working from my original package of YoYo Yellow, and my stamp pad looks brand new.  In my opinion, it’s time to go – but Arielle decided to push my buttons with this week’s Colour Q challenge.   I’ll admit that the dinnerware she used for her inspiration looks pretty cool, but honestly – Whisper White with Bravo Burgundy, Tangerine Tango, Yoyo Yellow and Green Galore???  Aaack!!

Colour Q Challenge 29 Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge 277

  • Sense of Time and Define Your Life Stamp sets; Texture Jumbo Wheel
  • Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Tangerine Tango and Yoyo Yellow card stock
  • Bravo Burgundy, Tangerine Tango, Yoyo Yellow and Green Galore Classic ink pads
  • Aquapainter;  Piercing tool, template and mat;  and Vintage Brads

To add a little more challenge, I used the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge 277 for the layout of this card.  The white balance on this card seems off, but with this color combination I couldn’t bear to add any more solids!  I compromised by using the Aquapainter to blur the Bravo Burgundy ink in the background of the card base.  I’m not too crazy about Yoyo Yellow (can you tell??) but Green Galore positively gives me fits.

Ah, but enough complaining.  These colors are Bold Brights and bright they are.  There are lots of crafters that love them and will lament their retirement, and I understand that feeling.   The world would be a dreary place if we all loved the same colors.  Farewell, Triple Y and Double G.

Fond Farewell to Summer Sun

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You know, I’m actually going to miss Summer Sun.  I didn’t use it a lot, but its deep, rich color was sometimes just the shade I needed.   When I saw Riley’s choices for this week’s Color Dare Challenge I started thinking about that yellow.  For me, the key to using bold color is getting the Goldilocks dose – not too little, not too much, but just right:

Mojo135 Awash with Flowers Color Dare Challenge Stampin Up!

  • Awash with Flowers, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Flight of the Butterfly, Wings of Friendship and Linen (retired) stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery and Old Olive card stock
  • Summer Sun and Olive Olive Classic ink pads
  • Summer Sun and Certainly Celery Classic ink refills and the Aquapainter
  • Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit
  • Scallop Border and Corner Rounder punches, White Gel pen, and Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon

This sketch is number 135 from Mojo Monday (yes, I am aware it is Thursday – sometimes life gets in the way.)  I wasn’t sure if I would like it but once I decided to skip the fancy shape for the focal point it was an easy sketch to use.  I stamped the larger flowers first and then made a mask to cover them before stamping the smaller stemmed flowers.  Masking is an under-rated technique!

As if two challenges weren’t enough for one post, I’ve also been given a Sunshine Award from my blogging friend Lisa.  The rules of the award state that I need to pass it on, and that’s a tough choice for me.  Lisa awarded one of the people I regularly follow – Melissa Huie – so in no particular order, here are a few other stamping bloggers whose work I admire:

I hope you’ll enjoy the work of these talented artists as much as I do.  They each have a different perspective, but the one thing they have in common is uncommon creativity.

And thanks, Lisa!  You made my day.

A Manly Tree

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The tree from Thoughts and Prayers is just right for a masculine card.  It lends itself to earth tones and has such a balanced, solid feeling that makes it so suitable for special occasions:

Stampin' Up! Thoughts and Prayers Masculine Tree

  • Thoughts and Prayers, Woodgrain, Vintage Vogue and Inspired by Nature Stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Old Olive and Not Quite Navy card stock
  • Old Olive, Soft Suede and Not Quite Navy Classic ink pads
  • Soft Suede and Not Quite Navy Stampin’ Write markers and Blender pen
  • Aquapainter, Stampin’ Sponge, SAMJ and Ribbon Originals Elementary ribbbon

And now the very astute of you are thinking “Ha!  The abundant sea air has finally driven this woman bonkers!  There’s no Vintage Vogue here – she is so obsessed with that stamp set that she’s hallucinating!”  Ah, my friends, behold the inside of the card:

Vintage Vogue Stampin' Up! interior

And here you have your Vintage Vogue, ever so slightly crooked despite multiple attempts AND the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  I decided it was meant to be this way.

To create the multiple colored effect with the tree and the border for the inside, I inked the stamp in Old Olive and used a blender pen to selectively remove the Old Olive ink.  It’s very simple to go back and add in the color that you want with a Stampin’ Write marker (Soft Suede for the tree trunk, Not Quite Navy as flowers on the border).  This has the advantage of being faster than inking the entire stamp with markers, and it also helps avoid the dreaded “skipped rubber” when you are using only markers and miss a spot entirely.

This card was made for my son, who was Confirmed over the weekend.  We are quite proud of him, and I thought you might enjoy one final photo:

Dad, Matt and Mom

True confession:  I made him stand on the step below us.  He’s as tall as his dad  (or perhaps even taller, I haven’t measured today).

Sweet home for a cardinal

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Cardinals are nest builders, not house dwellers, but if your imagination can tolerate a little stretching  I think you’ll enjoy this:

Stampin' Up! milk carton die Two Step Bird punch Bird House

  • Vintage Vogue and I {Heart Hearts} stamp sets
  • Naturals White, Soft Suede, Real Red, Mellow Moss, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie and Always Artichoke card stock
  • Real Red, Soft Suede and Always Artichoke Classic ink pads
  • Black Stampin’ Write Journaler and White Gel pen
  • Big Shot and Bigz L Milk Carton die
  • Two Step Bird, Heart to Heart and Scallop Edge punches
  • Stampin Sponges, Sponge Daubers, Tombo adhesive and Stampin’ Dimensionals

I need to send you to see two special ladies to thank them for their part in this project.  The first is the Amazing Kim Bolzenthal, who generously sent me a RAK of pre-cut milk cartons.  If you know Kim at all, you’ll know she is a thoughtful, giving person who has a passion for stamping and stampers.  Please leave her a comment and tell her how fabulous she is!

The second person I’d like you to visit is Marie whose charming Goldfinch Birdhouses were my direct inspiration for this project.  I loved her concept and tweaked it just a little to suit my purposes, but she’s the genius behind the design and she deserves the credit.  Please leave her a comment and let her know how brilliant she is!

The cardinal and the little heart are both attached with Stampin’ Dimensionals, but the heart is so small I snipped off a little piece from the strip around the edge of the dimensionals.

Here’s the 411 on the cardinal’s face:  It’s a pain in the, um, tailfeathers but I think it makes a big difference.  After you punch the bird’s body in Real Red, go back and insert a right angle corner of black cardstock into the face portion of the punch at the beak.  The farther in you insert that black corner, the bigger your mask will be.  Punch it and set it someplace you can find it, because it’s not very big.  Do the same thing with a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock, but only insert that corner in to the point where it makes a tiny diamond shape with the beak.  Punch this very carefully, because as soon as you punch it is so small it will disappear into the litter on your workspace.  Take a pair of tweezers (yep, I really did that) and use a teeny tiny dot of Tombo to put the Pumpkin Pie beak on the Black mask.  Use a tiny dot of Tombo to attach the mask to the cardinal’s face and use a white gel pen to add an eye.

Go ahead – give it a try – you can do it!

Fond Farewell to Blush Blossom

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When I look at the list of colors retiring in June, I feel ambiguous about Blush Blossom.  It’s not a very trendy color.  It doesn’t inspired me on its own.   But Blush Blossom plays well with others.

Stampin' Up! Awash with Flowers Splitcoaststampers challenge

  • Awash with Flowers and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • French Script, Inspired by Nature, and Flight of the Butterfly stamp sets
  • Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral and Whisper White card stock
  • Ruby Red, Blush Blossom and Mellow Moss Classic ink pads
  • Cameo Coral and Ruby Red Stampin’ Write markers
  • Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, and SU Backgrounds 1 Texturz plate
  • Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel, Stampin’ Pastels, and Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon

The new Awash with Flowers stamp set is a winner, my stampin’ friends.  I inked the solid stamps in Blush Blossom and used the Cameo Coral and Ruby Red markers to add a little extra color to the rubber before I stamped the images.  If you want to see a mind-boggling beauty of a card with this set, peek at Lisa’s Add Ink and Stamp.  She is one amazing artist.

This card was a project for my stamp club last night.  I’m not sure if it was the profusion of stamps or all of the steps or just the fact that we were crazy enough to schedule stamp club on Tax Day, but it was a wild and crazy kind of club!  Lots of hootin’ and hollerin’  and crazy farmin’ talk, especially when we were finished stamping.  Teresa brought some of her Auntie’s home made wine – a bottle of cherry and a bottle of lilikoi.  Yes, I was wrong – there ARE cherry trees on Maui!  The cherry wine was sweet and refreshing and and the lilikoi was tropical and somewhat mystical and both were absolutely delicious.  I think it’s fair to say a good time was had by all!

One last thought:  If you haven’t tried a challenge card yet, I enthusiastically recommend that you do.  This card uses Color and Sketch Challenges from Splitcoaststampers and there are loads of other challenges out there to try.  Find one that inspires you and give it a shot!

Cheery and Bright

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Time for a break from all these farewells!  Today’s card is very simple and cheerful and the colors are NOT retiring!

Petal Pizazz Stampin' Up! Melon Mambo Certainly Celery

  • Petal Pizazz and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Certainly Celery and Melon Mambo card stock
  • Certainly Celery and Melon Mambo Classic ink pads
  • Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die and Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds 1
  • Melon Mambo Polka Dot grosgrain and double rectangle punch

Hard to see that texture from the Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate but trust me, it’s there.  I’ve become accustomed to the sharp definition of the Impressions Embossing folders and forgot to adjust for the more subtle look of the Texturz Plate with my sophisticated photographic set-up.  (Ha!  One of these days I’ll show you same photo set-up and you will have a Very Good Laugh.)

We need a cheery card because today is Tax Day.  I’ve been an April 15th filer before and it’s no fun.  In truth I don’t find anything fun in taxes at all, and that’s why I have my wonderful Tax Man figure out the whole mess.  I still spend the better part of a day gathering records (generally spread over an entire week in order to optimize the irritation factor) but at least I don’t have to figure out all the forms.  I just write the check.  Ugh.

Back to cheery cards!  Each year when the In Color collection is announced there is always at least one color that I look at and say “hmmph” in that I-don’t-think-so sort of way.  Melon Mambo was that color for me this year, but it has grown on me.  Good thing, because it’s going to be part of the new Color Collection.  I’m looking at it with new eyes, realizing it won’t retire the end of June like In Colors in the past have done.  I can’t wait to try it out with Early Espresso…there’s an Espresso that will really wake you up!

A Fond Farewell to Ballet Blue

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Ballet Blue.  All by itself it’s a lovely shade of blue.  I wear that color and I’ve decorated with that color.  But I seldom make cards with Ballet Blue.  Not exactly sure why but there you have it.

Stampin' Up! Medallion Joseph's Coat

  • Medallion, En Francais and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Ballet Blue, Pale Plum, and Whisper White card stock
  • Ballet Blue, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Mellow Moss Classic ink pads
  • Oval Punch and Small oval punch, brayer
  • Clear Rhinestone brads, piercing tool and mat
  • Stampin Sponges, Embossing Buddy, Clear Embossing powder and Heat Tool

I’m playing with techniques – can you tell?  This is Joseph’s Coat and if I didn’t know better, I would think it was developed with this Medallion stamp in mind.  The tutorial shows the color applied to the base card stock in stripes using the (now retired) spectrum pad, but I applied color with Stampin’ Sponges.  I like the look better, especially with such a bold stamp.

This technique takes me back to grade school, back in the day when we did art projects in class.  We would color as hard as we could with crayons in the same sort of random pattern, then cover it all with a thick coat of black crayon.  The final step was to etch a design in the black, revealing the pattern of color underneath it.  It must have kept us occupied for a LONG time!  Our crayons never looked the same after one of those projects…especially the black crayon.

Farewell, Ballet Blue.

A Fond Farewell to Mellow Moss

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Ah, Mellow Moss – there’s a color I’m going to miss.  It’s soft, it’s versatile, and it plays so well with other colors.  But change is good and I am embracing this Color Renovation for all the wonderful new colors and color combinations it promises.

Stampin' Up! Big Shot Mellow Moss Color Renovation

  • All Holidays Stamp Set
  • Mellow Moss, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Naturals White card stock
  • Perfect Plum Classic ink pad
  • Big Shot, Little Leaves and Birds and Blooms Sizzlets, and Beautiful Wings Embosslit
  • Perfect Polka Dots impressions folder and Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds 1 Texturz plates
  • Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon, piercing tool and mat and a silver brad

The Birds and Blooms Sizzlets have 3 graduated flowers that are perfect for this layered technique.  I like to scrunch them a little so they have some dimension.  My scrunching technique isn’t very sophisticated – it amounts to twisting and bending the paper until it’s soft enough to work with.  Once I’m satisfied with the flowers, I stack them up on the piercing mat and push the piercing tool through them.  I pick up my brad and then lift the flower stack off the tool and right onto the brad before they can even think about getting disorganized.

This card would be easy to mass produce – the Sizzlets can all go through the Big Shot at one time and you could use at least 3 of the 5 butterflies produced by the Embosslit.  You wouldn’t have to use Mellow Moss.  And after June 30, if you don’t have a stash set aside, you won’t be able to.

Farewell, Mellow Moss.