Sweet Birds for the First of June

Posted on June 1, 2015 by mauistamper

June’s Easel calendar is one last look at the retiring set For the Birds:

If you saw the RemARKable Blog tour in May, you’ll remember that I featured this stamp set. It’s ideal for coloring with colored pencils.

Such happy little birds! If it wasn’t for Captain Stupidhead, I would have a bird bath in my yard. Come to think of it, he’s gotten so old that he doesn’t even look when they are on the lawn 6 feet in front of him. Maybe I’ll go bird-bath shopping…

Please take a look at what Crystal and Cheryl have done for the Merry Month of June. And happy crafting!

May by the Seashore

Posted on May 1, 2015 by mauistamper

Happy May Day! Here in the blogging universe, it’s also Mini-DIY-Calendar-Blog-Tour-Day! Take a peek:

I was terribly disappointed to see By the Seashore on the list of stamps which will retire June 3, 2015. The images are beautifully drawn and I’ve used them for cards, packaging, calendars, tags – just about anything.

I’ve just about convinced myself to purchase it as a wood mount stamp – I bought it in clear, and I will absolutely add it to my permanent archive.

I have a confession: I pulled one other thing out of the archive. I bought <many> bottles of Champagne Mist Glimmer paint before it retired a couple of years ago. I have tried to refrain from sharing those projects, but it’s irresistible here. I’m sorry if you don’t have any.

Please take a moment to see what Cheryl and Crystal have done for the first of May! And Happy May Day!

A cheery Easel Calendar for April

Posted on April 1, 2015 by mauistamper

Sunny yellow flowers are perfect for spring:

The color theme is Hello Honey with a little Pear Pizazz and some Basic Black. I love a basic black and white theme with a pop of color, don’t you? Stamps are Gorgeous Grunge and Bordering Blooms, with the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack shaping the flower. I used Glue Dots to add a little bit of dimension to the flower without really popping it up. My Chalk Marker added just a little highlight – white but not too bright!

These little calendars go together quickly, and they’re really satisfying to complete. It’s such a pleasure to have one sitting on my kitchen counter!

No April Fools here – head on over to see what Crystal and Cheryl are doing for April.

Nuts About You: March 2015

Posted on March 1, 2015 by mauistamper

March is a little nuts, so Nuts About You seemed just right for the March calendar:

Stamps: Nuts About You
Color Palette: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Old Olive, Tangelo Twist, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede
Accessories: Sponge Daubers, Stamp n’ Write markers

I used sponge daubers to color the tree stamp in order to get smooth coverage, and the markers to color the bird and the possum. It’s fun and it’s silly – kinda like me!

Nuts About You is a Host set. They’re in every catalog. You can’t buy them with dollars, only with host dollars. If you host your own order and earn host benefits, you can earn them all by your lonesome!

Check out what Crystal and Cheryl have done this month.

Paper Pumpkin Sweet Treats

Posted on February 21, 2015 by mauistamper

I was really, REALLY happy when I opened up my January Paper Pumpkin box:

These little gems took about 45 minutes to put together and that included filling the bags with M&M’s (one for you, one for me, two for me, one for you…)

There were 24 in the package and 3 basic designs – that pleased the Math Nerd that lives deep in my soul.

The icing on the M&M’s (so to speak) was when I was inspired to make this Berry Basket with the still-available Under the Tree Specialty DSP. Be.Still.My.Heart.

Skedaddle on over to the Online Store and stock up on that paper! You might also want to nab a couple of rolls of Festive Designer Kraft paper rolls – I did, but I’m not sharing. While you’re at it, treat yourself to a Paper Pumpkin 3 month subscription. Save $5 and add a free Sale-a-bration choice to your cart. You’ve worked hard this week – treat yourself!

You Make Me Happy: February 2015

Posted on February 1, 2015 by mauistamper

Is it February already? Oh, my…time for a new calendar:

I started thinking Valentines, but ultimately just kept the pink color and skipped the holiday. Pink is such a happy color. It’s a different sort of happy from yellow, a calmer, more serene kind of happy – at least to me.

“You make me happy” seems a lot like “I like your face”, but said more subtly.

The first of every month we have a teensy weensy DIY calendar blog hop, so go see what Cheryl and Crystal are doing for February.

And be happy!

DEALS – Embossing Folders and the TEXTURE BOUTIQUE!!!

Posted on January 27, 2015 by mauistamper

Have you been trying to justify buying the Texture Boutique? TRY THIS:

Texture Boutique + any 5 of the DEAL TIEFs = Sale-a-bration!

Who doesn’t love a good sale?

And if you’re a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, refills for the ADORABLE Valentines kit just hit the Online Store. Add a couple of refills to your order and your Valentines are DONE! You need to be a subscriber to purchase the refills. Interested in subscribing? Purchase a 3 month subscription at a discount (#137859 at $54.85) and earn a free Sale-a-bration product.

Want more information? Visit the My Paper Pumpkin website, check the pre-paid Pumpkins page in the Online store, or just watch the January 2015 unveiling video.

A Creative Blog Hop

Posted on January 19, 2015 by mauistamper

I love to see great ideas move in new directions, and today I’m delighted to participate in a very different sort of blog hop. I was nominated by the very talented Lisa Young to succeed her in the Creative Blog Hop, and I’ll do my best to live up to the honor.

My project today is another Berry Basket, again using the Best Year Ever DSP. This was our club project this month, and we had a lot of fun with the basket and the Spiral Flower. What is it about the hot glue gun that gets everyone laughing? Are there fumes I’ve been missing???

There was no shortage of creativity with all of that beautiful paper, and I love that every flower comes out a little differently with the spiral die.

Covering a spiral notepad is much easier than you think – just punch a line of 1/8″ circles and snip down from the top of the paper. When you adhere the paper to the front of the notepad (I use Tombo, the Wonder Adhesive) the little lines disappear. It’s magical!

It’s January, so I kept the treats of the paper sort, not the chocolate sort 🙂

We wrapped 3″ by 3″ sticky note pads with DSP and tied them with Bakers Twine. Sometimes a simple treatment really is the best solution!

Different patterns create a totally different look. The Best Year Ever DSP is easy to work with, from single color tone-on-tone patterns to more complex designs that are still uniform.

Part of the hop is to answer a few questions about my creative process. I hope you’re not expecting any deep, earth-shattering revelations here!

1. What are you working on?

Is it fair to say I’m working on the mess in my stamp room? We spent the holidays in Australia with ALL OF OUR FAMILY (yes, I am still smiling about it!) and there are heaps, boxes, baskets and bits of paper wherever you look. It’s a happy mess, though, and in the midst of it all I am working diligently on all sorts of projects featuring new Sale-a-bration and Occasions products.

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

This is a tough one for me to answer, and if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I like relatively clean design, but I’m not a true Clean and Simple style stamper. I think my approach to color is one of my more distinguishing characteristics: I like tone-on-tone, or neutrals with a pop of color, but I also like fresh combinations. And I really like blues and greens together 🙂

3. Why do you create what you do?

Love this question! There was a time when I tried to create what I thought I ought to be creating, or what I thought others expected me to create. In 2014, one of my written goals was to craft more often for my own pleasure. I’ve been exploring new sources of inspiration and have learned to trust my instincts more, and that’s really changed the way I craft and the end product, as well as my satisfaction in the process.

4. How does your creative process work?

Hmmm….haphazardly??? (If you know me in real life you are laughing hysterically.) Sometimes I have a vision in my head, and once in a while the end result actually resembles that vision. More often, I have an inspiration in either color or image that I want to explore. I keep paper and embellishment scraps nearby when I’m creating, and pull things in and out until I find a combination that inspires me. When I’m finished, there’s generally a lot of “debris” on my countertop – bits and pieces that were considered and rejected. I really, really enjoy crafting with others, sharing opinions (and a few juicy stories). It’s a challenge making our schedules fit together, but when it happens it often results in great projects. And if it doesn’t, they’re REALLY ugly and we have a great laugh.

The final piece of this Creative Blog hop is to nominate two more bloggers whose work I admire, and I’ve chosen my two favorite in-person stamping companions. Next Monday (January 26), stop by HannieJoy and Co to see what Crystal Kondo is doing, and then hop over to Create with Cheryl to see what Cheryl Hamilton has for you.

Mahalo, Lisa, for inviting me to the Creative Blog Hop!

If you’d like to see a few of the past entries to the hop, visit these bloggers:

Robin’s Craft Room

My Stamp Vault

Stress Free Stamping

Stamper Camper’s Corner

Be Creative With Nicole

InkSpired Treasures

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2015 by mauistamper

I love a fresh start!! A new journal, new goals and dreams…and a new calendar!

I love this goofy fox. He looks annoyed by the rain. Silly fox. Rain is a wondrous thing!

Visit Cheryl and Crystal to see how they’re starting off the New Year. And a Happy New Year to you and all of yours!

Last minute sparkle

Posted on December 19, 2014 by mauistamper

Easy and oh-so-sweet!! Vicki and Roxi made these for me with the All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishment (137383) – just add a pair each of rhinestones and ear wires.