RemARKable Flowers

Posted on April 10, 2014 by mauistamper

It’s another RemARKable Pinworthy blog tour – and this time we are focusing on flowers. I think most crafters LOVE flowers, and I’m no exception. One of my favorite new flower products is the Sizzix Spiral Flower Originals die, and I thought I would tackle something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’m pretty pleased with my first attempt:

I have been imagining crafting with our new Sizzix Spiral Flower Originals Die with fabric for weeks! I have SO MANY ideas for these flowers…but I’m getting ahead of myself. These are made from denim (specifically, an old pair of torn, destroyed jeans) and tulle (leftover from my bridal ensemble – really!)

My first idea was a wristlet:

I didn’t even get to the embellishment stage. This idea has potential, but the problem here is that I’m a Bash-and-Crash kinda girl, and this little confection wouldn’t make it through the first day on my wrist.

Cute idea – for someone else’s wrist. It was back to the drawing board.

I used two denim spirals and two tulle spirals for the flower on the right. The one on the left has one denim spiral and two tulle spirals – the tulle is very lightweight and soft, not the stiff variety.

The “double denim” flower is in the center – it’s definitely larger – with a single denim layer flower on either side.

I did learn a few tricks in the process of assembling these. If I were working with fabric only (no tulle) it would be fairly simple to roll first and hot glue second. However, the tulle is wispy and stubborn, and I found it easier to roll a little, hot glue a little, and roll a little more. Also, when you are working with paper, it’s very easy to adjust the tightness of the rolled flower once you’re done. With fabric (even if you haven’t hot glued it together already!) there’s too much friction in the layers and they don’t want to loosen up. I found I got the best results by practicing once or twice before I began to assemble with the hot glue.

Now that I have a few of these under my belt, I can’t wait to add Spiral Flower embellishments to…well, you’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, go see what the rest of the RemARKables have come up with – I’m certain you’ll be inspired!

Head on over to Audra Monk at the Crafty Yogi to continue the tour!

Walkin’ on the beach…

Posted on April 1, 2014 by mauistamper

Happy April Fool’s Day! No foolin’ here today…just an April walk on the beach:

Have I mentioned how much I love making these simple little calendar pages? There isn’t a lot of fanfare, and the embellishment is minimal if there at all. It’s just the dates and a suggestion of a theme for the month.

Stamps: By the Seashore and Gorgeous Grunge
Color Palette: Whisper White, Pool Party and Crumb Cake

This soothing page will remind me to get out the door and take my beach walk every morning…not that I need a lot of encouragement. It’s one of my favorite indulgences and it’s something I never take for granted.

The Maui Stampers run an itty-bitty blog tour the first of the month. I hope you’ll spend a little time April-foolin’ around and check out what Crystal and Cheryl have done for their calendars this month. Thanks for stopping by!

Bring on the candles

Posted on March 29, 2014 by mauistamper

My son turned 20 earlier this month. His birthday coincided with the start of a fabulous spring break trip sponsored by the university, so he has only seen his card recently. I’m pretty sure he’s not a regular reader, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise in the rare event he checked in.

I got a little carried away…yes, there are 20 candles.

I hope you like my candle flames! They’re cut from the end of the stem from the Bird Builder punch. The candles themselves were hand-cut and are primarily Soho Subway DSP with a little Early Espresso and Island Indigo thrown in for contrast.

The cakes are floating on sheets of Window Strips. They’re hand cut, too. This was for my son, after all!

I made little packages and put them on the side of the card with dimensionals. Honestly, I go through a LOT of dimensionals. I quit worrying about it a long time ago – about the time I figured out they cost just over a penny apiece. Seriously.

The other side has balloons:

The “strings” are held in place with Glue Dots. If you decide to make one of these cards (and I hope you do) trust me in this, you need Glue Dots. Just open up a fresh box and knock yourself out. I use a pokey doodle to pull them off the roll, but a bamboo bbq skewer works really well too.

Since my handsome son is away at school, I had to mail this card, and it required a custom envelope. I used to dread making custom envelopes, but not any more. The Envelope Punch Board is my BFF.

I didn’t use any bulky embellishments (such as buttons) so I just needed a little extra postage for the weight of all the extra card stock. I made the envelope on the roomy side since the card is thicker than usual.

Stamps: Make a Cake, You’re My Hero, Perfect Pennants
Color Palette: Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Oval Framelits, Window Sheets, Bird Builder, Small Oval, Corner Rounder, and 1/2 inch circle punches, Early Espresso 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon, Island Indigo Bakers Twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Soft and Subtle Collaged Tags

Posted on March 20, 2014 by mauistamper

I have wonderful neighbors. One of them loves to bake, and she is very generous with her goodies. She knows I love – and therefore have to control – my sweets, so she regularly drops by a little parcel with just a few goodies for Mr. Maui Stamper and me. A couple of weeks ago I decided to make her a little thank you gift:

Stamps: Flower Shop, Fabulous Phrases, Mosaic Madness and the Music Notes Wheel
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Pansy Punch, Corner Rounder, Stampin’ Sponges, Linen Thread, Vintage Buttons

The sponging adds softness and depth and you really can’t over-do it.

I made two of each design and then packaged them up.

There might be a couple more stamps in the background – I lost track. I cut the tags and then started layering images until I was happy. Looking at them now, I think I could add more! When I gave them to my neighbor, I cut twine to size for her to use to tie the tags to her packages.

You can’t go wrong with the Fabulous Phrases stamp set. There are so many choices that I had a hard time narrowing it down, although the width of my tag was a factor.

I wish I would have thought to take a picture of the package of them all together. I used one of our Chevron printed Tag a Bag gift bags with some ribbon and a tag of its own.

Gotta have a Happy Birthday tag to round out the set! It made a small gift with a heartfelt message of appreciation.

Did you appreciate a My Paper Pumpkin kit and wish you had the supplies to make additional projects? Stampin’ Up! announced three new refill items today, and there are also four past issues available for purchase as the full kits – click HERE for details. This offer is available only to CURRENT My Paper Pumpkin subscribers. Not subscriber? That’s easy enough to remedy – click HERE! Please select me – Anne Matasci, zip code 96753 – as your demonstrator. And thanks!

Silly Rabbit….

Posted on March 15, 2014 by mauistamper

Can you stand another box card?

Cheryl and I got together last week to work on samples for our Step Into Spring class – today is the early bird deadline for all you Maui Crafters! We wanted to have an Easter Bunny option and she came up with this Silly Rabbit.

It’s amazing what you can do with a few punches!

Our class is Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2014 at the Kahului Masonic Lodge. Cost is $20 if you register today, $23 if you register tomorrow. All supplies are provided including your very own full box of Glue Dots – and you are going to love using Glue Dots when you put together a Card in a Box! The class projects will feature the Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper.

We’re also making an embellished Tag a Bag box perfectly sized for chocolate eggs or other treats, and a charming single-treat holder made with the Scallop Tag Topper punch:

Here’s the “publicity shot” of all 3 original samples:

I hope you’ll join us!

RemARKably Egg-stra Creative!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by mauistamper

Welcome to the RemARKable Pinworthy Blog tour for March! I’m glad you’ve joined us and I’m sure you’ll be inspired. Let’s dive right in:

Lately I’ve been hooked on the Card-in-a-Box concept. The possibilities are endless, and this particular process really suits my “More is More” mentality – it seems like you can add bits and pieces forever! The colors in the Eastern Elegance Designer Series paper really inspired me.

Stamps: Flower Shop, Petite Petals, Petal Parade, Best of Butterflies and Delightful Dozen
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight and Crushed Curry
Accessories: Eastern Elegance DSP, Pansy and Petite Petals punches, Corner Rounder punch, Little Leaves Sizzlet and the Big Shot, Rhinestone jewels, Simply Scored tool, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Window Sheets

There are lots of ways to assemble this card, but here’s a tip: You need a BRAND NEW, full box of Glue Dots. I use a bamboo BBQ skewer to lift them off the roll and place them on my project. (I use those skewers for tons of things – rolling paper into curls, reaching elusive spots, dabbing Tombo, placing glue dots and jewels – the list is endless. And when it gets all sticky with Tombo the Wonder Adhesive I just pitch it.)

The card folds flat for mailing, too, although with all that extra card stock embellishment, you’re going to need a little extra postage. It’s worth it 🙂

I was on a roll with these colors, so I carried the theme over to a Tag-a-Bag Box. There’s no way this was going in an envelope, so I had more room to play.

Stamps: None
Color Palette: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Smokey Slate, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Big Shot, Spiral Flower Originals Die and Lattice TIEF, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Tag-a-bag Box, Paper lace doily, Eastern Elegance DSP

The doily is cut in half and smooshed (yes, that is the authentic, technical, paper-crafting term for it). I used Sticky Strip to hold it in place under the belly band since it would be sliding back and forth as the box opened and closed. When something Absolutely, Positively has to stick, you need Sticky Strip.

A Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on the Spiral Flower Originals die helps to soften the card stock so it will roll more easily. The Lattice TIEF does an especially good job of this, although I still smoosh the card stock before I roll the flowers.

I also use those odd crafty tweezers that pinch when you let go (instead of having to be squeezed) when I roll up my roses. They make it easy to hold onto the center of the flower while you’re rolling.

These colors make a gorgeous Easter color scheme, and I was delighted to find plastic eggs in Coastal Cabana! Maybe you’ll choose a different DSP, but I hope you’ll have some fun playing with new ideas for Easter this year.

Time to move on and see what Audra has in store. Thanks for stopping by!

(If the link doesn’t work for you, cut and paste this link into a browser window: http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com/2014/03/eggstra-creative-ideas-for-easter.html)

A Home for the Birds

Posted on March 9, 2014 by mauistamper

If you’ve followed me for any time at all, you likely have guessed that I love birds. Their songs wake me in the morning and draw me outside during the day. In the middle of a walk or hike I’ve been known to stop in order to peer into the trees at the sound of a new voice. It shouldn’t be a terrible surprise to learn that I’ve been playing around with the idea of a bird house:

This is my first attempt but I can assure you it’s not my last – I have a lot of ideas in my head! I wanted to see what worked in terms of construction techniques and proportions. I’m not sure I would make another bird house this large, but then again, I surprise myself sometimes 🙂

I used both the Woodgrain Background stamp and the Wood grain TIEF to create, well, wood grain (um, I think that’s a giant DUH.) I used the stamp on the walls of the house, but for the roof I wanted more texture. The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine made short work of adding wood grain texture to my card stock. (I’m sorry to say that this product was available for a limited time, and will not be available again until June 1.) A little sponging helps that texture stand out even more, and also adds dimension to corners and openings.

I added a few of the tiniest butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit to the front, and rolled up a sliver of card stock to create a perch at the front door. (The photo above is just crooked enough to make me a little dizzy!)

I was going for a “climbing vine” look on this side, and if you are an imaginative sort of person perhaps that’s the look you’ll see.

There will be more bird houses! I’ve got a lot of ideas and a few adjustments to try. I would LOVE your constructive feedback and suggestions, so comment away!

Step into Spring

Posted on March 7, 2014 by mauistamper

If you’re a blog subscriber in a cold and snowy place, I’m sorry. What passes for winter here on the Valley Isle was nowhere in sight yesterday, and although the calendar says there are a couple more weeks til it’s official, I’m proclaiming Spring! To celebrate, I’m teaming up with my BFF Cheryl to present a spring paper crafting class:

Sunday, March 30, 2014 1 to 4:30pm
Maui Lodge, 190 W. Kamehameha Avenue, Kahului
Cost: $20 paid by March 15; $23 if paid after that date
Includes: Everything you need to make all 3 projects including your very own full box of Glue Dots! Chocolate egg is included; shreddies and plastic eggs are not 🙂 DSP is Watercolor Wonder from the Occasions catalog but patterns will vary.

We’re really excited about these projects – and we think you will be too! Seating is limited and your payment holds your spot at the craft table, so don’t waste time if you would like to join us.

The card-in-a-box has become my new favorite – there are so many possibilities. Every card comes out differently, even when the same elements are used. We’re offering this floral option as well as a bunny version:

Pretty fabulous, wouldn’t you say? And how about this Tag-a-Bag-Box with the Spiral Flower?

Your box will be fully embellished, but we will leave it up to you to fill it.

Our last project – a real quickie – features the new Scallop Tag Topper punch from the Occasions catalog. It makes so much more than tags!

This is guaranteed to be a great afternoon, and I hope you’ll join us!

A Car(d) in a Box

Posted on March 3, 2014 by mauistamper

My buddy Isaac turns 3 today. His mama and dad had a party for him yesterday, and since his mama is also my stampin’ buddy, I wanted a card that would surprise and delight:

Isaac reminds me so much of my son at that age…he’s all about things with wheels. His card needed wheels, and to be a real race car, of course it had to be Red. Not just any red, but Real Red. (If Stampin’ Up! made Ferrari Red, that is what I would have used.)

Stamps: Rev Up the Fun and Memorable Moments (the 3)
Color Palette: Real (Ferrari) Red, Basic Black, Whisper White and Gumball Green
Accessories: Circle punches, Fringe Scissors, Simply Scored, Window Sheets, Bird Punch

I’ve done a few of these cards, though this is the first one I’ve shared. The trick for me is balancing the height of all the elements. I used thin strips of window sheet to float the motorcycles so you could see them behind the race car.

The candles are really fun…I use the top leaf from the bird punch branch to make the flame, layer flame colors with Stampin’ Write markers, and then use Tombo (the wonder adhesive) to secure them to the back of the candle.

I added a little grass just to break up the dizzying effect of the Modern Medley DSP and the tire tracks. Plus the fringe scissors are just plain fun to play with!

A card like this needs a custom envelope:

Ready in a flash with the envelope punch board! I used a retired set of Sizzlets to cut the letters for his name, since that Real (Ferrari) Red Polka Dot Parade DSP is so bold! You can tell it’s hand made, because despite my scientific effort his name is off-center.

Cheryl and I are planning a class on these cards for March 30. If you live on Maui or will be here for a visit, let me know if you’re interested! Details are coming soon.

Happy Birthday to one Super Guy!

Hello, March!

Posted on March 1, 2014 by mauistamper

It’s unsettling to realize that my perception of time passing continues to accelerate. I’m pretty sure that’s a sign of getting older – although as my dad says, it’s good to be on the right side of the grass 🙂 All the same, I’m finding it hard to accept that today is the first of March.

The good news is that the first of the month means a new DIY Easel Calendar page!

I had a little fun this month with the Petal Parade stamp set and the Sweet Sorbet accessory pack, both featured in the 2014 Sale-a-bration brochure. If you’re brand new to Stampin’ Up!, you might not know that Sale-a-bration is our annual goodie-fest – for every $50 in product you purchase, you choose a free exclusive product.

The color palette for this month’s easel calendar includes Pool Party, Calypso Coral and Crisp Cantaloupe. The Sweet Sorbet cork embellishments are die cut and self-adhesive, and there’s a little Rhinestone Jewel added to the cork flower for a little sparkle.

Those little corky bits are really addictive, and they’re super-easy to use. Peel and stick – that’s it. I need to put in another SAB order and stock up before it all ends on March 31.

Cheryl and Crystal are also featuring DIY calendars the first of every month, and we’ve created a mini-tour for your inspiration. Take a look at their pages, and then let us know how you like our projects.

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

Category Archives: 3-D

RemARKable Flowers

Walkin’ on the beach…

Bring on the candles

Soft and Subtle Collaged Tags

Silly Rabbit….

RemARKably Egg-stra Creative!

A Home for the Birds

Step into Spring

A Car(d) in a Box

Hello, March!

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