No one likes to be sick…

…and I have the flu.  Bah Humbug and all that.

I’m feeling pretty sorry for myself, and although it took me nearly all day to get it done, I made a little something to cheer myself up.  It started when I had to go find a fresh box of tissue.  It was an ugly box.  I knew if I was going to get better, I needed more than an ugly box of tissues:

Maui Stamper Mosaic Madness Tissue BoxThere, isn’t that better?  If I’m going to need tissue (and unfortunately, I do) it should come from a pretty tissue box!

Maui Stamper Mosaic Madness Tissue Box sideThe new 2013-2014 catalog has LOTS of suites of products, and some of the suites have sweet bundles so that we can save a little extra.  The Mosaic theme has stamps, a TIEF, AND a punch.  Stampin’ Up! is known for coordination, and this catalog brings it to another level!

Maui Stamper Mosaic Madness Tissue Box topI scrunched up a  bunch of different punched elements – mostly flowers and scallops – to create the flower trims for the top.  I added a few ribbons with my trusty hot glue gun and finished off the project with a bunch of Rhinestone jewels.

Maui Stamper Mosaic Madness Tissue BoxThe colors are Pool Party and Bermuda Bay.  I kept a stash of retired In Color papers and ink, so I was ready for this new Color Refresh!

2013 Color Refresh

Now I just need to get healthy again so the creative process doesn’t take so long.

May Dandelion Wishes

These flowers don’t have quite round enough a shape to be dandelions, but that’s what I see in them. I have enough of a romantic side that I still think of wishes when I see dandelions, not weed seeds heading off to yet another lawn.

Maui Stamper May 2013 Calendar

  • Summer Silhouettes and Collage Curios stamp sets
  • Regal Rose and Lucky Limeade FFIP
  • Blender pen
  • Pink Pirouette Shimmer Mist in a Stampin’ Spritzer

You do know that you can make any color of Shimmer Mist (just a little Champagne Mist Shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol) by adding a few drops from an Ink Refill don’t you? I always have a bunch of Stampin’ Spritzers on hand. They’re flat-out CHEAP and always good for a quick Wow.

Hurry off to the OnlineStore for your Champagne Shimmer – it’s headed for retirement.

Epic Day Bag in a Box

The Epic Day This ‘n That Designer Series paper has my name written all over it.  I’m not going to tell you how many This ‘n That bundles I bought, but I will tell you that today is the LAST day to get them at 15% off.  Epic colors, epic designs – you can’t go wrong with this paper.

Hostess club made little Bag-in-a-Box packages:

Maui Stamper This N That Bag in a BoxWe added flags, and the hot air balloon from You’re Amazing.  We used the new little round scallop punch and an image from A Round Array, also available as a bundle (#133899, $23.95) through May 30.  You could add all sorts of goodies to customize this idea – and isn’t that the point?

This ‘n That Epic Day Bundle includes the Epic Day dsp, Epic Day This ‘n That journal, This ‘n That Epic Day Washi Tape (OH BE STILL MY HEART), Remember This ‘n That Rotary stamp (you NEED this) and This ‘n That Epic Day This n That Designer Stickers.  (These are not your grandmother’s stickers, either.)  All five elements are available separately at my Online Store, but hurry over today and order them together as a bundle (#133350) for $32.08 – you’ll be saving 15%.  You’ll be glad you did.

a RemARKably SECRET Garden Tour

Stampin' Up! RemARKable Blog Tour April

Welcome to another edition of our RemARKable Stamp of the Month tour – this month we’re featuring Secret Garden and the coordinating Secret Garden Framelits.  RemARKables are a very creative group and I am certain you’re finding loads of great ideas.  Let’s see if I can’t share one or two more.

I snooped through Pinterest for ideas and saw a lot of cards that included round or oval shapes with the Secret Garden flowers.  I thought about making a round card, but ultimately came up with an oval card that I am very pleased with.  Tell me what you think!

Maui Stamper Secret Garden Baby Girl cardThis is the largest oval framelit, cut from So Saffron and embossed with the Lattice TIEF.  It’s layered over a card cut from Whisper White – Stampin’ Up! Whisper White is just a little lighter weight, and you can cut two layers with a framelit.  The various flowers from the Secret Garden stamp set are inked in either Perfect Plum or So Saffron and stamped on either Whisper White or Perfect Plum card stock.  A little ribbon, a few pearls, and a banner finish it off!  The message on the banner is from the new Cuddles and Kisses stamp set – great fonts and great messages!

I cut a LOT of flowers to play with, and when I was finished with the card there were still a LOT of flowers left over!  After a few false starts, I came up with a fun gift to go with this card:

Maui Stamper Secret Garden FrameThis frame has moved around my studio a half dozen times begging to be embellished.  It took a major expedition to find the dog-gone thing once I realized I needed it.  Isn’t that how it goes?  Of course, I’m not showing you what my studio looks like, because you would see the problem immediately.

Maui Stamper Secret Garden FrameThe framelits do such a quick, clean job of cutting things out.  Fussy cutting looks great, but it’s a bother to do!  This takes the trouble out of the process.

Time to take a peek over the fence at Robin’s Secret Garden!  She always has gorgeous projects to share – I know you’ll love it!

blogtour-stampmonth-next

Link not working?  Try this:  Robin Merriman

Nancy Amato  http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com
Linda Bartolucci   http://www.inkstampandscrap.com/
Ingrid Blackburn  http://www.createwithingrid.wordpress.com
Melissa Bolinger http://www.stampinup.net/blog/2089191
Jackie Bottomley http://www.jackiebottomley.blogspot.com
Susan Carlson  http://www.stampinmomoffour.blogspot.com
Tamra Davis http://www.thecardladies.com
Connie Deibler http://www.conniestamps.com
Becky Evans http://www.alwayshappystampin.com
Crystal Kondo http://www.card-ed.com
Deb Lehigh http://thestampinhut.typepad.com/
Debbie Lever   http://www.debbiescreativespot.blogspot.com
Anne Matasci   http://www.MauiStamper.wordpress.com
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
Jeannette Swain  http://www.stampsnwhatnot.com/
Janet Wakeland   http://wp.me/pHIQD-4P4

April Farewells

In April, we usually bid farewell to the humpback whales that spend the winter off our islands.  I say usually because their arrival and departures are guided by their own internal clocks rather than the calendar.

It’s hard for me to describe the thrill I feel watching whales in our waters.  They’re huge – the size of a school bus – and yet they can launch almost their entire bodies out of the water to create a spectacular crashing splash.  Naturalists believe that there are a lot of reasons for that behavior, including the simple desire for fun.  It’s always a joy when the first sighting is reported, and as the sightings become fewer and farther apart there’s a sense of sad farewell.

Maui Stamper April 2013 calendar

  • Oh Whale stamp set
  • Bashful Blue and Wild Wasabi FFIP
  • Happy Whale Clearlits die
  • Rhinestone jewels

I suppose I could have hand-trimmed the whale image, but why would I do that when there’s a Clearlit that will save me the trouble?

Sale-a-bration ENDS TODAY!!

Time flies when products are free!  Today is the last day for a 2013 Sale-a-bration order – and Maui folks, that’s on Utah time so don’t get caught!  Your order needs to be in by 7:50pm HST!

The Sale-a-bration exclusives have been awesome this year but I think the Sycamore Street Designer Series paper was my favorite.  I have a couple of packages stashed, so I decided to make another clothespin wreath with my extra pieces.

Maui Stamper Sycamore Street Spring Wreath Sale-a-bration

These wreaths are not hard to make.  It takes a LOT of time to prepare the pieces, and it takes a little while to put it all together too. But putting the strips on the clothes pins takes no thinking at all, and scrunching up the flower papers is just plain fun!

Maui Stamper Sycamore Street DSP Spring WreathThat brad in the middle of the Island Indigo flower is a treasure I have been hoarding – they were available for only a month about a year ago and I have been very, very stingy using them!

However, I think this wreath is a perfect class – so I’m offering it on Saturday, April 6 at 1 pm.  This will be LIMITED enrollment and first-come-first served so that everyone has enough space.  Cost is $25 and includes everything you’ll need except for Tombo – and I highly recommend you use Tombo for this project.  I’ll have it here if you need a fresh bottle.

Maui Stamper Sycamore Street DSP Spring Wreath

Don’t wait to RSVP!    We’ll have a lot of fun with this one 🙂  If you can’t make Saturday mornings and would be interested in a week day or evening, please let me know and I’ll see if there is enough interest.

Those crazy jeans

Those crazy jeans from the Patterned Occasions SAB stamp set have me cracking up!

Maui Stamper Patterned Occasions Jeans Milk CartonHow cute is this? Did you notice that jeans ribbon on the top – YES it is Stampin’ Up!  ribbon!!  I needed a “gender-neutral” favor and jeans were the answer.  The background on the Milk Carton is the new Beyond Plaid set from the Spring catalog and it was easy to stamp on each panel.  I didn’t bother lining it up and I don’t think it matters.

Maui Stamper Patterned Occasions Jeans Milk Carton

The little bit of embossing on the top was a last minute whim.  I just folded the milk carton in half and put the top portion in the embossing folder and zipped it through the Big Shot.  The milk carton is the perfect size for small individual candies like M&M’s or jelly beans, but it also holds bigger things like the fun size bars or Hershey Kisses.

Confession:  I finally bought the Milk Carton die for myself.  I kept borrowing it when I needed it but it was time to grow up and get my own.  Can’t believe I waited so long.

What are you waiting for?  It’s Sale-a-bration and that die will get you pretty doggone close to earning the Patterned Occasions stamp set!

Moving forward into March

On Maui, our seasons change gradually.  I lived in upstate New York for a year and a half when Mr Maui Stamper was in grad school, and I have never anticipated spring so eagerly in my life!  When I spotted that first crocus popping up through the snow I felt as though I had been thrown a lifeline.  The colors I remember inspired this month’s calendar:

Maui Stamper March 2013 calendar

  • Bordering on Romance stamp set
  • Midnight Muse FFIP
  • Pink PIrouette, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and So Saffron Stampin’ Write markers
  • Whisper White and Midnight Muse card stock

 

25 Years with Stampin’ Up: Best of Birthdays

What a fabulous start to the 25 Years of Stampin’ Up! celebration!  This Best of Birthdays set ($14.95!!)  is a great selection of birthday images and I immediately saw the potential for favors:

Maui Stamper Best of Birthdays Anniversary Blog TourOf course, this is a Stampin’ Up! birthday, so the favors have to be Stampin’ Up! favors!  And the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (DSP) is such a great bundle of designs and colors that I knew it would be a perfect choice for birthday fun.

Maui Stamper Best of Birthdays Anniversary Blog TourHow about a rosette for your birthday cake – or your cupcakes – or your centerpieces – or your flowers?  This rosette was a snap with the Designer Rosette Bigz XL die.  I cut the DSP about 1 1/2 inches wide and used two 12 inch strips.  A little Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) attached the ends into a circle, and some hot glue on our Silicon Craft sheet secured the rosette quickly and easily.

The images are embossed in White and Tangerine Tango for an extra pop, and those curly ribbons are from the Sale-a-bration Sycamore Street ribbon and button bundle.  I’ve tried curling our ribbon before with limited luck, but I had an idea this time:  I wrapped the ribbon around a skewer and taped it down (and by the way, I consider a fistful of skewers an essential tool on my craft desk).  Then I spritzed it with a little hair spray – yep! – and gave it a shot with my heat tool.  I let it cool down and success!!  I had curls 🙂

Maui Stamper Best of Birthdays Anniversary Blog TourI love the Petite Pocket die for favors.  It’s a fun size and shape for anything from pencils and crayons to Pixie Stix or even Stampin’ Spritzers!  This image is also embossed to make it easier to color with markers – I’m a messy, outside-the-lines artist.  A few quick accents and these little pockets are done – with our beautiful, two-sided DSP this is an easy project to mass produce.

Maui Stamper Best of Birthdays Anniversary Blog TourAnd here’s my current favorite favor – the Petal Cone die!  It just takes one die cut folded over on itself to make this cute ice cream cone shape, and then a pair of fun DSP scalloped half-circles (also on the die) to dress up that cone.  Our super-soft seam binding is supple enough to thread through the buttonholes, so that button is tied right onto the favor.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this stop on the tour!  There’s much much more to come – skedalddle on over to see what Robin Merriman at http://www.TrinityDesignStudio.com has created or click on the link below to send you over.  And check back next month for the Best of Love 25th Anniversary Blog tour!

Maui Stamper Best of Birthdays Anniversary Blog Tour

Hello, February!

This is the month everyone in my family has been waiting for!!  Not just Valentines’ Day, but a wedding day.  I’ll be floating all month…

Maui Stamper February 2013 calendar

  • Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Wisteria Wonder card stock
  • Red Glimmer Paper (I hope you stocked up!!)
  • Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Wisteria Wonder Bakers Twine
  • Itty Bitty punch pack

This would make a sweet card – matter of fact, it did.  I CASEd it from Heather Summers. and you have NO IDEA HOW PROUD I AM that I can link back to this card.  Don’t thank me, thank Pinterest.