This month’s DIY calendar doesn’t feature hearts or Presidents or any other traditional February images. I was clearing the Snails off my desk (I’m afraid I got a little carried away) and underneath the heaps was the Touch of Ink stamp set with its beautiful line art. My first thought was that the images were too big, but when I looked again, I realized they were perfect:
Stamps: A Touch of Ink (Sale-a-bration 2021.1), Forever Fern
Color Palette: Memento Black, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Stampin Blends, Wink of Stella
This was so enjoyable! I dialed up an image of a Monarch Butterfly on Professor Google and started layering color. I’m not sure you would ever see this particular Monarch out in nature, but the way the colors worked together was very satisfying. I started light and worked my way through to the Light Cajun Craze – I didn’t use the dark version.
If you’d like to try your hand at this simple DIY calendar, I have the 2021 pdf available for $5. Just contact me with your email and your state of residence and I’ll get an invoice to you pronto.
Ready to shop? Visit the Online Store for Stampin’ Blends and Sale-a-bration rewards! These little calendars are so gratifying – easily an evening’s work, and a short evening at that! Thanks for stopping by today, and be sure to see what Cheryl and Crystal have done for February.
Welcome 2021! Last night at midnight we opened all the doors to the house – and a few windows for good measure – and said goodbye to 2020. It wasn’t a terrible year for us, but I don’t need to repeat it anytime soon. I learned a lot of things, and I’ll cherish those lessons. But let’s be honest: if you have to stay in one place, I’m in a pretty good spot for that!
Stamps: Darling Donkeys (SAB 2021.1), Enjoy the Moment, Dragonfly Garden
Color Palette: Whisper White (retired!), Blushing Bride, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write markers, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals
My donkey is kicking up her heels in anticipation of the New Year. She knows things could stay as they are for a while, but that they will eventually get better. She also believes in a positive attitude and a spirit of hope, and she embraces those things because she CAN. 2021 will be about the power of choice.
Hope – that’s her name – is colored with Crumb Cake and Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends. I fussy cut her with my paper snips. (Confession: I have a ridiculous number of snips. It’s my CHOICE.) I used the butterflies from Dragonfly Garden, and used the direct-to-stamp method with Stampin’ Write markers to color only a couple of the butterflies. I tried using the stamp as-is, but it felt overwhelming to have so many butterflies back there. And yes, I fussy cut one of the smallest butterflies, and one was enough, but clearly it was necessary.
About that Whisper White…Stampin’ Up! learned that the business producing our signature card stock was sadly a casualty of the pandemic. A new white card stock called Basic White has been sourced and is being produced, but it will be a couple of weeks before it’s available.
As you can see, my printer has attitude. I’ve tried all the DIY fixes, but I think this one is headed for recycling. It’s mildly annoying, but honestly, one of the gifts of 2020 is that I can say there are worse things than a printer with attitude!
Please hop over to see what Cheryl and Crystal are doing with their DIY calendars for January 2021. If you’re ready to shop, these products will all be available on January 5th right HERE. Well, unless you’re a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator – we’ve had them for a month or more. If you’re interested in joining, message me or check HERE for more information.
If you’d like the 2021 DIY Calendar pdf to print on your own printer it’s just $5. Send me your email address and I’ll send an invoice via Square.
And don’t forget there are just a few days left for the Year-End Closeout! There are still some great deals available, but you’ve only got a couple of days. Time to get shopping!
Let’s not have a review of 2020 The Year, okay? I don’t know about you, but much beyond early March the story is all the same. But there was a DIY Easel Calendar every month in 2020, and we can take a look through those! Click on the link for the details on each project.
Not my usual style, but really fun in this format. These petite easel calendars are really satisfying in that way – there’s just a little space to design, but plenty of room for creativity.
Oh, I was sad to see this stamp set and the beautiful accompanying dies hit the retiring list! It’s in my archive of favorites and I know I’ll use it again and again.
This is the smaller flower, and the way it fit made me think of sunflower fields. I colored the images with Stampin’ Blends, which are one of the most forgiving coloring tools I’ve ever used.
In August I featured Timeless Tropical, our new tropical set. While it doesn’t replace Tropical Chic, I am thrilled to have these palms in my creative stash:
A simple design for a simple setting – there’s an ocean out there somewhere! Check the original post if you’d like to see my first, more detailed version.
Stampin’ Up! has gifted us with a wonderful assortment of stitched dies, and these leaves really take it to the limit (one more tiiiiime….🎶) They’re gorgeous left plain, but they were a lot of fun to spritz and watch the color move where it wanted.
I didn’t buy pumpkins or make a jack-o-lantern this year since there wouldn’t be trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. I just wasn’t feeling Halloween, so it was a forest instead.
For November I previewed Dragonfly Garden, a gorgeous stamp set with a coordinating punch:
This stamp set will be available on January 5, 2021 as part of an entire garden suite and I predict you will LOVE it!
Finally, the beginning of this month I featured my out-of-this-word Poinsettias:
I’ve loved looking at these all month and I’m going to really have to work at it to top this one! (Who am I kidding? It’s done already and you’ll see it tomorrow 🤓)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little stroll through my 2020 DIY year. If you’d like to make your own DIY for 2021, there’s still plenty of time! Contact me and give me your email address and I’ll send you an invoice via Square. For just $5 you’ll have a pdf of the calendars plus a set of covers so you can gift them to the people you love best.
And if you need supplies for any of the above, SHOP HERE. I appreciate it!
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Just Jade, Calypso Coral, Mango Melody
Accessories: The BOSS*, Poinsettia dies, Fluid 100 watercolor paper, Watercolor pens, Vellum, Metallic pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Wink of Stella
* Stamp Cut and Emboss Machine. Which takes a lot of space and typing, so I’m calling it The BOSS.
Poinsettias aren’t just red any more! They’re cream colored and speckled and variegated and even gold, so I don’t see why they can’t be Calypso Coral and Mango Melody! It’s 2020 and the rules are all useless, so I am making my own. So there.
This might have been my favorite month of all of 2020. The watercoloring, the vellum, the swirls and dots, and the metallic pearls all made me feel very in-the-zone, and heaven knows 2020 needs itself some ZONE.
Cheryl and Crystal have December calendars too, so take a moment to see what they have done. And then maybe, in the spirit of the holidays, take another moment to leave them a comment to tell them what you love about their work. Bloggers are funny like that, we like a little bit of attention every now and then.
Or just tell us what new rule you’ve made for 2020! What colors are your poinsettias??
If you’d like to make a 2021 calendar click Contact the Maui Stamper at the top of the page and send me your email. I’ll invoice you $5 and when you’ve paid I’ll email you a pdf of the 12 months of 2021 and a cover to finish it out and make a lovely gift. (I think we will still be making new rules in 2021, so a new calendar is a Very Good Thing.)
If you’re as smitten with this bundle as I am, click HERE to get your own. Thanks.
What is this Dragonfly Garden, Maui Stamper? It is not in my catalog!! It is not in my mini!!
Nope. You’re right. It’s a super-dee-duper sneak peek of a set we’ll all be lovin’ up big time in January. Demonstrators who signed up for our fall virtual event were given the opportunity to buy it early. And yes, I did!!
Stamps: Dragonfly Garden (2021), Right Triangle
Color Palette: Whisper White, So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Cinnamon Cider
Choosing colors for this was HARD. I went through multiple combinations, but this one felt right for fall. It was hard to keep it clean too – I started experimenting with backgrounds and quickly realized that in such a small space, less is truly more.
The 2021 Easel Calendar pdf is for sale! For just $5, I’ll send you a pdf and cutting instructions to make your own calendar. If you start this month, you’ll have plenty of time to make them as gifts, and this small format (3.5 x 3.5) is an easy size for creating. Don’t put your email in the comments – click on Contact the Maui Stamper to send it to me securely, and I’ll send you an invoice via Square. Requested one in the past and never paid it? No shame, I don’t judge, send again and we’ll get it done!
It will be time to order this soon enough – but this month there’s another sneak peek with a Christmas bonus!
This sneak peek bundle is available with benefits – you’ll get the stamps and dies that will be featured in the January – June mini catalog PLUS a coordinating Christmas stamp set and a stack of holiday Designer Series paper! Shop HERE and have it first on your block (Zoom block? It could happen!)
Ready for more November DIY Calendar inspiration? Visit Cheryl and Crystal to see what they’ve created this month. And join us with your own!
The ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS Brightly Gleaming Designer Series paper was so popular last year that it’s making a “Hana Hou” (one more time!) appearance this year. Those metallic accents work beautifully with the kraft composition of our charming Mini Coffee Carrier.
Stamps: Christmas Gleaming
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Pretty Peacock, Night of Navy
Accessories: Mini Coffee Carrier, Scalloped Tag Topper punch, Brightly Gleaming Designer Series paper, Copper Foil, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write markers, Paper Snips, Old Olive/Pretty Peacock reversible ribbon, Star Designer Elements, Stampin’ Dimensionals
This tag makes me happy.
I love the play of colors, the gleam of the copper, the tonality of the Stampin’ Blends and the slightly-off-tradition combination of Poppy Parade and Pretty Peacock.
I choose to cut the DSP into four panels rather than try to wrap it around in one piece. It’s really hard to get it even when you wrap it! My pieces are all 2 1/4″ high: the long side is 5 5/8″ and the short side is 2 5/8″. The fit is tight, which is what I wanted.
Our printed gusseted cello bags are a perfect fit to hold candies or other small treats, and of course our coordinating Mini Coffee Cups are a perfect fit. A bottle of hand soap or moisturizer fits well, and a 3″ candle is a perfect fit too. At $5 for a package of 8 carriers, this is an economical way to beautifully package small holiday gifts!
Don’t miss our DSP sale this month! Buy as few or as many packages you want at great savings. There are 15 papers included in this promotion, including 5 holiday assortments and some beautiful neutrals as well. See all the details and stock up HERE.
I visited two Maui State Parks and a National Park last week, and big trees were on my mind when I started thinking about my October DIY Easel calendar. Stampin’ Up! has Designer Series paper on SALE this month, and the Stitched Triangles dies gave me a way to tie it all together:
I used a Stampin’ Sponge and Seaside Spray and Soft Sea Foam ink pads to create a light color wash on the calendar page. I cut a bunch of tiny triangles (our new Stamp Cut & Emboss machine is a dream!) and started arranging them on the sponged page..and arranging them…and arranging them.
Eventually I settled on this arrangement, but honestly, any of them would have worked!
Visit Cheryl and Crystal to see what they’ve done for October.
The Forever Greenery DSP is my absolute favorite this year, and it’s one of many on sale in October! Check the list HERE, and shop HERE to see the gorgeous designs included in the sale.
Finally, here are a few pictures from our adventures last week:
Waimoku Falls at the top of the Pīpīwai Trail in Haleakalā National Park (Kīpahulu District)Pīpīwai Stream in Haleakalā National Park (Kīpahulu District)The Black Sand Beach at Wai’ānapanapa State ParkThe Maui Stamper – with Mr. Maui Stamper – on the Redwood Trail at Polipoli State Park
Hope you enjoy! We certainly did – one of the small pleasures of the pandemic has been how calm the island has been. Tourism is our lifeblood, but we have enjoyed this little silver lining in the Covid Cloud.
If you’d like to make your own DIY Easel calendar, click on Contact the Maui Stamper above and send me your email. The pdf is just $5 and you can make as many as you’d like!
Are you as stunned to discover it is September as I am? My sense of time is completely disoriented, and that makes me really grateful for calendars. I have the feeling that I need a big board in my kitchen that says TODAY IS TUESDAY. IT IS SEPTEMBER 1, 2020. And then it needs a big picture of, oh, LEAVES:
Stamps: Love of Leaves
Color Palette: Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody
Accessories: Stampin’ Cut and Emboss (available TODAY!), Stitched Leaves dies, Watercolor paper, Ink Refills, Stampin’ Spritzer, 2020-2022 In Color Enamel dots, Linen Thread, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Yes, I’m still smitten with the Love of Leaves bundle. If you follow that link and add it to your shopping cart and wait for it to arrive on that big Brown Truck, you’ll be smitten too, I promise you!
I got my Watercolor paper pretty wet with the Stampin’ Spritzer and added color from the Ink Refills. The design was pretty random, but I enjoyed moving the Stitched Leaves dies around the paper to visualize how best to use it. (Prepare yourself, it’s pretty bold!)
When I looked at this result I was pretty skeptical. But I Kept Calm and Cut and Embossed On, and was pleased with the end result.
That long strip die is what I used to create the background on the paper. It works on the flap of an envelope, tooo. Each leaf can be cut out, leaving a stitched leaf-shaped opening behind, and the solid dies create the stitched vein pattern in the leaves. This set has covered ALL the bases!
September…wow…hard to believe we are here! I have the 2021 pdf available for just $5 if you’d like to create your own calendar. Click Contact the Maui Stamper at the top of the page and send me your email, and we’ll get you started!
Cheryl and Crystal create these fun little calendars too, and I hope you’ll stop by and see what they’ve done for September. If you’re ready to browse, SHOP HERE.
August…who would have imagined this is where we would be???
A tropical scene seems like a soothing vision for this month, and I think many of us need that right now. I feel so fortunate that I can take a walk and place myself in this setting, but if that’s not available to you, I invite you to enjoy this paper version!
Color Palette: Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Stampin’ Sponges, Sponge Daubers, Water Painters
I worked a bit outside my comfort zone with this project – lots of sponging and improvising and experimentation. I managed to cover up some of the printed dates, but to be honest, I hardly ever use these DIY calendars to actually check the DATE.
This is the second version I did for August. I got a little carried away with the first version, and after sleeping on it decided I would go back to the simpler version. Here’s the “I couldn’t stop myself” calendar:
I kept adding layers and details, and at some point I set it down and said enough. This one has a lot more sponging, some Wink of Stella, and a fair amount of glossing using the glue from the Fine Tip Glue pen. I kept looking at it and asking myself if I would be happy with it for 31 days, and it became pretty clear that the answer was NO. What do you think? Would you choose the calmer, simpler calendar, or would you take it over the top?
Just a few more days to take advantage of Bonus Days – earn a $5 savings coupon for every $50 you spend. Those $5 coupons can be redeemed beginning Tuesday, August 4 – which just happens to be the first day that the August-December mini catalog is available to customers! Shop Here.
Cheryl and Crystal have their own versions of August for your inspiration, and I hope you’ll stop by and see what they’ve done.
If you’d like to create your own calendar, please click on Contact Me and provide me with your email. I’ll invoice you for the bargain price of $5 and you’ll have your own pdf to print and enjoy for all of 2021.
There are SO MANY GORGEOUS FLOWERS in the 2020-2021 Annual Catalog! I am a complete pushover for a gorgeous flower stamp set, and Celebrate Sunflowers definitely sent me over the edge. Two sizes of flowers, lots of leaves, great sentiments – well, what’s not to like?
These sunflowers are really fun to color with Stampin’ Blends. I have a pretty simple formula: follow the lines, start dark in the center and end up light on the ends.
It’s hard to see, but I added a l’il Wink of Stella to the center of the flowers. Stella makes EVERYTHING better. I’ve also used the masking technique to add a little dimension. There are die cuts for this set if you prefer that look, and they’re sold as a bundle with the stamp set so you can save when you choose both!
These little calendars are really fun to design, and they’re gratifyingly small when you need a little project to start and finish all in one go. I have both the 2020 and the 2021 calendar pdf available, and if you’d like one please click on Contact the Maui Stamper to securely provide your email address. Each pdf is $5 and you can make all the copies you like, making it a great purchase for a crafty gift. Be sure to let me know if you want 2020, 2021, or both!
Please visit Crystal and Cheryl to see their July calendars. It’s our pleasure to share these images with you every month for your inspiration and amusement!
Ready to add some sunflowers to your crafty stash? It’s a great day to do it – July marks the return of BONUS DAYS and you’ll earn a $5 reward to spend in August for every $50 in merchandise you purchase in July. You can get started right HERE.
The Maui Stamper 