A Special Birthday

Posted on March 9, 2010 by mauistamper

It’s not every day you turn 16.

Today is my son’s 16th birthday. I remember it very clearly – he was 11 days late, and our entire household was anxiously waiting for him to make up his mind. Turned out he was worth the wait.

Our host daughter was up VERY early and prepared a special surprise for him in the hallway outside his room:

She leaves the house at 6:30am to catch the bus, so she was at this very early. He thought it was pretty cool.

Here’s one of the cards he’ll be receiving later today:

Vintage Labels (SAB) and Short Order (retired) stamp sets
Chocolate Chip and Bermuda Bay Classic ink pads
Very Vanilla card stock
Welcome Neighbor and Sweet Pea Designer Series papers; retired DSP
Chocolate Chip ribbon, Curly Label punch, linen thread and a Fresh Favorites button

Matt’s a wonderful kid, though at 16 I guess he’s not really a kid any more. He passed me up a long time ago and is very close to seeing eye-to-eye with his dad. He’s smart and has a wicked sense of humor, and he keeps us on our toes. He’s also very thoughtful (uh oh, I’ll be in trouble for that one) and we love him whole big bunches.

Happy Birthday, Matthew.

Same colors, same sketch, new look

Posted on January 4, 2010 by mauistamper

Different stamps and a quarter turn from yesterday yield a completely different card:

Sock Monkey and Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp sets
Barely Banana, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Dusty Durango Designer Series Paper (level I hostess)
Barely Banana and Dusty Durango Classic Ink Refills and the Aquapainter
Basic Gray Classic ink pad and Stampin’ Write markers; Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
Trio Flower punch; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Stampin’ Dimensionals

Watercolor is an on-again, off-again technique for me and in my opinion it’s a little off right now. Doesn’t stop me, but makes me a little bit crazy. Or perhaps I’m just crazier than usual.

I wanted to see what happened when I used the same colors (even papers) and sketch for two cards. Looking at today’s card compared with yesterday’s, I like the difference and enjoy the stretch. Challenges really make me work, and even when I’m not thrilled with the results I always learn something new.

Dasher in the Holiday Lounge – MojoMonday113

Posted on November 16, 2009 by mauistamper

I am SO excited I’m going to have to disable the Caps button on my keyboard so I don’t just shout this entire post! (Perhaps I’ll disable the exclamation mark, too.) This is such a late post for me today…all day I’ve tried to get to the Mojo Monday sketch, and all day there have been other things that got in the way. I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to do, and Heaven help me, when I finally sat down to put it together it was even better than I imagined! (OK. Breathe here.)

So, what do YOU think??

Dasher and Holiday Best (Hostess Level I) Stamp sets
Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Brushed Gold, Sahara Sand and Ruby Red cardstock; Holiday Lounge Designer Series Paper
Encore Gold Pad; Taken with Teal and Ruby Red Stampin’ Write Markers
Whisper White taffeta ribbon; Piercing tool and template; Stampin’ Dimensionals; Clear Detail embossing powder and heat tool

I’ve had so much trouble with the Mojo Monday sketches in the past…this makes me really, really happy. I hope you like it too.

Deal of the Week, Week 3

Posted on October 20, 2009 by mauistamper

What a great deal this week! Oh, and Boy Howdy, am I glad to be home. When we moved to Maui almost 20 years ago I quickly realized this was where I was meant to be. I am a tropical flower with a temperature comfort zone of about 6 degrees – 77 to 83. The fall colors are gorgeous, but you sure have to wear a lot of stuff to get out and see them.

DEALS_OF_THE_WEEK

DOTW_week3

This week’s deal is well timed to allow you – and me – to stock up on embellishments before the holidays. When your card needs that extra oomph, these are the goodies to reach for. But hurry – these little gems are only Deals until Monday, October 26 at 9:50am Mountain Time – that’s 5:50 am HST!

To shop, click HERE

More soft thoughts…

Posted on September 20, 2009 by mauistamper

I liked the colors and overall look of yesterday’s card so well that I revisited the same general concept. I incorporated a sketch challenge from SCS and added Mellow Moss to the Pretty in Pink/Soft Suede combination. The end result is a card with a similar feeling but a unique look of its own.

I really enjoy the challenge of creating different looks from the same basic supplies. I like stretching my perspective – it keeps things exciting.

Floral Thoughts_crop

Thought and Prayers stamp set, En Francais and Linen (retired) background stamps
Pretty in Pink and Sahara Sand Classic Ink
Soft Suede, Mellow Moss and Pretty in Pink Stampin’ Write Markers
Soft Suede, Mellow Moss and Naturals White cardstock and some very old Designer Series Paper
Kraft taffeta ribbon (it’s not nearly as yellow-hued in real life)
Vintage brads
Piercing tool & mat pack (to position brads), Stampin’ Sponges

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana

Posted on September 15, 2009 by mauistamper

Did I mention that Crystal makes an absolutely divine banana cake? Some of you who were at our class on Saturday obviously think so, because I’ve had multiple requests for the recipe. Without further ado…

Crystal’s Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant banana cream pudding
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (3 – 4 bananas)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Combine all ingredients and pour into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

This recipe got me thinking about chocolate and bananas, which is a very dangerous thing for me to be doing. To remove myself from the kitchen, I headed for the Chocolate Chip and Barely Banana cardstock and ink. (Yes, I know, it’s a very cheesy connection.) Of course, with all this food on the mind I immediately pulled down my Crazy for Cupcakes stamps. However, this was NOT a “before you know it the card was done” kind of creation. I did a lot of fussing and fiddling which does not show in the final product, but the one thing that does show is my Amazing Discovery for Today:

Chocolate Chip with Champagne Mist Shimmer paint

Can you see the shimmer? It’s hard, I know, but imagine a gorgeous bronzed look with a little sparkle. This is equal parts Chocolate Chip Classic ink refill and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. When I mixed it together I couldn’t believe my eyes. I used my Aquapainter to brush it on. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone – I seldom can – so I tried the same combination using Barely Banana Classic ink refill. You be the judge:

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Banana cupcakes

Very Vanilla, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip and Naturals Ivory cardstock

Retired Designer Series Paper

Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Barely Banana, and Sahara Sand Classic ink

Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

Texture Jumbo Stampin’ Wheel (run through the Sahara Sand ink pad)

Versamark ink, Clear Embossing Powder and Heat Tool

Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker

Big Shot and Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate

Double rectangle punch and Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon

My faithful but not very sophisticated little point-and-push does not do justice to these colors. You will have to use your imagination to appreciate how glorious this is!

Somehow, the entire thing reminds me of an ice cream parlor. This is not the best thing for someone who needs to stay out of the kitchen and away from the chocolate chips and bananas (oh, all right, it’s just the chocolate chips. we knew that.) Hope you enjoyed the card. I’m going for a long walk!

Daffodils to bring a smile

Posted on September 6, 2009 by mauistamper

: Buzzin by Daffodils Ikebana style

We took Sara to the airport last night…she’s headed back to Boston. I know she’s ready and I know she’ll be happy but it was still a sad good-bye. Even though we’ll see her in October. Even though she’s been home all summer. Especially because she’s been home all summer! I’m gonna miss that girl…

To cheer myself up, I went looking for flowers – and not just any flowers – I needed Daffodils. So what if they’re out of season! Daffodils are the cheeriest flowers I could think of and that’s what the doctor ordered. I borrowed a concept from InkingAddict and used the ornament from Delightful Decorations to make a vase. My stems didn’t line up so instead of a nice narrow necked vase I used the small oval punch to make mine more of a bowl. Think Ikebana. OK, Ikebana without the style. I call it creative license.