Category Archives: Birthdays

Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper

Posted on by
Reply

We don’t see many traditional fall colors on Maui, but nevertheless I’ve fallen in love with Beauty of the Earth Designer Series paper. It conveys a feeling of autumn without having a strong regional sense, and the colors are so warm and inviting.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Beauty of the Earth DSP Forever Flourishing Dies handmade card
  • Stamps: Forever Fern, Art Gallery
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Garden Green, Merry Merlot, Pumpkin Pie
  • Accessories: Copper Foil sheets, Big Boss, Forever Flourishing dies, Scalloped Contour dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Blending Brush, Linen Thread, Stampin Dimensionals

Beauty of the Earth is a stunning pack of autumn colored Designer Series papers. While it’s designed to coordinate with the Beauty of Friendship bundle, I’ve found it works wonderfully with many different stamps and dies. I had a hunch that the Copper Foil sheets would really shine (lol) as a focal point with this design.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Beauty of the Earth DSP Forever Flourishing Dies handmade card

I did a second version with a different paper from the same Designer Series paper assortment. I kept it simpler with fewer layers and a little spritz created by flicking my markers. I love the dash of Night of Navy in this paper – it’s not 100% realism, but sometimes I need a break from reality.

In the News You Can Use department, our seasonal sale is coming up! Mark your calendar and order early, as I predict these essentials will fly out the door. Save on

  • Card stock 10%
  • Stampin’ Up! ink (exclusive of bundles) 15%
  • Dies – yes, dies – 20%

When you order your ink pads, be sure to add the coordinating ink refill to your order. It’s just a few extra dollars, and trust me, you’ll be so glad to have it on hand! Plan your orders in the Online Store so you’re ready to go on November 16th.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Start With Savings Demonstrator Promotion November 2021

How would you spend $75? Through November 30, you can sign up to save on every order you place – and join a community of friendship, inspiration and fantastic support. Your $75 turns into $125 of Stampin’ Up! product that YOU choose – free of shipping – and is your ticket to the Maui Stampers and the inside world of Stampin’ Up! Contact me with your questions or join now!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Edens Garden

Don’t forget the gorgeous Eden’s Garden Suite, available now as a sneak peek from the January – June 2022 Mini Catalog.

Stampin’ Blends and the Alcohol Technique

Posted on by
1

I spent a marvelous afternoon a couple of weeks ago playing with Stampin’ Blends and the alcohol technique in Crystal’s Stampin’ Garage. It took a few tries to get the hang of it, but once we got over that bump we couldn’t stop. All you really need are Stampin’ Blends, vellum, a small paintbrush, and 91% rubbing alcohol.

(Who knew 91% Rubbing Alcohol was so hard to find? Thanks, Covid.)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Stampin Blends Alcohol Technique Happy Birthday card
  • Stamps: Art Gallery
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Garden Green, Balmy Blue
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Stitched Rectangle dies, Forever Flourishing dies, Poinsettia dies, vellum card stock, 91% rubbing alcohol, small paint brush, small dropper, Stampin’ Spritzer, Stampin’ Dimensionals

You need a non-porous paper like vellum for this technique to work. It’s pretty simple: add color with Stampin’ Blends in any pattern you like. Use 91% rubbing alcohol to reactivate the ink and gently move it around, color by color. Finally, add interest by dripping the alcohol with a small dropper, the Stampin’ Spritzer, or the flick of your paintbrush.

I chose to add these leafy elements, but some of my results needed nothing more than a sentiment. I learned that I like more monochromatic combinations, especially blues and greens. (HUGE surprise there, eh?)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up SALE-a-bration 2021 8-3 to 9-30

Shop early, shop often – your supplies for this project or your holiday crafting can earn free stamps, paper and accessories! SALE-a-bration runs through 30 September 2021, but supplies are limited! Shop HERE.

You’re A Peach and Biggest Wish Birthday

Posted on by
2

Birthday cards mean a lot to me. Of course I love to get them, but let’s face it: that’s once a year. Rather, I love to send them. Most of us get so little personal mail anymore, so I like to be a little bit of sunshine in someone’s mailbox. As a result, I make a LOT of birthday cards!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up You're A Peach Biggest Wish Birthday
  • Stamps: Biggest Wish
  • Color Palette: Petal Pink, Basic White, Calypso Coral
  • Accessories: You’re A Peach Designer Series Paper (on sale til August 2!), Big Boss, Stitched Rectangle dies, Petal Pink Organdy Striped Ribbon, Pearl jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, staple

The You’re A Peach DSP is a stunner!! And it’s on sale (along with 8 other collections) through August 2nd. Every single piece of this paper is gorgeous, and the designs on the “B” side are beautiful, versatile monochromatic prints that make great accent elements on a card. It’s a perfect summertime paper, even if you choose to get it without the coordinating Sweet as a Peach bundle. (But why would you?)

I had a narrow strip left over when I cut my panel for the front of the card, so I used it along the bottom of the inside of the card. Little extras like this are what set apart a hand-made card, and this one is easy as can be. Card base, DSP, one die cut with a sentiment, a couple sticky jewels and a stapled ribbon! I choose to line the inside of every card with a 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White panel unless the card base is Basic White. I prefer the finished look that extra step provides, and it literally costs just pennies.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up You're A Peach Biggest Wish Birthday

When you have paper this gorgeous, you can create beautiful cards and have them in the mail before breakfast! (NOT BEFORE COFFEE. BEFORE BREAKFAST.) Every design in the You’re a Peach pack will give you these results, and if you add in the versatile Biggest Wish stamp set, you could have a month’s worth of cards with a quick morning’s work. Ready to get started? Shop HERE.

Using Designer Series Paper with Garden Wishes

Posted on by
Reply

I love our Designer Series Paper (DSP). My favorite thing is the way it coordinates with our products, both colors and images. But wait, there’s more! I love the range of styles, the images themselves, and the perfect weight: not too heavy, not too light, jussst right. The fact that it’s two-sided (and often a multi-colored design on one side and a monochromatic design on the other) expands your crafting options even further.

DSP is an easy way to add interest or complexity to a simple design. With a couple of well-measured cuts, you have a quick addition to your project that often just makes it sing. Our Dandy Garden 6×6 DSP has been a star in the January-June Mini Catalog, and it’s going to retire at the end of June. It coordinates with both the Garden Wishes and Dragonfly Garden stamp sets, so it’s a real hero.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Dandy Garden DSP Garden Wishes
  • Stamps: Garden Wishes, Many Messages
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Mossy Meadow, BumbleBee, Basic Black
  • Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Messages die, Stampin’ Blends, Mossy Meadow Braided Linen Trim*, Stampin Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Dandy Garden DSP*
  • *Retiring June 30 and available while supplies last

I used the Daffodil Delight and Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Blends to color this image, and treated the light and dark toned Blends as separate shades. The Dandelion leaves need a light color and a soft touch to retain the detail in the images. I’ve also used a very old, long-retired tool to get that color spritz. I just can’t seem to pull off the paint-brush-flick with any reliable results!

I did a series of these cards with my clubs using the monochromatic papers from the Dandy Garden DSP pack, and I had a narrow strip of the Bumblebee Dandelion design left over. I really wanted to use it, and came up with the idea of adding the Mossy Meadow strip to the side in order to fill out the front of the card.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Dandy Garden DSP Garden Wishes

I used the same layout with a multi-hued DSP option from the same pack. It’s definitely colorful! This card includes one of the little ladybug embellishments that will retire the end of June. They’re the perfect size to secure with a Glue Dot.

Ready to shop? The Connect, Craft, and Collect offer adds $25 in Host Rewards to your qualifying order through June 14th! Maybe you’re ready to take the leap and earn a discount on Every. Single. Purchase. you make – Join+ increases the value of your No Obligation kit when you join the team by May 31st!

Or just pop on over to the Online Store to see what catches your eye. There’s ALWAYS something!

Sweet Strawberry Birthday

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes you see a card that begs to be made! I saw THIS card by the Alaska Stamper and knew I could put it together with the Sweet Strawberry stamp set (carrying over to 2021-2022!). It’s a great feeling to be able to sit down and create something happy in a hot minute!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Sweet Strawberry birthday card
  • Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, The Right Triangle (retiring May 3)
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Poppy Parade, Soft Succulent (21-23 In Color)
  • Accessories: Strawberry punch, Stampin’ Blends, Big Boss, Subtle Embossing Folder (retiring May 3), Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, sequins from the craft archive

Teri made her card with leftovers from the So Cool Paper Pumpkin kit, but I was able to use what I had on hand to CASE her project. I loved the parallel lines she created down the side of the card, but I’m not as precise as she is, so I guesstimated the spacing and used a thin ruler and the light Soft Succulent Stampin’ Blend.

PRO TIP: If you plan on dry embossing your panel, be certain to doing all the stamping BEFORE you run it through the Big Boss. If you try to stamp once it’s embossed, it’s difficult, perhaps impossible, to get a clean image.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Sweet Strawberry birthday card

I used the Stamping Off technique with the strawberry stems and leaves when I added the “fill” stamps. I kept the outline stamped images strong, but wanted a lighter touch for the foliage. I stamped the strawberries full strength. I had an extra leaf – but not really extra at all- it was perfect for inside the card.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Sweet Strawberry birthday card

Find a card you love and make it your own! Just be sure to give credit to the original artist. It’s the right thing to do.

Need supplies? Shop HERE. Just a few more days to shop from the Retiring List and then that beautiful Subtle Embossing Folder will be gone.

NB: The Strawberry punch is currently unavailable to order. I will shout from the rooftops when it comes in!

Pretty Perennial Petals

Posted on by
2

The four-petal flower in Pretty Perennials makes me think of dogwood, a flower I loved when I lived in Northern California. There are others that are only four petals, but that shape isn’t typical for a flower. I wanted to explore this simple stamped image:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals
  • Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Painted Poppies
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Basic Black, Pear Pizazz, Pale Papaya, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Perennial Petals dies, Painted Blooms dies, Sunflowers dies, Vellum card stock, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Champagne Rhinestones, Crinkled White Ribbon

I like to stamp and die cut multiple colors of the same image as a source of inspiration. I think it’s pretty funny that these three tones are so complimentary and so edible – and so is Pear Pizazz! It’s practically fruit salad.

When you look at these flowers on the card, they have a lovely, flowing color. Look a little closer and you’ll see they’re screened, and that’s what softens the intensity of the color and allows it to have so much depth.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

This version uses Daffodil Delight, Gorgeous Grape, and Highland Heathy, with a little Soft Sea Foam as an accent. I really like yellow and purple together, and this combination really pops.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

The white centers are from the last mini catalog in the All the Trimmings suite. I gave them a little swipe of Wink of Stella for some sparkle. I love that we offer more flat style embellishments so that they don’t get held up in the USPS letter sorting equipment!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

This is a bright and happy card for someone who loves color! That’s our new In Colors Fresh Freesia and Polished Pink with Melon Mambo. I used the Greenery Embossing folders on the main panel – they fit perfectly in the Baby Boss! And while they’re not as flat as other embellishments, I do love the class of our Matte Black Dots.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

I’ve fussy cut enough of these “happy” sentiments that I’m starting to get pretty fast with the task, but it’s still a bit of a labor of love. Good thing I love the way it looks when it’s done, don’t you think?

Does the four petal flower deserve a place in your craft room? Which color combination do you like the best? I’ve got a stack of a dozen or so more petals, and I hope to turn them all into HAPPY mail this weekend. If you’re ready for a little happy of your own, please shop at my Online Store.

Pretty Perennials and True Love

Posted on by
3

There is such fabulous inspiration in the January-June mini catalog! Pretty Perennials was the first stamp set that caught my eye, and I’m an absolute pushover for black-and-white, so pairing those stamps with the True Love Designer Series paper was inevitable.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card
  • Stamps: Pretty Perennials
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Perennial Petals dies, Stitched Shapes dies (retiring May 3), Scripty Embossing Folder (retiring May 3), Matte Black Dots, Stampin Dimensionals, Paper Snips

I based this card very closely on one I saw somewhere in the interwebs, but despite spending a good thirty minutes searching, I cannot find my source. If you created and shared something that looks a lot like this, please message me and I’ll gladly update the post to give you credit! (Pandemic Brain. That’s my story and I’m standing by it.)

The Stitched Shapes dies are still available in the Online store, although they are on the Retiring Products list. I recently heard them described as indispensable to a craft room the way salt and pepper are to a kitchen, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. If you don’t have these dies in your craft stash, I highly recommend you add them to your collection ASAP. I bought a second set for myself.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card

The Pretty Perennial flowers are whimsical and fresh. Stampin’ Up! has loads of realistic flowers, and flowers that are great for coloring, but these are gloriously happy What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get flowers. They stamp quickly and can be made a little more fancy with the addition of a few die cuts, but WUSIWUG with these babies.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card

I’ll be honest: fussy cutting the word happy is the very definition of FUSSY cutting. I love the effect, and I really love this font, but it takes some time to cut it out. Do it while you’re waiting for someone, or watching TV, or doing anything possible to avoid finishing your taxes. It works well in all of those circumstances. Or design your card around happy stamped directly onto the card! It’s your project, do it the way you want to do it. And if you don’t like the way it turned out, remember that it’s pennies worth of paper and just THROW IT OUT. Don’t hang onto it hoping to change it like you did your first boyfriend. We know how that went. Throw it out.

Oops. Guess I took a wild turn there, didn’t I?

Turn yourself to shopping and pick up Pretty Perennials. You don’t have to change them – they’re perfect, just as they are. Shop HERE. (nb: It says they’re low inventory as of right now. Don’t wait.)

Snailed It: Magical Mushrooms

Posted on by
1

The Stampin’ Up! January – June mini catalog is filled with delights, and these sweet mushrooms are Exhibit A. They remind me of the Alice in Wonderland sort of mushroom, and I find coloring them to be endlessly appealing. Because they’re magical, they lend themselves to whimsical colors.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snailed It Magical Mushrooms birthday card
  • Stamps: Snailed It, A Wish for Everything
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Petal Pink, So Saffron, Mango Melody, Mint Macaron, Basic Black
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Snail dies, Subtle Embossing Folder (retiring May 3), Stitched So Sweetly dies, Polka Dotted Tulle Ribbon (retiring May 3), Blending Brush, Stampin Dimensionals

The Subtle Embossing folder is such a go-to texture on my craft desk that I’ve actually ordered a second one in the dire event that something happens to mine. It creates a dobby, fabric-like impression on our card stock that doesn’t distract from anything else: it’s SUBTLE.

Speaking of subtle, be still my heart but I do love our Blending Brushes! No more blobs or streaks, just lovely subtle washes of color. You can build color, you can blend colors, you can spend all day playing with your Blending Brushes! (Not that I would do that, of course.)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snailed It Magical Mushrooms birthday card

I have a my own technique for adding the ribbon to the back of a focal point. I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos where crafters just seem to wave their fingers in the air and viola! they have a beautiful, casual ribbon bundle for their project. When I wave my fingers in the air, well, it’s just messy, let’s leave it at that.

My technique is to put some Stampin’ Seal on the back of the panel and then place the ribbon, layer by layer, on that adhesive. I flip it back and forth to see how it looks, and if I’m not happy with it, it’s simple to pull it off the adhesive and reposition it. Once I have the look I want, I add a small piece of tape (the ordinary desktop kind) to secure everything in place.

The Clearance Rack has been updated – snap up Designer Series Papers, ribbons, embellishments, punches and more at great prices – while supplies last. Or if you prefer, snap up the Snailed It bundle and go color some mushrooms of your own. I promise it will be magical.

An afternoon with Forever Fern

Posted on by
2

I’m a keeper. I keep stuff – bits and bobs, odds and ends – because I just know I’ll need it. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I’ve had an assortment of die cut Forever Fern pieces in multiple shades of greens in my collection for months, and Today Was Their Day.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Forever Fern Monochromatic card
  • Stamps: Forever Fern, Itty Bitty Greetings (retiring May 3)
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Garden Green
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Forever Flourishing Dies, Layering Squares dies, Stampin Dimensionals

This card layout is a CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) of a card I spotted in the new 2021-2022 Annual Catalog. Yes, I’m sure you’ve heard – demonstrators get an advanced copy of the catalog, and this one is going to rock your world!

The retiring Layering Squares dies aren’t absolutely essential, since it’s pretty easy to cut a square. That said, how easy is it to cut 4 squares EXACTLY the same size?? I’ll be keeping this set of dies for certain.

I made a BUNCH of these in a relatively short period of time because I had all of these bits!! Each card turned out a little differently because I was having such a good time orienting the branches. Tell me what you think:

Big Boss, Forever Flourishing Dies, Layering Squares dies

This one is in Old Olive. I think this one was the first one I did.

Big Boss, Forever Flourishing Dies, Layering Squares dies

Next I used the retiring Pretty Peacock In Color from 2019-2021. I’m really going to miss this shade, as it’s one of my favorites, not just for crafting but in Real Life.

This is Pear Pizazz. I had some fun with these branches as I worked them into a bit of a wreath arrangement. I thought about putting something in the center, but I wanted these cards to lean a bit masculine.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Forever Fern Monochromatic birthday card

With this Shaded Spruce version I did the opposite – I worked from the center outward. I’m still a little undecided about this one!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Forever Fern Monochromaticbirthday card

This is Soft Seafoam, one of my favorite greens. It’s really a versatile tone and definitely lends a more feminine touch to this card layout.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Forever Fern Monochromaticbirthday card

Forever Fern has a great variety of botanical images, but as my friend Heather pointed out, none of them actually appears to be a fern. Go figure.

If you suddenly need the Layering Squares dies, or anything else for that matter, pop on over to the Online Store lickety split! And thanks for stopping by today.

2020-2021 Annual Catalog RETIRING LIST

Posted on by
Reply

It’s the moment we find out who will stay and who will go – and it always makes me nervous! The list has been published and there are plenty of great deals, but don’t hesitate! When these products are gone, they are GONE.

Great deals – be sure to notice that some bundles are NOT retiring, just being split. That means the individual items will be available in the new catalog but the bundle price will not.

You’ll also see Tear n Tape on this list but DO NOT FEAR!!! It will return, slightly repackaged – just this item number is retiring. 

My tech skills have their limitations, but I can give you a link! Click HERE to see a pdf – or just head over to the Online Store to see images and details!