Tropical Chic Colour INKspiration 52

Posted on April 5, 2019 by mauistamper

The Colour INKspiration team always selects fabulous inspiration images for their color challenges, and #CI52 made me think Manly Cards. It was timely inspiration, as I needed a Manly Card for a good friend who happens to be a man!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration 52 Tropical Chic

Stamps: Tropical Chic, Best Birds
Color Palette: Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot, Tropical Thinlit Dies, Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Tropical Escape DSP, Wood Textures DSP, Tropical Elements, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Linen Thread

I didn’t add the Soft Sea Foam, but focused on the other 3 colours. I was pretty pleased with myself to discover how nicely the Wood Textures Designer Series paper stack worked in this project!

Those little Tropical Elements are a really nice addition to a card, and they’re not especially bulky. If you add an extra sheet of card stock to the front of the card when you put it in the mail, most Post Offices will send it through!

In this case, I chickened out. As I prepared the card to mail, I added DSP to the envelope flap (I just traced the shape and adhered it with Tombo, the Wonder Adhesive). Then I pulled off the embellishment and added the flower on a dimensional. Melon Mambo isn’t part of the challenge, though, so I’m sharing both versions!

Visit the Colour INKspiration facebook page for more projects using this great colour palette. They’re such a lovely bunch of crafters!

(Gift) Wrapping up Holiday 2018

Posted on December 31, 2018 by mauistamper

<OH MY. This was scheduled to publish a week ago…but things happen. Enjoy!>

Ah, it’s been a glorious few weeks! At this stage of my life, the holidays are all about relationships. I’ve celebrated with my beloved family and dear friends and my precious church community as well, and my heart is full. There are things that I didn’t finish this year, but when all is said and done, I reflect on 2018 with deep gratitude.

But let’s have one last Holiday post, shall we? You can file this under “tags to make now so I’ll be WAAAYYY ahead of schedule in 2919. LOL.

Crystal came up with this tag – I think it was a CASE – and I absolutely love it. It has a stepped up clean and simple aesthetic and is perfect for any gift recipient. The Candy Cane Season stamps and punch (available as a bundle) are retiring on January 2, so if you love this one, don’t delay.

Same shape, entirely different feeling! Mrs.Claus looks pretty gleeful about this whole gift-giving deal, and this tag would be perfect for sweet treats or a gift to that person who always peeks (you know who you are – I have a few of those people in my extended family!) She’s part of Signs of Santa.

This is also Crystal’s design. The tag is vellum and it is oh-so-elegant. The Pretty Label is re-purposed as an ornament, punched out of shimmer white with extra detail from the Quilt Top TIEF. A few Soft Seafoam sprigs and an Old Olive tiny bow complete the look.

I was invited to exchange with a group that has been at it for years, and it was a delightful experience! They all bring tags under wraps and then the tags are distributed so that everyone in attendance can guess the crafter. As the New Kid on the Block, I was clueless, so I assigned the tags based on the order we were seated around the table and got a score of 4 out of 12 correct!! Not bad for desperation, I’d say.

JoAnn made a gorgeous tag with a retired ornament stamp and silver embossing powder.

Iris used cupcake papers for this charming Christmas tree tag!

Donna used the retired red Glimmer Paper (oh, how I’ve missed that this year…hint, hint, Stampin’ Up!) for this sparkly tag.

Helen made this elegant rage with a retired TIEF and silver foil paper.

Caroline featured the red Glimmer Paper with this gorgeous poinsettia overlay from the Detailed Poinsettia Thinlets.

Diane brought out the silver foil and red jewels for this classic stunner.

Crystal made this gift card envelope with the retired but immensely popular Santa Hat punch.

Gloria used the gorgeous wreath and bow from the Wishing You Well set and took the time to cut out all those bows!

Harriette also brought out a retired favorite framelit and used the Cookie Cutter Christmas and Softly Falling TIEF for this classic holiday tag.

Joyce created this beautiful Christmas wreath with holly embellished tag. I think we need another holly punch in 2919, don’t you?

Alice creates this charming snowman tag with the retired Warm Wishes set.

This was my contribution. I used First Frost and my favorite color palette of Tranquil Tide, Bermuda Bay and Coastal Cabana.

Tuck these ideas away for next year – it will be time to start those projects before you know it! Shop for supplies HERE.

New in the Clearance Rack!!

Posted on September 17, 2018 by mauistamper

Don’t delay – the best new things sell out quickly!! Fast Fuse and Fast Fuse refills are in stock at Super Savings!

Use your Bonus Days savings and really score!

Colour INKspiration 36: It’s an honour!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mauistamper

Welcome to the Colour INKspiration Blog Hop and Colour Challenge #36. I’m quite honoured to be a guest designer with the Colour INKspiration Crew this month. The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month this talented group of crafters design projects focusing on the Stampin’ Up! colour palette. The 2nd Wednesday challenge is currently working through the newly revamped Colour Families (CI #35 was Neutrals) and the 4th Wednesday – like this one – uses a Pinterest-based image for inspiration. #CI36 features Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Basic Gray and Silver Foil, with Basic Black, Whisper White, Very Vanilla and Metallics permitted as well.

(PS doesn’t that adorable little girl look as though she has been asked to eat something she has never seen before and can’t imagine putting in her mouth? Just saying!)

I confess to having been just a bit intimidated at the thought of using Soft Suede and Basic Gray on the same project – a little outside my comfort zone – but this is a challenge, after all!

I think I pulled out most of my craft room and had it spread all over the desk trying to put this together!

Stamps: Flourishing Phrases, Artisan Textures, Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Painted Harvest
Colour Palette: Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Basic Gray, Silver Foil, Whisper White
Accessories: Stamparatus, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Woodland TIEF, Flourish Thinlits, Leaf Punch, Wood Textures DSP, Polka Dot Tulle White Ribbon, Silver Metallic Thread, Wink of Stella, Stampin’ Sponges, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots

I honestly don’t remember where I began! When I stamped the large flower from Flourishing Phrases in Crushed Curry, I immediately thought I should layer it, and once I embarked on that process, I just couldn’t seem to stop. (I used a LOT of Stampin’ Dimensionals on this project!!) I had leaves and berry bits and ribbons all around me, and I just kept arranging and rearranging them until I was happy.

The Stamparatus was indispensable in aligning the sentiment so that I could stamp in both Soft Suede and Crushed Curry. If you haven’t taken the ‘Ratus Leap, treat yourself!

In order to find a balance between light and dark, I used the largest Stitched Shapes Framelit circle to ground my floral abundance. The Silver Foil behind the Woodland DSP also added some light, and I used Wink of Stella (a crafter’s best friend) to emphasize the trees in the Woodlands TIEF.

All the little bits and pieces are tucked in and adhered with Glue Dots. The Silver Metallic thread is also held fast in the same way, but all of the main layers are adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The Colour INKspiration Crew is a South Pacific team, but the challenge is international. I hope you’ll give it a try! All entries are posted to the Colour INKpiration Facebook group.

One note for those of you outside Australia and New Zealand: challenges open and close in AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time). Many of us are on the other side of the International Date Line, and sometimes the math gets a little tricky. You can Google the current time, but I use a free app called Miranda that allows me to select any time in my time zone and see what it is in any other time zone. My family is spread halfway around the world (quite literally) and this app has come in quite handy!

Thanks for stopping by my part of the Pacific. You’re headed West now to Canberra and Monique Fielder, and I know you’ll enjoy her beautiful artwork. If you’re in the U.S. and you’d like to shop for the supplies to create your own version of this card, visit my Online Store.

Varied Vases in Mint and Heather

Posted on June 10, 2018 by mauistamper

I’ve already made dozens of cards with Varied Vases, but this is one of my favorites:

Stamps: Varied Vases
Color palette: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Mint Macaron, Highland Heather
Accesories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Basketweave Dynamic TIEF, Vases Builder Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Watercolor Pencils, Basic Gray ribbon from SAB (retired).

I used a sticky note to create a mask for the stems. It was a bit of fussy cutting, but I couldn’t NOT do it. The beautiful stems in this versatile set lend themselves to tropical arrangement, and I’ve had so much fun arranging these flowers.

Fussy cutting isn’t my favorite thing, but when it’s worth it, it’s worth it. The only difference in this second stepped-up version is the fussy cut stems, but I love the added dimension. Sharp eyes will spot tiny dots of Daffodil Delight in the blossoms.

One more version, this time with the current Silver Metallic Edge ribbon. I also used a Blender Pen to hand color the stems so that I could vary the tones. You’ll want to do the coloring before you cut this one out, as the cuttings is VERY fussy.

Inspired? Find everything you need HERE. When you place your order, be sure to enter Host Code 32K6EETG for a special new catalog gift. Hint: it’s all about color!

This Little Piggy is a ColourInkspiration

Posted on April 28, 2018 by mauistamper

This Little Piggy was sitting in the middle of my craft desk when I happened to see the latest Colour Inkspiration palette image:

This is such a gorgeous, clean combination – with a glimmer – and I had an idea pretty quickly. I ended up using a retired DSP to get the effect I wanted, but everything else is current:

Stamps: This Little Piggy, Sunshine Sayings
Color Palette: Night of Navy, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Gold Foil
Accessories: Big Shot, Layering Squares Framelits, Pink Pirouette Stampin’ Blends (currently unavailable), Vellum card stock, Gold thread, Tree Builder Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Paper Snips, retired DSP

I fussy cut the Piggies for two reasons:

I could group them so closely and still show depth (thank you, Stampin’ Dimensionals
I wanted to layer them on that fabulous Night of Navy (retired) DSP

I’m really working at learning to shade with the Stampin’ Blends. It takes practice, and a little light and color theory can only help as well! I’m happy with the overall look, but I’m still developing my technique when it comes to the details. It’s so therapeutic to color.

I stamped the envelope with a blossom from Petal Passion, and added a few of the same image on a Whisper White panel on the inside of my card. Even when I use I pale tone like Pink Pirouette for my card base, I like to add a white panel inside. I creates a crisp look and helps to define the card.

I hope you’ll take a look at the Colour Inkspiration page and enjoy all of the beautiful projects shared in response to CI32! And if you’d like to do a little shopping, click HERE.

The Retiring List – what’s a crafter to do?

Posted on April 11, 2017 by mauistamper

I’ve had a little time to look through the list of products retiring from 2016-2017, and I have a few things to share with you. Products are selling out VERY QUICKLY, so don’t delay. Here are a few things I consider noteworthy:

Bundles are retiring – in some cases, stamps will continue. Many have already sold out.
Many suites, especially in the Occasions catalog are retiring. Stock up on DSP and embellishments for things you already have
Project Life products are retiring, many at a discount. The cards packs are GREAT for card making!!
Gorgeous Grunge – Clear and Wood – is retiring. Don’t miss that one.
Botanical Blooms (discounted!) and the Pineapple Clear and Wood stamp are retiring – if you do tropical cards, snap these up!
The Owl Builder punch is retiring. So.Much.Punch.Art.
Christmas Greetings Thinlits are retiring – one of my absolute favorites.
Stars Framelits are retiring. These are a holiday staple.
The Adhesive Remover is retiring, and I consider it a crafting essential.

Did I mention things are selling out quickly?? If you want the

Retiring Products page, start HERE.

Retiring Stamps page, start HERE.

Retiring Bundles page, start HERE.

Retiring Everything Else, start HERE.

But start NOW!!

Warning: Retired Product Ahead

Posted on October 10, 2016 by mauistamper

I don’t usually share projects made with retired product, but I was so pleased with this set that I’ve made an exception.

There’s a special baby about to join our family, and he was celebrated on Saturday in California. I wasn’t able to be there, but I wanted to send something just for him.

The animals from Zoo Babies are some of my favorites from Stampin’ Up!, and I’ve marked that retired stamp set as a keeper. I especially love the patterned ears on this Ellie.

I inked up this giraffe with Crushed Curry and added Soft Suede details with a Stampin’ Write marker before stamping the image.

If you’re fortunate enough to have Zoo Babies in your stash, enjoy. If it’s not there, don’t sweat it. There are heaps of great options – check out Barnyard Babies to start!

New babies mean gifts, and gifts mean Thank You notes! Speaking of Thank You notes, I got a handmade card from a special friend in Arizona:

I made a pledge for Jayden’s Fun Run, and this arrived last weekend. How fabulous is that?

Save 15% for Four Short Days!

Posted on October 19, 2015 by mauistamper

Those stamps you love…wait no longer!!

Shop HERE!

But hurry – October 19th to 23rd only.

Weekly Deals August 11 – 17

Posted on August 11, 2015 by mauistamper

Here are the deals this week:

I don’t want to be the one to break it to you, but that big holiday with all the gift wrap and tags is coming sooner than we think – and that Scalloped Tag Topper punch will be indispensible! The new 2014-2016 In Color Washi tape is another must have.