September 2019: This Little Piggy Can Fly

Posted on September 1, 2019 by mauistamper

If a pig can fly, she can certainly be purple – Purple Posy, that is! My September 2019 DIY Easel Calendar will keep me smiling all month.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up This Little Piggy DIY Easel Calendar 2020

All of the piggies in This Little Piggy are charming, but I think this one is my favorite. Since this set was released last year, it’s languished a bit as I’ve focused on new things. It was time to change that!

Stamps: This Little Piggy , #Elfie *
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Purple Posy, Smoky Slate, Silver*
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Wink of Stella

Wink of Stella is one of those non-negotiable, indispensable products on my craft table. It’s controlled sparkle, and if you know anything about Mr. Maui Stamper, you’ll know he believes that sparkle needs to be under control.

*There are a couple of sneak peeks in my September calendar. The Holiday catalog will be available to everyone on September 4, but demonstrators have had a month to play. There are new metallic inks – Silver, Gold and Copper – and of course plenty of new stamps!

Be sure you hop on over to see what Cheryl and Crystal have done for September. If you need more STELLAAAAAAA, shop here.

August 2019 DIY: Lilypad Lake

Posted on August 1, 2019 by mauistamper

It’s been HOT. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere have had some really hot summer days in the past few weeks, and here in South Maui it’s been no exception. When it’s this hot, the best place to be is on the water! I’ll be there as much as possible this month, even when I’m at my craft desk.

Stamps: Lilypad Lake
Color Palette: Whisper White, Mango Melody, Pretty Peacock
Accessories: Big Shot, Lakeside Dies, Memento Black Ink, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I usually look through the previous months when I sit down to create a new calendar card, but apparently I haven’t done a very thorough job! When I reviewed the first half of the year, I found birds and flowers. Lots of birds, and lots of flowers. I know, you’re shocked, right? I needed to break the pattern this month.

You could create this calendar in just about any color combination you like, and I think it would be fabulous in rainbow hues. I’m pretty smitten with Pretty Peacock right now, especially as that’s about the color of my ocean in the late afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit Crystal and Cheryl and see how they’re keeping cool in August. If you’d like to make your own calendar, I’ve made the 2020 pdf available. Each calendar page is 3.5″ square, and I pair them with a 3.75″ mat so they fit very nicely on the small wooden easels available in just about any craft store. The pdf is $5 and you can print as many copies as you like! Contact me and I’ll send you an invoice.

Keep cool! And shop HERE!

July 2019 Calendar: Free as a Bird V2

Posted on July 1, 2019 by mauistamper

The namesake birds in the Free as a Bird set are the July stars:

Stamps: Free as a Bird
Color Palette: whisper White, Basic Black, Old Olive, Pool Party, Soft Suede, So Saffron, and Rococo Rose
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends

I really enjoy coloring with Stampin’ Blends. I’m not an expert by any stretch but that hasn’t stopped me from experimenting! These calendars sit on MY craft desk and I’ll color them any way I please. 😊

These calendars are such a delight to create. The format is small and they only sit out for a month, so they provide a perfect opportunity to try something new.

Visit Crystal and Cheryl for their July DIY calendars. If you’d like to purchase the pdf for either 2019 or 2020 please message me. It’s just $5 and it’s a great way to explore your own tiny desktop creativity.

June 2019 DIY Calendar: Free as a Bird

Posted on June 1, 2019 by mauistamper

Happy June First! Just a couple more days until the debut of the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog. My calendar for June features a new stamp set, but I’m not using the birds. Instead, I chose these sweet flowers and our new In Color, Rococo Rose:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! June 2019 DIY Calendar Free as a Bird

Stamps: Free as a Bird (available June 4), Good Morning Magnolia (available June 4)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, Rococo Rose (available June 4), Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers, Aqua Painter

I used a sticky note mask to layer the floral images, and added a touch of Daffodil Delight in the center to brighten them up. Other than that, this is a very simple and quick design that can be incorporated into a variety of designs. The sentiment is from Good Morning Magnolia.

I have both the 2019 and 2020 DIY Easel Calendars available for $5 as a PDF – they’re such fun to create! Message me and we’ll get you started today.

Be sure to visit Cheryl and Crystal to see what they’ve done for June.

If you don’t have a demonstrator and need a 2019-2020 catalog, message me and I’ll get one into your hands. This one’s a stunner.

May 2019 DIY Calendar: Best Birds

Posted on May 1, 2019 by mauistamper

Happy May Day! It’s the first of the month, and that means I’ve got a new calendar to share. This month, I’m featuring one of the charming birds from the Best Birds set – it retires in June and while I’m sad to see it go, I’ve seen enough to know that there are new birdies in my future!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! May 2019 DIY Easel Calendar Best Birds

Stamps: Best Birds, Colorful Seasons
Color Palette: Whisper White, Memento Black, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Pineapple Punch
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, White Stampin’ Chalk marker, Aqua Painter, Big Shot, Birds and Blooms Thinlit Dies, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I used Stampin’ Blends to color the bird, and I’m experimenting with some new coloring techniques. One of the things I thought I’d heard was to use circular motions to blend the colors, but as I’ve explored more it seems that short, flicked strokes layered on top of each other give a smoother result. It’s still a work in progress.

However you choose to color, it’s a lot of fun to play with different combinations. I have a couple more birds on my craft desk waiting for projects.

And yes, I know this guy isn’t exactly on the branch. Call it artistic license.

Please stop by and see what Crystal and Cheryl have done for May. We all enjoy putting these calendars together for you each month. I have both the 2019 and 2020 calendars available in PDF form for the great price of $5 each. Message me if you’d like to purchase one or both!

And if you’re ready to add this charming little avian to your next, shop HERE.

2020 DIY Calendar is READY

Posted on April 2, 2019 by mauistamper

I’m delighted to announce – for all you get-it-done-early crafters – that the 2020 DIY Calendar template is ready for purchase! I’ve had a number of requests to advance the availability of the template, and I’m quite pleased to be able to oblige. The cost is still just $5. Are you ready to get crafty?

And just a note…I depend on your integrity with this purchase. It’s easy enough to share the file with a friend, so what’s the harm done? Well, the harm is that I’m a small business, and those shared files add up. I truly appreciate you sharing my contact information with your friends and fellow crafters, and I’m grateful for your support.

DIY Calendar April First, and that’s no Fool

Posted on April 1, 2019 by mauistamper

It’s no April Fool! The first of each month I share a DIY Easel calendar for your pleasure and inspiration and today is April 1! (I checked!!)

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! DIY Easel Calendar April 2019 Vibrant Vases

Stamps: Vibrant Vases
Color palette: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Stampin’ Write markers, Wink of Stella

I’m not sure what possessed me to get all Stella, but it was fun! I started with the Bermuda Bay Stampin’ Write marker, because I wanted to add a little color to the vases. It just took off from there.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Stampin' Storage Solutions 2019

Today there is a brand new product line that I think you will LOVE! We have a modular storage solution for ink pads, markers, Stampin’ Blends, Ink Refills, and whatever odds and ends you can imagine. Visit the Online Store for details!

Be sure to check out what Cheryl and Crystal have created for April!

All That You Are – March 2019

Posted on March 1, 2019 by mauistamper

If you’ve followed the Maui Stamper, you’ll know that the first of each month I share my version of a small desktop easel calendar. It’s a delightful format precisely because it is so small, and I’m finding that I enjoy coloring these little pages.

Stamps: All That You Are
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Mint Macaron, Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Petal Pink, Flirty Flaming
Accessories: Memento Ink, Stampin’ Blends, Sticky Notes

I often have help in the craft room these days, and even more so in the morning when the sun streams in the windows. It’s been a cold winter on Maui – this morning it was 61°.

(Before you tell me how cold it was in Minnebraska this morning, remember that we live in sundresses and rubber slippers and don’t have heat in our homes. Our bodies are accustomed to 78°, partly cloudy with scattered showers. I live on the dry side of the island where annual rainfall is 11 inches and it seldom gets below 76°. 61° is cold!)

Ahem. So, back to my helper. She’s adorable, but she’s a big pest. I can’t tell you how challenging it is to color with Bella “helping”. She’s never still for long, and she likes to bump things to tell you how much she likes them. I’ll bet there are plenty of you who can relate:

Crystal and Cheryl and I have a mini-blog hop with our DIY Calendars each month, and I hope you’ll visit them as well to see what they’ve created for March. You can search DIY Calendar or click on the tags to see years worth of these little calendar pages! I have the pdf available for you to create your own as well – message me and I’ll send you an invoice. It’s just $5!

There’s news on the Sale-a-bration front as well! Stampin’ Up! has added product from the Annual Catalog to the $50 Level Sale-a-bration rewards. There are also new coordinating products for Sale-a-bration available. I’ll be back soon with more details. Happy Crafting!

February 2019 DIY: Hey Love

Posted on February 1, 2019 by mauistamper

Welcome to February at the Maui Stamper! I’m celebrating with these crazy long-legged birds from Hey Love in the Occasions 2019 catalog. You don’t see them there? Well, I do have a little trick…

Stamps: Hey Love
Color Palette: Memento Black, Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Sticky note, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Write marker, Stampin’ Blends

I masked off the little short legs that this birdie was given by the (awesome) artists at Stampin’ Up! using a sticky note. I inked them in Memento Black and stamped them up and down across the calendar – and as you can see, one of them is on the way out. Using a Basic Black Stampin’ Write marker, I drew legs on each bird. I was inspired by Sharni Haines in THIS POST.

It’s not too late to create your own 2019 DIY Easel Calendar. I’ve made the pdf available for your personal use at a cost of $5. It includes 12 months plus a cover should you choose to gift your own version of a DIY calendar. Just message me your email and I’ll be glad to send you an invoice.

My favorite crafty buddies in the whole wide world have February calendars to share with you too. Visit Crystal and Cheryl for more 2019 goodness.

If you’d like to draw legs on your own set of birds, shop HERE.

Welcome to 2019, Bloom by Bloom

Posted on January 1, 2019 by mauistamper

Happy New Year!

I thought an auspicious beginning to 2019 would be bold and happy color, and the new Bloom by Bloom set that debuts on Thursday (January 3) seemed like the perfect choice for such energy:

Don’t you love it?? I’m delighted to have this on my desktop all month! Bloom By Bloom is a photopolymer stamp set and it was at the top of my list for the 2019 Occasions catalog. My color palette is Pineapple Punch, Mango Medley, and Gray Granite – a perfectly tropical confection! The images are masked using sticky notes, adding a sense of depth with a single layer project.

The DIY 2019 Calendar is available as a PDF – you print and cut – for $5. If you’d like to make your own calendar, send me a message and we’ll get the calendar in your hands.

Click on over to see what Cheryl and Crystal have done for January!

And if you’re ready to shop, click HERE. What a great way to start the New Year!