June: Love What You Do

Posted on June 1, 2018 by mauistamper

How can it be June already? Crystal got it right: May is like December, but without the presents. And, I might add, without the cookies. The good news is that when the month changes, so does the calendar page:

Stamps: Love What You Do
Color Palette: Whisper White, Poppy Parade, and Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories: Blender Pen, Stampin’ Write marker

I am THRILLED that Poppy Parade has made a return to the Core Colors. It’s always been one of my favorite red tones – that vibrant, orange red that says LOOK AT MEEEE!

There’s a big, gorgeous new 2018-2019 Annual Catalog that goes live today – what’s on your shopping list?? There are so many new colors – returning favorites and brand new shades to love – and I want them all. Ordering begins by noon Mountain Time today (June 1st).

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

Crystal and Cheryl have June calendars for you too – be sure and stop by!

A Gorgeous Birthday In Color

Posted on May 24, 2018 by mauistamper

Crystal and I have decided that May is as busy with December but without the presents or the cookies. RIGHT???? How can we be a week away from the end of the month? That means we’re a week away from the end of the current Annual Catalog and the debut of the 2018-2019 catalog! It was high time I cracked open the 2018-2020 In Color Collection:

Stamps: Beautiful Bouquet, Happy Birthday Gorgeous
Color Palette: Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, and Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories: Big Shot, Bouquet Bunch Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Ovals Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearl Jewels

The Beautiful Bouquet stamps and Bouquet Bunch framelits are available as a discounted bundle for one more week – don’t miss that great deal! This is a really versatile set.

I don’t usually share my progression, but I enjoyed the way this card evolved, and I thought I’d share the process with you. The first image is the first card, and some of those die cuts are covering up things I didn’t like. The result left me feeling I could do better, so I gave it another shot:

I like the left offset on this one, but the scalloped mat disappears into the stamped images. I also decided that the little green thingamajigs were better than the leaves for this design. It was back to the drawing board one more time:

This version was the winner in my mind! I skipped the tiny Lipstick flowers in favor of the green deely-bobbers. Changing the scalloped oval mat to Lemon Lime Twist helped pop the sentiment out of the floral arrangement. The differences are minor, but I’m convinced it’s the little things that count.

If you’d like to save on this bundle, get yourself to the online store and order today!

Flying Home for the Summer

Posted on May 1, 2018 by mauistamper

Ah, I miss those days when May meant my collegians were headed home for a summer with good ole Mom and Dad! (Just to be clear, I DO NOT MISS paying collegiate tuition.)

I’m still trying to use my 2016-2018 In Colors – you’ll see a couple in this project.

Stamps: Flying Home (Occasions 2018)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Sweet Sugarplum (16-18), Smokey Slate, Daffodil Delight, Pear PIzazz, Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo (16-18)
Accessories: Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals (both sizes), Stampin’ Write Markers, Watercolor Pencils

The bird houses were just a smidge (that is a scientific measurement and it means what it sounds like) too big for the calendar format. After scratching my head for a bit, I came up with the idea of stamping the images in Smokey Slate twice – once on the calendar, and once on a scrap. I fussy cut the houses and lifted them on dimensionals. I was really happy with the way it turned out.

I cut off the rooster weather vane and the little strings on the end of the banner because they were already on the calendar, and they would have been ridiculous to cut out. Even I have my limits.

Cheryl and Crystal have May calendars to inspire you as well – check them out and let them know what you think!

Need Occasions goodies before the catalog ends on May 31? Shop HERE.

April First and Petal Palette

Posted on April 1, 2018 by mauistamper

Happy Easter!

April Fools! (well, not really – I don’t have a fool)

And welcome to the first of April and our mini-DIY-calendar blog tour! I’m starting to feel anxious about the retirement of the 2016-2018 In Colors (Flirty Flaming, Peekaboo Peach, Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy and Sweet Sugarplum). I’ve used them a lot these past two years, and I’ll miss having them in my color palette. I’m making an effort to use them all I can.

Of course, they’ll still be in my stamp room, but I’ll be stingy with them because I won’t be able to get more paper – or ribbon, or ink refills, or embellishments. Take it from me, you don’t want to wait to stock up on these colors. They often sell out before the end of the catalog!

Stamps: Petal Palette
Color Palette: Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Lemon Lime Twist, Basic Grey
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals and More Thinlit dies, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestone Pearls, Aquapainter, Wink of Stella, Sharpie brand permanent marker

Petal Palette comes as a bundle with the Petals and More thinlits, and you save 10% when you purchase as a bundle. Since this is an Occasions catalog suite (oh, the DSP!!) it will be available as a bundle only through the end of May. If Stampin’ Up! does choose to include Petal Palette in the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog, it more than likely will not be available as a bundle. The message here is buy it now!

Those little birdie eye-bubs aren’t googlie eyes. They’re our Rhinestone Pearls with an eyeball drawn on in Sharpie. They’re the perfect size for these little birds!

Crystal and Cheryl have calendar inspiration for you too – head on over to see what they’ve designed for April. Ready to shop? Start HERE.

A Beautiful Peacock sailing through March

Posted on March 1, 2018 by mauistamper

The end of each month, I look forward to turning the page on the calendar. It’s a signal that I’m making a fresh start, and I love fresh starts! Of course, it also means that I have a new image to enjoy for the month. I’m not quite turning the page here, but I do enjoy taking down one card and putting up the next. Here’s the focus for my craft desk in March:

Stamps: Beautiful Peacock (SAB 2018)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy and Pool Party
Accessories: Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestone Jewels

I used the simplest method ever to get two tones on the peacock tail: I inked the top half with Pool Party, flipped the stamp around and inked the bottom half in Dapper Denim. If you look really closely, you can see the line where they overlap. I recommend you ink the light color first so that if a little of the ink transfers from the stamp to the next color ink pad, it’s light onto dark and won’t show.

Beautiful Peacock has lots of options for creating a stunning bird, but the various swirls and embellishments are also great options to have in your Stampin’ Arsenal. You have until March 31st to make this – and a lot of other gorgeous stamps and accessories – your own. Receive them for free with every $50 in merchandise you purchase. Shop HERE.

Cheryl and Crystal have calendar pages for your inspiration this month – be sure and check them out!

…and a New Year begins

Posted on January 1, 2018 by mauistamper

New beginnings are filled with emotions – anticipation, excitement, even apprehension or doubt. I’ve learned to be grateful for all of those feelings, because they mean I’m alive. To quote my dad when I ask how he is: “I’m on the right side of the grass!”

Stamps: Amazing You (SAB 2018)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Big Shot, Celebrate You Thinlits (SAB 2018)

Sale-a-bration 2018 begins on January 3rd, and the January 2018 DIY Easel Calendar features a coordinating stamp set and thinlit set that are each available for free with qualifying purchases.

What could be a better way to begin the year but with a celebration? I hope yours is joyful.

Cheryl and Crystal are joining me again to share their DIY Calendar ideas, so pop on over to see what they’ve done. I’m also delighted to introduce a Pinterest Board for YOUR creations too! Just let me know you’d like to be included and I’ll add you to the board – I’ll need your Pinterest user id. Let’s have some fun with this!

Want your own DIY calendar kit? I have just a few left for 2018. Click HERE for the details.

Miss that Crazy Moose!

Posted on December 1, 2017 by mauistamper

There are MANY MANY WONDERFUL holiday stamps in the 2017 Holiday catalog, but my-oh-my did I love this crazy moose from 2016!

Stamps: Jolly Friends, Tin of Tags (both retired)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Red Glimmer paper, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper, Jolly Hat Punch (retired), Stampin’ Dimensionals

He’s such a dorky guy. I have a special corner of my heart reserved for dorky guys. Not that Mr. Maui Stamper or Son of Stamper are dorks – no, no no! I’m just fond of dorky guys. That’s all.

2018 is just around the corner, and I’ll be done with retired stamps at least until the new Annual Catalog comes out! Whew!

To get your December off to a jolly start, Cheryl and Crystal have also shared their calendar pages for this month. Ho ho ho!

The abundance of November

Posted on November 1, 2017 by mauistamper

It’s a little late for figs, although I have to admit that I made a lovely dish with them this summer. If I’d had the 2017-2018 In Colors when I made this calendar page, I absolutely would have made it in Fresh Fig. But there you go. We are operating in an alternate universe with these calendars.

Stamps: Fabulous Flora, Gorgeous Grunge (sorry, both retired from the 2016-2017 Annual Catalog)
Colors: Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede
Accessories: Aqua Painter

An Aqua Painter is an indispensable tool on my craft desk. I have multiples just because I use them so often. They need to be everywhere.

Take a moment to be inspired by the creations that Crystal and Cheryl have created for November. You’ll be glad you did.

Want to create your own DIY Easel Calendar? I have just a few left – check THIS POST for details.

Rocky Raccoon

Posted on October 1, 2017 by mauistamper

Love this little raccoon! It amazes me how quickly something gets moved to the back of the stack when new goodies come along. It’s been a while since I’ve played with Foxy Friends, but clearly, Rocky is perfect for October.

Stamps: Foxy Friends
Color Palette: Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers, Aqua Painter

When I told Crystal his name was Rocky Raccoon, she didn’t get it. Even when I started to sing. As in, she had no idea that there was a SONG. By the BEATLES. It’s moments like this that make me feel O.L.D. Sigh.

Using Stampin’ Write markers on a stamp to get multiple colors out of one impression is one of those things that makes me happy. Plain and simple happy. Not hard at all happy. Let’s drink cocktails while we’re writing blog posts happy (oopsie).

Cheryl and Crystal have October inspiration for you as well – enjoy!

I still have a few DIY Easel Calendar kits and refills available. Visit THIS POST for details.

Orchids in the jar

Posted on September 22, 2017 by mauistamper

The Climbing Orchid is the latest flower I’ve tried in Jars of Love:

Stamps: Climbing Orchid, Jar of Love
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pool Party, So Saffron, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Big Shot, Orchid Builder Framelits, Everyday Jars Framelits, Softly Falling TIEF, Linen Thread, Vellum Card Stock

Don’t miss out – you can save on the Climbing Orchid bundle. Stampin’ Up! typically selects new stamps and framelit/thinlit/punches and bundles them during the first release year, but subsequent years the products are offered individually and the opportunity to save is sad, sweet history. This one is too good to let go by!

I used this same layout HERE, and I’m sure there are many other images that would work with this jar.

If you’re interested in the DIY Calendar kits, check out the details HERE. I’ll be shipping next week.

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

Category Archives: Calendars

June: Love What You Do

A Gorgeous Birthday In Color

Flying Home for the Summer

April First and Petal Palette

A Beautiful Peacock sailing through March

…and a New Year begins

Miss that Crazy Moose!

The abundance of November

Rocky Raccoon

Orchids in the jar

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