Waterfront Four Ways

Posted on June 6, 2018 by mauistamper

Waterfront is a fabulous stamp set to use for tropical cards, but I recently started playing with the individual stamps and had a lot of fun thinking just a bit outside the box. With my favorite palette of blues and greens, I experimented with a very clean and simple concept and loved the results:

Stamps: Waterfront, Happy Birthday Gorgeous
Color Palette: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Note Cards, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals, thick Bakers Twine (retired), stapler

This is a super simple card, and the color combinations – and sentiments – are limitless. It would be possible to make this card without blue or green, but it would be a tragic loss. <wink>

Version two: Just palm trees. Nothing else! I thought about a LOT of different things to add, and maybe another time I’ll do a whole series (sun, surf, splatters…) but for now, it’s just about the palm trees. And the Linen Thread, of course. You MUST have Linen Thread. (Colors are Granny Apple Green and Soft Suede, in case you’re wondering.)

Next up: dots! You don’t get a whole lot easier than this! I subbed Balmy Blue in for the Coastal Cabana and used a little Ombre Lemon Lime Twist ribbon – it ties so beautifully and has such a soft hand.

This last card is inspired by the beach huts at St. Kilda near Melbourne, Australia. We were there about 5 years ago, and their whimsical, colorful rows along the beach are just delightful.

My son took this great shot, and it was the image I had in mind when I approached this card.

The Whisper White Note Cards are perfect for quick messages and can be mailed with standard First Class postage in the US. They lend themselves to creating sets, as well, and would make a great little gift.

Need supplies? Shop HERE.

One last Moon Baby

Posted on May 31, 2018 by mauistamper

Today’s the last day for lots of great stamps – including this one:

Stamps: Moon Baby
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Peekaboo Peach, Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Wink of Stella, Naturally Eclectic DSP, Stampin’ Blends

Great news: Stampin’ Blends are available for purchase! They were such a hit when they were initially introduced that we broke the store, but they’re back in stock. The new colors being introduced in the 2018-2019 catalog won’t be available til mid June, but the existing color palette is available right now. Order them HERE.

Colour Inkspiration #34: Waterfront

Posted on May 25, 2018 by mauistamper

UPDATE: I WON!

I’m thrilled to have been voted the winner of CI34. This is a lovely group, and a new challenge – CI35 – has just begun. See the details HERE.

Time for another Colour Inkspiration challenge! I sat out the last round (remember? May is like December without the cookies) but when I saw this gorgeous photo my colour mojo kicked into gear:

My daughter lives in Australia, just north of Sydney, so I feel a special affinity for this group. I’m including the letter U in the word COLOUR in their honour.

I saw these fabulous colours as tropical sunset tones, and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to try a technique with the versatile Waterfront stamp set. You could say it was a perfect storm:

Stamps: Waterfront, Painted Harvest, Colourful Seasons
Colour Palette: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Leaf Punch, Everyday Label Punch, Seasonal Layers Thinlits, Calypso Coral 1/8″ ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I would have never added Basic Grey to this card, and I’m so glad it was included in the challenge because I love how it anchors the other colours. Waterfront is a photopolymer set, so keeping the lines horizontal was easy to do.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve visited Australia, and more than that since I’ve been on the East coast. I think I’m due. (I keep telling Mr. Maui Stamper that I need my own plane. He agrees, but then starts in on this thing about what it costs. I just hear that he agrees.)

If you’d like to contribute to my airplane fund, shop HERE. Make a note: Colourful Seasons is a bundle only through May 31. After that, the stamps and thinlits will be available separately, but there won’t be a discount.

Petal Passion DSP: Something to hoard

Posted on May 18, 2018 by mauistamper

The Craftosphere is all about using up your DSP right now (Kylie Bertucci’s #LoveItChopIt is a trending example). MOST of the time, I’m right there – use it up – and it’s Designer Series Paper, if you’ve been wondering. But I jump right off that bandwagon with Petal Passion. I bought extra and I’m gonna hoard it. This card is a great example of why:

Stamps: Flirty Flowers, retired Paper Pumpkin
Color Palette: Basic Black, Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick, Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Petal Passion DSP, retired ribbon (Holiday 2017), Blender Pen

I used the Blender Pen to fill in the small floral images included in the sentiment. I just wanted a touch of color, and the Blender Pen allowed me to layer in the right amount.

This is a simple card despite the extra fold. The front panel opens into a small card, then the full gate opens to a traditionally proportioned card. It’s especially nice for sending a gift card, or including a special quotation. Put your message on the small card, then use Glue Dots to adhere the gift card to the inside panel.

There’s still time for your own stash for Petal Passion! Shop HERE.

The view from my beach

Posted on May 14, 2018 by mauistamper

My family has a spot at the beach near our home. When I say we have a spot, I mean there’s a place along the beach where we always sit. I laugh when I see my kids’ Instagram posts, because I know exactly where they were sitting when they took their photos.

We live near Keawakapu Beach, known as Sidewalks to the surfers. It’s a relatively long stretch, at least in Maui terms, because many of our beaches are really just coves. There are two entrances to the beach, and our spot is midway between them.

Often on holiday weekends, the space around the entrances is crowded with families and umbrellas and coolers and beach chairs. We just smile and walk down the beach to our spot, where there always seems to be room. Yesterday, Mr. Maui Stamper and I spent a few glorious hours there, watching an enormous pair of turtles feeding quite close to the shore.

You can see Kaho’olawe from our beach, so we really do look across at another island, although it is very small.

Stamps: Waterfront, Picture Perfect Birthday
Color Palette: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky/Crumb Cake or Wild Wasabi/Sahara Sand
Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Linen Thread, Wink of Stella

I was playing around with retiring colors, so I made a second version with a Soft Sky mat. Not sure which one I like best – what do you think?

And just in case you want to compare, here’s my spot:

Flying Home for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 5, 2018 by mauistamper

I’m not going home for Mother’s Day – it’s a long trip, and there are conflicts I can’t re-arrange. But my heart will be there, and I have a selection of cards that will go to the wonderful women who have mothered me throughout my life. This is one of my favorites:

Stamps: Flying Home, Thoughtful Banners
Color Palette: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write markers, Stitched Shapes framelits, Big Shot, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Linen Thread

4 packages of Linen Thread is the acceptable minimum to have in my embellishment drawer – I get nervous if there are fewer than that. It’s my absolute favorite, go-to, never-fail choice to add that little something to a project. It doesn’t add bulk and can be mailed without any concern. I don’t even want to think about it ever retiring.

I love coloring these bird houses. Every time I do it, I choose different elements and different color combinations. I use a combination of Stampin’ Blends and Stampin’ Write markers as the tip of the marker is much finer and allows me to work inside those narrow lines.

Flying Home is retiring – shop HERE to get it before it’s gone.

Fly me to the Moon, Baby

Posted on May 3, 2018 by mauistamper

The People Who Decide at Stampin’ Up! have decreed that Moon Baby will retire at the end of May. It’s such a sweet set of images and phrases, and it will be one of the special retired sets that makes it into my Permanent Collection.

{My Permanent Collection is growing, and I may have to revisit some of those choices. But not today.}

Stamps: Moon Baby
Color Palette: Brusho Moss Green, Prussian Blue, Yellow, Island Indigo, White
Accessories: White embossing powder, Embossing buddy and heat tool, Brusho Color Crystals, Watercolor paper, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Ivory Stampin’ Blends

This was an early Brusho experiment for me, and one of the first things I noticed was that I liked the results much better using Watercolor paper. I was able to move the color around more easily and didn’t have to worry about over-working the smooth texture of Whisper White.

Embossing the image made it much easier to “color within the lines”. That’s not a hard and fast rule for me, but it was more appropriate for this image with a small face and hands. It’s amazing how I’ll get myself all whipped up about having to emboss something, and then when I sit down and do it I wonder why I make such a big deal out of it. Embossing gives you lots of bag for not very much buck and it’s a quick technique.

It goes without saying that Wink of Stella was a non-negotiable.

Shop for Moon Baby and all of the rest HERE.

A Petal Passion Thrill Ride

Posted on April 18, 2018 by mauistamper

Last month my Host Club members got to play with the Let the Good Times Roll bundle – that’s the one with the roller coaster pop-out. I was a little concerned that they might be annoyed with me, but they all embraced the challenge and created fabulous cards! We had a “creative opportunity” or two but they were all resolved with good humor.

Stamps: Let the Good Times Roll
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Lemon Lime Twist, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Thrill Ride Thinlits, Petal Passion DSP, Myth and Magic Glimmer Paper, Myth and Magic Specialty Washi tape, Black and white bakers twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Balloon Bouquet Punch, Tear ‘n Tape

I pre-cut absolutely everything I could so that they could focus on their assembly. You can watch Brandi from Stampin’ Up! in a video HERE on assembling this card type, but I found you just need to manipulate the paper a few times to get the feeling for it. If you have something special you’re going to use to make this card, cut it out in paper you have in abundance and practice, practice, practice! It’s the folding and scoring that takes time and little muscle memory, but it’s not hard. And the results are fabulous – even Mr. Maui Stamper said he’d like to have a couple of these to send!! That is high praise indeed.

Let the Good Times Roll and Thrill Ride are continuing into the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog, but the bundle is NOT. If you want to save, save now!

Petal Passion DSP is also being discontinued (to my great disappointment.) Yes, I have a stash. No, I probably won’t be sharing it. Yes, I probably will hoard it. Sigh.

Order your bundle and that gorgeous DSP HERE.

The Unicorn and the Rainbow

Posted on April 3, 2018 by mauistamper

I’m many years distant from our My Little Pony days, but the unicorn from the Magical Day Suite takes me right back! Pairing the unicorn with a rainbow is in keeping with that trip down memory lane, and this card inspired me to create my own version:

Stamps: Magical Day and Sunshine and Rainbows
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lime Twist, Island Indigo, Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Big Shot, Magical Mates dies, Rainbow Builder dies, Myths and Magic glimmer paper, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Eastern Palace Specialty DSP, Aquapainter

This card is an easel card, as was my inspiration. I chose not to put anything on the inside layer to act as a stopper. I’ve done that in the past, but find it isn’t really necessary and adds bulk. If I were coloring that rainbow mane again, I would use Stampin’ Write markers as they’re more precise than the Aquapainter, and some of those spaces are pretty narrow.

Wouldn’t this be a perfect birthday card for a young fairytale dreamer? You could even add a glimmer number above the unicorn to personalize it even more.

The waning hours of Sale-a-bration 2018

Posted on March 31, 2018 by mauistamper

Ah, it’s been a great Sale-a-bration. We’ve had pandas, peacocks, lavender, Tutti Frutti card and envelope sets, and my all-time favorite, Springtime Foils Specialty DSP. There’s so much more – but after tonight, it will all head to the archives.

I have loved coloring the Springtime Foils DSP with Stampin’ Blends. It’s a little discouraging to note that they have been taken out of inventory due to supply problems, but Stampin’ Up! assures us they are working as hard as possible to address that concern. In the meantime, if you were lucky enough to get the paper and some blends, try fussy cutting one of the floral images for a stunning focal point.

The shimmer from the paper sets off the shimmer in the ribbon.

This card uses the same technique with the blends, but I also used the Direct-To-Paper method (just like it says – ink pad straight on the paper – you’ll need to blot with a paper towel for best results) on a sheet of dotted foils to get that steely background. It’s a stretch for me to mix copper and steel, but I like the contrast that resulted.

This entire color combination is a change of mindset for me!

I was late to the Lots of Lavender party, but it’s a really sweet set that’s easy to use. I chose Sweet Sugarplum partly because it was the right tone, and partly because it’s a retiring In Color and I want to enjoy it these last few weeks. Don’t miss out on all of the 16-18 In Colors!

If you look closely at that Linen Thread, you’ll note that it doesn’t go across the card. It’s not stuck on with a glue dot, either – that’s not secure enough for me. I punched a 1/8 hole about an inch from the edge of the Whisper White panel and tied the Linen Thread around that edge. It looks suspended, but it’s quite secure.

You can place a Sale-a-bration order until 11:50pm Mountain Time tonight. I recommend you add the 16-18 In colors to your order! Shop HERE

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

Category Archives: cards

Waterfront Four Ways

One last Moon Baby

Colour Inkspiration #34: Waterfront

Petal Passion DSP: Something to hoard

The view from my beach

Flying Home for Mother’s Day

Fly me to the Moon, Baby

A Petal Passion Thrill Ride

The Unicorn and the Rainbow

The waning hours of Sale-a-bration 2018

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