Category Archives: cards

Little Gray Elephant: Colour INKspiration 38

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I missed the last Colour INKspiration challenge, and creating something for #CI38 was a high priority this weekend. The Little Elephant bundle has been on my desk this week and it didn’t take me long to imagine how it would work perfectly with the palette of Gray Granite, Petal Pink, Berry Burst, Basic Black and Whisper White:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Little Gray Elephant #CI38

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Little Gray Elephant #CI38

Stampers in the know might have already spotted that Berry Burst Tropical Elements flower. They don’t come in that color, and I had to get pretty creative to make it happen! Stampin’ Up! doesn’t currently sell a Berry Burst Stampin’ Blends marker, which would have been my first choice. I used a Sponge Dauber to add Berry Burst ink to the button, then lightly tapped it into the Versamark Ink and dusted it with Clear Embossing Powder. When I heat set that combination, the color was too light. I ended up repeating the process two more times with just the Berry Burst Ink and the Embossing Powder to get the color I wanted. I used the end of a wooden skewer to hold the button while I blasted it with the Heat Gun.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Little Gray Elephant #CI38

I also used Sponge Daubers to color the edge of the Pearlized Doily, and I used a Gray Granite Stampin’ Write marker to tone down the Linen Thread. I keep a nice little stash of Sponge Daubers because they are such a quick and easy solution to coloring just about anything. Need some – or need to make a last minute order of Designer Series Paper before the Buy 3 Get One Free sale runs out on July 31? Shop HERE if you’re in the United States.

Here’s the inspiration photo for the Colour Inkspiration challenge. It’s a Facebook group and you don’t need a blog – you can upload directly to their page to participate. It’s an absolutely lovely group of crafters, and the projects are always top notch.  Be sure to tag your post with #CI38.  Enjoy!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour INKspiration 38

Tropical Playtime

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The Tropical Escape Suite is Right. Up. My. Alley.

Holy Moly. These stamps, the DSP, the accessories – they speak my language! I love the splash of Blushing Bride mixed in with all of the green tones. These leaves are growing in my back yard – literally – and the thinlit shapes are gorgeous. This is a set I’ll keep!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Tropical Chic Tropical Escape DSP

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Tropical Chic Tropical Escape DSP

I had such fun with the details. I used a sponge dauber to add a little Flirty Flamingo ink to the center of the flower. The thinlits cut out the stamped images, but there are also dies to cut detailed leaves out of cardstock. The possibilities are endless.

The Designer Series Paper is Buy 3, Get One Free for the rest of July. I purchased multiple packages.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Tropical Chic Tropical Escape DSP

Using this darker DSP in the background completely changed the feeling of the card. The designs are gorgeous, and can stand on their own as a card front with minimal embellishment. (I was not feeling minimalistic.)

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Tropical Chic Tropical Escape DSP

As you can see, I just kept going! I didn’t know that I needed Tropical Elements until I opened the package, but now I’m convinced. I think they look particularly smashing with Linen Thread (everything looks smashing with Linen Thread.)

Need a little Tropical Escape? Shop HERE.

Technicolor Thanks

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I love making custom cards, and I had a very special order a couple of weeks ago. I took my inspiration from the graphic design in a proposal to create these thank you cards for the team that put the proposal together:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

  • Stamps: Love What You Do, Artisan Textures, Handcarved (retired)
  • Color Palette: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise (retired)
  • Accessories: Big Shot, Subtle Dynamic TIEF (swoon), Watercolor Paper, Ink Refills, Brush, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

First things first. When I first saw the Subtle Dynamic TIEF in the catalog, I thought it was just a titch TOOO subtle – I couldn’t see anything. But it really sounded like the sort of thing I would love, if it were what it seemed to be – get my drift?

Oh Em Gee.  It is gorgeous. I highly recommend giving your cardstock a very light spritz before running it through the embossing folder. I use rubbing alcohol because it dries very quickly, but you could use water. The results are stunning.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

I was looking for some DSP to put into that angled section between the two Tempting Turquoise panels, and I started to play with water and ink and the light went on. I used an ordinary paintbrush with ink refills to draw lines across some Watercolor Paper, and I was thrilled with the results. Cutting it into sections really made it pop.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Artistan Textures Love What You Do

I can’t show you the source of my inspiration, but the graphics and colors are similar. (I hope you’ll forgive me for using Tempting Turquoise, but that was the best match and I still had some in my craft room.) There was a LOT of measure twice, cut once-ing and I still had a few things that went wonky on me, but this was a really fun project. You can find inspiration in the most unexpected places…

…but if you want to shop for supplies, it’s easy. Shop HERE.

 

 

Bouquet Blooms and Gatefold Blossoms: Annual Catalog Sleepers

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I recently chanced upon this bundle in the new 2018-2019 Annual Catalog, and honestly, I think it’s a real sleeper! The stamps and framelits don’t really jump off the page, but oh, my, can you do fabulous things with them:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Bouquet Blooms Gatefold Blossoms

All the stamped images are from Bouquet Blooms – a sleeper, am I right? I left off the sentiment because a) I like the uncluttered appearance of the focal point and b) I like to have a few cards in my stash without a sentiment so that I can add an appropriate one when I need a card pronto.  I’ll add it on the inside for this one.

The Tranquil Textures DSP is GORGEOUS and starting on Sunday, you can indulge yourself because it’s part of the Buy 3 Get One Free promo running the entire month of July. I’ve got my list ready – do you? (Hint: In addition to Tranquil Textures, you absolutely NEED the Wood Textures DSP pack – maybe TWO packs. Trust me.)

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Bouquet Blooms Gatefold Blossoms

I stamped off a few leaves – yes, from Bouquet Blooms – to dress up the inside of the card. The framelits are easy to use and create a beautiful gatefold enclosure. This card is notecard sized – 3 1/2″ x 5″ – and as my friend Desiree pointed out, would be perfect as a gift card enclosure.

The circle stamp was cut out in one pass with the Layering Circles Framelits. Use the Magnetic Platform and line up the inside and outside of the image with nesting circles and you’re all set.

Check out this video from Stampin’ Up! to see exactly how everything works together:

If you’ve made it this far, there’s even more news! Stampin’ Up! has gotten the shipment of the new tones of Stampin’ Blends and they are in the Online Store. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that these new colors will be HOT HOT HOT and you might want to act quickly.

Colour INKspiration 35: Petal Palette in Khaki

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I loved my own layout so well that I did a second version. The gray version, lovely as can be, is a bit somber. I wanted to lighten things up:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

This card parallels my first CI35 submission with just a few exceptions. I added the Linen Thread and the Corrugated Elements tag – much lighter in feeling – as well as a few clear sequins from the Metallics collection. I don’t know which came first – the chicken or the egg – but Glue Dots fit PERFECTLY underneath our sequins.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Khaki

Which version do you like better? If you’d like to try your hand at this, all the supplies can be found HERE. Happy Crafting!

PS. Back in the day, Crumb Cake was called Kraft in the Stampin’ Up! Colour Palette.  When I created my title, Petal Palette in Khaki just sounded better to my ear.

Colour Inkspiration #35: Petal Palette in Gray

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I love monochromatic design, and lately it seems like the card-o-sphere does too.  Colour Inkspiration challenge #35 is all about neutrals – anything from the Stampin’ Up! Neutral Colour family – and I chose gray:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays

In order to keep it tone-on-tone, the roses had to be gray. I used Stampin’ Blends to create some depth without losing the definition of the image. Blends are really forgiving, and despite my reservations, my gray roses worked.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! CI35 Petal Palette in Grays I can’t say enough about the Marbled Background Stamp. I liked what I saw in the catalog, but I wasn’t sure how much I would use it.  Well, buckle your seatbelts, crafty friends, you are going to see a lot of this! This design is exactly what I want in a background – it doesn’t distract but rather enhances anything you layer over it.

Colour Inkspiration is a closed group on Facebook, but if they let me in, they just might let you in too! The challenges are posted every other week, the quality of the submissions is high, and the camaraderie is excellent.

Do you need any of these products? I’m certainly glad I have them – you can shop HERE to add them to your crafty stash.

Varied Vases in Mint and Heather

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

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases in Mint and Heather

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

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!

Waterfront Four Ways

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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:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Waterfront

 

  • 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>

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Waterfront

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.)

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Waterfront

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Waterfront

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.

Maui Stamper St. Kilda Melbourne pc Matt Matasci

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

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

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Moon Baby Lift Me Up

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Moon Baby Lift Me Up

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.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Stampin Blends

Colour Inkspiration #34: Waterfront

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UPDATE:  I WON!

Colour Inkspiration 34 Winner

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:

Maui Stamper ColourInkspiration34

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:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration #34 Waterfront

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration #34 Waterfront

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.