Lovely Sale-a-bration

Posted on March 23, 2014 by mauistamper

Time to be honest: I almost didn’t order the You’re Lovely stamp set available through Sale-a-bration 2014. I got hung up on “You’re Lovely”. I mean, really? Who says that? If you know me even a little, you’re probably laughing your head off imagining me saying “You’re lovely” with a straight face.

But of course I did break down and get it, and here’s what I did:

Stamps: You’re Lovely and TBA*
Color Palette: Crisp Cantaloupe, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla
Accessories: Soho Subway DSP, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Stampin’ Write markers, Scallops TIEF, Deco labels framelits and the Big Shot, Stampin’ Dimensionals

*The “TBA” part is one of my Lazy Stamper tricks. I keep a stash of cards with no sentiment. When I get caught short on time (or more likely, last-minute-forgetful) I can run through my stash, quickly add the appropriate sentiment – ie “sorry I forgot your birthday again” – and off we go.

I used a marker this time to color in the image – usually I choose the Aqua Painter because it seems to give me more control, but I was feeling daring.

I’m glad I ordered this stamp set!

This is the last week for Sale-a-bration. It officially ends on March 31st, and in Hawaii it ends at 7:50pm when you account for the time difference. If you haven’t placed an order yet, you’ve got a week to put it together and choose your free product – click HERE to see the whole SAB brochure.

There’s one other thing to consider. During Sale-a-bration, Stampin’ Up! sweetens the pot when you choose to become a demonstrator. The cost is still $99, but you’ll choose extra product – a total of $150 worth of product, to be precise. Once you’re a demonstrator, you’ll have access to All Stampin’ Up!, all the time. This year, new demonstrators even get a free convention registration – and I can guarantee you’ll have a good time! There’s no financial obligation besides purchasing the kit and the kit is made up of items you choose – the product is completely up to you. And no matter where you live, you’ll become a Maui Stamper!

Becoming a demonstrator provides an immediate 20% discount on Stampin’ Up! products. It can be a vehicle for providing extra income for your family, or just enough extra to support your craft habit. There’s no pressure to make it one thing or another – that’s completely up to you.

One of the things that has kept me firmly planted in my Stampin’ Up! experience is the quality of the product and the commitment the company makes to the demonstrators. Our support is outstanding, and I am very proud to be a representative of this company. If you’d like to join me, I’d be honored to tell you more about it. If you’re ready to start now, click HERE! And welcome to the family 🙂

Silly Rabbit….

Posted on March 15, 2014 by mauistamper

Can you stand another box card?

Cheryl and I got together last week to work on samples for our Step Into Spring class – today is the early bird deadline for all you Maui Crafters! We wanted to have an Easter Bunny option and she came up with this Silly Rabbit.

It’s amazing what you can do with a few punches!

Our class is Sunday afternoon, March 30, 2014 at the Kahului Masonic Lodge. Cost is $20 if you register today, $23 if you register tomorrow. All supplies are provided including your very own full box of Glue Dots – and you are going to love using Glue Dots when you put together a Card in a Box! The class projects will feature the Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper.

We’re also making an embellished Tag a Bag box perfectly sized for chocolate eggs or other treats, and a charming single-treat holder made with the Scallop Tag Topper punch:

Here’s the “publicity shot” of all 3 original samples:

I hope you’ll join us!

A Car(d) in a Box

Posted on March 3, 2014 by mauistamper

My buddy Isaac turns 3 today. His mama and dad had a party for him yesterday, and since his mama is also my stampin’ buddy, I wanted a card that would surprise and delight:

Isaac reminds me so much of my son at that age…he’s all about things with wheels. His card needed wheels, and to be a real race car, of course it had to be Red. Not just any red, but Real Red. (If Stampin’ Up! made Ferrari Red, that is what I would have used.)

Stamps: Rev Up the Fun and Memorable Moments (the 3)
Color Palette: Real (Ferrari) Red, Basic Black, Whisper White and Gumball Green
Accessories: Circle punches, Fringe Scissors, Simply Scored, Window Sheets, Bird Punch

I’ve done a few of these cards, though this is the first one I’ve shared. The trick for me is balancing the height of all the elements. I used thin strips of window sheet to float the motorcycles so you could see them behind the race car.

The candles are really fun…I use the top leaf from the bird punch branch to make the flame, layer flame colors with Stampin’ Write markers, and then use Tombo (the wonder adhesive) to secure them to the back of the candle.

I added a little grass just to break up the dizzying effect of the Modern Medley DSP and the tire tracks. Plus the fringe scissors are just plain fun to play with!

A card like this needs a custom envelope:

Ready in a flash with the envelope punch board! I used a retired set of Sizzlets to cut the letters for his name, since that Real (Ferrari) Red Polka Dot Parade DSP is so bold! You can tell it’s hand made, because despite my scientific effort his name is off-center.

Cheryl and I are planning a class on these cards for March 30. If you live on Maui or will be here for a visit, let me know if you’re interested! Details are coming soon.

Happy Birthday to one Super Guy!

More Monster Love

Posted on February 26, 2014 by mauistamper

Are you in love with a little monster?

I’m awfully fond of quite a few li’l monsters myself!

Stamps: Monster Maniacs, World Map, Just Sayin’
Color Palette: Crushed Curry, Night of Navy, Garden Green
Accessories: Regals Candy Dots, Big Shot and Word Bubbles Framelits

These are such fun to color. I’m still a kid, I guess…I love the coloring part!

Sale-a-bration is in full swing – when you’re ready to place an order, think in $50 chunks to take advantage of all the gorgeous free product available 🙂

Shop HERE!

Li’l Pink Monster

Posted on February 16, 2014 by mauistamper

How do you say “Love You” in Monster?

Apparently the same way as you would in English – or perhaps this little monster is bilingual.

Stamps: MonsterManiacs and World Map
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Crushed Curry and Strawberry Slush

MonsterManiacs is a very special stamp set, a winning entry in the In With You contest sponsored by Stampin’ Up! It’s available as a clear mount set for only $14.95 and it’s become one of my favorites.

I sent a few Valentine packages this year – to my own kids and a few others that have a very special place in my heart. You know the kind….kids that for one reason or another just touch you. These kids have worked hard to get where they are, and they’re a long way from home. I just wanted to send them all a little love from home.

Woo Hoo! Its Two!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by mauistamper

Welcome to this month’s tour. The big news in these parts is that one of my favorite people in the whole wide world is expecting…TWINS! She’s RemARKable in so many ways – as a matter of fact, if you are following this Pin-Worthy tour in sequence, you’ve just come from her blog. I’m ruining the surprise factor, but today I’m going to share a bit of the decor for her baby shower.

A party begins with invitations and I’ve made TWO. These are designed to have the details on the back. Crystal has chosen bright colors for her nursery, and I chose Bermuda Bay and Calypso Coral tones for these projects.

The li’l Giraffes are stamped in Pool Party and Crisp Cantaloupe, and are corralled in our new On Film (LOVE!) framelits. There are so many awesome new framelits available in the Occasions catalog that it’s tough to choose – thank goodness for Sale-a-bration 🙂

Love this Retro Fresh DSP – it coordinates with EVERYTHING. These little birds – from the For the Birds stamp set – are seriously under-appreciated. To keep these really versatile, I didn’t use a “Shower” sentiment, so these cards could just as easily be announcements or thank you notes.

I quickly colored the wings and tails with markers, then used the Aqua Painter for a light wash over their little birdie bodies. Check these out – I’m telling you, For the Birds is a sleeper.

The second Party Sneak Peak is the banner. Gotta love those new banner framelits too!! Yes, you can hand cut your own banners. Yes, it’s not that hard. But cranking them out with the framelits gave me 13 IDENTICAL banners and you know that’s not easy to do by hand! So worth it…

The message is loud and clear, don’t you think? And I had such fun embellishing each banner. I used a lot of Retro Fresh DSP, plus embossing folders, buttons, ribbon – if I could reach it I used it!

I used the Natural Trim to string my banner, both for the color and the fact that the texture helps hold things firmly in place. And if you know me, you’ll know those buttons are actually sewed on with Linen Thread. It had to be done.

Each letter from the Timeless Type Sizzlets is mounted on an embellished circle from the Pennants Bigz die. I kept them uniform and relatively uncluttered to tie the message together since each banner was unique.

I’m telling you, it was a lot of fun to embellish all of these! Definitely Stand-Up-Stamping. (Do you stand up? I think we need a club.)

The new Bigz Spiral Flower die is getting a lot of action in my craft room. You can adjust the tightness of the spiral to give you an entirely different look each time, or even (as I’ve done here) add a big ol’ pearl to the middle.

If you’ve held off on making a banner because you thought it would be too hard, hold off no longer! The letters don’t have to match – mix-and-match is a great look. It’s a great way to use up scraps and bits, and although it might turn into a treasured memento, I view it more as an in-the-moment kind of project. Enjoy it for today, or this week, or even a month, and then replace it with something new!

Hope you’ve enjoyed this stop on the RemARKable PinWorthy tour. Time to head over to see what Audra has created this month. Thanks for checking in!

Retro Fresh Love Ya

Posted on February 11, 2014 by mauistamper

It’s not quite a clean and simple card, but it’s close:

Stamps: Just Saying’
Color Palette: Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits, Stripes TIEF, Big Shot, Naturals trim, Full Heart Punch, Retro Fresh DSP, Rhinestone jewels

The Designer Series papers in the Occasions catalog are so richly colored and so versatile! There were plenty of combinations that I liked, but this one with its rainbow-shaped domes was the Gold Medal winner. (Admit it, you’re staying up late to watch the Olympics too,) Punch a couple of hearts, stamp a message and cut it out with a framlit and you’ve got a valentine, anniversary, birthday, or just because card ready to go.

Dimensionals rule the adhesive world! Both the heart and the word bubble get a lift, and that’s a big part of what makes this simple layout work. The Stripes TIEF makes a difference too – those two elements give my projects that “Bam!”

There’s a little bit of Baked Brown Sugar (BBS) ink rubbed onto the Naturals trim to darken it and give it the same color tone as the rest of the card. That trim takes ink really well. (So do my fingers but that’s not what we’re interested in here.)

Don’t forget it’s Sale-a-bration! For every $50 in merchandise you spend you earn FREE exclusive Stampin’ Up! product. Visit the Online Store to choose your favorites. And thanks!

Happy Congratulations

Posted on February 3, 2014 by mauistamper

The name of this stamp set cracks me up – it makes me think of one of those “close but not quite” translations. You know the ones. In any event, I used a sketch from the Paper Players to get started:

Stamps: Happy Congratulations and Petal Parade (SAB)
Color Palette: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Pool Party, Whisper White and Black Staz-on
Accessories: Sweet Sorbet DSP, Big Shot and Decorative Dots TIEF, Pool Party Seam Binding, Oval punch, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals

It’s a fun sketch because it includes a pull-out tag:

The little paper lanterns are very easy to (Two Step) stamp – I just gave ’em the Maui Stamper eyeball – and that panel is lifted on Dimensionals. I think EVERY card should use Dimensionals.

Here’s the sketch. You can see I took a little creative license with it, but that’s all in the game:

Speaking of games, congrats to all you Seahawk 12th Men out there – but what a horrible game. The Super Bowl is supposed to be competitive. I feel for all of you Denver fans. Go read Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. You’ll feel better. Bad days happen. (I’m a 49er fan – we already had our Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.)

All righty then! A quick little detour and we are adding things to the book list! (Not that I’m above adding to my book list – please feel free to share.) But let’s have one more look at Happy Congratulations (which would be a fine name for a Chinese Restaurant, if you ask me):

Enjoy!

Time to Sale-a-brate!

Posted on January 29, 2014 by mauistamper

It’s the Most-Wonderful-Time….of the Yeeeear!!!!

Ah yes, Sale-a-bration. Spend $50 in merchandise and earn exclusive product absotively, posituvely free! (Say it out loud, it works.)

The Sweet Sorbet DSP is one of the Sale-a-bration choices that has made my day! The patterns are fresh and trendy and every single one of them is a winner – Stampin’ Up! has been rockin’ the DSP boat during SAB. The color choices might surprise you – they did me – but as I’ve worked with them I have become quite smitten 🙂

And just in case you don’t have a wish list ready, Stampin’ Up! has come to the rescue with a sweet new offering.

It’s embossing made easy. The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine is a compact and portable tool to add texture to cards, tags, embellishments, and more. Use it with our Stampin’ Up! exclusive Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (see why I call them TIEFs?) The initial supply of The Texture Boutique is limited, but it will be making a permanent appearance in the next annual catalog that debuts in May.

Just so happens that the purchase of the Texture Boutique (#132657 – $29.95) and any 3 Embossing Folders will earn you a free Sale-a-bration item – including the brand new Embossing Folder Decorative Dots (#133520). You’ll be ready to rock and roll!

Visit my Online Store to order, or contact me and we will find the perfect solution for your crafting needs. Need a refresher on the TIEF options? Here you go!

Cheery Ellies for a Grey Day

Posted on January 27, 2014 by mauistamper

Crushed Curry is a perfect antidote for grey!

Stamps: Zoo Babies and Happy Hour
Color palette: Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Basic Grey Striped Ribbon (Clearance Rack!), Kaleidoscope DSP

Yes, even on the Valley Isle we have the occasional grey day. The cheerful Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper was the inspiration for this card, and the super-simple layout encouraged me to take an extra step with the elephants.

The two background Ellies are stamped using the “stamping off” technique – ink your rubber, stamp lightly on scrap paper, and then stamp onto your project. The featured Ellie is stamped with all the glory that a Firm Foam Ink Pad (FFIP) offers, then trimmed out with my paper snips and lifted up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I stamped the ear a second time with Crushed Curry, trimmed it out and adhered it to the card with another Dimensional. Dimensionals are like Magic Wands!! They make all sorts of fabulous things happen. However, this ear looked a little funny flying off Ellie’s head.

The solution was a super-thin line of Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) to make the front side of the ear stick to Ellie’s head just as God intended!

If you had told me when I began stamping that I would absolutely NEED all of these different adhesives I would have probably laughed in your face. What did I know then? Adhesives make the paper crafting world go round.

Hope your day is sunny and bright!

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

Category Archives: cards

Lovely Sale-a-bration

Silly Rabbit….

A Car(d) in a Box

More Monster Love

Li’l Pink Monster

Woo Hoo! Its Two!

Retro Fresh Love Ya

Happy Congratulations

Time to Sale-a-brate!

Cheery Ellies for a Grey Day

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