Category Archives: cards

A morning without coffee…

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…would be a total disaster!  I love my java.  When I travel, I’ve been known to take my own beans along.  My dear Sister-in-Law (she who revealed Kara’s Cupcakes) made sure I had a fresh bag of The Major when we arrived in Santa Clara recently.  That woman is amazing…I wouldn’t have made it through the weekend (fabulous as it was) without her culinary oversight.

A really rough morning might look like this:

Mambo Morning Cup

  • Morning Cup stamp set
  • Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Old Olive and Whisper White card stock
  • Pacific Point Classic ink pad; Staz-on Black ink pad
  • Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango and Rich Razzleberry Classic ink refills
  • Aquapainter
  • Brights Designer Button collection
  • Corner Rounder punch
  • Linen Thread

Honestly, if I drank that many cups of coffee I would be seeing in Technicolor like this all day.  But mercy, would I be cranking through the old To-Do list!!  When I’m at home, I usually have a double cappucino to start the morning.  Most days, that’s enough to keep me powered up, but if I have to drive in the afternoon or I just get the Threesies Nods I’ll make a second cup.  No caffeine after 4pm though – I can usually get to sleep if I drink coffee in the late afternoon or evening, but I’ll wake up around Oh-Dark-Thirty and won’t be able to get back to sleep.  A girl’s gotta know her limits.

Crazy for Cupcakes

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Is it any wonder that cupcakes are so trendy?  They’re just the right size to fit in the palm of your hand and can generally be eaten in just a few bites.  We were in Santa Clara a short time ago celebrating a very special family birthday, and my fabulous Sister-in-Law introduced me to Kara’s Cupcakes at Santana Row.  It’s a good thing I live 2500 miles away – I’m a Weight Watchers® leader, for goodness sake!  I can’t recommend the Coconut cupcakes.   Or the Chocolate Velvet cupcakes.  And whatever you do, avoid the  Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Ganache cupcakes at all costs.  I warned you.

Phew.  OK.  Let’s get to the card:

CUPCAKES!

  • Crazy for Cupcakes, On a Pedestal and All Holidays stamp sets
  • Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, and Whisper White card stock
  • Play Date Designer Series Paper
  • Tempting Turquoise and Wild Wasabi Classic ink pads
  • Wild Wasabi and So Saffron Stampin’ Write markers
  • So Saffron 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon (retired)
  • Scallop Edge punch
  • Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder

Clearly I have cupcakes on the brain.  Sara, can you get home this weekend to bake a batch?  (I know, I know, I just need to send you the ticket.  Sigh.)  I pieced the cupcake paper to match the layer behind the focal point.  It’s really simple with this set – just stamp the cupcake on your DSP and trim out the part of the image that you want.

This looks good and contains no calories.  I should be happy.  Yes, I should.

Soothing Sahara Sand

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Sometimes you need a card that is soothing.  Your message is simple and subdued, and your colors and images need to fit the same criteria:

Soothing Elements of Style

  • Elements of Style and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Sahara Sand card stock
  • Soft Suede Classic ink pad
  • Oval and Small Oval punches
  • 3/8 inch Vanilla Taffeta ribbon
  • Basic Pearl Jewels
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Although this card didn’t start out to be this understated I’m happy with it all the same.  As a matter of fact, if I’d set out to create a card that looked like this I’m not sure I would have been able to accomplish that task.

The ribbon embellishment is a pair of 1 1/2 inch pieces that are loosely hand stitched along one edge and gathered slightly.  The ends are drawn together and I’ve tied a knot to hold each short piece in a rough semicircle.  They’re attached to the back of the oval with a bit of SNAIL and a second Soft Suede oval is adhered over the first, sandwiching the ribbons in place so they’ll be secure.  The completed embellishment is attached to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Sahara Sand is an under-appreciated color in our palette.  I need to remember to choose it more often.

Card so nice, I made it twice

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Where has More Mustard been all of my life, and how did I overlook it for so long?

Blessings Brighten in More Mustard

  • Blessings Brighten Jumbo wheel
  • Always Artichoke ink cartridge
  • More Mustard, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla card stock
  • Always Artichoke Seam Binding
  • Antique brads
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder

Our new Antique brads really suit my style.  I love the texture they add to a card, and they come in a gorgeous range of finishes.  The only disadvantage to using them is that they really have to go in a padded envelope with extra postage if you want to put them in the mail, but that’s a small price to pay for such gorgeous-ness.  I liked this so well I did it again with the colors reversed:

Bright Blessings Always Artichoke

This is almost the same card.  I used the Vintage Wallpaper folder and the Victoria 5/8 inch crochet trim, and the accent behind the wheeled panel is Chocolate Chip.  Don’t know which one I like better – what do you think?

Thanks so much, Medallion

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It’s been such a long time since I’ve inked up my Medallion stamp.  I still love it just as much as I did the first time I laid eyes on it, but it seems there has been a lot of competition for my time in the stamp room.  The other day I decided to give that Medallion a little inky love:

Thanks So Much Medallion

  • Medallion and Thanks So Much stamps
  • Vintage Vogue Jumbo Stampin’ Around Wheel
  • Whisper White and Pear Pizazz card stock
  • Marina Mist and Pear Pizazz Classic ink pads
  • Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write markers
  • Basic Rhinestone Jewels
  • 1/8 inch Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon
  • 1 3/8 and Scallop Circle punches

I just can’t help cutting out that Medallion.  I’ve done it before and I love the look.  It’s really not that much work and I think it’s well worth the effort.  Matter of fact, when things slow down a little bit (ha ha ha, I crack myself up) I want to make this card in a bunch of different color combinations.  I think it would make a great set.

Frosty the Snow Globe Snow Man

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RemARKable Holiday 2010 Madness

Are you having a good time cruising through the RemARKables Holiday Madness?    I hope so, because I have something special for you today…

Last year, my upline Crystal and I made a snow globe card.  We were inspired by a card we spotted on the back of last year’s Holiday Mini catalog.  I’ve decided it needs to be an annual tradition, so if you will pound out a little drum-roll, I’ll present my 2010 Snow Globe:

Maui Stamper 2010 Snow Globe

  • Jolly Old St Nick Stamp Set
  • Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock
  • Play Date Designer Series Paper
  • Staz-on Black ink pad; Whisper White Craft ink pad; Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad
  • Baja Breeze and Pear Pizazz Stampin’ Write markers
  • Blender Pen and Stampin’ Pastels
  • Champage Mist Shimmer Paint and an Aquapainter
  • Pear Pizazz 1/2 inch ribbon
  • Snow Globe card template

Do you like it?  I think Frosty looks kind of frisky there among the trees.  He’s imaging some ice skates on his little snowman feet, and thinking about how he’d like to impress Frostina with his fancy footwork

I STILL get requests for the template for that card, and I am no rocket scientist, but I did find a rather klugey way of providing it for you – just click below:

snow_globe_card_template

Shouldn’t you have an annual Snow Globe card?  After all, Christmas is all about traditions.  If you make one, post it on your blog or in an online gallery with a link back to the Maui Stamper – I’d love to see what you’ve done!

Next Stop on the Holiday Madness Blog Tour

Christmas with a retro feeling

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RemARKable Holiday 2010 Madness

If I have a complaint about crafting, it’s that you’re always working ahead of the season.  I want to do Halloween things in October and Christmas things in December, but it just doesn’t work that way.  I need to HAVE Christmas things in December, so I need to be working on them now.  I don’t usually post them this early, but what would a Holiday Madness Blog Tour be without some Christmas projects?  Why, it would be sheer madness!

Dec 25 tag

  • Tags til Christmas stamp set
  • Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and whisper White card stock
  • Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper
  • Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Classic ink pads
  • Oval and Small oval punches; XL Designer Label punch
  • Whisper White 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

I love to do tags – they’re quick and easy, and you always need a bunch of them at Christmas time.  This one is only 2×3 inches so it very conveniently uses up those odd scraps of DSP that you can’t bear to throw away.

I’ve done a couple of cards, too:

Peace on Earth blog tour

  • Peaceful Season stamp set; Wonderfully Worn background stamp
  • Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and Naturals Ivory card stock
  • Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper
  • Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Classic ink pads
  • Gold Smooch Spritz
  • Antique Brads and Victoria crochet trim
  • Stampin Dimensionals

I’m gettin’ into that sparkly mood.  It’s a little dangerous in my house, because my husband really dislikes glitter.  Many years ago there was an incident with my teenage daughter’s glittery top and his cycling shorts in the washing machine, and glitter has been on his hit list ever since.  It doesn’t help that Dazzling Diamonds has a positive attraction to any and every surface known to humanity, either.  Fortunately, we have lots of liquid-based sparkly products so I can get my bling and shine going without driving my husband bonkers.  Check out Santa’s hat:

Jolly Saint Nick blog tour

  • Jolly Old St Nick and Peaceful Season stamp sets
  • Naturals White, Crumb Cake and Real Red card stock
  • Crumb Cake and Real Red Classic ink pad
  • Real Red Stampin’ Write marker
  • Blushing Bride and Real Red Classic ink refills
  • Aquapainter and Frost White Shimmer mist
  • Modern label punch and black brads
  • Big Shot and Petals a Plenty textured impression folder
  • Always Artichoke seam binding
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

I had some fun with that crazy seam binding!  I twisted it around and around until I ended up with a skinny little rope, then tied a knot.  Those fat ends looked strange with that cool ropey ribbon, so I snipped them a few times and I thought that was just the right touch.  You’lll see that again, I promise!

Be sure to check in tomorrow – I’ve got a special project for you to enjoy.

Next Stop on the Holiday Madness Blog Tour

Letterpress for Christmas

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RemARKable Holiday 2010 Madness

Even though it’s still September, it’s time to have a little Christmas Speak Peek.  After all, there are some pretty fabulous Christmas goodies in that Holiday Mini Catalog – wouldn’t you agree??  There are so many choices  but there was no question in my mind regarding where to start for Christmas.  Have you seen the Letterpress plates??

Joyful Season Letterpress card

  • Big Shot and Joyful Season Letterpress Plate
  • Watercolor paper; Real Red and Old Olive cardstock
  • Real Red and Old Olive Craft Ink Spots
  • Frost White Shimmer Paint and the Aquapainter
  • Paper Piercing Tool, Template and Mat
  • Scallop Trim Border punch
  • Real Red 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon

Can I get an Ooooo and an Aaahhh??  The heart-breaker here is that my photography doesn’t begin to do this technique justice.  The images aren’t just inked into the paper, they are truly pressed.  If you flip the paper over you can clearly see the reverse image, and that deep impression gives this card a very luxe look when you hold it in your hand.  The Frost White Shimmer paint was applied directly onto the image full strength with the Aquapainter for a little extra bling on the stockings – you can just see it at the tops of the two outside stockings, but it’s also on the stripes of the middle one.  (Dang.  I am going to have to spend good stamp money on a camera.  Double Dang.)

By the way, the dimensions for this card are 3 1/4 by 6 1/2 inches as you see it, and yes we do have envelopes for that size (#107286, $7.50 for 20, page 171 in the IBC).  This is a Christmas card that will truly turn heads!

And now for something a little different:

Letterpress Gift Box

  • Northern Hearts Level I Hostess Set (Holiday Mini)
  • Big Shot and Northern Trim Letterpress Plate
  • Watercolor Paper; Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise Classic ink pads
  • Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise Craft ink spots
  • Scallop Border Trim and Ornament punches
  • 1 and 1 1/4 inch circle punches
  • Basic rhinestone jewels and Linen Thread

I’ll be mailing Christmas gifts to my oldest daughter in Australia this year.  It’s gonna be tough – this is the first time one of my keiki will not be home on Christmas morning.  In case you haven’t checked, postage overseas is kind of expensive, so our gifts to her will be of the “Good Things Come In Small Packages” sort.  This flat little box will ship very nicely, and I have a pretty good idea of what I’m putting inside.  Can’t say, of course – she does check the blog, although I suspect both she and her sister check in just to see if I’ve said anything about them 🙂

I love all the bling on this package.  Those Basic Rhinestone Jewels and Pearls are such fun to use, and I swear that for every two I pull off the sheet, one grows back in their place.  These aren’t exactly your traditional Christmas colors, but I was inspired to go really bright with this project.  Hmmm…since this will be an Aussie package, I guess they are non-traditional Christmas Colours.

Next Stop on the Holiday Madness Blog Tour

Unraveling the twine

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RemARKable Holiday 2010 Madness

It’s Day Three of the RemARKable Holiday Madness blog tour and I think it’s about time I started moving through the holidays, don’t you?  I’m still living large with my Attitude of Gratitude, so it makes sense for me to share a couple of thankful-type cards with you.

This card makes me feel really, really happy.  I’m happy with the colors, I’m happy with the fuzzy ends of the hemp twine, I’m happy with that gorgeous brad, and I’m just flat out happy with the way it looks:

Paisley Prints So Many Thanks

  • Paisley Prints and So Many Thanks stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, Peach Parfait and So Saffron card stock
  • Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip, Peach Parfait and So Saffron Classic ink pads
  • Cajun Craze and Peach Parfait Stampin’ Write markers
  • Big Shot and Lattice Impressions Folder
  • Hemp Twine and Antique brad

I love all these textures!  Of all the different elements in a card I think it’s texture that gives the most interest.  There are so many ways to add dimension and I think I’ve hit a mother lode of them here:  the twine, the multiple colors, the Big Shot texture, the torn edges, and the brad.

Oh, that brad!!  I put a hole in the Very Vanilla panel and tied the twine through the hole and around the card.  Then I had the brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) of putting that brad through the hole, but the ends of the twine looked funny…kind of stiff…and, well, moustachey.  I started to fiddle with them and they began to unravel, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Next Stop on the Holiday Madness Blog Tour

The secret to my mojo

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RemARKable Holiday 2010 Madness

Welcome to Day Two of the RemARKables Holiday Madness Blog Hop.  Are you ready for some more RemARKable fun?

I’ve said it before…Autumn doesn’t happen in the islands the way it does in other places.  Our seasons are more notable for who is around.  We watch the kolea, humpback whales, or that special species know as homo sapiens touristus.  At different times of the year we enjoy mango, lychee, guava or lilikoi from a neighbor’s bush or tree.  But I don’t have a mango or a guava or a humpback stamp, I have pumpkins and autumn leaves:

Paisley Pumpkin 3x3

  • Paisley Prints and Pocket Silhouettes  stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Peach Parfait and Cajun Craze card stock
  • Peach Parfait and Cajun Craze Classic ink pads; Old Oliev and Cajun Craze Stampin’ Write markers
  • Bitty Buttons and Bitty punches; Linen thread

I am a big fan of these 3×3 cards.  They’re just the right size for a quickie note and I like designing in miniature too.  This time of year, you just can’t have enough thank you notes around and I like to stock up a few for good measure.  The Bitty Buttons and punches are the perfect accent at this scale and of course no project is complete without a little of that fabulous Linen Thread.  I always have an extra package of that as a backup – if I ran out I might lose my mojo!

Next Stop on the Holiday Madness Blog Tour