GNOMES, GNOMES AND MORE GNOMES!

Posted on November 28, 2022 by mauistamper

The collective name for a gathering of gnomes is a Donsy, and I created a doozy of a Donsy with the Kindest Gnomes stamps and dies!

Stamps: Kindest Gnomes, Penguin Place, Peaceful Deer
Color Palette: Basic White, Night of Navy, Bermuda Bay, Sweet Sorbet, and a few random bits
Accessories: Big Boss, Gnome Dies, Storybook Gnomes DSP, Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder, Stitched Rectangles dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Iridescent Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Wink of Stella, Stampin’ Dimensionals

There are bits and pieces of other DSP and papers in all the variations – if you desperately need to know what something is, leave me a comment. I assembled the gnomes with Tombo Multipurpose Glue and then adhered them to the embossed circles with Stampin’ Dimensionals. This was creative matching at its finest!

These cards got a little dusting of Bermuda Bay snowflakes inside. They’re my cards, and I get to choose the colors! Besides, who knows what color it would snow if it snowed on Maui?

I used different sheets of the Storybook Gnomes DSP and mixed and matched hats and feet (and a few noses, too!) to come up with a Gnome Squad of cards. The message from Penguin Place had serious gnome vibes, but I used a few traditional Merry Christmas sentiments as well. Do you have a favorite?

I kinda like the guy in the middle. He has serious middle earth vibes. If you’re still holding out on the gnomes, do yourself a favor. Check out the Gnomes HERE.

If elegance and romance are your style, you’ll love the Fitting Florets Collection, available now as a sneak peek to the new mini catalog coming in January 2023. The Framed Florets and coordinating dies will be available in January, but the Framed and Festive Stamps, Designer Series Paper, and Gold Swirls are available only while supplies last. Get them HERE!

Be sure to subscribe by December 10th for your Craft Escape in a box! The December kit has everything you need for adorable gift card holders. This is an all seasons kit, so make it now or make it later!

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

Our Mini Catalog is packed with new designs and products to inspire and delight. There’s something for everyone, and one of my favorite Do-Not-Miss-This products is our Embossing Additions Tool Kit with all the tools you’ll need for perfect results.

The 2023 DIY Template is now available! It’s just $5 and you may use it to make as many calendars as you like. It includes a page of covers, 12 monthly calendar blocks (4 to a page), and a set of cutting instructions. The blocks are designed to be cut to 3 1/2″ square.

Maui Stamper 2023 DIY Easel Calendar template $5

Contact me to make your payment – I use Square to invoice, and you don’t need an account to use it.

MERRIEST MOMENTS

Posted on November 21, 2022 by mauistamper

The intricate floral frame from the Merriest Frame dies sets the stage for a beautiful traditional card, complete with poinsettias and sparkle.

Stamps: Merriest Moments
Color Palette: Basic White, Real Red, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry (inside)
Accessories: Big Boss, Merriest Frames dies, Boughs of Holly DSP, Linen Thread, Gold 3/8″ Shimmer Ribbon, Vellum, Stampin’ Dimensionals, retired gold embellishment

I struggled for a bit with the Designer Series paper: it’s pretty bold, and I was trying to use it almost full size on the card front. It was too busy and it overwhelmed the floral frame. But there were some skinny scraps in the chaos that calls itself my craft desk, and they turned out to be just the thing!

More out of the box…I wanted wispy bits of gold ribbon and there was none to be had. However, the end of my gold shimmer ribbon was a little frayed, and as soon as I started pulling on it I realized it was exactly what I needed!! This time I used the warp, not the weft, by cutting a 12 inch piece of ribbon and trimming off one edge. These pieces started unraveling as though they were made for that very purpose!

Craft a little joy this season with the Merriest Moments stamps and Merriest Frames dies and embossing folder!

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

Contact me to make your payment – I use Square to invoice, and you don’t need an account to use it.

TAGS: Jolly, Jingle, Believe!!

Posted on November 16, 2022 by mauistamper

Jingle Jingle was the one Christmas set I knew I had to have from the July-December mini. Well. And the Gnomes…and the Caroling Mice…and Leaves of Holly…who can resist a good Christmas stamp set? And it’s 15% off until the 18th!

Stamps: Jingle Jingle
Color Palette: Basic White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Soft Succulent
Accessories: Big Boss, Tailored Tags dies, retired ribbons

Tailored Tags is a lifesaver and it’s 20% off until the 18th!! I just treated myself to a second set so that I could cut them out even faster. You can double up Basic White card stock and cut two layers at once if you have fresh cutting pads. With two sets of dies, that means I can cut four at a time.

These are super simple by design. Sure, you could fussy cut BELIEVE because it’s mostly straight lines. You could emboss the stars and add bling, too. But this is simple stamping in its most pure form and when you’re busy, busy, busy, it’s the difference between imagined and done.

Can you stand that Santa hat? It can pair with so many other stamps.

I briefly considered adding the Flat Jingle Bell Trinkets to JINGLE. It would be the perfect touch, but it would be extra. This time of year, you don’t have to do EVERYTHING over the top. Choose where to invest your effort and let simple be just that!

Put some Tailored Tags and Jingle Jingle stamps in your shopping cart and you’ll have a beautiful stack of tags in no time. You’ll feel so proud that you got it done.

Don’t miss the Seasonal Sale through November 18th! Use Host Code MDDWAJGG unless your order is $150 – then please be your own host!

10% off all PUNCHES
15% off all STAMPS (excluding host stamps)
20% off all DIES
20% off all EMBOSSING FOLDERS
20% off all non-specialty DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

Save on gifts! Save on re-stocking your craft supplies! Save on stuffing your OWN stocking! Shop in the Online Store.

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

Contact me to make your payment – I use Square to invoice, and you don’t need an account to use it.

Leaves of Holly Triple Fun Fold Card

Posted on October 30, 2022 by mauistamper

At Backstage, Stampin’ Up!’s Leadership Conference, I received a swapped card made with this triple Fun Fold technique. It’s easy to do – but you do have to pay attention, as I’ve assembled it backwards more than once.

Stamps: Leaves of Holly
Color Palette: Basic White, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Soft Succulent, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Boss, Holly Berry Dies, Boughs of Holly DSP, Gold 3/8″ Shimmer ribbon, Red Foil (retired, but Festive Foils is an alternative), Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stampin’ Trimmer

This card does get a little thick, so you might need an additional postage stamp to mail it. However, it does have space behind the panels for stamped or handwritten messages or a photo, so you can really customize it to suit your purposes.

Here’s a FILE that will help you cut your paper to create this card. Be warned, there aren’t any photos!

While I’ve made a Christmas card, this Fun Fold would be a perfect birthday card with a gift card tucked into one of the panels. Check out the Boughs of Holly Suite, but feel free to explore with your favorite DSP!

If your wish list is over $99, you may want to become a discount shopper and purchase the customizable starter kit. Through October 31st, you’ll save even more – you’ll get $155 in product + business supplies + free shipping. Click JOIN MY TEAM. Need more information? Message me.

Be sure to subscribe by November 10th for your Craft Escape in a box! The November kit coordinates with last month’s card kit, and makes 12 sparkly tags so you’ll be ready to wrap your packages.

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

Contact me to make your payment – I use Square to invoice, and you don’t need an account to use it.

Ornamental Envelopes make great cards!

Posted on November 15, 2020 by mauistamper

A stamp and die set named Ornamental Envelopes may not evoke cards, but think twice, my dear Crafty Friends! You’ll want this combo all year long for the details that make a handmade card stand out from the rest.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Ornamental Envelope Handmade Christmas Card

Stamps: Ornamental Envelopes, A Merry Hello (host)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Real Red
Accessories: Envelopes dies, Stampin Cut & Emboss, Stamparatus, Tis the Season Designer Series paper, Stampin Dimensionals, Red Rhinestone Jewels

I’ve CASEd this project from the classic style of Mary Fish. I’ve made very few changes, although I chose to simplify the DSP strip and layer it on top of the card front rather than recess it. I’m stamping this with a group, so simple made sense! The Stamparatus really helps when you want to be sure that group of ornaments is hanging perfectly straight off the top of your card.

The talented Ms. Fish embellished her envelope (how could we not?) but I had another idea. It was a little over-the-top, and I wouldn’t do it for a huge stack of envelopes, but I love how it turned out:

I am quite pleased with myself to have found a Santa postage stamp – this is last year’s edition (or who knows, it could be 2013.) The front of the envelope is stamped, but it’s the flap that is the pièce de résistance:

I created an envelope liner with the envelope die using a piece of the Tis the Season DSP and then I cut the envelope with this embellishing die. I ran that die through the Stamp Cut & Emboss again using Red Foil and picked out the little red circles and adhered them in the pukas (Hawaiian word for holes) using Tombo Multi Purpose Glue.

You NEED the Envelope dies, and if you’re going to order them, you really ought to take advantage of the savings you’ll get when you purchase the whole bundle. The bundle is only available until January 4, 2021, so get it while it’s hot!! Visit the Online Store and check that little to-do off your list.

You’re welcome! 💕

Stitched Triangle Trees Two Ways

Posted on November 15, 2020 by mauistamper

Our series of Stitched Dies – Stitched Triangles, Rectangles, Ovals, Circles, Labels – provide a quick and easy “step up” to any project. The Tree Angle stamps in the August – December mini catalog got me thinking, but in the end it was Tis the Season Designer Series Paper that made these cards come to life.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Tis the Seasons Stitched Triangle Tree handmade card

Stamps: Tree Angle, Poinsettia Petals, Birch
Color Palette: Whisper White, Real Red, Shaded Spruce, Mint Macaron
Accessories: Stitched Triangle dies, Stampin’ Cut & Emboss, Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder, All the Trimmings Embellishments, Rhinestone gems, Wink of Stella, Crinkle White Seam binding, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I love that little Bumblebee star at the top of the tree! That star was the reason I purchased the All the Trimmings Embellishments. I’m sure I’ll find a use for the Poppy Parade and Whisper White dots, but ooo that star!

It’s hard to see the texture from the Tasteful Textile EF, but it makes such a difference. It’s my current favorite EF because it has presence and it’s subtle (but not as subtle as the Subtle folder, ha!). There are other ways to accomplish texture, though:

I used the Birch background stamp, and one of my new techniques is to paint directly onto the stamp with Wink of Stella. Stella has enough shimmer that you can see it even without lighting.

You knew this was coming, right? I could keep going, as there are so many fun patterns in the Tis the Season paper stack – did I mention it’s 6×6? So much easier to store, and mentally so much easier to chop up. I’m making a very intentional effort to actually USE all of my DSP. (I know, what a concept.) Shop for everything you need at my Online Store.

Are you a bear lover? Don’t miss out on this charming Paper Pumpkin kit to be shipped in December. Popular kits have sold out, and this one is a candidate – subscribe today to be sure this little red package shows up in your mailbox!

Poinsettia Place: The Slimline Card

Posted on November 12, 2020 by mauistamper

I’m a little late to the party on Slimline cards, but I’m happy with my first effort. Poinsettia Place was the first thing on my list for the August-December mini catalog, even though back in July my heart just wasn’t into Christmas crafting! News flash: it’s November and it’s time to get cracking.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Poinsettia Place Slimline card handmade with custom envelope

Stamps: Poinsettia Place
Color Palette: Garden Green, Old Olive, Real Red, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Gold foil
Accessories: Poinsettia dies, Stamp Cut & Emboss, Poinsettia Place DSP, Gold Foil, Forever Greenery Trim Combo pack (Gold thread), Metallic Pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Fluid 100 watercolor paper, Water Painters, Detailed Trio Punch, Red Rhinestone gems, Wink of Stella. (Phew! Did I miss anything?)

When I first started using the Gold trim, I struggled to keep it from unraveling. (TIP: put a little glue from the Fine Tip Glue pen on the cut end to stop it from fraying.) My OCD self has experienced enlightenment now, and I encourage it to unravel – I love all those little threads!

This card measures 3 3/4″ x 8 3/4″ folded, or 7 1/2″ x 8 3/4″ unfolded. The envelope is very simple to create with the Simply Scored tool. I began with a piece of 8 1/2″ x 11″ card stock and with the long end across the top of my Simply Scored I marked 1 1/2″ and 10 1/2″. I turned the card stock a quarter turn so that the short end was across the top of the Simply Scored and marked 2″ and 6″. Cut away the rectangles at the four corners, fold along the score lines, and assemble the envelope with Stampin’ Seal+. I trimmed the top edges of the envelope before I adhered it so there would be a small reveal, and I cut a piece of Designer Series paper 3 3/8″ wide and 3″ long to line the top of the envelope. The Detailed Trio punch rounds the corners perfectly!

I used a few drops of ink refill in Real Red, Garden Green and Old Olive to watercolor the poinsettia and the leaves with our fabulous new Water Pens. These images are really forgiving, which made the watercoloring really enjoyable. I don’t have any formal art training, so it’s always an adventure to see how things turn out.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Poinsettia Place Suite

Ready to add this gorgeous suite to your collection? These are timeless, classic images that you’ll reach for again and again. Shop HERE.

Brightly Gleaming Coffee Carrier

Posted on October 9, 2020 by mauistamper

The ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS Brightly Gleaming Designer Series paper was so popular last year that it’s making a “Hana Hou” (one more time!) appearance this year. Those metallic accents work beautifully with the kraft composition of our charming Mini Coffee Carrier.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Brightly Gleaming Mini Coffee Carrier gift packaging

Stamps: Christmas Gleaming
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Pretty Peacock, Night of Navy
Accessories: Mini Coffee Carrier, Scalloped Tag Topper punch, Brightly Gleaming Designer Series paper, Copper Foil, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write markers, Paper Snips, Old Olive/Pretty Peacock reversible ribbon, Star Designer Elements, Stampin’ Dimensionals

This tag makes me happy.

I love the play of colors, the gleam of the copper, the tonality of the Stampin’ Blends and the slightly-off-tradition combination of Poppy Parade and Pretty Peacock.

I choose to cut the DSP into four panels rather than try to wrap it around in one piece. It’s really hard to get it even when you wrap it! My pieces are all 2 1/4″ high: the long side is 5 5/8″ and the short side is 2 5/8″. The fit is tight, which is what I wanted.

Our printed gusseted cello bags are a perfect fit to hold candies or other small treats, and of course our coordinating Mini Coffee Cups are a perfect fit. A bottle of hand soap or moisturizer fits well, and a 3″ candle is a perfect fit too. At $5 for a package of 8 carriers, this is an economical way to beautifully package small holiday gifts!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up 2020 Designer Series paper sale

Don’t miss our DSP sale this month! Buy as few or as many packages you want at great savings. There are 15 papers included in this promotion, including 5 holiday assortments and some beautiful neutrals as well. See all the details and stock up HERE.

One Last #Elfie

Posted on December 30, 2019 by mauistamper

I may have finally crossed the line into Crafty Craziness. I was inspired by a card in a private demonstrator group, which was fine, but then I decided to make multiples. You’ll see:

Stamps: #Elfie
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Mossy Meadow, Balmy Blue, Ivory (Stampin Blend)
Accessories: Retired DSP, On Film Framelit (Retired), Paper Snips, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Stampin’ Blends, Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals, Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive)

There’s a LOT of coloring and an absolutely RIDICULOUS amount of fussy cutting in this card. I don’t think I would make this many again (I made more than 10, less than 20).

But it sure is cute! I’m smitten with these elves, and I know their time is almost up. Stampin’ Up! has had versions of elves for the last 3 or 4 holiday catalogs, and they never carry over so I’m not expecting to see #Elfie after Thursday.

That said, if you want an #Elfie of your own, you’d better skedaddle on over to the Online Store and order one ASAP. You’ve got until close of business Mountain Time on January 2, 2020.

Tags are the new cookies

Posted on December 19, 2019 by mauistamper

Hear me out now, before you start shouting at me! I love cookies as much as the next girl but this time of year they seem to be lurking around every corner, and it gets dangerous. One of my host clubs exchanged tags every year instead, and it’s such fun!

Stamps: #Elfie
Color Palette, Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Shaded Spruce, Daffodil Delight, soft Suede, Ivory Seaside Spray, Rococco Rose
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Snowfall Puff Paint, Heat Tool, Wink of Stella

The puff paint is amazing! It’s a quick way to add some fun texture. Be sure to let it puff up all the way, and then I find it’s more durable if you let it sit for half an hour or so before touching or stacking it. I make it the last step and then set the tags aside to “cure”. Watch this video for more: https://s.tamp.in/yo-AGL

A dozen of these went together really quickly – but you need to enjoy coloring. I didn’t do any shadowing because it’s such a small image.

To create a little blush in #Elfie’s cheeks, I dabbed a dot of Rococco Rose Blends and then blurred it with the color lifter. Do this BEFORE you add the skin tone (I used ivory) or you’ll see a funny circle.

Make a tag, swap a tag! There’s still time!

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

Category Archives: Christmas

GNOMES, GNOMES AND MORE GNOMES!

MERRIEST MOMENTS

TAGS: Jolly, Jingle, Believe!!

Leaves of Holly Triple Fun Fold Card

Ornamental Envelopes make great cards!

Stitched Triangle Trees Two Ways

Poinsettia Place: The Slimline Card

Brightly Gleaming Coffee Carrier

One Last #Elfie

Tags are the new cookies

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