It’s RemARKably…Succulent!

Posted on February 19, 2017 by mauistamper

Welcome to the February 2017 RemARKable Blog tour. Our primary focus this month is succulents – and it seems everyone is just a little succulent-crazy these days! What’s not to like about these diversely shaped, easy to grow, low-water-use beauties? Especially when they’re made out of paper – talk about easy care!!

I used the Oh So Succulent bundle to create a generous little heap of die cuts in a variety of greens and began to layer them. I used the Woodgrain TIEF to suggest a log and to give them a neutral base without overwhelming them.

The fun for me was not just in the placement of the die cuts, but in adding the textures from different stamps, the gold thread, and ultimately, diamond jewels. Imagine them as drops of water on the canvas and you’ll see what I saw!

When I finished the traditional card, I had some leftovers and realized how easily the same layout would adapt to a 3×3 note card. It would certainly work with a larger square format, but I’m quite fond of this size.

Enjoy the rest of the tour! Click HERE to move forward to Audra Monk – the full tour is below.

Anne Matasci – you are HERE!!

Sending RemARKable Love

Posted on January 15, 2017 by mauistamper

Welcome to the January 2017 RemARKable Blog tour. Our focus this month is Sending Love – which in addition to a wonderful practice, is a fabulous Stampin’ Up! product suite!

I’ve taken the obvious route and chosen Valentines, but these projects could easily be adapted to other expressions of love – wedding, anniversary, or just Love ya, Babe!

This is our fabulous Popcorn Box thinlit made up in Blushing Bride. There’s a panel of Falling in Love DSP behind all of that embellishment, as well as a Delicate White Doily spritzed with Sahara Sand and smushed for texture. (SMUSH is an active verb.)

Stitched Shapes Framelits will be available again on January 16th – be ready to order!! Product #145372 will cost $30 and will be sold as supplies last.

The Sealed With Love set sentiment is stamped twice with Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand – photopolymer stamps make the placement easy as can be!

I LOVE the Sending Love Glassine Sheets, and they are perfect for creating the little envelopes in the Love Notes Framelits. I also love how that row of hearts fits perfectly across the top of the little note insert.

The TIEF is called Falling Petals, but let’s be serious. They’re hearts. Sheesh. {wink}

Next up is Heather Mathieson. Click on the image below, or scroll down to the list of blog tour participants for more inspiration! Thanks for stopping by.

Anne Matasci YOU ARE HERE!!

RemARKable Goodies!

Posted on November 20, 2016 by mauistamper

Welcome to the November RemARKable Blog tour! Although Thanksgiving is just a few days away, we’re looking ahead to Christmas. After all, with pumpkin pie to bake (and eat) who has time for hours of Thanksgiving crafting?

Yesterday was the Maui Stampers & Friends 5th Annual Craft Fair, and these Cocoa and Sweets Easel Gifts flew out the door:

I pulled out all sorts of resources for this one, but the base is Real Red and the Designer Series Paper is Presents and Pinecones from the Holiday catalog. There are die cuts from the Stitched Shapes, Bear Hugs, and Perfect Pines framelits, and there’s a bit of the retired Real Red Pompom trim stapled to the side (that trim was the BEST!)

The tree is embossed with the glorious Emerald Envy Glitter Embossing Powder, and I used a sponge dauber to add the same color the the bear’s Dazzling Diamonds Bow Tie.

These easel boxes fit perfectly in the 6″ x 17″ gusset cellophane bags – in fact, I think all my Christmas gifting is going to be in these bags. Forget the “No Peeking” tags – peek all you want!!

Our RemARKable leader, Jan, posted a video demonstrating just how easy it is to make these easel boxes. The size is easily adapted to customize to your needs, and you can use up all of those odds and ends of paper, embellishments and die cuts that are on your craft desk because you can’t bear to throw them away (Go on, confess, you know you hoard them! I certainly do!)

We’re doing our best to both inspire you and offer quick solutions to your gifting needs this month, so carry on through the tour for ideas you can use today. Next up is Audra Monk!

Anne Matasci – YOU ARE HERE

DIY Easel calendar kits are available for 2017!

The DIY Easel Calendar kit is $9.00, and I also make a DIY Calendar Refill available for $6.00. The calendar images are 3 1/2″ square, and the mats are 3 3/4″ square.

Shipping is by USPS and will be sent First Class or Priority Mail. I ship the best possible method at the best possible price and will calculate based on what you order. Typically, a single Calendar refill can be sent in a First Class envelope with postage of $.68. Easel Calendar Kits are shipped Priority Mail Small Flat Rate with postage of $6.80. I can ship multiple kits in one box.

Mats are Dapper Denim, Marina Mist, Emerald Envy, Cucumber Crush, Mint Macaron, Sweet Sugarplum, Real Red, Watermelon Wonder, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Tip Top Taupe, Delightful Dijon and Daffodil Delight.

To order, leave a comment or email me directly at AnneMatasci@gmail.com. I’ll need your order and your email address, and will send an invoice via Square. At this time, I’m not shipping these outside of the United States.

RemARKably Thoughtful Branches

Posted on August 21, 2016 by mauistamper

RemARKable Blog Tour

Welcome to the August RemARKable Blog Tour. We’re featuring the exclusive, available-only-this-month scrum-tiddily-umptious Thoughtful Branches stamp set, paired with the Beautiful Branches thinlits. I’m not featuring the thinlits today, but you can see them used HERE and HERE. Instead, I’m focusing on the trees.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Thoughtful Branches

I elected to keep this card on the simple side. You could use just about any sentiment – thanks, sympathy, hello or even Christmas. I made it a birthday card because, well, #imbringingbirthdaysback. Aren’t you?

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Thoughtful Branches

The color palette is Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White and Crumb Cake. I’ve used the Thoughtful Branches stamp set and the Thoughtful Banners set for the sentiment. The Designer Series Paper is from the Subtles Stack. Oh, and of course I’ve used Stampin’ Dimensionals!

I love that you can stamp the trunk independently of the branches. No more fussy markering the stamps! (Ha!! My spell-check doesn’t think MARKERING is a word. Silly spell-check.)

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Thoughtful Branches

This card is slightly stepped up – but not too much. I used the Floral Boutique DSP and the Softly Falling TIEF for texture, and added a little sparkle with the Wink of Stella clear brush. The image is cut with Ovals framelits, and I added a greeting cut from Silver Foil paper using the Christmas Greetings thinlits.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Thoughtful Branches

This beautiful, versatile set is only available this month. You can purchase the stamps, the thinlits or the bundle, but whatever you do, don’t wait!

Next up on the tour is Audra Monk, and you know she always has a great RemARKable post. Enjoy the tour!

Mary Jo Price Williams

It’s RemARKably Foxy around here {wink}

Posted on July 17, 2016 by mauistamper

Welcome to the new Sunday RemARKable Blog Tour! I hope you’ll enjoy our new day – third Sunday of the month, still 2pm HST (8pm EST – we won’t go into the business about when and how that changes. I just use world clocks on my phone to keep track!)

This month I’m sharing a project I did for a dear friend who is expecting a baby boy in August. I started by making her a card:

I used a lot of different products, but the foundation is the Foxy Friends stamp set, the Fox Builder punch, and the A Little Foxy DSP stack. You could spend DAYS (ask me how I know) playing with all of the variations of the stamps and punch. And I kept it to a simple color palette – if I had started experimenting there I would still be stamping!!

I cut an oval in the DSP and added a bit of background. The Duet Builder punch gave me a frame for my sentiment, and the little toadstools from the Foxy Friends set were the perfect accent.

Stamps: Foxy Friends, Thoughtful Banners, retired sentiment
Color Palette: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray
Accessories: Big Shot, Ovals Framelits, Fox Builder Punch, Duet Banner punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The next step was to create some Thank You notes for the new Mama. I used our Note Card sets – the cards are cut and scored and come with envelopes – and created three designs. The grayscale images in the DSP stack are perfect when you’re working with this much color!

I had a lot of fun playing with the tilted heads on these little guys. Some of these poor critters may need a chiropractor.

It’s a tough call, but I think the raccoon might be my favorite. We don’t have any of these critters on Maui, but I have lots of raccoon memories from my mainland days. Some are fond, and some are not so fond (trying to defeat a very determined raccoon intent on dumping our trash at 1am).

I can’t imagine this sweet face digging in my trash!

The third and final member of the the Thank You Trio is this little stinker. Each card uses an identical layout, but has slight color and DSP variations.

The punch has plenty of little shapes and pieces – enough to keep a creative mind at work for a long time.

Take a visit along the RemARKable tour – Heather Mathieson is next and she always has great ideas! Thanks for stopping by today.

Mary Jo Price-Wililams

It’s RemARKably NEW!

Posted on June 9, 2016 by mauistamper

Welcome to the June RemARKable Blog Tour! Many of our paper artists are featuring brand new 2016-2017 Annual Catalog product, and we hope you’ll be inspired.

I’m featuring fruit today – Fresh Fruit, in fact! What says summer better than fruit, and what fruit is more a symbol of the islands than the pineapple?

You might notice that I didn’t stamp the top of the pineapple. It just didn’t look right to me, but these little bonus bits did the trick. Don’t recognize them? These are the negative pieces from the widest Thinlit in the new Swirly Scribbles set.

I inked the pineapple in So Saffron, then added touches of Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry and So Suede ink with sponges and markers. A quick spritz before stamping helped to blend the colors.

While I was playing with the new Fresh Fruit photopolymer set, I realized that the pear looked just like the mango I ate for breakfast this morning. I stamped the fruit in Pear Pizazz (of course!) and then sponged on a little So Saffron and Calypso Coral.

The “basket” is another piece from the Swirly Scribbles framelits, cut in half and with a few extra bits added on. And that birthday stamp is straight from Fresh Fruit – I just chopped it up.

I tried to create a lemon, but I think it takes a little imagination to see it:

We just came back from a trip and I found Lemon Bon Bons in a candy shop. They’re a total sugar bomb – but for some reason I love them. Maybe it’s just that I associate them with my travels.

At any rate, they fit perfectly into our brand new Clear Tiny Treat Boxes (2″x2″x2″). Our brand new Layering Circles Framelits – complete with tiny scallops – created a shape I could pretend was a lemon!

What do you think? Your next stop on the tour is Heather Mathieson. I see plenty of Surprise and Delight in this new catalog! Visit the other RemARKables to see more.

Anne Matasci YOU ARE HERE

What a RemARKable Spring!

Posted on April 14, 2016 by mauistamper

Aloha and welcome to the Valley Isle, where we don’t celebrate Spring as much as we celebrate whale season, mango season, lychee season and tourist season! I know some of the stops on this RemARKable Spring tour have taken you to places still waiting for the sun, but here on Maui you can throw off your jacket and glide into your rubbah slippahs.

Stamps: Circle of Spring, Hardwood, Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot and Wreath Framelits, Stampin’ Trimmer, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Triple Banner Punch, Blender Pens, Pink Rhinestone Jewels (retired from a kit so old I can’t begin to tell you it’s age!)

The markings on the Stampin’ Trimmer make it very easy to cut away the top panel. I trimmed off 2 1/8″ to create the gate effect.

The wreath is colored quickly and simply with Blender Pens. With this much detail, I like the ability to work with a fine tip but still have control over color saturation. The Blender Pen allows more color variety than a Stampin’ Write marker.

If you know me, I’ll bet you guessed this was coming! This is my favorite combination and it’s hard for me to pass up an opportunity to showcase how well these colors play together.

In addition to Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Wild Wasabi, I’ve used Soft Sky, Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight. I often choose Pool Party in a case like this, but I liked the more subtle shade of Soft Sky this time.

The slats for the fence are made by using the Hardwood background stamp and cutting them with the Stampn’ Trimmer right along the board lines in the image. They end up being about 3/8″ wide, and I take one board and slice it in half for the cross bars. I tuck the end of the slat into the back of the Triple Banner punch to get a perfect peak.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these cards. Time to head over to see what Heather Mathieson has done for this month’s RemARKable Spring Blog Tour.

Anne Matasci – YOU ARE HERE!

The Last RemARKable Month of Sale-a-bration

Posted on March 10, 2016 by mauistamper

There are 21 day left in Sale-a-bration: 21 glorious days when every $50 you spend earns you FREE exclusive products. The RemARKables are sharing SAB inspiration this month:

There’s a LOT going on here – and I love that it all coordinates! Stampin’ Up! is the Coordination Super Hero.

Stamps: Botanicals for You (SAB), Honeycomb Happiness (SAB), Easter Lamb
Color Palette: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder
Accessories: Botanical Gardens DSP, Big Shot Fry Box Bigz L, Ovals Framelits and Zig Zag TIEF, Fringe Scissors, Botanical Gardens Washi Tape, Metallics Glitter Tape (SAB), Wink of Stella brush, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is a face only a mother could love. There’s a HEAP of Stella (none of that Winkin’ business here) and up close it looks as though this chick did a face plant out at Keawakapu Beach. In real life, it’s just super-sparkly.

I trimmed the front of the Fry Box to within 1/8″ of the side and bottom tabs, then turned them under and attached the box to the card front with dimensionals to create a true 3-D basket.

I had a blast with these eggs. Arrange Washi on card stock and then use the Oval Framelits collection to give you a perfect oval egg. That’s silver Metallic Glitter Tape – no adhesive required!

Stamps: Botanicals for You
Color Palette: Whisper White, Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder, So Saffron, Blushing Bride, Island Indigo
Accessories: 2015-2017 In Color Designer Paper Stack, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is softer and simpler, and will suit any occasion. I like to have a stash of cards like this – I can add a sentiment inside and have a birthday, thank you, or Easter card as quickly as you can open an ink pad.

Rhinestone jewels are featured on the Weekly Deals through Monday. I consider myself “out” of Rhinestone jewels when I’m down to 3 (unopened) packages. What’s your number?

I hope you found a little inspiration here today! Bloggers are always grateful when you pin our creations and share what you love. If you comment on the posts as you travel through the blog today you’ll make our blogger hearts fill with delight!

Heather Mathieson is next up, and the full tour is listed below in case you want to go your own way.

Anne Matasci – YOU ARE HERE!!

RemARKable Sale-a-bration Celebrations

Posted on February 11, 2016 by mauistamper

Welcome to the February edition of the RemARKable Blog tour. I hope you can BEAR what I have to share today – (groan)

I love these bears. They’re round and they have whimsical faces and then there are those honkin’ claws. Stampin’ Up! keeps it honest there.

The Bear Hugs stamp set has a matching set of framelits, but I didn’t have them available when I created these cards and chose to trim them out with my snips. This guy is inked in Soft Suede, and then I used a damp Aquapainter to blur the color and add Blushing Bride highlights to his nose and ears. The fish are sparkled with clear Wink of Stella, and they’re hanging from a linen thread rope.

I brought the whole Bear Family together for the second card – same color scheme, same Woodlands TIEF but a different scene altogether. (Note that the Woodlands TIEF will be available in the 2016-2017 Annual Catalog but is not currently available to order.)

I used the same technique for the ink on the trees, but I used a much lighter hand on the first card. The daubers allow you a lot of flexibility that way, and these two cards really illustrate the difference.

I LOVE THESE FACES!!!

Click on the image to see what Heather Mathieson has created for your crafting inspiration. The tour links are listed below if you’re looking for a particular artist. Thanks for visiting!

Anne Matasci YOU ARE HERE!

It’s a RemARKable New Year

Posted on January 14, 2016 by mauistamper

Welcome to the 2016 RemARKable Blog Tour, where we showcase the versatility and creative options of Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Botanical Blooms photopolymer, Happy Birthday Everyone (Host)
Color Palette: Mint Macaron, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Botanical Builder framelits, Pearl jewels, Crushed Curry Baker’s Twine

I had a serious problem getting that edge going the right direction across the bottom of the card. It should be simple, but I’m famous for making simple things complicated. To avoid the problem in the future, I marked my framelit:

Just to be perfectly clear, the arrows should point towards the bottom edge of the card!

It’s addicting one you begin to play with all of the floral pieces – I ended up with a lot of extras, and I tucked them into one of our clear envelopes to store with the framelits.

I also used the same concept to update the cover on the Kraft Grid Journal, currently available on the Clearance Rack at $1.98 for a package of 2. They’re perfect for tucking into a bag or desk drawer, or to keep in the car for those random (BRILLIANT) ideas that always pop into my head when I’m driving.

I used Versamark for the cover of the Kraft Journal, and added stamped details in Crumb Cake. A couple of stamps and a little sponging created texture on the blooms, and a little more Baker’s Twine finished off the look.

The Botanical Blooms bundle includes stamps, framelits and Designer Series paper with a great tropical flair – I know it will be a big hit here in Hawaii! It’s also a natural during Sale-a-bration, as it’s perfectly priced to qualify for a free SAB stamp set or paper pack.

Click below to see what Heather Mathieson has created this month – or scroll to the bottom of the page to take your own customized trip through the tour. Enjoy!