Category Archives: Stampin' Up!

It’s “Bearly” February

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We’re kinda short on bears here on Maui…but I found one for February’s calendar:

Maui Stamper DIY Easel Calendar Bear Hugs February 2016

Maui Stamper DIY Easel Calendar Bear Hugs February 2016

I love that face!  And I chose to fussy-cut the hat and the heart – I wanted them to be really tight to the edge.

Bear Hugs is available as wood mount or clear mount.  It’s also available in a bundle with coordinating framelits.  Shop HERE!

Visit Cheryl and Crystal to see what they have done for their February calendars.

 

This is not your Mother’s blog post

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Buckle your seatbelts, my friends.  If you consider yourself easily shocked, you might want to visit another blog today.  There’s a story here…

Maui Stamper Honeycomb Happiness Hell-o

I designed this card for my Hostess Club, because I really didn’t think the one I WANTED to make was appropriate.  For the record, here are the supplies:

  • Stamps:  Honeycomb Hello
  • Color Palette:  So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
  • Accessories:  Botanical Builder Framelits, Botanical Gardens DSP, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestone Jewels, Iced Rhinestone Embellishments, Aquapainter

Maui Stamper Honeycomb Happiness Hell-o

You have to be a little careful with this chick, because there’s attitude in that face.  And this is where the story begins.

I’m gonna let my BFF tell it – actually, she practically demanded that I let her write this post.

This card is not for the faint of heart.  Or for the Fragile Friends.

So… a bit of background.  Imagine.  Late night in a stampin’ garage dodging insects.  (And by late night, I mean, 9:00…cause my normal bedtime is 7:30… so we are talking LATE).  And a couple of stampers, who shall remain nameless to protect their identities, were perusing the new Occasions Catalog.  And at this time of night, delirium has set in.  Severe case of the funnies has set in.  We get to Honeycomb Hello.  Love the bird, the stamps, but decide how USEFUL an OH HELL sentiment could be.  And how we are apparently missing this sentiment from our stampin’ arsenal.  Well, don’t you love the markering stamp technique??  Allows you to put ink where you want and not where you don’t.  So…you can make whatever sentiment you like.

Maui Stamper Honeycomb Happiness Hell-o

 

This is the perfect card for your bestest bff of all time.  Cause they are the ones you call when you have the phrase… “Well, you’ll never guess what I did today….” or when you forgot something significant, or when you are needing comfort… but in ALL those situations, OH HELL works!!  And cause she is your bestest BFF, she totally gets it.  And jumps right into the madness and sits with you (brings the wine and chocolate) until life is normal again.  And she is also the one, when opening this card will understand that it is the perfect card at the perfect time.  It’s a PERFECT I’m sorry card.  Or Birthday…  or well… ANYTHING.  This is the best BESTEST BFF CARD.

 

Maui Stamper Honeycomb Happiness Hell-o

Don’t you just love those little honeycomb embellishments!?!  They are the perfect accent to add to this little chick.  

Now, I LOVE kind and pretty and delightful cards that uplift and make people’s day.  But even though we live in paradise, life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. A good OH HELL and a glaring chick will make your BFF smile.  Every time.  I promise.  Cause it’s the reminder that she gets it.  And, really, she doesn’t even need to say anything for you to understand that that fact.

Seriously?  Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Flowering Fields

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This is turning into my favorite stamp set from the 2016 Sale-a-bration catalog:

Maui Stamper Flowering FIelds

Maui Stamper Flowering FIelds with And Many More

I stamped all the Timeless Textures backgrounds first.  Most of them were stamped off (inked, then lightly stamped on scrap paper, then stamped onto the project).  I added the Flowering Fields images with Soft Suede and then hand colored them.  I’m really getting into hand coloring.

If you look at the image in the top left corner, you’ll see the White Gel pen highlights.  I find so many uses for that pen, and I’ve learned to keep a brand new one as backup.  Maybe it’s the warm Maui weather, but I find they dry out before they are used up.  I used to do all kinds of crazy things to make them last longer, but I finally gave up.  They’re $4.  I’m worth it.

Maui Stamper Flowering FIelds with Timeless Textures

 

Weekly Deals!

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Happy Days are here again!  It’s Tuesday – time for Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals!

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Maui Stamper Weekly Deals January 26 to February 1 2016

Shop HERE!

Spend $50 US and receive an Exclusive Sale-a-bration product absolutely FREE.  See your choices HERE.

 

Beautiful Ride

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Did you ever count VW Beetles on road trips?  Scour the highway so you could be the first to spot one and earn the dubious right to slug your fellow passenger?  Wish you could be lucky enough to ever own one?

MauiStamper Beautiful Ride

Some cars seem to evoke more powerful memories than others.  As a kid, I used to count them, but it was my kids who played the “Punch Buggy” game until either someone was in tears or I was hollering or both.

MauiStamper Beautiful Ride

You can see I have mad water coloring skills – ha!  It’s fun and I’ve learned to Let It Be (cue the Beatles.  See what I did there?).

I’ve added links to Stampin’ Up! products right in the card “recipe”.  Let me know what you think!  Of course, you can always just shop HERE.  And while you’re at it, cruise through the Sale-a-bration options…because everybody loves FREE.

 

Stampin’ Up! Weekly Deals January 19 – 25, 2016

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I’m excited to see the Berry Basket and the Party Punch pack on the Deals this week!

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Maui Stamper Weekly Deals January 19-25 2016

Shop HERE!

Sweet Treats and the Sweet Stack Kit

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In the spring, my family launches into Birthday Season.  Mr. Maui Stamper is a December birthday, but the rest of us celebrate from March through May.

Maui Stamper the Sweet Stack Kit

The Sweet Stack Kit (#138812, $21) includes this stand plus 20 cake-slice-shaped boxes to create two tiers of packages.

Maui Stamper the Sweet Stack Kit

These have been decorated with the Sweet Stack Photopolymer stamps (#138948, $17) and are perfectly sized for small gifts, candy and treats, or even a gift card.

Maui Stamper the Sweet Stack Kit

I added a bit of trim to the bottom of the skewer that holds up the banner.  I used hot glue to fix them permanently in place, and there were tell-tale glue bumps that I needed to cover up! Maui Stamper the Sweet Stack Kit

As with most Stampin’ Up! kits, these go together quickly and easily, and the only thing you’ll need to supply with the kit are the companion stamps, ink and adhesive.  Even the little “candle” assemblies are provided!

Maui Stamper the Sweet Stack Kit

I did develop one little trick.  I stretched the Bakers Twine across my cutting mat and taped it down, then arranged all of the little self-adhesive pennants along the twine before I pressed them into place.  I’m notorious for making things all catty-wompus, and this helped keep the spacing even.

The cardboard stand is very sturdy and will serve me well all through birthday season – assuming I can keep the frosting off of it!

Shop HERE – the kit and the stamps get you 2/3 of the way to a FREE Sale-a-bration choice!

It’s a RemARKable New Year

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

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Botanical Blooms

  • 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:

Maui Stamper Botanical Builders Framelits CheatSheet

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

Maui Stamper Botanical Blossoms

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.

Maui Stamper Botanical Blossoms

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.

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=135718

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!

 

Maui Stamper January 2016 Remarkable Blog Tour

 

Nancy Amato

Melissa Bolinger

Tamra Davis

Arden Dougan

Anne Matasci

Heather Mathieson

Audra Monk

Maria Pane

Michele Reynolds

Pam Staples

Janet Wakeland

Weekly Deals January 12 to 18, 2016

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Great DEALS this week!

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Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals January 12-18, 2016

Shop HERE for these great deals – and don’t forget that when your order totals $50 you’ll add an exclusive FREE Sale-a-bration product to your cart.  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love free – do you?

 

Journals for a new year

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A new journal helps me believe that anything is possible in a new year:

Maui Stamper Gratitude 366

It’s a leap year – 366 days in which to celebrate and be grateful.  This journal is to remind me to be grateful, as well as to help me be motivated to set and keep goals and memories.   I used a retired This ‘n That journal and covered the front with Perfectly Artistic Sale-a-bration Designer Series paper (DSP).  The letters are some self-adhesive chipboard I had stashed in the craft room, and the numbers are stamped and die cut with the Number of Years bundle from the Occasions catalog.

It’s simple to fit the paper over the spiral binding.  Mark the spacing for the holes, use a punch (this is 3/8″ from my Crop-a-dile) to punch the holes, then use your snips to make a little slit between the edge and the hole.  Once it’s adhered to the cover (I used Tombo, the Wonder Adhesive) you won’t see the slits.

Maui Stamper Botanical Gardens Bundle journal

I also made a new cover for my To Do list journal.  I’ve always been a list-maker, and for the past few years I’ve used the Circa system from Levenger to organize my lists.  I like that I can add pages, move pages around, and punch and add my own pages to the journals.  And I especially like crossing things off my list!

Maui Stamper Botanical Gardens Bundle journal

I chose not to stamp these images, but to focus on the colors and textures that I could get using card stock cut with Thinlits.  I began with a few pieces and just kept cutting and adding until there were too many, and then I took a few away.  It’s a fun type of trial and error, but the real fun comes when you try to adhere them down just exactly where you put them in the first place.  It helps to take a photo.

I use a lot of digital lists, calendars and reminders, but there’s still something very satisfying about paper and pen.  How about you?  Tell me about your lists.  And then maybe you’ll make a new journal too.