Category Archives: Stampin' Up!

A special gift for mom

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I made a special Mother’s Day gift for my mom this year:

Simply Adorned for Mom

This is the 1 1/2 inch Simply Adorned charm with an insert made with the Charming stamp set.  I love that the charms are deep enough to allow a small embellishment like a jewel to fit inside the case, and that the back of the charm is clear so that another image can be viewed from the other side.  My plan was to make a set of inserts for my mom to enjoy, and then I stumbled upon this:

Mom's Simply Adorned card

This is the front of the project by the incomparable  Jackie Topa, and here’s what you find inside:

SA Inserts 1

Turn the page for more…

SA Inserts 2

and still more…

SA Inserts 3

…and there are more pages with Designer Series paper inserts, but I’ll spare you all those details!

Check Jackie’s post for construction details.  Working in this tiny format is absolutely addicting, and loads of fun.  And to think it all starts with just a little bit of paper and ink!

Still Sailin’

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While I had the Sail Away stamp sitting on my awesome crafting desk (thanks, honey!) I made one more card:

Still Sailing Note of Thanks

  • Sailing Away and Thank You Kindly stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Poppy Parade and Marina Mist card stock
  • Early Espresso Classic ink pad
  • Marina Mist and Poppy Parade Classic ink refills
  • Aquapainter
  • Early Espresso Baker’s twine

Don’t you love that twine?  It’s mail-worthy!!  Stampin’ Up! calls it Bakers Twine, but I think it looks pretty nautical, and I’m sure it will find a spot on many cards.  As will this sailboat, which has turned out to be much more fun than I anticipated.

Funny thing, but I’m not a huge fan of the wind.  I know it doesn’t make much sense to rapsodize about the romance of sailing when you don’t like wind, but contradiction is my middle name.  However, I would never wish the trade winds away because if you don’t have trades you have icky sticky humidity.  I just want those trade winds to be reasonable…gentle and soothing and cooling, not gusting and blowing sand and dirt and my hair every which-a-way.  Is that so much to ask?

Sail Away

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There’s something romantic about a sailboat.  Sailboats evoke feelings of freedom in me, and though I’m not a sailor I love watching them on the water.

Enjoy Today Sail Away

  • Sail Away and Hope Happens stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Night of Navy and Baja Breeze cardstock
  • Random Designer Series Paper in Tangerine Tango and maybe So Saffron??
  • Night of Navy  Classic ink pad
  • Night of Navy and Cajun Craze Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Aquapainter and Blender pen
  • Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

OK, first order of business is to make sure you know I am not sneaking in some other company’s sentiment stamp – that is a VERY carefully inked stamp from the Hope Happens set.  The verse is “Do not put off until tomorrow what can be Enjoyed Today” and I used a marker to ink just the letters I wanted.  I know, now you’re full of remorse for thinking I would have committed Rubbah-dultery, as Jan Tink calls it.  If you want to make it up to me, you can come pick the orange cat hair out of my Stampin’ Scrub, because it’s full of the stuff and it’s a pain in the patootie!  It makes funny lines on my stamps when I ink them up.  That Darn Cat.

Anyway, I digress.  We were talking about sailboats, no?

I don’t go out on the water a lot, because the truth is that if it’s not perfectly smooth I get queasy.  I make an exception for whale season and trips to Lanai, and I take something to settle my stomach and pray for good weather.  Heading out on a boat provides such a different perspective of our island, and as long as my stomach cooperates I can stay out for hours just watching.  A sailboat has the added bonus of being quiet – just the sound of the waves and the wind in the sail – and it can be very meditative.  If you’re lucky enough to have a whale surface nearby, you hear that big WHOOSH when it breathes (but don’t breath in, because whales have the fishiest halitosis EVAH).    If you hit the jackpot and one breaches nearby, nothing compares with the sound of a school bus hitting the water.

I digress again.  It’s not even whale season.  Sigh.

This sailboat card is simple and flat by design.  Lately I’ve been frustrated when I needed to send a card and couldn’t find one that would actually Fit In An Envelope.  Can you imagine that?  What a concept!  I’m making an effort to create cards that can be put in an envelope and mailed, no fuss no muss, and this one qualifies.  It takes a little discipline and I was sorely tempted by ribbons, buttons and brads but I held out for simple.  We’ll see if I can do that again.

Feliz Dia de la Madre

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Sara sent a Mother’s Day card from Spain.  She wrote a lovely note that made me miss her all the more, and included an apology for the card.   ” …card giving isn’t really a ‘thing’ in Sevilla.  It was either this or one that said ‘I ❤ Mami’ on the front”:

Feliz Dia de la Madre

I had to laugh, because as soon as I saw this card I thought “PUNCHES!”

Happy Birthday Dia de la Madre

  • All Holidays stamp set
  • Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Pear Pizazz, Old Olive and Pink Pirouette card stock
  • Springtime Vintage DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog
  • Rose Red classic ink pad
  • Pear Pizazz seam binding – still available!
  • 1 and 1 1/4 inch circle punches; Triple heart punch
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit

Pretty amazing, wouldn’t you say? And she promises to hand-deliver my gift when next we meet.

From the other side of the world I received a box with awesome spices (cardamom, garam masala and cardamom), Tim Tams (perhaps the most amazing cookies in the world) and (drum roll please) TWO Chocolate Wombats.  Yep, you read that right.   Since rabbits are something of a pest in Australia the government implored chocolate companies not to glorify them.  I have to admit that Chocolate Wombats are Pretty Darn Cute.

Closer to home, my son glazed a pair of plates for me that his eldest sister threw on the wheel but never finished.   What a team!   We had a wonderful brunch at Longhi’s (I had the fritatta, a Mimosa, and a French Press of Maui Mokka) and then he studied for AP exams.   Oh, these are good days.

A Triple Punch

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Do you have the new Summer Mini catalog?  It’s full of gorgeous new stamps, and I think it has a nice focus on masculine and travel themed images.  We get a little carried away creating things for our feminine selves, don’t you think?

Stampin’ Up! didn’t forget about the Girly stuff though.  One of my favorite new products – and there are a few – are the two new Triple Layer Punches.  I snapped up the Blossom Boquet in my demonstrator pre-order last month, and now I’m struggling with whether or not I NEED the Doily.  Ha!  Silly Maui Stamper.  Who doesn’t need another punch?  Go ahead, raise your hand.

Blossom packages

I’m not going to go into detail on these – but they’re all done with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch.  The stems are from the XL Two Step Bird – and no doubt about it, you NEED that one!!  I just did like the name said and layered everything together, then added some Crystal Effects in the little windows – you can see it best in the one on the far right.

One thing I do have to add – that Soft Suede Polka Dot ribbon is in the Clearance Rack right now for $3.99.  Need I say more?

Here’s what I put inside – and don’t laugh, ok?

Open Blossom package

This is one of those sad, sad stories about projects that aren’t completed on a timely basis.  This is Avon hand cream – and luxurious cream it is – yes, I confess – in Christmas packaging.  Just didn’t get to it!  Very embarassing, I know.  Better late than never, and I certainly didn’t want to wait until Christmas 2011!

Giggles and mutters and shouts, oh my!

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Getting a box full of new goodies to play with guarantees lots of giggles and talkin’ to myself.  I’ve always maintained that I talk to myself because I’m assured of an intelligent audience, but if you would have been a fly on the wall in my studio last night you would have wondered!  It was late and I indulged myself in lots of muttering, giggling, and even a shout or two:

Pretty Postage Blocks

  • Pretty Postage Stamp set
  • Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, So Saffron and Naturals White card stock
  • Paisley Petals Designer Series paper (available in the 2011-2012 IBC)
  • Marina Mist and Pear Pizazz Classic ink pads
  • Peach Parfait Stampin’ Write marker
  • Postage Stamp and 1 3/4 inch circle punches
  • Pear Pizazz Seam binding
  • Subtles Designer Buttons
  • Stampin’ Sponge

The colors in this card gave me fits – absolutely the cause of all the muttering.  For one thing, I couldn’t figure out what color card base to use and must have tried a dozen before I settled on Bashful Blue.  Then the mat between the Bashful Blue and Marina Mist drove me crazy until I decided to repeat the sponging on the edge.  But the thing that drove me craziest was the color matching, and I want you to pay attention here:    Either the Color Matching Department was having a Very Bad Day, or there are some new In Colors in this paper.  Do you think the Stampin’ Up! Color Matching Department has bad days?  Me neither.  I’m just sayin’.

Aside from colors (and when you are making a card, that’s a pretty big “aside from”) this card was a blast.  When I saw the new Postage Stamp punch I thought “Meh, we have a scallop square and the curly label and I don’t need this.”  Ha.  Since when does any self-respecting crafter NOT need another punch?  Incorporating the punched circle and the button with the block motif was another happy inspiration, and I by the time I was finished I’d forgotten about the muttering.

I hope you have a blast crafting today!

Stampin’ for SUCH a good cause!

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We still have space to come stamp and raise money to put an end to breast cancer:

Stampin’ for the Girls
Saturday May 14
9am til noon
Maui Masonic Lodge
190 W Kamehameha, Kahului

Admission plus the Strength and Hope Stamp set – $29 for Clear, $33 for wood.

By popular request, we’ve added an option for the event only (no stamp set) at $15.  RSVP today!

Stampin' for the Girls card

  • Strength and Hope stamp set
  • Whisper White, Basic Black and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • River Rock and Basic Black Classic ink pads
  • Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings Embosslit
  • Rhinestone jewels

This is Crystal’s design, and we’re making this card on the 14th.  I love the thoughts the Stampin’ Up! Rubber Designers chose for the “words” stamp.  Aren’t we all survivors, each of us in our own way?  These are such strong, empowering words, and the thing that strikes me about them is that each word is so powerful in the context of relationship.  We can be courageous alone, but it is when we join together that our courage becomes a tremendous force.  We can hope alone, but it is when our candle lights another that the darkness fades away.  Our individual beliefs are deep and personal, but when we share and act upon them in community we can do great things together.

Please join us in the fight against breast cancer, against all cancer.  Together, we can make a difference.

Strength, Hope, and an Alternative to the Stampin’ Scrub

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The beautiful stamps from the Strength and Hope set coming May 1 with the new Summer Mini catalog  work together in so many ways.  I’ve done a lot of creating with this set, and I have many more ideas still waiting in the wings.  This is one of the first cards I stamped:

Strength and Hope heart

  • Strength and Hope stamp set
  • Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Naturals White card stock
  • Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler Classic ink pads
  • Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write marker and a Blender pen
  • Full Heart punch
  • Pearl Jewels
  • Vanilla Smooch Spritz
  • Piercing tool, mat and template
  • Cherry Cobbler seam binding
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Don’t be fooled by that gathered ribbon – I have a sewing machine but didn’t use it here!  Just take a pair of tweezers and pull a few threads in the center of one cut end of the the ribbon, then flip it around and do the same from the opposite end.  Trim those long threads (but not too short!) and turn in the cut ends, then attach the gathered ribbon to some Sticky Strip and you are ready to Rock and Roll!

I smooched the heart, but I think it should be Vanilla or Naturals Ivory – it looks a little bright in the photo.  Do you ever photograph your cards to see them from another point of view?  If you’re having trouble with a layout, try taking a quick digital picture and looking at the card that way.  You’ll be AMAZED at how differently you see it!

These are 3 of the 4 images from Strength and Hope, and I hope if you’re going to be on Maui on May 14 you’ll be joining us at the Maui Stampers Stampin’ for the Girls fundraiser.  We’ll be having a great time AND raising money for research that can’t wait one more day!

I have one more silly photo for you…yep…I’m losin’ it.  The other afternoon I was crafting like mad and reached over to clean a stamp and almost sprayed Stampin’ Mist – well, almost sprayed it where it doesn’t belong:

Captain Stampin' Scrub

Captain Stampin’ Scrub wants Shelli to know that he is willing to stand in during the current Stampin’ Scrub backorder situation.  Ha!  If I would have hit him with that mist, he would have launched off my craftin’ counter and been down the stairs before you could say Stampin’ Up!  See my grid paper over there to the left?  Yes, he needs to be THAT close to me.

Happy Easter

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I saw this card a couple of weeks ago on Regina’s blog and knew it would be perfect for this week:
Lattice cross

  • NO Stamps!
  • Whisper White, Shimmer White, Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz and Daffodil Delight card stock
  • 1/8 inch white taffeta ribbon
  • Blossom Petals and Two Step Bird punches
  • Big Shot, Lattice Bigz die and Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder
  • bone folder
  • Tombo the Wonder Adhesive

I immediately visualized this card as a tall slender card instead of the traditional 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card – it fits inside a small, open-end envelope.  I made changes to the color scheme and put the greeting on the inside, but this is actually quite faithful to Regina’s version.  The Lattice Bigz die is the basis for the cross.

The lilies are the sort of thing that you could do quickly, or you could agonize over for thirty minutes, and in the end you wouldn’t be able to tell the two apart.  (Choose the first option.)  I curved the edges of the smaller, rounder petal from the Blossom Petals punch with the bone folder, used tweezers to put a sliver of Daffodil Delight in the center, and then pinched the base together to form the lily shape.  It works best if you trim the point from the bottom of the petal.

Side view lattice cross

I’m a cradle Catholic, born and raised.  Went to Catholic elementary school, participated in youth organizations through high school and college, married a cradle Catholic boy and continue an active practice of my faith.  Being Catholic is as much a part of me as my goofy sense of humor and the shape of my face.  Every once in a while, a card takes on a meaning larger than just paper and accessories, and this was one of those cards.   Making this card was a meditation and  I hope you enjoy it.  To my Christian friends and readers, Happy Easter.  To all, Happy Spring.

Stampin’ for the Girls

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I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for our first ever Maui Stampers fundraiser!  There’s a gorgeous new stamp set being released in the Summer Mini catalog called Strength and Hope.  Stampin’ Up! has committed to donating $2 from the sale of each Strength and Hope set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and we’ve decided to put on an event to raise even more funds to help find a cure.  Do you know someone whose life has been changed by breast cancer?  I thought so.

I can’t show you the actual stamp set prior to release, but I can show you some of the things we’ve made in preparation for the event:

Blushing Butterflies Strength and Hope

  • Strength and Hope stamp set
  • Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Peach Parfait Classic ink pads
  • Whisper White cardstock and Blushing Bride textured cardstock
  • Pearl gems
  • Blushing Bride 1/2 inch stitched poly ribbon

If  you live on Maui, or you’ll be here on May 14, I hope you’ll join us for a morning of stamping, fun and comraderie.  We’ll be at the Maui Masonic Temple at 190 W Kamehameha in Kahului from 9am til noon.  In addition to some fabulous projects, we’ll have door prizes, light refreshments, Breast Cancer educational materials, a raffle, hand-made craft items for sale and more!  Cost includes your stamp set and is $29 for Clear mount and $33 for Wood mount.

I hope you’ll join us in supporting this wonderful cause.