Booo Spideys

Posted on September 28, 2012 by mauistamper

Still playin’ with the spiders from the Googly Ghouls stamp set. These are decidedly un-scary spiders. I think it’s the lack of hair (as in hairy legs) and teeth.

Googly Ghouls stamp set
Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry and Basic Gray card stock
Staz-on Black ink
Tangerine Tango, Basic Black and Rich Razzlberry Stampin’ Write Markers
Color Spritzer
Crystal Effects
Black striped satin ribbon

Solve one problem, start on another – my photo is really washed out. I need to change my “photo studio” set-up, mostly because it’s nothing of the sort. But that rant is for another day.

I am really crazy about that new black striped ribbon from the Holiday Catalog. It is shiny, luxurious, and can cross between elegant and spooky. It has that softness you need for a card. Doesn’t it seem like Stampin’ Up! has really gotten the ribbon texture thing DOWN lately? They’re all so easy to work with. I think the product design people need some high fives.

Couple things about this card…I just eye-balled the alignment of the spiders but if you really want them straight, use that trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig. I extended the spider-silk line up the card with my Basic Black Stampin’ Write marker and you can too. Use a light touch – I used a ruler to keep me on the straight road. And (I ask myself) WHY DON’T I USE CRYSTAL EFFECTS MORE OFTEN??? So, so awesome! You just have to plan ahead and allow time for it to dry. (*lightbulb moment: this is why I don’t use Crystal Effects more often.) You may not be able to see it in the photo but it is on those spideys and it makes them pop!

Be of Good Cheer

Posted on September 26, 2012 by mauistamper

I’ve seen a couple of these wreaths – the first one I saw, and the one I used as my inspiration, was by Michelle Suit. When I saw hers, I immediately saw a home-spun Christmas wreath. The wreath part came quickly and easily, but it took more than a few days to decide how to embellish:

Yes, you’re right – they’re clothespins. Others have chosen to hot glue them to a frame, but as much as I love how easily and securely hot glue attaches things to each other, I also have issues with the stringy bits and the hot globs that inevitably stick to my fingers. I figured a clothespin could just as easily be pinned to a form and that’s what I did.

The new Champagne Glimmer Paper is fabulous – as I said, it took me a while to figure out that’s what I needed. And if you haven’t tried the new tulle (this is Cherry Cobbler) well, Just You Wait, Missy!! Fabulous!!

This wreath measures approximately 16″ across. I’m offering something new – a private class. You choose the time and place and invite the guests, and I’ll bring the party! Cost is $30 for all supplies. If you are interested in the wreath as a kit, leave your contact information and I’ll be glad to work out the details with you.

The Stubborn Stamper

Posted on September 24, 2012 by mauistamper

My dad used to call me Hard-Way-Heumphreus (yeah, when I was married 31 years ago it wasn’t hard to give up all those vowels). When I decide to learn something new I don’t want to read the book or take the tutorial or even watch the YouTube video all the way through. Does this create an eensy weensie bit of frustration? YES. Does that cause me to change my ways? Um, no. I guess I’m a slow learner.

All that is to offer a pitiful explanation regarding my latest absence: I have been trying to teach myself Photoshop. Specifically, how to create a watermark in Photoshop Elements 10. For the Mac. I kept finding videos that used previous generations of PSE. I would get to a certain point and get stuck and all the click-alt-commanding in the world wasn’t getting me what I wanted. And I got cranky…for a little while.

But I have projects to show you and the stubborn part of me decided that tonight I Would Win. And I did 🙂

It’s getting late and oh, did I mention I’ve been having a DISCUSSION with Photoshop?? So I’m not going to post the full details, but if you really want them leave me a comment and I’ll fill in the blanks. This is the Petite Pocket die with the the fabulous Frightening Feline stamp (not at all frightening and only $.8.95!) embossed in Tangerine Tango.

Let me save you a little trouble, too. The only candy bar I found that fit into the Petite Pocket is the….drumroll please…Heath Bar!!! You guessed it? Seriously?? I’m very impressed. You could substitute Pixie Stix or maybe some Halloween minis or beef jerky (but UGH why would you want to do that??) – I like chocolate.

The battle is not entirely over. Photoshop is playing with me – I’ve discovered I saved the files in the wrong format for WordPress. But I made the watermark, and I got the photo into the post, and that’s good enough for this stubborn stamper tonight. Tomorrow’s another day, Miss Scarlet. Let’s just hope I remember it all.

Checkin’ in on my Stampin’ buddy

Posted on September 10, 2012 by mauistamper

Crystal had back surgery last week, and on Saturday Cheryl and I stopped by to visit:

It would be lovely if I would focus on my subject now, wouldn’t it? She had a room full of visitors so we didn’t stay for long. She also has the cutest 2 year old boy on the face of the earth, so I hope she will get some good rest in the hospital, because things at home are going to be busy.

Here’s a better look at her card:

Carry On (Hostess) stamp set
Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Raspberry Ripple, Elegant Eggplant and More Mustard card stock
Baja Breeze, Raspberry Ripple, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade and More Mustard FFIP
Big Shot and Perfect Polka Dots TIEF
All kinds of Designer Buttons and Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine
Stampin’ Dimensionals, the paper piercer and paper snips

Don’t know what posessed me to use these colors together but I am surprisingly happy with the combination!

Crystal had me cracking up on Friday afternoon when she texted me from the hospital. They wouldn’t let her have any water yet – something about not having to do the surgery over, I don’t know – and she was trying to get everyone she knew to bring her water. She texted me “I will give you ALL my stamps for water.”

You know that’s desperate. It’s also heavily medicated – she was on some big-time pain-killers – so I didn’t take her any water. Besides, there was that things about having to do the surgery over. Hmmm…no.

Can’t wait til she’s well enough to stamp again!

Embossing, Blinging, and the Big Shot

Posted on September 9, 2012 by mauistamper

Honestly, I am surrounded by such creative people! At our team meeting this past week, Peggy not only prepared delicious treats for us, she had a paper treat too:

This is Gumball Green and Real Red but looking at that goofy photo you would never believe it.

We embossed, we blinged, we stamped and punched and ran things through the Big Shot! Peggy had stamped those tiny red bows ahead of time and painted each one with Crystal Effects so that it would be shiny. Her “paint brush” was a TOOTH PICK. I’m telling you, this woman is amazing!

The stamp set is Joyous Celebrations and we had a very joyful time putting this together.

Don’t forget you can get that Gumball Green ribbon for FREE with your $40 order! Click for details!

Googly Spidey

Posted on September 7, 2012 by mauistamper

The Maui Stampers met last night for a team meeting. We worked REALLY hard on a sales project for the first, oh, 20 minutes…and then we had to take a goodie break because we were at Peggy’s house, and she had prepared some yummy treats for us! (I shoulda taken a picture, but then you’d be hungry and my goal is to make you want to stamp, not to eat.)

Once we were fortified, we went back to her dining room and made cards. This is the one Crystal brought for us to do:

Googly Ghouls stamp set
Basic Black and Tangerine Tango card stock
Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP
Staz-on Black ink pad
1 1/4, 1 3/8 and 1 3/4 inch circle punches
1 1/4 inch square punch – for the flags
Spider Web TIEF
Champagne Mist shimmer spray
Stampin’ Dimensionals

I am a fan of spiders AS LONG AS THEY STAY OUTSIDE. Spiders do not belong inside my house. They can be as big as they want if they stay outside, and we have some pretty big spiders in Hawaii. I am NOT a fan of poisonous spiders. We have a few poisonous one here but fortunately they seem to stay out of my way. However, when we were visiting my beautiful oldest daughter in beautiful Perth, Australia, she discovered a NOT so beautiful Red-Back Spider living inside one of the chairs in our condo. That chair was immediately evicted from the condo. Apparently the Red-Back is one of a number of lovely, extremely deadly spiders that live in Australia. It’s a really, really nice country, but it does seem to have more than a fair share of Things That Can Kill You.

Well. And now you know how I feel about spiders! None of the above applies to rubber-stamped spiders, so this happy fellow is welcome in my house.

Want to be a Maui Stamper? Join the fun by September 16th and this cool project with all the supplies except the ink will be part of your Starter Kit!

Not-so-Frightening Feline

Posted on September 5, 2012 by mauistamper

So…what do you think of my new look? I had a lot of fun with MDS2 over the weekend.

Now on to stamping…I think the world of the Stampin’ Up! design team. They have created some fantastic artwork and constantly challenge me to justify yet another purchase. However, I have one small complaint: names. I don’t want to make a big issue about it, but some of the names that have been given stamp sets seem like a bit of a stretch (and don’t EVEN begin to ask me about colors!!)

Frightening Feline is a perfect example. There is nothing that I can see that is frightening – except perhaps for the word frightening that appears at least twice in the graphic art. Goofy, yes. Sleek, certainly. Whiskered – well, I could see that too. But not frightening. Stampin’ Up! has a tremendous affection for alliteration and that’s all I can imagine is behind this name.

Enough grumbling…

Frightening Feline single stamp
Whisper White, Tangerine Tango and Basic Black card stock
Staz-on Black ink
Tangerine Tango FFIP (Firm Foam Ink Pads)
Tangerine Tango patterned DSP (Designer Series Paper)
Big Shot and Chevron TIEF (Textured Impressions Embossing Folder)
1/2 inch Striped Satin Ribbon

It’s just a teeny piece of that Striped Satin Ribbon but I will tell you it is luscious! I would love to see this product linger, Stampin’ Up! You can even name it whatever you like 🙂

Speaking of ribbon, there’s a fabulous promotion for September – get a roll of 2012-2014 Stitched Satin Ribbon FREE with every $40 you spend. Time to comb through that wish list!

Settling into routine

Posted on August 26, 2012 by mauistamper

It’s been an interesting week, this first official Empty Nest week. The cat is doing his best to convince us that the nest is NOT empty, that he is still here and that he needs attention and he needs it now. But clearly it’s not the same – you can’t throw a child out the back door and come back 8 hours later, lah dee dah. Captain Stupidhead has a lot to say, but if you keep him fed the rest is easy.

Mr Maui Stamper and I are doing the same things we did when there were chickens in the nest, but it feels different now. I’m not thinking about what the family wants or needs, I’m thinking about the present. We were married for 6 years before we had our first child, and that BC (Before Children) lifestyle is a comfortable fit. Of course, our kids are an enormous part of our lives, and we are in touch with them often, but they aren’t on my To-Do list now. Well, they are of course…there’s a wedding early next year, and plane tickets for Thanksgiving…but it’s not an every day type of thing.

You would think that I would have stamped up a storm by now, but the sad truth is that my stamp studio has been a scene of absolute and atrocious chaos since before convention. I’ve been up here a couple of times trying to make progress. Finally last night I got serious with the heaps, bits and pieces, methodically working through the mess. It was a late night, but I’m happy to report success. There’s still some work to do – I have a number of brand new sets that aren’t put together – but I can think in here.

I have a card to share, too. I didn’t make it last night, but a couple of days ago. A friend of ours lost his dad, and though it wasn’t unexpected, the loss of someone dear weighs on your heart. I remember when my grandmother died at the age of 92 – she didn’t remember us any more, and she wasn’t the same energetic woman I’d grown up with, but still when she died I was sad to realize we wouldn’t make any new memories together. Fortunately, I have wonderful memories of both of my grandmothers, and those stories help to define who I am.

Thoughts and Prayers, Artistic Etchings, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
Naturals Ivory and Soft Suede card stock
Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake FFIP
Baja Breeze Stampin’ Write marker
Baja Breeze Seam Binding
Oval and Small oval (retired) punches
Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’m really sorry that Stampin’ Up! retired that small oval punch, and I’m a bit stubborn about giving mine up as a result. You could just use the regular oval and ink up the edges, but that’s not what I wanted. Well. And that’s that.

And here I was going to say something about embracing change…

Raising money for Ronald McDonald House

Posted on August 22, 2012 by mauistamper

Every year Stampin’ Up! designs a stamp set dedicated to raising money for Ronald McDonald House. This year, each demonstrator attending convention received a free Moving Forward set and I’ve been busy with mine:

Moving Forward and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets
Whisper White, Gumball Green and Midnight Muse card stock
Patio Party Designer Series paper
Midnight Muse and Gumball Green FFIP (Firm Foam Ink Pads)
Midnight Muse and Gumball Green Stampin’ Write markers
1 3/4 inch circle and Bitty Shapes punches
Bitty Banners Framelits
Finishing Touches Edgelit
Essentials Paper Piercing Pack
Rhinestones and Pearls Jewels
Stampin’ Dimensionals

As a parent, I’ve spent more than one restless night in a hospital worrying about one of my children, but I’m grateful none of them has had to be hospitalized long term. It’s difficult to watch your child struggle with health issues and to maintain control of your emotions – at least in your child’s presence. When I think about the stress of long-term hospitalization and the accompanying expense, it becomes very simple to want to support an organization like Ronald McDonald House.

Every Moving Forward stamp set sold generates a $3.00 donation from Stampin’ Up! to Ronald McDonald House. It’s such a delightful, versatile set – doesn’t it belong on YOUR wish list? Shop now at my Online Store #126332 clear, #126320 wood

Thank Goodness for (self-stick) Googlies!!

Posted on August 19, 2012 by mauistamper

Am I the only person who is incredibly grateful for self-stick Googlie Eyes? I can’t tell you how many times I have stuck my fingers together with Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) in the attempt to put Googlie Eyes on a project. Maybe I’m a klutz, or maybe I’m just too stubborn to dig out the tweezers, but I am very happy to have a sheet of peel-and-stick Googlie Eyes 🙂

The Ghoulish Googlies Designer kit makes perfect Halloween luminarias – as long as you put a battery operated tea light inside instead of a real wax candle! I ran the bag through the Big Shot with the new Chevron TIEF (Textured Impressions Embossing Folder) and used a little Champagne Mist Shimmer paint to sparkle it up, thought it doesn’t show well in this photo. It was quick, easy and fun, and the kit includes supplies for 10 bags, tags and twine, PLUS a full sheet of Googlie Eyes. Just add stamps and you’re set!