Happily Mauied

Posted on by
5

Mr Maui Stamper and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary last week.  It’s hard for me to believe that many years have gone by!  Math has never been a strong point for me, and clearly there’s some sort of mistake here.  I’m barely 30 years old myself – right???

Making a card with Designer Series Paper called Mocha Morning was clearly the perfect choice for a couple of coffee lovers:

Mocha Morning Anniversary

The geometric layout and neutral color scheme give this card it’s strong masculine theme despite a curly-cue or two.  And since this was a hand-delivered card, I got out a big Neutrals Designer Button for the front.  I know you can attach buttons with glue dots, but I much prefer stitching them on.  It doesn’t take all that long to make a couple of holes with the Pokey Doodle (Thank you, Heather Summers!) and thread a little Linen Thread through the holes and make a knot.  I like knowing that button isn’t going to fall off.

There was a little part of his present that I didn’t have on hand to put in his package (yes, there might be one or two disadvantages to living 2500 miles out in the Pacific Ocean!!)  I made a coordinating 3×3 notecard to tell him about it:

Morning Mocha 3x3

Who takes these photos anyway?  Operator error.  I would never take such a crooked photo.

By the way, if you’re one of those Plan Ahead sorts of people, scoot yourself on over to the Clearance Rack.  Lots of beautiful accessories and gorgeous holiday products at GREAT prices!  Clearance Rack merchandise is only available through the Online Store because supplies are so limited, so if you love it, buy it!  You won’t regret it 🙂

An Egg-ceptional Gift Card

Posted on by
1

 

A few times a year, I am asked to prepare a gift certificate for a dear friend by her dear mother-in-law. This time, I thought it was time to do something a little different:

Easter Gift Certificate

There’s an Easter Egg card inside a tiny Scallop Envelope basket inside that small cello bag.  It’s not particularly elaborate, but it was fun to do and something a little out of the ordinary.  Here’s what’s inside:

Easter GC first page

I used the oval from the Big Shot Scalloped oval to make four egg shapes, and put them together with a brad left over from one of the SAB bundles.  This one has a butterfly with vellum wings for the front cover.

Easter GC page two

The second egg has a small tag with the details on the gift.  I told you she was a dear mother-in-law!!

 

Easter GC page three

I cut an oval out of DSP and hand-trimmed the middle out – I used that on page two above.  The top and bottom pieces went on the third page with a space in the middle for the names of the generous givers.

Easter GC last page

The last page is simply decorated for Easter.

It was fun to do something unexpected – that’s the beauty of hand-made crafts, right?

 

Choosing colors

Posted on by
4

The way I look at it, sympathy cards pose a unique challenge.  I want them to convey hope, warmth and comfort, while still acknowledging the fact that a family is grieving.  The challenge for me is in choosing the colors; I want them to lift the spirit but still be soothing.

Just Believe With Sympathy

  • Just Believe and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Concord Crush Classic ink pad
  • Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, So Saffron and Concord Crush card stock
  • Stampin’ Sponge
  • Pearl Jewels
  • Modern Label Punch
  • Crop-a-dile
  • Pear Pizazz Seam Binding

I made 10 of these for a ministry group at my church.  When they need cards, I’ll come up with 2 or 3 designs and make 10 of each – it’s much more enjoyable for me than 20 or 30 of the same design.  10 is my magic number when it comes to production – more than that and I start wondering why on earth I said I would do this!

I’m very fond of the Just Believe stamp set, but I have a feeling it may be on the retired list this year.  It was a convention set in 2010.   Stampin’ Up! gives us heaps of free stamps at Convention, and they’re always brand new.  I’ve heard that the Powers That Be are planning on cleaning house a little bit and giving us a fresh start with a lot of new product, so I’m trying to put myself in the right frame of mind to say good-bye to some old favorites.  Cross your fingers that Teeny Tiny Wishes makes the cut and remains to stamp another year – that set is my absolute sentiment anchor!!!

The most difficult thing to let go of will be Pear Pizazz.  It’s a 2010-2012 In Color, and since it’s 2012 now that means Pear Pizazz (plus Blush Blossom, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait and Concord Crush) will be retiring to make room for a new group of colors.  Embrace change!!

So what do you think?  Are these colors hopeful or hopelessly bright?

Musings on square cards

Aside

Recently I had a little time and I browsed through a papercrafting forum I used to visit often, but haven’t visited in a long time.  Ah, so much inspiration!  There are so many talented artists, and it’s at once inspiring and discouraging to see their work.  It’s inspiring, because it gives me ideas; it’s discouraging, because there isn’t enough time in the day to play with all of those ideas.

Today’s card is simple and has a hint of Japanese Spring in the colors:

Image

  • Pocket Silhouette and French Script stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Lucky Limeade and Regal Rose card stock
  • Lucky Limeade, Regal Rose, Rose Red, and Rich Razzleberry Stampin’ Write markers
  • Pink Pirouette Classic ink pad
  • Bitty Punch Pack
  • 1 3/4 inch circle punch
  • Corner rounder punch
  • Pearl Jewels
  • Stampin’ Sponge

I punched a circle from a sticky note and used it as a stamping template.  I also used a Stampin’ Sponge and whirled some Pink Pirouette ink around the circle to give it definition and softness (there’s a contradiction for you – but you know what I mean!)

I need to play around with this a little more to find a way to create this card as a larger card – it’s a 3 x 3 notecard here.   The USPS doesn’t seem to like square cards, but they’re a completely different type of canvas – and they make a hand-crafted envelope almost mandatory!   That’s a job for the new Diagonal Scoring Plate 🙂

One last night in Tokyo

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve been in Japan for just over a week. My husband and son fly home tonight, but I’m leaving tomorrow due to the quirks of the mileage tickets program.

Japan is perhaps less foreign to someone who has lived in Hawaii for a while, but it is still a very foreign country. My ear has yet to gain familiarity with the language – it was just a couple of days ago when I picked up what someone was saying, and the speaker was a boy of about 3 years of age counting to three. It’s amazing how much of an obstacle this language barrier has created. In European countries I could improvise with a few words and gestures, but here I find it much more difficult. Still, we have encountered such hospitality and kindness as we have blundered our way through!! People on the street have gone out of their way to make sure we found our bus or train or destination.

The other medium of communication that has been universal has been food. We have eaten fabulous meals in both Tokyo and Kyoto – yakiniku we prepared over the hibachi at our table, udon so good we returned a second time, incredibly fresh sushi prepared before our eyes, and tonight we had tempura again cooked right in front of us!! We love to eat, and the chefs loved to see us enjoy our food – no words required! And desserts – oh my!! Good thing we walked miles every day – literally – I’ve worn my pedometer – we walked 6-8 miles every day. The Japanese love their sweets and we’ve had coffee and pastry every afternoon. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the freshly prepared mochi and the custard filled cream puffs (Sakura filling!!) are at the top of my list.

I’ll be home soon – watch for some Asian inspiration coming from my studio soon!

20120318-230228.jpg

20120318-230250.jpg

20120318-230310.jpg

I hope there are trees in Heaven

Posted on by
2

I love using the image of the tree from Thoughts and Prayers for a sympathy card.  It’s a full, graceful tree that hints of a life well-lived, of abundance and generosity and beauty.

It also seems like a little piece of heaven.  Haven’t been there myself, but it seems to me that heaven must have a feeling like  being in the woods…and like walking on a white sandy beach…and like climbing tall, majestic mountains…all of those beautiful, powerful places that bring the presence of God alive in a very tangible way.  I hope this card conveys that feeling of  God’s presence to my friend.

Thoughts and Prayers Limeade

  • Thoughts and Prayers and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade and River Rock card stock
  • Lucky Limeade Prints Pack Designer Series Paper
  • Lucky Limeade and Soft Suede Stampin’ Write markers
  • Lucky Limeade Classic ink pad
  • Piercing tool and Mat
  • 1/8 inch Lucky Limeade Organdy Ribbon (SAB)

I made holes on either side of the tree trunk with the piercing tool and used a big upholstery needle to thread the Organdy Ribbon through.  It’s soft and easy to work with, and I much prefer tying my ribbons onto cards instead of attaching them with Glue Dots.  Don’t get me wrong – I love those Glue Dots – but I don’t want to take the chance that the ribbon will fall off.  I’m picky that way.

 

Kyoto

Posted on by
1

We’ve been in Kyoto since Sunday and have loved this beautiful old city despite the fact we’ve nearly frozen to death. It was supposed to be in the 50’s but we woke up the first morning to SNOW. It didn’t stick but there were flurries for 2 or 3 days. We were wearing all the clothes we brought – I had on a cami, a tee, a turtleneck, two sweaters, a jacket, scarf, two pairs of socks, jeans and gloves – and I was still freezing. My daughter Sara called me the abominable snow woman 5 years ago when we encountered 9 inches of snow in Boston, and this was just as bad. Still, we’ve seen a lot and consumed a lot of coffee and hot noodles!

Literally every corner, alley, and hillside has a shrine, temple or small altar. Some are huge and grand, others tiny and unassuming. We visited the Golden Pavilion covered in gold leaf, and stopped at a little trail side shrine with a tiny old an and woman dressed in hand-crocheted outfits.

The markets are bustling, from big and very fashionable department stores to little food stalls or souvenir shops selling good luck charms. The charms cover everything from general good luck to success on an exam or an easy delivery in childbirth. The food is amazing. Living in Hawaii we see a lot of food with Japanese origins, but in Kyoto they are famous for picked vegetables I’ve never seen. There are all manner of candies, cakes and pastries as well as huge displays of preserved fish, but the thing that took me by surprise was the little octopus roasted and served on a skewer. I passed.

This city is very clean, orderly and compact. People park their cars in impossible places. Front doors open immediately onto the sidewalk – but there are two or three small planters outside the step. We are staying in a small house in a residential area with tatami mats on the floors and the steepest stairs you’ve ever seen in a house!

The language is very foreign to me – I’ve learned please, thank you, good day and little else. My son has studied Japanese for nearly four years and he is doing an amazing job of getting us food, bus directions, and coffee. My ear just doesn’t hear anything familiar and it makes me feel alternately stupid and alone in this bustling city.

We leave for Tokyo tomorrow, taking the bullet train back to our entry point. I’m sorry to leave Kyoto but curious to experience Tokyo.

20120314-202606.jpg

20120314-202633.jpg

20120314-202720.jpg

Looking ahead to Easter

Posted on by
1

I took this layout straight off Pinterest:

Mixed Bunch Blushing Bride for Easter

  • Mixed Bunch and Delightful Dozen stamp sets
  • Whisper White and Blushing Bride card stock
  • Whisper White and Blushing Bride Classic ink pads
  • Pear Pizazz seam binding
  • Blossom punch
  • 3/4 circle punch
  • Big Shot
  • Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’ve been doing a lot of these raised panels lately – I’m SEEING a lot of them too!  I like the look, and I like the possibilities…you can selectively emboss, easily wrap ribbon around the panel, raise the panel with Stampin’ Dimensionals…I’ll bet you can think of other techniques!  Leave me a comment if you have an idea – I’m always looking for new tricks 🙂

Blushing Bride is such a grown-up pink, and I’m going to miss it when it bows out of our Stampin’ Up! color palette with the end of the catalog on May 31.  I do my best to embrace change, but to be very honest, I have a hard time letting go of things.  Take a peek in any closet in my house (well, except Mr. Maui Stamper’s closet) and I’m sure you’ll agree – I’m not a minimalist!  I’m trying to be more clutter-free, but it’s a lifestyle that is going to take some time to embrace.  My Gramsie on my mom’s side kept EVERYTHING – old vegetable drawers from the refrigerator that stopped working (after all, they were useful for storing things), back issues of the Wall Street Journal (we found issues from the 60’s when we moved her from her big 3 bedroom home in the early 90’s) – so I’m just carrying on a family tradition.

Well, except I don’t subscribe to the Wall Street Journal.

A little ACSE Sneak Peek

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been a little too long since I promised a peek at the cards we’re doing on March 24 at Anne and Crystal’s Spring Extravaganza…

Do you like Concord Crush?

Sneak Peek Number One

Yeah, so do I!  How about butterflies?

Sneak Peek Number Two

I REALLY like this one…especially those spatters!  But I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for some special friends…

Sneak Peak Number Three

And I can’t imagine a card class without a little bit of bling:

Sneak Peek Number Four

How do you feel about the Twitterpated Designer Series Paper?

Sneak Peek Number 5

That’s the Sneak Peek!  Class is on Saturday, March 24, 2012

11am to 1pm
Maui Masonic Lodge
190 W Kamehameha, Kahului
$12

RSPV today!

Hello there, Everyday Enchantment!

Posted on by
1

Such soothing colors for this card!

Elementary Elegance Pool Party

The images from the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series paper coordinate so perfectly with all of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets – this one is Elementary Elegance.  I punched out the sentiment on with the Curly Label and brushed the edges with a dauber dunked in Lucky Limeade ink and one-two-three I was done!

This card is kinda begging for more bling, and I am going to revisit it after Spring Break.  I don’t think EVERY card has to be ready to pop in the mail.  I have a little hint for you too – when you make a panel with two different pieces of DSP, cut a narrow strip of cardstock – I used Very Vanilla but anything would work – just 1/4 inch shorter than the width you are joining, and maybe 3/4 inch wide.  Cover it with SNAIL and you have a platform to join and stabilize your DSP  – you can butt the edges together and there is no waste!

Just 3 more weeks of Sale-a-bration!