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.

Bloomin’ Madness

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The Blossom Petals punch from the Summer Mini catalog inspired me to think about a flowers class…one that would show lots of ways of embellishing with flowers.  The Bloomin’ Madness class last Saturday was the result, and one of our projects was a bookmark:

Bloomin' Madness Bookmark

  • Charming and All Holidays Stamp sets
  • Shimmer White and Baja Breeze card stock
  • Baja Breeze and Rose Red Classic ink pads
  • Big Shot and Two Tags Bigz die
  • Blossom Petals and 1 inch circle punches
  • Vintage Flower Adornments
  • Crop-a-dile
  • White 5/8 inch satin ribbon
  • Tombo the Wonder Adhesive

Peggy’s idea was to use this as a bottle tag when you give a gift of wine.  I like the way that woman thinks.

When I construct a flower like this, I invariably start with a small circle of cardstock.  I get enough Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) all over my fingers as it is without having to keep track of all the pieces.  The punched circle provides a platform to build on so that I can concentrate on getting Tombo on just the ends of my fingers instead of halfway up my arms.  (Don’t laugh.  It’s been done.)

Those little Adornments have really grown on me – I only have a couple left from the package of 24.  They’re not being carried over into the Summer Mini catalog (which I have in my hot little hands) and we can only hope that they’ll make an appearance in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  Honestly, I would love to be in on one of those meetings when they decide what stays and what goes.  Is it based on sales?  Trends?  Shelli’s favorites?  A dartboard?  Seriously, you’ve got to wonder sometimes.  (Don’t get me started on Branch Out.)  Make a note of June 1 on your calendar, though, because that’s the traditional release date for the Retirement list for the current year catalog.

The cutest little designer bags you’ve ever seen

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At our team meeting last month, Lisa brought this card as a shoebox swap:

Lisa's Purses card

I don’t know all the details, because she had most of it prepped for us to put together.  She did tell us the little handbags are made from a section of the Build A Cupcake punch.  Can you stand it?  This card is a punch-a-holic heaven…the scallop ribbon, scallop and regular squares, scallop and regular ovals, and a few round punches too.  The handbag handles are made by punching a small circle out of cardstock and then using a larger circle to frame the small one and create the handle.  This was our favorite card!

She had another version she’d made, but I don’t have a photo of it.   You could go so many directions with little changes in this design!  I think she CASEd it, but I didn’t hear her mention the name of the crafter so if it’s you, please let us know.

Spring is Blossoming

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There’s a little taste of good things to come this month from Stampin’ Up!  From April 1 to 30, when you spend $20 on Stampin’ Up! products (I KNOW.  Who are they kidding?  $20??) you can purchase the Four Frames stamp set and the Petals Designer Series paper that will be included in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.

I have mixed feelings about these sneak peaks.  Part of me gets really excited and wants to jump right in, and part of me feels disappointed because when I come to that page in the new catalog I’ll see that set and say “oh, I’ve already got this”.  Weird,  I know.

So let’s check in with the excited part of me, ok?

Four Frames with Paisley Petals

  • Four Frames Stamp Set
  • Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
  • Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper
  • Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy and Peach Parfait Classic ink pads
  • Decorative Label  and Eyelet Trim punches
  • Marina Mist 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder
  • Aquapainter
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is a pretty simple card, and I love how the frame on the stamp finishes off the edge of the punch so I don’t feel compelled to mess around with matting it.   That Certainly Celery trim was an inspiration that shocked me a little, but I’ve come around to it and like the way it looks.  (Honestly?  There was a narrow piece of Certainly Celery card stock sitting on the craft table right in front of me as I was making the card.  I have no idea how it got there.)

The papers the Paisley Petals group are gorgeous.  I’m not a big Paisley fan, and these papers are a stylized paisley on one side and stunning florals on the other.  I broke down and ordered both the stamps and the papers, reasoning that I loved them both and by spending the money now, I would have more to spend in July when the full IBC comes out.  How’s that for creative financing??

Here are the details on the offer:

 

If you need help figuring out what to spend the $20 on in order to qualify for this promotion, just let me know!  I have LOTS of ideas 🙂

Shop in your jammies around the clock at my Online Store.

Thank you in any language

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It takes a very special person to make a girl feel at home when she’s 8,000 miles across the world – give or take a few.  Every time I talk to Sara, she has a story about Isabel, her host mom.  I would love to meet this woman, but since a trip to Spain isn’t possible right now, I made her a card:

 

5th Avenue Gracias

  • Gracias, Four Frames and 5th Avenue Floral stamp sets
  • Wild Wasabi, Rose Red and Whisper White card stock
  • Black Stazon ink pad
  • Wild Wasabi and Rose Red Classic ink pads
  • Black wide stripe grosgrain ribbon
  • Decorative label punch
  • Champagne Shimmer paint mixed with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
  • Aquapainter

How can you not love a woman who insists your daughter MUST eat breakfast so that she won’t faint on the walk to school?  Who cooks hamburgers (made with ground chicken, a better choice) for the first time in her life for her American student?  Who treats my daughter as her own…of course I am going to love this woman, even if I never meet her.

My daughters tease me, telling me it’s my own fault they’ve traveled so far.  I raised them to be confident, strong young women.  I live on Maui, for goodness sake, you would think they might like to spend time here!  But they are both where they belong, and they both call to check in regularly.  They don’t fool me, though – it’s not always the first question, but it’s never long before they ask “How’s Pookie?” (That’s Captain Stupidhead in Girl-Speak.)

I’m writing my message to Isabel in English, and Sara will have to translate.  I want to get it right, and I’m sure Sara will make sure she understands.  Isabel is a mother, too, and I think the language is the same.

Re-use, reduce, recycle

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I was in search of a bigger basket, one that would be sturdy enough to hold more than a couple of pieces of chocolate.  I found a beautiful example on Mary Jo Albright’s blog, complete with a tutorial:

Mary Jo Albright's scallop envelope basket 1

  • Elements of Style stamp set
  • Marina Mist and Rose Red card stock
  • Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper
  • the stiff white 12 x 12 sheets that come in the back of the Stampin’ Up! DSP package
  • Marina Mist Classic ink pad
  • Victoria Crochet Trim;  Tombo the Wonder Adhesive
  • Vintage Flowers Adornments; brads
  • Big Shot and Scallop Envelope and Fun Flowers Bigz dies

You read that right – this basket is made from the Scallop Envelope cut out of the stiff white sheets from the back of the package of the DSP.  I stamped on them to disguise them , and I was pleased with how strong they made the project.  And it’s so green!

I really need to go back and give this basket a little step-up treatment.  It was a club project, and I knew we would be challenged to finish in the amount of time we have, so I left the handle pretty plain.  We did make a layered flower to put on the top, but it looks a little lonesome sitting there by itself.

Scallop Envelope basket 2

I wanted the bottom to be finished, and I also wanted to stabilize the base to make the basket sturdy.  I cut a hexagon from Marina Mist to put inside, and a second one to finish the bottom.  Wow.  It looks so simple, written like that.  Have you tried to cut a hexagon lately?  A nice, symmetrical one?  Let’s just say it’s been a long time since geometry!  I tried a number of techniques, but in the end I do what I generally end up doing:  I winged it.  And for being winged, I thought it came out pretty well:

Scallop envelope basket 3

Ha – oops, you can see my stitches.  I get teased all the time because I like to sew things on.  I hate it when things fall off!!  Just don’t look too closely at my hexagon, ok?

 

 

Why you shouldn’t roast Peeps

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I have permission to share this with you:

Cheryl with a roasted Peep

That’s what a Peep looks like when it’s been roasted at Girl Scout camp!  And if that isn’t the perfect sweatshirt for a Girl Scout Leader, I don’t know what is.  The best part was when Cheryl started to eat it…but I think I was doubled over laughing so hard I didn’t get that photo.

Moving on…

QBee's basket

  • Well Scripted (Retired) stamp set
  • Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • Pear Pizazz Classic ink pad
  • Scallop oval, large oval and oval punches
  • Pear Pizazz 1/2 inch stitched poly ribbon and white crochet thread
  • Ice Cream Parlor (retired) buttons
  • Big Shot, Scallop Circle Bigz, Petals a Plenty Embossing folder and Beautiful Wings embosslit
  • Tombo, the wonder adhesive

I would love to tell you that I came up with this idea myself but I cannot tell a lie; I did not.  Brenda, aka QBee, designed this deceivingly simple basket and even made a video tutorial that is clear and very easy to follow.  Please check out QBee’s Quest, and tell her I sent you.  She put the little handle across the narrow portion of the basket, but I switched it to the wide end.  It’s cute either way.

Here’s another view:

QBee's Easter basket from above

You could make a bunch of these very quickly, because once you’ve done one you can do oodles.   These would be very cute little Easter place card holders, filled with chocolates (aaack!  no!!) or an Easter egg on a bed of grass.