Chocolate, specifically Hershey Drops

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Enough pink and red for a bit…how about some Chocolate?

Eat Chocolate

  • Eat Chocolate stamp set
  • Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad; Marina Mist and Pear Pizazz Stampin’ Write markers
  • Whisper White, Marina Mist and Chocolate Chip card stock
  • Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper
  • Marina Mist 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon
  • Scallop trim border, 1 3/4 inch circle and 2 3/8 inc scallop circle punches
  • Crop-a-dile, Sponge Dauber, Sticky Strip and Crystal Effects
  • Hershey’s Drops

Oh, Becky Roberts, did you have to introduce me to Hershey Drops?   I didn’t need to know about them, but I saw your post and then found these little demons at Costco!  You know what that means – not one package, not two packages, but an abundance of King Size packages!  Can’t you just taste them?  So shiny, so smooth, so…Chocolate!!

Eat Chocolate

We used these at the Maui Stamper team meeting on Tuesday night, so some of those packages are already out of my house.  Chocolate calls my name so loudly!

{FULL DISCLOSURE:  I am a Weight Watchers® Leader, and as such I feel an obligation to report that this 2.1 oz King Size package has a Points Plus value of 9!}

Here are a few construction hints:

  • Make your band a little smaller than your package when it’s a “squishy” package
  • Use Sticky Strip to provide a secure hold on the band
  • A Sponge Dauber works best when applying ink to a bold image like the chocolate
  • Assemble the entire project, then apply the Crystal Effects and set everything aside to dry

Speaking of our Maui Stamper team meeting, we had a great time doing Sale-a-bration and Occasions Mini shoe-box swaps.  You’ll be seeing a lot of great projects in the next few days as we were in a stampin’ frenzy!

 

 

And an Owl in a Heart Tree

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Ho man…this card…the title…it just gets dopier and dopier:

I {Heart} Hearts

  • I {Heart} Hearts and All Holidays stamp set
  • Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip and Daffodil Delight card stock
  • A random scrap of Real Red Designer Series Paper
  • Real Red Classic ink pad; Pear Pizazz Stampin’ Write marker
  • XL Two Step Owl, XL Two Step Bird, and XL Blossoms Petal punches
  • Full Heart and Heart to Heart punches
  • Whisper White 3/8 inch taffeta and Real Red 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions folder

Do you want my honest opinion?  This one needs to go back to the drawing board.  I was thinking of the Partridge in the Pear tree (yes, I have a Christmas Carol hangover) and a goofy owl in a tree/bush made from hearts came to mind.  I think it was cuter in my head.

The Owl’s little “thought bubble” is the wing from the XL Bird punch.

Dopey, dopey, dopey!

 

 

 

A first look at Sale-a-bration

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Lisa’s on the Mainland (crazy girl – it’s snowing there!) and she let me play with some of her Sale-a-bration sets:

Sale-a-bration Sweet Summer

  • Sweet Summer and So Happy for You stamp sets (SAB)
  • Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist, Regal Rose and Whisper White card stock
  • Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist and Regal Rose Classic ink pads
  • Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write marker; Aquapainter
  • Scallop Trim border punch
  • Paper piercing tool and Mat
  • Brights Designer Buttons; Linen Thread (yay!)

First, let me say that I have promised myself never-never-ever to run out of Linen Thread again!

Now, I have to confess that when I saw Sweet Summer I thought it was cute but I didn’t think I’d be all wonky-crazy about it.  Think again!  I love these flowers, and not to be big-headed or anything but I think they love me too.  That long “wheel-y” looking panel was just randomly stamped, but I think it’s very effective.  And yes, I may be  starting to sound like Jan Tink and “Yes I Love Myself (YILM)”, except that I will never be so audacious as to compare myself to Jan Tink.

Sale-a-bration starts January 25th and my calendar is filling up.  Do you have your event scheduled yet?

 

A card so nice, I made it twice

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If this layout looks familiar, you’re very observant:

Filled with Love

  • Filled with Love stamp set
  • Whisper White, Real Red and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • Real Red and Pretty in Pink Designer Series Papers (from Filled with Love promotion bundle)
  • Real Red Classic ink pad and Whisper White craft ink pad
  • White embossing powder and heat tool
  • 5/8 inch White Satin ribbon; Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Full Heart and Heart to Heart punches

I used the same layout for the LOVE card and today’s card…matter of fact, the LOVE card started out with these panels.  It took me a while to figure out that the reason I didn’t like how the card was progressing was that the color balance was off, and once I swapped out the colors I was much happier.  I still needed to find something to do with those two panels that were matted and ready to go, and this is the result.

I need some of you “Bow Geniuses” to tell me what I’m doing wrong, because I can’t seem to make these big bows work.  And please don’t judge the quality of  Stampin’ Up! white embossing powder by this sample – I think the humidity from the enormous storm we had last week has spelled doom for my jar.

Did you know that you can purchase JUST the Real Red and Pretty in Pink Designer Series papers during the Filled with Love promotion?  You’ll get 12 pages, 6 of each color, and 2 sets of designs for each color for $9.95  (#124156).  If you’re a local customer, I’m putting in an order on Sunday and will be happy to include the paper or the bundle for you – please give me a call.  Promotion ends January 24th so skeedaddle!

 

Hearts and Flowers

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I’m a little late to the party over the Filled with Love promotion.  With everything that’s been going on, it took a little extra time for me to transition from The Holidays to oh, say, Valentines Day.  Now that it’s a month away,  hearts and flowers have made it to front and center:

Filled with Love

  • Filled with Love stamp set
  • Whisper White, Real Red, and Brushed Silver card stock
  • Designer Series Papers in Real Red
  • Basic Grey and Real Red Classic ink pads
  • Filled with Love Promotion Bundle with Clear Stamps (#124381)
  • Real Red 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon; Grid Paper
  • Bitty Heart, 3/4 inch circle, and scallop border punches
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals; Love Impressions rub ons

Don’t know what my problem was, but I’m glad I’m over it!  I LOVE this group of products for Valentines’ Day!  Love the images, love the papers, love the rub ons…guess you could just say I’m really feelin’ the LOVE!

These little heart-flowers were easy to line up with clear stamps.  I did it first on my grid paper – used the grid lines to space the images evening (3 lines between each one) and make them stand up straight on the panel.  The big polka dot scallops underneath are just circles punched and lined up on the grid paper.  I put a line of SNAIL across the bottom of the panel and placed it right on top of that row of circles.

Love that Grid Paper too!  Check the button on the right panel to get the 4-1-1 on the Filled with Love promotion, but do it by January 24th or it will be gone.

 

 

Moving forward

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Yesterday I put this gorgeous girl on the plane back to Boston:

I’m going to miss her happy voice, her fashion-companion advice, and her company.  She’s back in Boston for a couple of days and then traveling on to Spain for a semester in Sevilla.  We’re excited for her, of course, but it’s always hard for me to say good-bye.  The chocolate-espresso cupcakes with peanut butter fluff frosting at 10pm I can live without!

I found myself in a creative frenzy late last night.  It’s been a while since I could dedicate some time to stamping and I think my mojo was bottled up and ready to fly:

Filled with Love

I’m in a rush this morning – I’ll edit the details later – but this uses the Filled with Love promotion, some rub-ons, and Espresso Taffeta Ribbon.

Be back soon with more!

Zipping at Piiholo Ranch

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A few days ago I mentioned that my family went ziplining at Piiholo Ranch.  Maui is blessed with multiple zipline courses located in different parts of the island, so we like to try them out and compare the zips and the views.  It’s a great activity to do with “grown-up” kids, although taking the whole family does add up!  As my husband says, we don’t really need things anymore – well, except bikes for him and stamps for me.  We’re at the point where experiences and memories are what really count.

If you’ve never ziplined before, Piiholo is a great place to start.  The guides are VERY professional, the equipment is excellent, and while having fun is the first order of the day, safety is paramount.  Besides, you’re ziplining on the slopes of a dormant volcano and the views are gorgeous:

 

The view from Zip 5

This is the view from the top of the course – the approach to Zip 5.  It was a gorgeous day, and we’ve had loads of rain so everything is lush and green.  Each zip is progressively longer, and this last one is 2800 feet – you zoom along above the valley and  have beautiful views all around you.  Don’t think it looks like much?  Try this:

Piiholo runs two lines side by side, so you can zip with a friend – this is my daughter and her boyfriend.

Yours truly arriving at the bottom of Zip 5.  I’m concentrating on getting my hands back up onto that bar above my head before I hit the brake at the end of the line – it makes a big “CLANG!” and you want to be hanging on.  If there was a photo of me mid-zip, you’d see my mouth wide open either hollering “wooo hooo!!” or yelling “Hey Cow” at the cows grazing on the ranch beyond the valley.  (The cows didn’t look.)

Mr. and Mrs. Maui Stamper in our approved safety gear.  It’s very effective, but not especially fashion forward.

I hope you enjoyed your little bit of Maui today!  We’ll returned to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow 🙂

Time for a new tissue box

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Time for a new tissue box cover!  Santa doesn’t quite fit the decor any more.  The tree is down, the decorations are put away, and it’s time to think Valentine’s Day:

Valentine Tissue box

  • Punch Potpourri Level I Hostess Set
  • Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizazz card stock
  • Melon Mambo and Pretty in Pink Classic ink pads; Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write marker
  • Big Shot, Clearlits Scallop Rectangle and Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions folder
  • Bitty Pack, XL Two Step Bird, Blossoms Petal, and XL Full Heart  punches
  • Stampin’ Sponges, Sponge Daubers, and Pearl Jewels

I’m not so sure about all the sponging on this project – I think it worked better with the Petals-a-Plenty Embossing folders where the images were more uniform.  I’m happy with the little bird and all the flower images though.  I should have added the Boho Blossoms punch to the supply list, except I DON’T HAVE IT.  How can this be?  What was I thinking?  I had to cut those flowers out by hand.  Humph.  Next order.

Here’s a better look at the top:

Valentine Tissue Box top

I was very clever (pardon me while I reach around and pat myself on the back) when I centered the Scallop Square in the  top layers.  There are two panels, one on top of the other, so I had to be very, very clever:

Sizzix Scallop Rectangle Clearlit

I carefully measured and marked the center of my Clearlit with a dot of Sharpie ink, then marked the center of each of the top panels with a pencil.  With a little attention to detail as I ran the panels through the Big Shot, I positioned the rectangles just where I wanted them.  And yes, I am very pleased with myself.

If you’d like to make one of these, there is a great tutorial at Splitcoast stampers and I have no intention of recreating the wheel.

This does not mean I intend to get a cold, or that anyone in my household is permitted to catch a cold.  This is Home Decor, not an invitation to any germs that may be lurking out there.  Germs can scram!!

Passing on the love

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I know I must be preaching to the choir, but who doesn’t love blog-surfing?  There are some amazingly talented people who really inspire me on a regular basis. Over the past 6 months I’ve really had to pare my blog feeds down, because as I’m sure many of you know, scooting around from page to page can make a morning or afternoon disappear.

One of my favorites is Lisa Young, a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator in Western Massachusetts.  I love her style, I love her writing, and some day I am going grow up and be a colorist just like her!  It’s my goal to stamp with her some day, but in the meantime, I faithfully read her posts.  You can imagine how delighted I was to receive a “Stylish Blog” award from Lisa a week ago!

Here’s the tricky part:  I have to tell you about Lisa (well, not tricky at all); I have to tell you 8 things about myself you may not know (OK, maybe medium tricky); and I have to forward the lovin’ on to 8 other bloggers (this would be the really tricky part). There are way more than 8 Stylish Bloggers out there, and because a couple of Lisa’s favorites are my favorites too, I’ve had to think long and hard about my 8.

Here are 8 bloggers whose work I love to see and read:

OK, I admit that adding Lisa is a bit of a cheat since she is the one who passed this award on to me, but any list of my favorite bloggers would have her name on it.  This is my blog and I get to make the rules!!

When it comes to 8 things you don’t know about me, I’m sure there are loads of things I could tell you, but most of them would more than likely fall into the “Who Cares?” category.  It would be easier to answer a list of questions like one of those goofy Facebook quizzes, but then again, I probably wouldn’t bother to do that.  Here are 8 bits of Maui Stamper nonsense and trivia:

  • I make my own granola.  I eat it every morning with non-fat yogurt and fresh fruit and it is the Best Breakfast Ever, if I do say so myself.
  • My kids asked my husband to rate my “wild factor” on a scale of 1 to 10 when I was in college and he gave me an 8.
  • I’m a Weight Watchers leader, because the leader ALWAYS attends the meeting.
  • My shirts are organized by color in my closet (weird, huh?)
  • My favorite footwear is a pair of Birkenstocks – actually, quite a few pairs.
  • I have a relatively short attention span and am generally trying to do 3 things at once
  • Reading is one of the few things to which I can give my full attention – I love a good book
  • Despite the occasional split infinitive, I am particular about grammar

I know.  Who cares?  Hope this gives you a good laugh if nothing else.  Happy Tuesday!

 

 

Punchin’ up some new blossoms

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Wow – do you love the new mini?  The 2011 Occasions Mini has such cool new products – and product suites – that I’ll be inspired for weeks.  Thank goodness for the demonstrator discount 🙂

One of my first purchases was the Blossoms Petals punch.  I love flowers that stand up off the page but I confess that hand-cutting them out gets tiresome.  This punch does the work for you, and there are enough different shapes that you can create all sorts of blooms:

Blossoms Petals punch in pink

  • Thank You Kindly stamp set and Music Notes standard wheel
  • Whisper White smooth and Pirouette Pink textured card stock
  • Play Date Designer Series paper
  • Pirouette Pink, Pretty in Pink and Rich Razzleberry classic ink pads
  • Stampin’ Sponges, Brights Designer Buttons, and Hemp Twine
  • Blossoms Petals punch, Stampin’ Around Wheel Guide

I used the sponges to add some texture to the flower petals with Pirouette Pink and Pretty in Pink ink.  I’m starting to like the Hemp Twine for these buttons, too – I’ve used Linen Thread in the past, but when I ran out of thread I switched to twine.  I like the bulk in the knot, and since that button isn’t going to pass the USPS quarter-inch test I figured I might as well go for broke.  And I think I made a good call on the Wheel Guide – it’s hard to fake it when your lines of music are wavy.

These soft colors seemed to beg for a pop of color, and I started with a little Daffodil but it just wasn’t enough.  Razzleberry was the solution  – and the button and the “thanks” are the same color in person.

I’m gradually resuming my “regular” schedule.  My middle daughter is home through the end of this week and then off to spend the semester abroad in Spain, so I’m enjoying these last few days together.  It was an absolutely gorgeous beach day today and we were all lazy as can be, reading books and watching the whales.  Yesterday was the opposite – we did the Piiholo Ranch Zipline!  I’ll share photos of that soon.

Check out this mini for yourself and see if you can resist all these goodies!

Stampin Up 2011 Occasions Mini

Click here to see the 2011 Occasions Mini