Beautiful crochet lace

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I can’t believe it took me so long to use this lace!  Sometimes I’m stubborn about using something new like that.  I should have gotten over it sooner.

All of the images in the Just Believe stamp set are gorgeous, but I found myself returning to that same fabulous wildflower bouquet image so I challenged myself.  Yeah, I do that…sometimes with rather disastrous results.  I’m happy to report that this time the results were kinda cool – at least I thought so:

Just Believe Thanks in Jewel colors

  • Just Believe, En Francais and Vintage Vogue stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Concord Crush, Always Artichoke and Riding Hood Red card stock
  • Always Artichoke and Concord Crush Classic ink pads
  • Riding Hood Red and Concord Crush Stampin’ Write markers; Blender pen
  • Corner rounder, Crop-a-dile, Big Shot and Top Note Bigz die
  • Victoria Crochet Trim and Antique brads

I did NOT have to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig for the sentiment in the middle of the label because with our beautiful Clear Mount stamps I could see just where to put it!  I like that 🙂  I also fell in love with this color combination so watch for it again.

This has a real vintage feeling with the brad and that gorgeous crochet lace ribbon.  It’s really soft and easy to work with, and I’m looking forward to using it for some of my holiday projects.  There are some beautiful new products in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini that will be available to the general public on September 1 – be sure you check with your demonstrator to be sure your copy is on the way!

An un-tutorial on the Matchbook Style Sticky Note holder

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I’ve had a couple of requests for more detail on some projects in the past few days.  I have to be honest – I don’t see tutorials in my future.  I don’t really have the patience to set it all up, and especially to do video.  Ugh.  That means a script, and lighting, and maybe editing, and — aaarrrgg! — a manicure.  I don’t think so.

But when someone asks so nicely and tells me how much they love my blog, how can I say no?  (PLEASE do not test me on this.  Ask my kids:  I am capable of saying no.)  Here are a few photos and some dimensions for the matchbook style sticky note holder:

Matchbook style Sticky Note open

Here’s the basic folder.  The cardstock is cut to 7  7/8″ x 3  1/4″ and scored at 1/2″,  1″,  4 1/4″,  and 4 1/2″.  That gives you room for a standard 3×3″ sticky note pad – it’s about 3/8″ thick.  If you’re making these as favors or give-aways you can split the pads in halves or even thirds and adjust the scoring marks accordingly.  (Sorry, I detest fractions – you’ll have to do the math yourself.)

Matchbook style sticky note holder from the side

Here you can see the way the Sticky Notes fit into the cardstock.  The score marks at 1/2″ and 1″ make the base of the matchbook cover.  I’ve used a 1/2″ circle – actually two of them adhered together with Tombo-the-miracle-adhesive – and attached to the center of that first 1/2″ tab with a brad.  I put the brad through the circle in the bottom half to leave enough room to tuck the top flap in.  I tried buttons, which I thought would be cuter, but you couldn’t cheat them to the bottom like that and they didn’t hold the top flap down.

Ta Da! The Matchbook Sticky Note holder

Here’s the finished Sticky Note holder, all ready to go.  I’m working on my September class and this will be part of it.  Wouldn’t you like to come to Maui to go to this class?  I have room for you…

I need to learn the keyboard shortcut for the “registered trade-mark” symbol – you know, the R with the circle around it.  All this talk about “Sticky Notes” is really annoying.

The first kolea of 2010

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Every year in August I start watching and listening for an old friend’s return.  The Kolea (Pacific Golden Plover) migrate between Hawaii and Alaska every year, arriving here in August and leaving us in April.  Their arrival in late summer tells me that soon cooler weather will be coming!  This morning on my walk I spotted my first Kolea of the season – actually a pair which is relatively unusual.  I recognized their flight as they wheeled over the shore and landed on the lawn of one of the Wailea resorts:

First Kolea sighting August 17 2010

I know it’s not a great photo, but this pair didn’t like me attempting to approach them.  Kolea are generally territorial, and some people think they return to the same spot each year.  We had one take up residence in our backyard one year, but I didn’t encourage it because of Captain Stupidhead.  Cats and owls are Kolea’s main predators.

In addition to their distinctive cry, the Kolea is notable for the dramatic change in appearance it makes while living in Hawaii.  When it arrives, it has a subtle speckled pattern to its plumage, but by the time it leaves in the spring, it has a dark underbody and more distinctive appearance.  We tell the changing of seasons a little differently here, and the arrival of the Kolea is one of the indications that fall is on the way.

Missed it by that much…

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Anybody else an old Maxwell Smart fan?  I loved Get Smart back in the day, but I thought the movie was dumb.  Some things shouldn’t be re-done.

Anyway, what does all this have to do with the price of tea in China?  (My we ARE digging out the old chestnuts today!)  I had the ColourQ 45 Challenge colors listed on my craft table all week and finally finished the card yesterday, only to realize that I’d just missed the posting deadline.   Well, I missed being considered for Colour Queen, but of course I can still upload to the site.  Would you vote for me?

ColourQ45 Believing is Seeing

  • Just Believe stamp set
  • Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Early Espresso and Wild Wasabi card stock
  • Wild Wasabi and Early Espresso Classic ink pads
  • Regal Rose and Rose Red Stampin’ Write markers
  • Big Shot and Lattice Embossing folder; Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Pretty in Pink 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon and Pearls Stick-on Jewels

I couldn’t get into the Tempting Turquoise in the Colour Q scheme, and I thought I would be really sneaky and just put a teeny tiny border in to satisfy the requirements.  Who would have guessed that it would work so well??  I was astonished to say the least.

Today’s ribbon treatment does NOT involve sticky, tacky adhesive, thank you very much.  There’s a simple running stitch on one side of a 2 inch scrap of ribbon, pulled together and knotted to make a half-rosette.  A pair of those are on either side of the sentiment and I am very pleased with they way they turned out.  I’m sure someone has done this before but I haven’t seen it done so for now I am claiming this brilliant concept.

You know you’re gonna need this stamp set…

Share what you love

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At the Stampin’ Up! annual convention every year, demonstrators are invited to a place called “Memento Mall”.   The Home Office comes up with all sorts of merchandise unavailable in the catalog (or for that matter anyplace else) to entice us to spend our stamp money.  You would think we would hold onto that stamp money pretty carefully, but then maybe you haven’t seen Memento Mall:

Memento Mall 2010

This photo is blurry because no one stands still in Memento Mall.  Demonstrators rush in and pounce on every display, grabbing merchandise and trying to figure out how much it costs and whether or not there is a purchase limit.  It’s a stampers’ feeding frenzy!

One of my favorite Memento Mall purchases is this stamp:

Share What You Love post-its

I’m not going to give you a recipe, because the stamp was only available at the Stampin’ Up! Convention and some of the papers are retired.  These are little Post-It note holders (courtesy of the amazing Becky Roberts – I could CASE her all day) and they are gifts for workshop guests who bring a friend.

The heart of stamping – and Stampin’ Up! – is sharing and I hope you enjoy what I share with you.

Bubbly Circles Under the Sea

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I am fascinated with color.  I love to explore the moods of individual colors and color combinations, to mix and match different tones and hues of the same colors.  You know where this is going, don’t you?  Yep – blues and greens.

Circle Circus Blues and Greens

  • Circle Circus and Word Play stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi and Rich Razzleberry card stock
  • Baja Breeze and Wild Wasabi Classic ink pads
  • Whisper White Craft ink pad and White Embossing powder
  • Big Shot and Elegant Lines Embossing Folder
  • Scallop Border and XL Decorative Label punches
  • Brights Designer Buttons and white crochet thread

Don’t you love the Razzleberry with Baja and Wasabi?

The bubbly circle cracks me up.  No particular reason, it just makes me laugh.  Maybe I watched the Little Mermaid with my daughters too many times, but I keep thinking of all those undersea creatures talking underwater.  It seemed to me at the time that they needed little bubbles floating up when they talked, but that could just be the effects of being a SAHM with three active kids.

I love our Linen Thread, but I couldn’t bring myself to use it with all the crisp white on this card.

Back to the Circle Circus

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When is a circle more than a circle?  When it collaborates with others to form a topiary:

Circle Circus matter of Moments

  • Circle Circus and Elements of Style stamp sets; Vintage Vogue wheel
  • Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake and Certainly Celery card stock
  • Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake and Certainly Celery Classic ink pads
  • Modern Label punch, XL Decorative Label punch (Holiday Mini), various circle punches
  • Big Shot, Top Note die and Lattice Impressions folder
  • Hemp twine, Antique Brads, Stampin’ Sponges and Stampin’ Dimensionals

I had the brilliant idea to twist two strands of Hemp Twine together to make the trunk of the topiary, but my execution was flawed – there’s not enough space between the “topes” and you can hardly see it.  This card is finished, but I’ll be back to the drawing board to try that one again.

The new XL Decorative Label punch makes a pretty terra cotta planter, doesn’t it?  I cut it in half and sponged it with Cajun Craze and Old Olive.  I was trying to get a moss-stained look but I think it would be more effective on a lighter color of cardstock – next time I’ll try Peach Parfait.  Oh, and please don’t judge Daffodil Delight – that’s operator error with the camera.  It’s a lovely buttery shade, not that bright yo yo color!

A Holiday Mini Sneak Peak

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Robbie is flying out tonight on the red-eye to go to a huge family event in Northern California, and being the amazing and generous soul that she is, she INSISTED I take her brand-new, Holiday Mini Sneak Peak for demonstrators Big Shot die to play with because otherwise it would be lonesome at home.  Now that I have it, I may not give it back:

Sneak Peak Sizzix Bigz Treat Holder in Mambo

I didn’t intend to do anything more than put this Candy Wrapper Box together so that when Robbie returns, I could show her how to assemble the box.  Ha!  If you don’t have the Big Shot yet, you’d better change the channel, Cherie.  Imagine this in Pumpkin Pie with bats and spiders…in Night of Navy covered with stars and snowmen…in Bashful Blue with that cute little onesie rolled around it…you get the idea.

  • Cute by the Inch Hostess Level II stamp set
  • Melon Mambo and Whisper White card stock; Retired Designer Series Paper
  • Regal Rose Classic ink pad
  • Big Shot and Candy Wrapper Bigz L die
  • Pretty in Pink 5/8″ Satin ribbon; Rhinestone jewels
  • Heat tool;  hideously messy non-SU glue
  • Jewelry tag medium punch, 1″ circle punch

Now don’t go thinking I’m rubbah-dulteratin’  (courtesy of Jan Tink) by using a non-Stampin’ Up! flower.  Shannon West showed us these flowers at convention and I’ve been wanting to try them since I got home.  I considered taking photos for you but thought I’d better figure it out first…good decision.  Shannon used our Sticky Pages to form and hold the ribbon into a flower, and since I didn’t have any Sticky Pagges on hand I decided to use a very sticky clear liquid glue – something similar to what hot glue would be if it were liquid.  I won’t name names.

To make the flower, you snip almost all the way through your ribbon at 1/2″ intervals and then use your heat tool to curl up the “petals”.  At this point, I discovered my first challenge.  Any surface appropriate for holding the ribbon flat in order to blast it with the heat tool was not going to survive the blasting, and my fingers were not either.  I ended up warping my old cutting mat (I need a new one anyway, no biggie) because the alternative was holding that ribbon across my lap and believe me, that was not going to happen.

It took a while for the ribbon to heat up, but once it started to curl the edges rolled up quickly and I was on to step 2.  I punched a 1″ circle from a scrap of cardstock and covered it with the Glue That Must Not Be Named.  Shannon had worked so quickly and smoothly, but she wasn’t dealing with those funny stringy bits of glue – you know the ones.  I had to add more and more glue as I worked my way around the circle, mostly because a significant amount of the GTMNBN was at this point stuck all over my fingers.  Not only must it Not Be Named, it does Not Come Off of Fingers very well.

Candy Wrapper Ribbon Flower

The final result is very pretty, especially with that blingy Rhinestone in the middle covering up the messy end bits all covered with GTMNBN.  I want to point out that this was my very first attempt at this technique, and I’m sure I’ll get better.  I’ll also get some Sticky Pages (#114300, $6.95 for two 12×12 sheets and worth every penny).

Circling around the Mojo

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It’s been ages since I’ve played a challenge.  I’ve had a lot of specific projects on my inspiration board and there wasn’t room for anything else.  Last night I finally had a chance to browse through some of my favorite blogs – talk about a pleasure! – and when I got to Mojo Monday I decided I’d done enough looking and headed up for some ink-to-the-paper stamping!

Mojo Monday 151 Circle Circuis

There’s a lot going on here, so bear with me:

  • Circle Circus and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
  • Cornelli Lace Jumbo Stampin’ Around Wheel
  • Whisper White, Real Red and Basic Black card stock
  • Real Red and Basic Black Classic ink pads
  • Real Red 1/8″ taffeta and 5/8″ satin ribbon; Basic Black 5/8″ satin ribbon
  • 1 3/4″ Circle, Modern Label and Scallop Edge Border punches
  • Big Shot and the Square Lattice and Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folders
  • a small hand-held circle punch and Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’m sure I forgot to list something!

I’ll tell you the truth:  that greeting is adhered with Dotto repositionable adhesive.  I’m not certain I like it, but time will tell.  The stamped Real Red image from Circle Circus is hand cut (gasp! I know…) because I wanted it to fit Just So on the black circle.  It had to be done.  I used tiny black circles of cardstock for the faux brads on the sentiment because the real thing overwhelmed the project.    There are a lot of discarded bits and pieces on my craft table left over from this project, but it was satisfying to finish.

I didn’t buy Circle Circus when it was released as a preview set a year or two ago.  Because it was a sneak peak, there were Circle Circus cards everywhere and I grew weary of it.  I finally gave in and bought it with this year’s new catalog because I saw something really creative and had a brilliant inspiration to make that idea better.  (It’s coming, it’s just not done yet – Mojo Monday got in the way.)  I’m glad it’s on my shelf now.  You’ll see it again soon.

Ah madame, what a fine chapeau…

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The Stampin’ Up! convention isn’t like most conventions.  It has many of the same elements – networking, education, inspiration – but there are some things that are unique.  One of the things I noticed this year fell into a loose category I would call “Stuff People Wear on their Heads”.

I didn’t get photos of everything – I missed the headbands that had clips to hold cards in them, and I neglected to get a photo of the group that wore tiaras.  But I did manage to take pictures of a few hats I thought went above and beyond:

The Canadian

This woman told me her hat has been to twelve conventions.  It didn’t occur to me until just this moment to ask her if she had also been to twelve, but it would seem logical, no?

Green fleece hat with flowers

This hat was one of many similar to be found  in the Convention Center.  The wearer told me her upline had made them for the entire group.  In honor of our Flower Power party on Wednesday night, they each had a large peace symbol embroidered on the top.  Most of them had been adorned, but this one was one of the most thoroughly embellished.

The Bize Bees

There is a lot of effort here!  I can’t imagine carrying this hat all the way from anywhere, especially on the plane from Maui, but there was a group of women who all wore them.  When I asked to take their photograph, they not only obliged me very cheerfully but asked if I would take one with their camera as well.  Of course I obliged.

I asked permission before I took each photo but didn’t tell them they were destined for the blogosphere.  Like an uber- rookie photojournalist I didn’t even think to ask their names.  If this was you, thank you for your generosity in letting me take your picture and I hope you enjoy being a part of the Maui Stamper!   The Maui Stamper team is already hard at work thinking about what we can wear (and carry on the plane) at Convention 2011.  Hold onto your hats!