Don’t blink, it just might change…

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…not the post, but the look of the Maui Stamper.  I’ve been playing around with My Digital Studio, a VERY cool program.  It does so much!  I’m just experimenting with blog headers right now, so bear with me.  You could compare it to changing your hair, except this transforms in the blink of an eye.  That’s actually something of a problem.  Imagine if you could go long to short to straight to curly to auburn to blond…all with a couple of clicks.  How’s a girl supposed to make up her mind?

How about a hint of Razzleberry  to offset all this green?

Just Believe in Razzleberry

  • Just Believe and French Script stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry and Wild Wasabi card stock
  • Rich Razzleberry and Wild Wasabi Classic ink pads
  • Rich Razzleberry 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Oval and Scallop oval punches
  • Basic Pearls, a Blender pen and a Stampin’ Sponge

It’s all about the color and the pearls, girls.  I can’t see myself walking out of the house in these colors but I sure love them on a card.  I suppose if they were put together just right in a print I would wear them, but it would have to be in measured doses – I’m too short for more than that.  You can dream about long skinny legs all you want, but for me it will just be a dream.  Closer to the floor when you trip, that’s my motto.

What all of that has to do with cards is a mystery to me, but it’s late and I’ve played too long with my new header.  Take a good look because I’m not promising it will stick around!!

A cheery little tree

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One more Crystal design from ACACCE:

This was based on a swap that I received at convention, and I changed my version from the version Crystal did.  Hers said Happy Holidays, and although that’s a perfectly acceptable greeting I don’t generally like to use it.  It’s one of my little quirks – one of many, I might add.  The stamp set is Holiday Happiness, and here’s another version:

We had a substantial stash of that red gingham ribbon – it’s retired now, but this card would be just as pretty with any number of other ribbon choices.  Crystal had the ribbon tied across the base and I decided to make a bow instead, but I think my bow got a little carried away with itself .  Ribbon has a way of doing that to me!

By the way, if this was your swap I would be very happy to acknowledge you.  I think this was packaged in a clear envelope with the swapper’s name on a separate slip.  You can guess how long that stayed together, especially with a half dozen women looking through my swaps when I got back to Maui.  We had a swap viewing frenzy!

Something old, something new

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Last year we fully intended to use the Tree Trimmings stamp set for ACACCE (see prior posts, I’m lazy).  As often happens, we fell in love with another design and Tree Trimmings lost out.  This year we moved it forward because Crystal was inspired with all sorts of shimmery goodness:

Tree Trimmings Concord Crush

  • Tree Trimmings and Many Merry Messages stamp sets
  • Concord Crush, Brushed Silver and Shimmery White card stock
  • Bashful Blue, Concord Crush and Pale Plum Classic ink pads
  • Concord Crush Stitched-Poly ribbon

A couple of stamp sets from last year’s catalog suddenly look a lot different when you put them together with a brand new color like Concord Crush!  And if you haven’t checked out that new ribbon yet, don’t be afraid that it’s poly.  It is very soft to the touch and easy to work with, and it has great body.  It’s perfect for a big feature like this.

Now that I look at it, this card should have had a couple of rhinestones.  Stay tuned – you may see it again!

Up on the rooftop

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At convention this summer one of the bonus goodies I brought home was a full package of the Deck the Halls Designer Series paper.  I’ve hoarded it a bit, waiting for just the right project.  Then a few weeks ago I broke down and ordered a Decor Elements Design a House to play with:

Santa on the Roof top

  • Decor Elements Design a House
  • Jolly Old St Nick stamp set
  • Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper
  • Vellum; Chocolate Chip, Whisper White and Always Artichoke card stock
  • Real Red and Basic Black Classic ink pad
  • Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray and Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Modern Label and assorted Circle punches
  • XL Two Step Bird punch;  Scallop trim punch
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Embossing Folder
  • Silver Glass Glitter
  • LOADS of Tombo, the wonder adhesive; Sticky Strip;  and a few mini glue dots

Do you like it?  I’m really excited because I broke out the glitter – and it’s not like Dazzling Diamonds at all!  It’s VERY easy to clean up and so far I haven’t heard any complaints from Mr. Maui Stamper, also known as He Who Does NOT Like Glitter, Not One Little Bit.  The Glass Glitter stays put with Tombo.

Here’s a side view:

This was fun, but I’ll repeat what I heard from others – don’t rush the Design-a-House.  I took my time tracing the templates onto my Designer Series papers and adhering them to the walls, and I used a LOT of Tombo because I didn’t want any air bubbles.  I used the flat applicator side on the Tombo bottle and covered the wall before I put the paper on,  and I was pleased with the results.  I did go a little over-the-top with the windows, because instead of cutting them out, I cut an “X” through the DSP and folded it back in around the opening to create a finished edge.

The chimney is Chocolate Chip cardstock that went through the Big Shot with the Lattice embossing folder.  The scallop trim under the eaves was cut as one long strip, but it wouldn’t sit flat when I attached it underneath the roof, so I trimmed and mitred the peaks.   The wreath on the front door is a circle – I think the 1 inch – with another circle – I think it was 1/2 inch – punched out of the center.  I layered the Tombo on and covered it with Glass Glitter and just let it dry.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have a collection of these over the years to showcase Stampin’ Up! Christmas papers?

Kellie is wicked cool

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One last hurrah for Halloween:

It’s the ever-talented Kellie again – I think we need to get that girl her own blog!  She’s kinda busy though, and she’s generous enough to let me share her artwork with you.  This is the Fancy Favor Bigz die for the Sizzix Big Shot.  She put vellum windows on either side and stamped them with the bats and spider web from the Wicked Cool stamp set.  One of those little battery operated tea lights would be just the thing inside this luminaria, don’t you think?

She shared one more card with me, too:

This is Cajun Crazy card stock with the Wicked Fun Specialty paper.  Those folds are such an easy technique but boy do they make this card pop!

Have lots of fun and stay safe this Halloween night!

Smoochin’ Santa

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I’m determined to get my personal Christmas cards done early this year.  (OK, STOP IT!  I hear you laughing.  Get off the floor and back up onto your chair!!)  I have excellent intentions but seldom seem to accomplish getting things finished ahead of schedule, and I’ve set a personal goal to make this one happen.

As a result, you’re going to see a LOT of Christmas card designs as I work through my options.  This one is actually one of Crystal’s designs, and we offered it last weekend at Anne and Crystal’s Annual Christmas Card Extravaganza (ACACCE).  This was a popular card, as everyone loved painting Santa’s beard with Stampin’ Up!’s new Smooch® Illuminate Top Coat Pearlized Accent Ink (wow – say that 3 times really quickly!!):

Smoochin' Santa

  • Holiday Hoopla and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Old Olive,  and Cherry Cobbler card stock
  • Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip, River Rock and Cherry Cobbler Classic ink pads
  • Blush Blossom Stampin’ Write marker
  • Smooch® Illuminate Top Coat Pearlized Accent Ink
  • Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding

I’m very fond of the little whirly-deal on the top of Santa’s hat – I think it’s just the right touch.

Decorating Jack

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I have fond memories of carving Jack-O-Lanterns with my three kids.  We always selected “interesting” pumpkins and carefully drew faces with markers on them before we began the cutting to be sure we liked our choices.  The children were never terribly enthusiastic about sticking their hands inside and scooping out the gooey stuff, but my oldest daughter would always ask to set the seeds aside for roasting.

Now that there’s only a very busy 16 year old man-child in the house, carving pumpkins doesn’t generate the interest it did in the past.  It helps to understand that the carving had to be done on Halloween afternoon, because here on Maui a pumpkin that’s been cut more than 24 hours gets fuzzy very quickly.  My favorite Halloweens have been the ones that fell the night before trash pick-up, because I could dump all that soggy mess into the trash late on the 31st and it would be gone before the local insect population came to visit.

This year, when I saw the Decor Elements demonstrated on pumpkins at convention, I knew my problems had been solved:

Decor Elements Jack O Lantern - Trick

I wish I had a snazzy camera and lens that would show you Jack’s whole face in one shot, but for now you get to see his Trick side and his Treat side in two parts:

Decor Elements Halloween Pumpkin - Treat

 

This Jack is already sitting on my front porch – that in and of itself is an amazing thing.  Decor Elements, you rock.

Cookin’ with Cherry Cobbler

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Cherry Cobbler has won me over.  When I first saw it, I thought it was too dark.  Silly me.

Cherry Cobbler Peaceful Wishes

  • Peaceful Season stamp set
  • Naturals Ivory, Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke card stock
  • Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Classic ink pads
  • Champagne Mist shimmer paint
  • Always Artichoke Seam Binding; Linen thread; Deck the Halls buttons
  • Piercing tool and mat

This was one of the cards we did at Anne and Crystal’s Annual Christmas Card Extravaganza.  I know some of the ladies grumbled because my assembly instructions were to sew on the button – one lady even asked for the “Glue Boogers”.  But those big ‘ole buttons are gonna take an elephant trunk full of glue boogers to stay on, and if you pre-punch your stitching holes with the piercing tool and mat the sewing is as easy as pie.

If you missed the card class, we still have a couple of spots in the afternoon session of the Bag and Tag Extravaganza – send me an email for details.

 

Adding Texture with Embossing Folders

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I was a little late jumping on the Big Shot Textured Impressions Embossing Folders bandwagon.  My “gonna be hot” intuition isn’t especially well-tuned and I actually get it wrong quite often.  I’ll see something – of course, it’s going to be something that I absolutely love – and I’ll be convinced that the rest of the world (read here “My Customers”) will be crazy about it.  Case in point:  there was a hostess set a couple of years ago with a gorgeous rooster.  The less said about that stamp set, the better.

So where was I?  Ah yes…Embossing Folders.  I wasn’t quite sure if I would use them.   (Sorry, did you just snort your morning coffee all over your monitor?  Yeah, me too.)  I should hasten to add that once I got my hands on those folders I quickly realized the error of my ways.    But last fall when the Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder came out in the Holiday Mini I didn’t buy it.   I did borrow it from my upline, and I ran a bunch of quarter sheets through my Big Shot in holiday colors.  Let’s define “a bunch” as WAY more than I needed, ok?  So when I saw a project this fall that would use multiple quarter sheets, you can bet I paid attention:

Santa and the Kleenex

  • Jolly Old St Nick and Peaceful Season stamp sets
  • Real Red and Whisper White card stock
  • Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Old Olive and Always Artichoke Classic ink pads
  • Real Red Stampin’ Write marker; Stampin’ Sponges
  • Blushing Bride ink refill and an Aquapainter;  Gold ink
  • Real Red satin ribbon; Linen thread; Deck the Halls Buttons
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals and Sticky Strip

There’s a great tutorial for this project at Splitcoaststampers and it was very easy to follow.  I want to point out that when I say Kleenex box, that is what I mean:  this is the genuine article, not Brand X.  The tutorial dimensions are for a Kleenex brand box, so if you use another brand be sure to check your dimensions.  And pay attention when the instructions tell you to sponge the edges of the box and across the embossing – it matters.

Here’s the top:

 

The top of the Santa Tissue box

Just imagine how dull this would be without all of that Textured Impressions Embossing.  What WAS I thinking??

Getting ready for Trick or Treat

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I’ve got a little more Halloween fun to share, but it isn’t actually mine.  I’m really more about the chocolate than the decorations when it comes to Halloween, but fortunately Kellie has been busy with her Wicked Cool stamps and paper!!

Spooky Box

Who would have thought that PURPLE (ok, ok, Rich Razzleberry, but it’s purple already!) would work so well as a Halloween color?  Go figure!

Wanna see what’s inside?

Spooky Box open

Kellie stamped her images on tissue paper, put them in place on the tea lights, then used her heat tool to melt the wax over the tissue.  Wicked cool, wouldn’t you say?  And please notice that she stamped those psycho little bats along the side of the box too – that girl thinks of everything!

For the finishing touch, how about a card that says it all:

Wicked Hat

If this doesn’t say Wicked Witch of the West to you, well then I don’t know what would!  I’m not going to attempt a product list because I would surely make a mess of it, but Kellie did point out something very clever.  She doesn’t have the biggest scallop circle, so she punched two XL Fancy Flowers and offset them behind the witches feet.  Absolutely brilliant!

Thanks, Kellie, for the inspiration.