Back to the Circle Circus

Posted on August 13, 2010 by mauistamper

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

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

Posted on August 11, 2010 by mauistamper

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:

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.

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

Posted on August 10, 2010 by mauistamper

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!

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…

Posted on August 6, 2010 by mauistamper

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:

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?

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.

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!

Thanks, Friends

Posted on August 5, 2010 by mauistamper

Here’s the final card in my “Friends Never Fade/Greenhouse Garden” suite:

Friends Never Fade and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
Whisper White, Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip and Pear Pizazz card stock
Greenhouse Garden Designer Series Paper
Pear Pizazz and Chocolate Chip Classic ink pads
Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip, Marina Mist and Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Write markers
1 3/4″ circle, 2 3/8″ scallop circle, and scallop trim border punches
Pumpkin Pie 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon

I love that artichokey-pineappley-image and I especially love seeing it repeated in the paper and the stamp. What a perfect example of Stampin’ Up! coordination: paper, stamps, colors…everything works together. Back in my BSU (Before-Stampin’-Up!) days I would have gone crazy trying to put something like this together. Oh, and I really love the font used for Fabulous Phrases.

A friend and I were talking about Thanksgiving the other day. She reflected on how wonderful it is to set aside a day to be grateful for your blessings. Although I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving in that way, something about our conversation put me in a different frame of mind about that concept of gratitude. Our family focuses on our blessings at Thanksgiving, but I can’t really say I’ve made an effort to personally express my gratitude. That seems like a very appropriate way to celebrate Thanksgiving. I need more “thanks” cards.

Blue and green…my favorite combination

Posted on August 4, 2010 by mauistamper

You didn’t think I’d show you all the cards I made in one post, did you?

Friends Never Fade, Inspired by Nature and Wonderfully Worn stamp sets
Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Marina Mist cardstock
Greenhouse Garden Designer Series Paper
Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight and Chocolate Chip classic ink pads
Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon (retired, substitute Early Espresso)
Stampin’ Dimensionals; brayer

I think I love the monochromatic designs in the Greenhouse Gardens Designer Series Papers as much as if not more than the beautiful multi-colored pages. And in case you haven’t figured it out, blue and green is my all-time favorite color combination ever. It doesn’t matter which blue or which green – but don’t go trying to find some hideous combination and make me look ridiculous, ok? You know what I mean.

This is my debut of the Wonderfully Worn background stamp. You know I’m a tone-on-tone kinda girl, and this stamp is perfect for adding just a little depth to a layer without being distracting. Just to be thorough, let me remind you that the best way to cover a background stamp is to brayer it – it’s the easiest method for getting an even coat of ink.

You could so cut that yellow center out with the 3/4″ circle punch, but it wasn’t doing it for me so I trimmed it with my paper snips.

Friends Never Fade, Baggy

Posted on August 3, 2010 by mauistamper

Yesterday I had a short window of time to make some cards. It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve had the opportunity to sit and let the mojo have its way. I didn’t want to do a challenge or make a card for a specific purpose, I just wanted to stamp. It felt really luxurious to begin that way.

I decided to play with the Friends Never Fade stamp set and Greenhouse Garden Designer Series papers. Using the papers gave me a general color palette to work with but it wasn’t as restrictive as a challenge. My time was limited but my results were very satisfying:

Friends Never Fade and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, and Early Espresso cardstock
Early Espresso and Pumpkin Pie Classic ink pads
Early Espresso and Pear Pizazz Stampin’ Write markers; Blender Pen
Pear Pizazz 1/2″ ribbon, Linen thread and Crop-a-dile
Big Shot and Elegant Lines Embossing Folder

I love the look that hand-coloring a stamp gives, but it does get a little tedious. This time I inked the flower image in Pumpkin Pie and then used the blender pen to remove the ink from the stem bits so that I could add Pear Pizazz with a Stampin’ Write marker. I added the Espresso accent in the middle of the flower right over the top of the Pumpkin Pie because I’m lazy like that. There are little bits and edges of Pumpkin Pie ink on the stem and I like the feeling that creates…a little edgy.

If you don’t have a Big Shot, please don’t pay any attention to the Elegant Lines folder because it will just make you flat-out crazy. If you do have a Big Shot, I hope you’ve already ordered this folder – if you haven’t, what are you waiting for???

That funny little not-knot on the ribbon has been popping up on samples all over the place and I decided it was time I got with the program. Do you remember Baloo telling Bagheera “Get with the beat, Baggy!” in the Disney version of Jungle Book? That’s the phrase that always comes to mind when I’m trying to update myself. (Can you tell how old my children are by the Disney movies I have watched so often they are committed to memory? I can sing all of the songs, too.)

Enough silliness. Time to get with the beat.

I believe this is my favorite…

Posted on August 2, 2010 by mauistamper

It’s a gorgeous day today and it started in the best possible way with Irene’s gentle yoga class at Kihei Community Yoga. Everything gets put in the right place when I make the time for that class, and it helps me be energized and centered. It’s a perfect start for a busy week.

Today I’m sharing my absolute favorite Make-and-Take from convention. If you’ve read my last post you won’t be at all surprised to find we used Just Believe (wood mount #116948 $33.95, clear mount #120453 $25.95) for this project. Honestly, you need this stamp set!

Just Believe stamp set
Not Quite Navy and Bashful Blue card stock; Watercolor paper
Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Old Olive and Pear Pizazz Stampin’ Write markers
Old Olive Satin ribbon; Brights Designer Buttons; Linen thread
Color Spritzer tool; small spray bottle filled with water

I’m thrilled with the look of this card. The image is colored with markers and then lightly spritzed with water before being stamped on watercolor paper. Everyone at my table got different results depending on how they used the markers and how they spritzed the stamp, but each card was uniquely beautiful. I still struggle with tearing – I’m too particular by nature to just give it a cavalier rip and let it go at that. One of these days I’m just gonna let go and let ‘er rip and it will surprise us all!!

If you’re ready to let ‘er rip and put Just Believe on your craft desk, head on over to my Online Store and click that Shop Now button. It will be one of the most versatile, well-used, beloved stamp sets you own.

Just Believe

Posted on July 30, 2010 by mauistamper

One of the free stamp sets we received at convention was Just Believe. I have to tell you that I had mixed feelings when I saw the notice on the Demonstrator Website that told us that set would be part of our convention package. Part of me was really excited because I fell in love with that stamp set the first time I laid eyes on it, and part of me was terribly disappointed because I fell in love with that stamp set the first time I laid eyes on it and I didn’t want to wait until almost the end of JULY to get to stamp with it!

The set is worth the wait, believe me. (Get it? Believe? Ok, I know, you get it.) We did some beautiful projects during our Make and Take session at convention, and since then I’ve continued to experiement with this set. If you like this style at all, this set should be your very next purchase because you will reach for it over and over until it’s paid for itself ten-fold.

Here’s the swap we did:

This is a simple, one layer 3 x 3 card and envelope. We used the negative image from the Sizzix Originals Circles #2 die as a reverse mask to sponge the circle, then stemped the two images in Early Espresso. I decided to step it up just a little for one of my hostess club projects this week:

Just Believe stamp set
Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock
Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight Classic ink pads
Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Hemp twine, Designer Brights Buttons
Stampin’ Sponges, Hobby blade

The ribbon is threaded through a slit in the side of the card so that I could wrap it all the way around. The Chocolate Chip ribbon is retired, but you should use the Early Espresso ribbon, ink and cardstock because that new color is absolutely gorgeous. Never mind that coffee is my nectar of life…that deep dark brown is luscious.

I can’t wait to spend some more time with this set.

Embarassing the kids from 2,440 miles away

Posted on July 29, 2010 by mauistamper

You know that feeling when you’re on information overload and your brain is bouncing ideas and pictures and emotions around the inside of your head like countless superballs ricocheting around? That’s what my head has been like this week. It’s an exciting, crazy, even frightening place…but of course the inside of my head is almost always in one of those states. Having all three co-existing at once is…well…exciting, crazy and even frightening!

Convention was an amazing, inspiring and highly memorable experience on many levels. Personally, I had a wonderful time meeting so many other talented demonstrators and spending time with my friend Robbie. You learn a great deal about someone when you travel with her. We laughed and explored and learned and celebrated and ate and drank and fell into bed exhausted every night, only to jump up early the next day in order to do it all over again. I took her on some mis-guided adventures – she kindly referred to them as “walkabouts” – and we made the best of a miserable airline delay on the way home. Better than that, we found our alter-egos. Yes, we were children of the 70’s and the Stampin’ Up! Flower Power party was one groovy blast from the past. I even managed to embarass my son from 2,440 miles away.

Every day there was new inspiration. Our fellow demonstrators submitted astonishing artwork for display, the Stampin’ Up! Creative Genius department had ideas that knocked our socks off, and we swapped with some of the most talented and innovative paper-crafters in the world. That’s a lot of inspiration! I’m hoping to share with you some of the incredible swaps I received at convention, but I won’t publish them here until I have the permission of the artist. In the meantime, I can share with you some of the Make-and-Takes we did at convention. Our M&T session wasn’t until the morning of the third day of convention, and by then you’d better believe my hands were itchin’ to stamp!

This uses the single stamp So Many Thanks with Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight and Real Red cardstock and ink. The little package tied with ribbon is an envelop for a 6×6 card folded in half and made into a portfolio for the cards. Quick and easy and very cute…this is a project I’ll do again with a variety of colors. Wouldn’t you like to be my hostess and receive a hostess gift like this? Call me and we can make it happen!