20 years, and no foolin’

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It’s been 20 years since my husband, my almost-3-year-old daughter and my 7-months-pregnant self  stepped off the plane in Kahului to begin what we thought was a two year job on Maui.  Actually, stepped off the plane doesn’t really tell the story.  We’d given our daughter some Benadryl during the flight to help her sleep, and it took a little longer to kick in than we expected.  When we landed she was sound asleep and we had substantial carry-on luggage even without her and her enormous car seat.  Oh, and did I mention I was 7 months pregnant?  What WAS I thinking??

The crew that cleans the plane was so compassionate, and helped us down the stairs – back in 1990, there were no jetways in Kahului.  Someone brought a golf cart to the bottom of the steps and we loaded my still-sleeping little girl and my enormous ankles onto the cart for the trip to the baggage claim.

Fast forward 20 years…and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  Thank you, Maui.  Thank you to all the beautiful people who have been part of our lives, and for the richness of the Hawaiian culture.  Thank you for the opportunity to live in a true mixed-plate community, with the richness of many cultures blending and sometimes struggling together.  And thank you,  Lord,  for this incredible, beautiful island of mountain and beach, lava and sand, fragrant breezes and tropical blooms.  It is truly home.

  • Thank you Kindly and Embrace Life stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Basic Black, and Kraft card stock
  • Sahara Sand Classic ink pad; Stazon Black ink pad; Pretty in Pink ink refill
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Aquapainter
  • Pink taffeta ribbon and Scallop trim border punch

10:05pm   I forgot to mention that this card was inspired by the Curtain Call Color Challenge:  CC23

Looking for a quick card?

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I think I finally “get” clean and simple.  Truth is, I was just looking for simple when I came up with this idea, and the clean part just followed along:

Happy Easter, Forest Friend

  • Forest Friends, Inspired by Nature and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • So Saffron and Whisper White card stock
  • Soft Suede and Sage Shadow Classic ink pad; Pretty in Pink Classic ink refill
  • Big Shot and Movers and Shapers XL Bigz die
  • Curly label and Scallop Trim Border punches; Aquapainter
  • So Saffron striped grosgrain ribbon and Stampin’ Dimensionals

The Movers and Shapers die is SO easy to use.  It took me a long time to spend the money – I kept thinking I could do the same thing with one of our punches.  You can get close with the punch, but you are limited to punching within a short distance of the side of the card.  The big difference, though, is that beautiful pierced border that the Bigz die puts around the opening.  That embellishment really makes a difference – and did I mention it’s quick?  You put a piece of paper on the die, run it through the Big Shot, and out comes a trimmed, scored and punched card, ready to roll.  This is the thing to use when you have a lot of cards to make.

I’m having an absolutely fabulous Saturday.  My son is driving himself all over the island to his many activities today – Scout work day, youth group project, lunch with friends (we’re meeting him there), then up to the harbor to go on a whale watch with his friends as a belated birthday celebration, and finally to the track meet (we’ll go watch him compete).  Did I mention he is DRIVING HIMSELF?????  You don’t know how happy that makes me.  I know he’s happy to have his license, but I’m telling you, I’m the one who is truly thrilled.  We’ve had some very serious discussions about maturity, responsibility, and the consequences of abusing the privilege of driving.  Each time as we wrap up, I remind him that if I have to take the keys away because he has abused his privilege, we are both going to be unhappy.  And if Mama ain’t happy, honey, ain’t nobody happy!

Happy Saturday!

An Eastern Easter Basket

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We made these baskets last night at club.  I knew if I asked them to make all the paper blossoms that are needed for THIS basket my club members would mutiny, so I adapted it to use only one.  It’s a simple basket but I find it very sweet and just right for Easter:

Eastern Blooms Easter Basket

  • Eastern Blooms stamp set
  • Whisper White, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst card stock
  • Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst Classic ink pads
  • Scallop Trim Border punch, Big Shot and Little Leaves Sizzlet
  • 1 3/8, 1 1/4, 1, 3/4 and 1/2 inch Circle Punches
  • Piercing tool and mat, Soft Subtles brads, Tombo adhesive and Sticky Strip

The basket is a 7 3/4 inch by 4 3/4 inch rectangle scored 1 1/2 inches from each side.  I use Sticky Strip to assemble it – nothing else is strong enough.  The handle is attached first with Snail (to keep it from rotating) and then with a brad.  The flower is simple – a series of graduated circles held together with a brad and then crumpled and mashed until they give you the look you want.

I went a little Scallop Trim Border crazy:

Eastern Blooms Easter basket side view

I’m so taken with that open Scallop Trim border.  You have to fuss a little to be sure you don’t end up with funny broken ends but it’s worth it.  And I’ve always loved the look of Blush Blossom with Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery.  It looks great with Barely Banana thrown into the mix too.

Easter’s almost here – are your Easter baskets ready?

And now for something completely different…

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Enough Shabby Chic, enough Tropical Brights…I’m ready for soothing images and more subdued colors:

Eastern Blooms inspired by Renee

  • Eastern Blooms stamp set
  • Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand and Gloss white card stock
  • Welcome Neighbor SAB Designer Series Paper pack
  • Old Olive and Blush Blossom Classic ink pads; White Craft ink
  • Embossing Buddy, Clear and White embossing powder, and heat tool
  • Old Olive 5/8 inch satin ribbon; white gel pen
  • Build a brad and Pop-up Glue dot

Today’s Sale-a-bration Don’t-Miss-It product is the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series paper pack.  There are great patterns and colors in this 6×6 assortment and it’s yours for free with a $50 order until March 31st.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I was inspired by a card on Renee VanStralen’s blog Stampin’ for Sanity.  I liked the look she got, but I was too lazy to get out my brayer and fill in all the spaces, so I adapted her technique with simple embossing.  There’s more than one way to achieve the look you want!  I did pull out the Embossing Buddy this time and managed to avoid those annoying white freckles.  If you’re going to use either the black or white embossing powder, you really do have to use the EB.

I debated with myself (and you would have enjoyed seeing me do that) with regards to a sentiment, but decided that the card seemed complete without it.  I often make a card without a sentiment and then add one to suit the occasion once I’m ready to send it.  I’ll add the sentiment on the inside of this card.

This card makes me feel serene.

More Kitchen Sink Stamping

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I kinda like this Kitchen Sink business.  Today’s card isn’t as busy, but I used just about every stamp set I could put my hands on.  I’ve just realized that at the end of the month, all of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets will become collector’s items!  It’s time to put them to work before that deadline:

Birthday Stack

  • Cheep Talk, Happy Moments and On a Pedestal stamp sets
  • Summer Sun, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
  • Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay Classic ink pads;  White Craft ink pad
  • Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo Stamp n Write markers
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig; White embossing powder and heat tool; blender pen
  • Scallop Trim and 3/4 inch square (retired) punches; hand-held rectangle punch (retired)
  • Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon; Big Shot and Perfect Dots embossing folder

I got a little carried away with the colors, didn’t I?  It’s tropical 🙂

Don’t miss the Sale-a-bration set Happy Moments.  I wasn’t taken with it when I first saw the SAB offering, but once I had it and started to play with it I changed my mind.  The images lend themselves to a lot of different occasions and techniques.  You heard it here, OK?

There are a couple of tricks I used here.  First, to make that Happy Birthday Banner you just stamp your message, cut it into a strip, and trim the corners with a square punch to make perfectly even points.  And no, I forgot to use the embossing buddy,  so yes, it has white “freckles”.    The other trick is to use a blender pen to selectively remove ink from a stamp.  I stamped the entire bird from Cheep Talk with Bermuda Bay ink, then used the blender pen to remove the color from his beak and legs.  I added the color I wanted with a marker.

It’s kind of a wild card, but I like it.  Hope it makes you smile.

I’m retiring at last

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No, it’s not what you think:  I’m retiring as chauffeur.  My son passed his driver’s license exam this morning!

The successful driver

It’s tough to pass the test in Hawaii – as it should be – but he was well prepared and ready to take the test.  I’ll tell you what’s REALLY tough – it’s sitting on that bench, watching as he walks out to the parking lot with the examiner and waiting while they go out on the road.  This is my third time through that process, and it doesn’t get any easier.  My stomach is always in knots as the test begins, but as time goes by and there’s no early return (meaning failure) the knot starts to settle.  It’s a great feeling to see your child come around that corner with a confident smile and a thumbs-up.  (My middle daughter thought she would be funny and walked towards me looking as downcast as possible, sending my heart to my toes until she lookup up and grinned and said “I passed!”.  Stinker.)

My life as chauffeur is over, and I am thrilled to become the chauffeured.  Congratulations, Matt.  Well done.

Kitchen Sink Card Making

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Do you ever have one of those crafting moments when you can’t stop yourself?  You think “ah, that’s just it!” and then you spot a little something over there in the corner of your craft desk and before you know it, you’ve added it in.  You could call it “Kitchen Sink Card Making”,  I suppose.  Well, that happened to me:

Vintage Style and more...

  • Vintage Vogue, Bella Toile, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo and Soft Suede card stock
  • Soft Suede, Bashful Blue and Melon Mambo Classic ink pads
  • Melon Mambo and Bashful Blue Classic Ink refills
  • Modern Label punch, Fresh Favorites buttons, and Linen Thread
  • Aquapainter,  and Stampin Sponges
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit

Those butterflies from yesterday’s post were lurking around on the craft table and I couldn’t resist them.  However, it appears I couldn’t resist anything else!  This was fun to play with, even it if does look a little…hmmm…shall we say “busy”?  That would be kind.

One note:  Be sure to insert a liner on the inside of a card that’s this deep in color.  A simple Very Vanilla panel would do here, although I often add a mat and stamp a little in the corner.  What the heck – if the front is gonna be all out, the inside needs a little zip too!

Re-interpreting the Mini…Summer Mini, that is!

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If you’re a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator AND you’ve received your advance copy of the Summer Mini Catalog (May 1 to August 31) this card may seem vaguely familiar:

Vintage Butterflies with a Summer Mini inspiration

  • Vintage Vogue,  Bella Toile and Only Ovals stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Kraft and Melon Mambo card stock
  • Sahara Sand and Soft Suede Classic ink pad
  • Bashful Blue and Melon Mambo Classic ink refills
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit
  • Oval punch, Stampin’ Sponges Aquapainter and Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon

I looked at the images on the front of that mini catalog and fell in love with the colors and the vintage style.  The more I looked, the more I thought I could find a way to create that same feeling with stamps I already had.  I pulled out the color palette the cover artists used, rummaged around until I found a few vintage-looking stamp sets, and started to play.

I wanted to add the ribbon, but with the tall skinny card format it just seemed too wide even at 3/8″.  Eventually, the little light bulb went on in the air over my head and I figured out that I could twist the ribbon to make it fit my purpose.  The butterflies were created from the Beautiful Wings embosslit using paper that was stamped with the Bella Toile background stamp (an under-utilized stamp, I might add!).  I used the Aquapainter and Classic ink refills to selectively color bits of the image and I love the result.

By the way, that Beautiful Wings embosslit is so popular that Stampin’ Up! is STILL experiencing shipping delays.  If you want it,  my suggestion is to put in your order and get in line now!

Just because I could recreate this concept does NOT mean I won’t be buying this set.  You see, one of the many beautiful images it features is a hummingbird, my favorite bird to watch.  They are fast, tiny, jewel-colored, and crazily territorial little things and I love the zzzhhhmm noise they make when they go by.  Somehow, the little hummer has never made it to Hawaii, and I miss seeing it.

Have I got you thinking ahead about that Summer Mini??  Good.

Black and White and Sweet Stems all over

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Oh man, does it feel great when my hands and my brain are on the same page!  I get all buzzed because it happens so seldom.  I’ve seen a lot of cards using a quilt-square layout on the forums and blogs lately but nothing came to mind until yesterday.  When inspiration struck, it was very specific:

Black and White and Sweet Stems all over

  • Sweet Stems stamp set
  • Whisper White, Basic Black and Bermuda Bay card stock
  • Basic Black Classic ink pad; Whisper White Craft ink pad; Black Stampn’ Write marker
  • Embossing buddy (a MUST), WHITE embossing powder and heat tool
  • 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 inch square punches; Round tab punch
  • Corner rounder, white gel pen and Bermuda Bay polka dot grosgrain ribbon

To get that white–on-black look just right, I stamped the image in Craft White and then embossed it with white embossing powder.  You have to take your time with this – even with judicious use of the Embossing Buddy, there are a few tiny specs of white embossing powder on that black card stock.  I remove those specs with a fine paintbrush, very lightly moistened (OK, I admit it, I lick my finger and twist the fibers together).  If you leave just one, when you’ve finished with the heat tool those specs look like bowling balls.

I suppose I could have embossed the black images too, but I was in too big a hurry to see this put together.  I think start to finish it was 15 minutes – that’s a record for me!

Hello Forest Babies

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There’s a new baby I’m looking forward to meeting.  His Auntie, Grandma and Grandpa are here from the Mainland, so I’ll wait my turn – but while I am waiting, I made him a card.

Welcome from the Forest Friends

  • Forest Friends, Woodgrain and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Naturals White, Brocade Blue, Ruby Red and Soft Suede card stock
  • Brocade Blue, Ruby Red and Soft Suede Classic ink pads
  • Versamark ink and Whisper White Craft ink pad
  • Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Stampin’ Sponges, piercing tool and mat
  • Jumbo grommet, Soft Suede polka dot ribbon and Scallop trim border punch

There was a lot of masking involved in lining up these images.  It’s not hard at all – and it doesn’t take much time.  Stamp your image on a re-positionable note and trim it out.  I just stamp again after I’ve stamped my first image – you only need the outline.  When I’ve used the mask I stick in inside the storage container for the stamp set so I don’t have to cut another one the next time.