A Very Chic – Tropical Chic – September

Posted on September 1, 2018 by mauistamper

Are you in love with Tropical Chic? I certainly am! These gorgeous leaves and that beautiful hibiscus are growing all around me, and I have them at my fingertips to ink in any color I like. I’ve chosen two of my favorite flower combinations to grace my September desk:

Stamps: Tropical Chic
Color Palette: Whisper White, Old Olive, Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, Lovely Lipstick
Accessories: Big Shot, Tropical Thinlits, Blender Pens, Aqua Painter, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I inked up each flower and dragged the Blender pen across the center of each one. Then I dripped a little ink from an ink refill into the lid of my ink pad and used an Aquapainter to pick up the intense color and add it to the space I cleared on the stamp. I tried using daubers to add the color, but I couldn’t avoid a really round shape, and this time I was looking for something more linear.

The Tropical Chic stamps and thinlits are available in a discounted bundle. If you’ve been studying your catalogs, you’ll know that the first year stamps and dies are introduced, they’re generally sold individually as well as in the bundle. If they continue beyond that first catalog, the money-saving bundle is discontinued. Conclusion: Buy the bundle when it comes out. (I know, such rocket science.)

Crystal and Cheryl have created September calendars for your inspiration – check them out, and leave a comment if you do!

Ready to treat yourself to the Tropical Chic Bundle? Shop HERE.

One Last Chance for Blended Seasons

Posted on August 31, 2018 by mauistamper

Today is your last chance to add Blended Seasons to your crafting stash! These gorgeous flowers officially retire at 7:50 pm HST tonight, and Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who decide to part with their stamps are required to wait a full year before they are sold. Don’t pay ridiculous prices at third party sites when you can order from your friendly SU! demo.

Stamps: Blended Seasons, Hardwood
Color Palette: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Layered Ovals Framelits, Stitched Seasons Framelits, Braided Linen Trim (2018 Holiday Sneak Peek), Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Skit skat skoodle doot flip flop flee! Click on the link to shop with me!

(apologies to fans of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom)

Shop HERE today!

If you’re shopping after 7:50pm HST on August 31, 2018, you can’t get this set but you can shop HERE, okay?

Blended Seasons in Poppy Parade

Posted on August 26, 2018 by mauistamper

I know there are other stamps in this set, but I just can’t get enough of these gorgeous flowers. They lend themselves so well to coloring with Stampin’ Blends, guiding you along with well-placed lines to help you shade the images. I’ve done the flowers in lots of different colors, but I keep returning to Old Olive for the leaves. We’ve got a lot of fabulous new greens in our palette with the revamp this year, but Old Olive is still my favorite.

Stamps: Blended Seasons, Hardwood, Sunshine Sayings
Color Palette: Whisper White, Memento Black, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Layering Circles Framelits, Subtle Dynamic TIEF, Paper Snips, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Old Olive 1/8″ Sheer Ribbon, Braided Linen Trim (sneak peek)

The Subtles Dynamic TIEF was a leap of faith for me. The catalog images don’t begin to do it justice! It provides just what the name says – a beautiful subtle texture that sits quietly in the background making everything else look great. If you’ve wondered about it, stop. Trust me, you need it! As for the Braided Linen Trim coming in the Holiday 2018 catalog, well, you know how I feel about Linen Thread – and this is Linen Thread in triplicate. I can’t wait til you can get it too.

I’ve used the words from Sunshine Sayings much more often than I imagined I would. They’re a little bigger than many of our sentiments, the font is a perfect Goldilocks font (not too serious, not too fussy, but just right), and they cover just about anything you’d like to say. I din’t expect to use them as much as I have, and I’m really glad I bought them.Blended Seasons, the Stitched Seasons Framelits, and the Watercolor Pencil 2 assortment (Balmy Blue, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Flirty Flamingo, Garden Green, Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy) are only available until the end of August. Shop HERE.

Colour INKspiration #CI40: Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive and Early Espresso

Posted on August 24, 2018 by mauistamper

I’ve missed a couple of the Colour INKspiration challenges and I was determined to submit at least one card to this fortnight’s challenge. The colours for #CI40 are Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive, Early Espresso, with neutrals or metallics. We had this gorgeous image to inspire our creativity:

I’ve been fussy cutting this image from Blended Seasons all month, so that was where I began:

A special shout out to Vicki Boucher, who frayed her Copper Trim and inspired me to do the same. It’s addicting to pull those threads this way and that and play with the shapes that result.

I used Old Olive Stampin’ Blends on the leaves, but there’s no Gorgeous Grape Blend (at least not yet!) I ordered a set of the Watercolor Pencils available this month, and sure enough, there was Gorgeous Grape! Problem solved.

Stamps: Blended Seasons, Waterfront
Colour Palette: Whisper White, Shimmer White, Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Copper, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Paper Snips, Copper Trim, Stampin’ Blends, Watercolor Pencils 2, Versamark Ink, Copper Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Wood Textures DSP, Petals and More Thinlits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Blender pen, Corner Rounder (retired)

I was a little challenged to add Early Espresso to the card, but when I added the Wood Textures DSP and the copper ribbon, foil and embossing powder, the tones of the card changed. I used an Early Espresso card base and tucked in a few little die cut embellishments from Petals and more. The Shimmer White card stock added to the overall gleam of the card.

To keep the intensity of the Gorgeous Grape Watercolor Pencil, I used a Blender Pen to smooth the strokes out. The Blender Pen does a beautiful job but doesn’t dilute the color in the way an Aquapainter might.

Colour INKspiration challenges are open to anyone – visit the Facebook group to see the quality images that are submitted.

Looking for supplies to create your own card? Blended Seasons and Watercolor Pencils 2 are only available until the end of August, so time’s a wasting! If you’re in the United States, shop HERE.

August Only: Blended Seasons Stamps, Framelits and Bundle

Posted on August 1, 2018 by mauistamper

Blended Seasons is a brand new stamp set (with framelits and a bundle price as well) available exclusively during the month of August. It’s perfect for coloring with Stampin’ Blends, watercolor pencils or brushes, or any other coloring technique you enjoy. I thought I’d see if it would work on a DIY calendar:

Stamps: Blended Seasons
Color Palette: Whisper White, Gray Granite, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Wink of Stella

I used Gray Granite to ink the outline. It’s not a recommended ink for use with Stampin’ Blends, but I stamped off before I made my impression so there was less ink to smear. The colors I chose didn’t muddy even when I got close enough to the edge for a little blur. I like living on the edge once in a while (lol).

I’d intended to color the flowers, but decided to do the leaves first. As I finished the leaves, I turned the panel and something caught my eye. I decided to leave the blooms white and add a little Wink of Stella as an accent. There’s a native Hawaiian poppy called Pua Kala that looks quite a bit like this flower, and I think that’s what made me stop.

We have a mini-DIY-Easel Calendar tour – stop by and see what Crystal and Cheryl are sharing today. And if you’d like your own Blended Seasons stamp set, shop HERE.

Animal Outing Rhino and Birdie BFF

Posted on July 31, 2018 by mauistamper

I am a complete fool for charming animal images. It’s really outside my everyday aesthetic – I don’t have cute Rhino tee-shirts or Kangaroo print tote bags or Giraffe prints on my walls. But these guys, along with a half dozen other Stampin’ Up! Critter Stamps, just plain make me happy:

Stamps: Animal Outing
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Pool Party, Call Me Clover, Pool Party, Granny Apple Green
Accessories: Animal Expeditions DSP, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Animal Friends Thinlits, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1/8″ Grosgrain ribbon

Animal Outing and the Animal Friends Thinlits are available in a convenient bundle. Did you know that you’ll automatically save 10% on all Stampin’ Up! bundles? Every little bit helps.

Crafty Friends, if you have not yet invested in the Stitched Shapes Framelits, I highly recommend you consider that purchase. I use them on EVERYTHING. You’ll get an assortment of circles, ovals and squares in one convenient package! Believe me when I tell you that you NEED this product.

I’ve spent some time working with Stampin’ Blends, and I’m starting to get a feeling for it. My fundamental approach is Use The Lines. Shading this Rhino was simply a matter of using the Dark Basic Gray Blend along the lines and the Light version everywhere else.

This super-simple layout is made possible by Designer Series Paper, aka DSP. Today is the very last day to Buy 3, Get One Free. Get thee to the Online Store in great haste.

Little Gray Elephant: Colour INKspiration 38

Posted on July 28, 2018 by mauistamper

I missed the last Colour INKspiration challenge, and creating something for #CI38 was a high priority this weekend. The Little Elephant bundle has been on my desk this week and it didn’t take me long to imagine how it would work perfectly with the palette of Gray Granite, Petal Pink, Berry Burst, Basic Black and Whisper White:

Stamps: Little Elephant, Petal Palette
Colour Palette: Powder Pink, Berry Burst, Gray Granite, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories: Elephant Builder Punch, Twinkle Twinkle DSP, Pearlized Doilies, Sponge Daubers, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Linen Thread, Stampin’ Write markers, Tropical Elements, Clear Embossing Powder, Versamark ink, Heat Gun, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Black Rhinestone (Retired)

Stampers in the know might have already spotted that Berry Burst Tropical Elements flower. They don’t come in that color, and I had to get pretty creative to make it happen! Stampin’ Up! doesn’t currently sell a Berry Burst Stampin’ Blends marker, which would have been my first choice. I used a Sponge Dauber to add Berry Burst ink to the button, then lightly tapped it into the Versamark Ink and dusted it with Clear Embossing Powder. When I heat set that combination, the color was too light. I ended up repeating the process two more times with just the Berry Burst Ink and the Embossing Powder to get the color I wanted. I used the end of a wooden skewer to hold the button while I blasted it with the Heat Gun.

I also used Sponge Daubers to color the edge of the Pearlized Doily, and I used a Gray Granite Stampin’ Write marker to tone down the Linen Thread. I keep a nice little stash of Sponge Daubers because they are such a quick and easy solution to coloring just about anything. Need some – or need to make a last minute order of Designer Series Paper before the Buy 3 Get One Free sale runs out on July 31? Shop HERE if you’re in the United States.

Here’s the inspiration photo for the Colour Inkspiration challenge. It’s a Facebook group and you don’t need a blog – you can upload directly to their page to participate. It’s an absolutely lovely group of crafters, and the projects are always top notch. Be sure to tag your post with #CI38. Enjoy!

Tropical Playtime

Posted on July 19, 2018 by mauistamper

The Tropical Escape Suite is Right. Up. My. Alley.

Holy Moly. These stamps, the DSP, the accessories – they speak my language! I love the splash of Blushing Bride mixed in with all of the green tones. These leaves are growing in my back yard – literally – and the thinlit shapes are gorgeous. This is a set I’ll keep!

Stamps: Tropical Chic, Itty Bitty Greetings
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Big Shot, Tropical Escape DSP, Tropical Thinlits, Layering Circles Framelits, Duet Banner Punch, Linen Thread, Tropical Elements, Pearl Jewels, Sponge Daubers, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I had such fun with the details. I used a sponge dauber to add a little Flirty Flamingo ink to the center of the flower. The thinlits cut out the stamped images, but there are also dies to cut detailed leaves out of cardstock. The possibilities are endless.

The Designer Series Paper is Buy 3, Get One Free for the rest of July. I purchased multiple packages.

Using this darker DSP in the background completely changed the feeling of the card. The designs are gorgeous, and can stand on their own as a card front with minimal embellishment. (I was not feeling minimalistic.)

As you can see, I just kept going! I didn’t know that I needed Tropical Elements until I opened the package, but now I’m convinced. I think they look particularly smashing with Linen Thread (everything looks smashing with Linen Thread.)

Need a little Tropical Escape? Shop HERE.

Technicolor Thanks

Posted on July 11, 2018 by mauistamper

I love making custom cards, and I had a very special order a couple of weeks ago. I took my inspiration from the graphic design in a proposal to create these thank you cards for the team that put the proposal together:

Stamps: Love What You Do, Artisan Textures, Handcarved (retired)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Lemon Lime Twist, Tempting Turquoise (retired)
Accessories: Big Shot, Subtle Dynamic TIEF (swoon), Watercolor Paper, Ink Refills, Brush, Stampin’ Dimensionals

First things first. When I first saw the Subtle Dynamic TIEF in the catalog, I thought it was just a titch TOOO subtle – I couldn’t see anything. But it really sounded like the sort of thing I would love, if it were what it seemed to be – get my drift?

Oh Em Gee. It is gorgeous. I highly recommend giving your cardstock a very light spritz before running it through the embossing folder. I use rubbing alcohol because it dries very quickly, but you could use water. The results are stunning.

I was looking for some DSP to put into that angled section between the two Tempting Turquoise panels, and I started to play with water and ink and the light went on. I used an ordinary paintbrush with ink refills to draw lines across some Watercolor Paper, and I was thrilled with the results. Cutting it into sections really made it pop.

I can’t show you the source of my inspiration, but the graphics and colors are similar. (I hope you’ll forgive me for using Tempting Turquoise, but that was the best match and I still had some in my craft room.) There was a LOT of measure twice, cut once-ing and I still had a few things that went wonky on me, but this was a really fun project. You can find inspiration in the most unexpected places…

…but if you want to shop for supplies, it’s easy. Shop HERE.

July: Little Elephants

Posted on July 1, 2018 by mauistamper

I’ve got Little Elephants in a parade across my desk this month!

This charming stamp set and the coordinating punch were on my “Must Have” list for the new Annual Catalog! I wasn’t thinking of it at the time, but they’re the perfect size for my DIY Easel Calendar.

Stamps: Little Elephants
Color Palette: Whisper White, Lovely Lipstick, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Elephant Builder Punch, Glue Dots, Stampin’ Write markers, Black Rhinestones (retired)

The Builder Punch even punches out a separate little ear ❤

I used Stampin’ Write markers to color the balloons. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the way they appeared, but despite the minor smudges, I’ve changed my mind. They look translucent and reflective, as a proper balloon ought to do.

Stop by and see what Cheryl and Crystal have on tap for July. And if the Elephant Builder Bundle is on your Must Have List, shop HERE.

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

A Very Chic – Tropical Chic – September

One Last Chance for Blended Seasons

Blended Seasons in Poppy Parade

Colour INKspiration #CI40: Gorgeous Grape, Old Olive and Early Espresso

August Only: Blended Seasons Stamps, Framelits and Bundle

Animal Outing Rhino and Birdie BFF

Little Gray Elephant: Colour INKspiration 38

Tropical Playtime

Technicolor Thanks

July: Little Elephants

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