The Ribbon of Courage

Posted on July 7, 2017 by mauistamper

Patty Bennett is a Stampin’ Up! Million Dollar Sales achiever, and one of the perks of achieving that sales milestone is collaboration on a stamp set. The Ribbon of Courage is a beautiful set with many uses beyond the ribbon, but the ribbon image is really beautiful.

Stamps: Ribbon of Courage, Flirty Flowers
Color Palette: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Powder Pink
Accessories: Big Shot, Support Ribbon Framelits, Layered Leaves TIEF, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Wink of Stella Clear, Aqua painter

I had some fun with the Aqua painter and Wink of Stella on the beautiful design on the ribbon. There’s a lot of detail there, and it would be fun to emboss and embellish too.

The sentiment is from Ribbon of Courage, but the floral embellishment is from Flirty Flowers. LOVE those designs!!

July brings Bonus Days back to Stampin’ Up! Spend $50 in July and earn a $5 reward to spend as you choose in August – with no limit. What’s on your list?

Has your wishlist grown? If it’s near $100, consider joining the Maui Stamper team. There’s no obligation, and in July, Stampin’ Up! is making the deal even sweeter. Your $99 (no additional tax or shipping) always includes your choice of $125 in Stampin’ Up! product. In July, it will include an additional $52 in essential tools – snail, snips, bone folder, grid paper, and two D blocks – PLUS the not-yet-released Carols of Christmas stamps from the Holiday 2017 catalog. Check it out!

Birthday Wishes

Posted on July 5, 2017 by mauistamper

The new catalog is keeping me really, really busy. Just when I think I’ve narrowed down my list, something else catches my eye. What I love most about the Happiest of Days stamp set is the font!

Stamps: Happiest of Days
Color Palette: Whisper White, So Saffron, Pear Pizazz and Dapper Denim
Accessories: Big Shot, Ovals Layering Framelits, Petal Burst TIEF, Stampin’ Write Markers, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Paper Snips, White Bakers Twine

These little packages are together on one stamp, but I wanted to give them some dimension and change their spacing. My Paper Snips are always close at hand!

I even embellished the inside of the card. It’s an extra touch that makes a handmade card even more special.

July brings Bonus Days back to Stampin’ Up! Spend $50 in July and earn a $5 reward to spend as you choose in August – with no limit. What’s on your list?

CASEing the Piggy

Posted on July 2, 2017 by mauistamper

July 1 brings Bonus Days back to Stampin’ Up! Spend $50 in July and earn a $5 reward to spend as you choose in August – with no limit. What’s on your list?

If I didn’t have it already, I’ll tell you what would be on my list: This Little Piggy.

This piggy makes me happy! Today’s card is a CASE (Copy And Share with Everyone) of the talented Rachel Tessman. I loved her design, and made just a couple of small changes to her creation.

Coloring the Piggy was a learning experience for me – and in a good way. I was certain I wanted to use Whisper White card stock, but I haven’t had good experience using the Aquapainter with either ink or the Coloring Pencils on large images on Whisper White card stock. I was looking for another option and thought I’d try sponging. This first pig got a little sunburned, but the second one has a lovely, pale complexion:

I used Powder Pink to sponge, and the Blushing Bride Stampin’ Write marker to add shadows.

Stamps: This Little Piggy
Color Palette: Whisper White, Powder Pink, Blushing Bride, Soft Sky, Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey
Accessories: Daisy Punch, Fox Builder Punch, 3/4″ circle punch, Stampin’ Sponges, Stampin’ Write Markers, Aquapainter, Paper Snips, Post It note, retired Washi Tape

This is the first card I made using the Aquapainter and ink. You can’t see the distortion of the paper, but it’s there. I also wasn’t successful in getting even coverage:

A Post It note creates the perfect mask for sponging, because it sticks in place and the paper is thin. I stamped the Piggy and trimmed him out of the center:

I suppose I could have been really tricky and used the insides for the Soft Sky sponging, but it wouldn’t have had any “stick”. I stamped the Piggy again and cut out around the image so I could sponge in the sky:

July’s all wrapped up

Posted on July 1, 2017 by mauistamper

I’m all about the Red, White, and Blue, but for the past few years I’ve looked for motifs other than the Stars and Stripes. There’s nothing wrong with them, but I like a little creative challenge. This month, I’m using the bow retired from the Circle of Spring for my calendar.

Stamps: Circle of Spring (retired)
Color Palette: (Real) Red, (Whisper) White, and (Night of Navy) Blue!
Accessories: Wondrous Wreath Framelits

Hope your entire month is Star-Spangled!! Check out the creations featured by Crystal and Cheryl this month.

July 1 brings Bonus Days back to Stampin’ Up! Spend $50 in July and earn a $5 reward to spend as you choose in August – with no limit. What’s on your list?

You Soar Above the Rest

Posted on June 21, 2017 by mauistamper

Mr. Maui Stamper really does soar above the rest. I knew when I met him all those years ago that he would make a fabulous Dad, and my young heart really got that right. (The defining moment was when he was teaching me to ski and his extraordinary patience was on full display.)

Stamps: Lift Me Up, Thoughtful Banners
Color Palette: Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Dapper Denim
Accessories: Big Shot, Up & Away Thinlits, Precision Base Plate, Lemon Lime Twist Ombre Ribbon (currently on backorder), Stampin’ Dimensionals, Color Theory DSP Stack

The Color Theory DSP makes a great background – the ombre fade from top to bottom suggests the view towards the horizon. There are a couple of paper shares still available if you’re interested in sampling this paper (and a few others!)

Those glorious orchids

Posted on June 13, 2017 by mauistamper

I love a new catalog. There are new stamps, new colors, new ribbons and inspiration to last for ages! I couldn’t sleep last night after an evening of crafting – there were so many ideas swirling around in my head!

I inked up the gorgeous Climbing Orchid suite last week. Orchids are abundant in Hawaii, and I have a local source that’s quite reasonable, so they are almost always blooming in my home. I couldn’t wait to try the paper version:

Stamps: Climbing Orchid, Touches of Texture
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Berry Burst, So Saffron, Soft Suede
Accessories: Big Shot, Orchid Builder Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, a new set of cutting pads!!!!

The new cutting pads are my favorite indulgence. I can make the old, crusty, doubled-up pads work, but why? They leave funny marks on the paper because they’re so chopped up. And opening a new set of cutting pads is one of those hold-your-breath moments. They’re so smooth! I always have two new backup pairs in my Big Shot Organizer – I ordered the replacements the same day I opened the new set.

You don’t have to cut this many layers, but I’m glad I chose to. The extra depth and texture make the card special, and most of the time, paper layers don’t create the dreaded Post Office Bump.

Once I decided on a color scheme, this card was pretty quick and simple. I’m looking forward to playing with these orchids all year long.

Re-creating a Maui Stamper Classic

Posted on June 9, 2017 by mauistamper

Sale-a-bration 2016 inspired a card that has become my all time favorite. Because the stamps were available for such a short time, I made a few different versions but then moved on. I’ve watched every catalog for a suitable replacement, and when I spied Flirty Flowers in the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog I knew I had a good possibility.

Stamps: Flirty Flowers, Sunshine Sayings, Timeless Textures
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede
Accessories: Linen Thread, Stampin’ Write Markers

There’s a time commitment in cutting and stamping this card. It’s not a good candidate for mass production, but it’s a great project for relaxing and enjoying the creative process.

It’s really enjoyable to mix and match textures, images and colors to create a unique card. My original design using the Sale-a-bration stamp set Field Flowers was done in yellow tones, but I also created one in pinks and another in blues. The monochromatic palettes tie together an otherwise chaotic collection of images.

I tried this one with Fresh Fig and Sweet Sugarplum. There are things I like about it, but it’s definitely a different vibe.

In all honesty, I think Flowering Fields was a once-in-a-lifetime set of stamps. I’d love to know what you think – please leave me a comment with your thoughts.

And just for the record, here’s the original Flowering Fields cards in Crushed Curry and So Saffron. It was CASEd many, many times, and I am very grateful to those generous crafters who acknowledged my design. If you CASE a card, please give the original artist credit. Thanks.

The New Catalog is LIVE!

Posted on June 1, 2017 by mauistamper

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for today!

The new 2017-2018 Annual Catalog is live and available for ordering, and Stampin’ Up! has added a sweet incentive for hosts. Your event can earn bonus Host Dollars in the month of June!

Contact me for details and inspiration. There are lots of ways to host an event!

Oh, and that new catalog? Yeah. Shop HERE.

Happy Wanderer

Posted on June 1, 2017 by mauistamper

Warning: once we get to June, my calendar images may include retired stamps. I create the calendars in January. It is what it is.

This little gem comes from the retired So Sublime stamp set. It’s colored with an Aquapainter and a few markers and it’s as simple as can be.

I’m not a camper, but how could you resist an adventure in such a cute little roll-along?

Stop by and see what Cheryl and Crystal have designed for June!

The Maui Stamper

papercrafts, my stories, and the occasional insight

The Ribbon of Courage

Birthday Wishes

CASEing the Piggy

July’s all wrapped up

You Soar Above the Rest

Those glorious orchids

Re-creating a Maui Stamper Classic

The New Catalog is LIVE!

Happy Wanderer

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