Breakin’ out the Butterflies

…and there are a LOT of butterflies to break out!  This card uses the stamp and framelit bundle that was SO hard to get earlier this year.  Thank goodness it’s easy as can be to order now!

Maui Stamper Butterfly Basics

  • Stamps:  Butterfly Basics
  • Color Palette:  Whisper White, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe
  • Accessories:  Butterflies thinlets, All is Calm DSP (retired from Holiday 2014), Rhinestone jewels, Glue Dots

I grabbed the retired All is Calm DSP because it was close by, and found rather serendipitously that it was a very close (but not exact) match for Mint Macaron.  Life can be sweet that way!  There are beautiful Mint Macaron papers in my new 2015-2016 In Color paper stack, but when I made this card, that stack was not in my stash.

Maui Stamper Butterfly Basics

This is a very simple look to create.  The top Whisper White layer is 3 3/4″ x 5″ and the butterfly is carefully positioned using the magnetic platform to be cut out of the top 40%.  The top layer, sans butterfly, is stamped and then adhered to a DSP layer measuring 4″ x 5 1/4″, and that whole assembly is adhered to the card front (in this case, the GLORIOUS new THICK Whisper White).  Finally, a couple of Glue Dots put the butterfly back in place, with a gentle bend in the wings to provide additional dimension.  Easy and done!

Shop HERE to add these goodies to your stash!

 

Red, White and July!

Every year I tell myself I will choose something BESIDES red, white, and blue for my July calendar…and…well, see for yourself:

Maui Stamper July 2015 DIY Easel Calendar

  • Stamps:  Flower Patch
  • Color Palette:  Real Red, Pacific Point, Soft Sky and Whisper White
  • Accessories:  Flower Fair Framelits, Rhinestone Jewels

When you team up Flower Patch with the Flower Fair Framelits, wonderful things happen in a blink of an eye!

Maui Stamper July 2015 DIY Easel CalendarSpeaking of Wonderful Things, today the Watercolor Wishes kit becomes available (p. 80 in the annual catalog).  I’m offering a class featuring this kit – let me know if you are interested!

Stampin' Up! Watercolor Wishes

Watercolor Wishes Card Kit and 12 Piece Photopolymer Stamp Set #140406 $35 Inclusive

Crystal and Cheryl are sharing their July DIY calendars too – check them out!

Weekly Deals – Bigger and Better!

Check out the DEALS this week – they’re growing:

Stampin' Up! Weekly Deals June 30-July 6 2015

Don’t miss the new additions to the CLEARANCE RACK either – especially if you have Big Shot or like ribbon.

Weekly Deals!

Check out the sweet deals Stampin’ Up! is offering this week:

Maui Stamper Weekly Deals June 23-29, 2015Don’t miss out!  Shop HERE.

Con-grat-YOU-lations!

BRAVO is a sleeper stamp set that has made the cut for 2015-2016:

Maui Stamper Con-grat-YOU-lations

  • Stamps:  Bravo
  • Color Palette:  Whisper White, Night of Navy, Encore Gold
  • Accessories:  Itty Bitty Accents punch pack, Gold Glimmer paper, White Jute ribbon, Gold Sequin trim

 

Maui Stamper Bravo Photopolymer #135380

Bravo Photopolymer #135380 $26.00

These messages are perfect for graduations, weddings, new babies, or any special event where congratulations are in order.  The variety of fonts, image sizes, and orientations increases the versatility of this set (I especially love that there’s a “tall” option!)

Maui Stamper Con-grat-YOU-lationsCards that acknowledge an accomplishment mean so much – who needs to hear “Way to Go!” from you?

Shop HERE.

Weekly Deals!

Here are the deals – good through Monday, June 22:

Maui Stamper Weekly Deals June 16-21 2015Shop HERE!

Exploring the new catalog: Wild About Flowers

I’ve found a lot of beautiful stamp sets in the new Stampin’ Up! annual catalog:

Maui Stamper Wild About Flowers

  • Stamps:  Wild About Flowers
  • Color Palette:  Whisper White, Pear Pizazz, Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe
  • Accessories:  Boho Chic TIEF, 2 1/2″ circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Wild About Flowers features Two-Step Stampin’ making it simple to use multiple colors – and it’s a photopolymer, so it’s easy to line up. It also includes sentiments that are a little out of the ordinary, but are really nice to have.

WildAboutFlowers

Wild About Flowers 12 photopolymer stamps #138728 $21.00 US

Our new 2015-2017 In Colors are great new shades that mix well with our existing color palette.  I’ve used Tip Top Taupe and Watermelon Wonder with Pear Pizazz – love the pop in that Watermelon Wonder!  And you can’t tell from the photo, but my card base is our new heavy weight Whisper White card stock.  I have been asking, pleading, begging  Stampin’ Up! for this and I am thrilled with it!

Maui Stamper Wild About FlowersWhat’s your favorite new stamp set?

Let’s Get Going Places – RemARKably!

Welcome to the latest edition of the RemARKable Blog tour.  We’re certainly going places this month and we hope you’ll come along!  This is a long post with a lot of photos – if you want to move along, click on the graphic below to see what the talented Heather Mathiesen has done:

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Mr. Maui Stamper and I love to travel.  Sometimes we’re asked why we would ever want to leave our beautiful island.  As much as we love our home, we also love seeing new places.  More importantly, our three wonderful, independent, confident children are flung across 12 time zones in the world.  We love them, so we travel!

I’ve learned to take an envelope with me every trip to collect the receipts, ephemera, and mementos that accumulate when you travel.  At first it was a plain #10 envelope, then a 6×8 envelope, and finally, I’ve graduated to a travel wallet.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015With a little tinkering, I found a size that worked well and was quick to put together, and now I make one for each trip.  It gives me something pretty and new to use, and allows me to quickly locate the correct envelope for any given trip should I need to find a receipt or memento.

You’ll need:

  • a 12″ square piece of card stock
  • a 2 3/4″ x 9″ piece of DSP
  • a 2 3/4″ x 9″ piece of either card stock or DSP
  • The Simply Scored tool
  • a button or brad
  • a length of twine (about 14″)
  • a 1/8″ hole punch
  • adhesive – I use Tear and Tape and Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive)
  • Corner rounder punch

Let’s get started!

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Place the card stock on the Simply Scored tool and score at 4″, 4 1/2″, 5″ and 9 1/4″.

Turn the card stock a quarter turn so that you are scoring perpendicularly to the first set of score marks.  Score at 3/4″, 1 1/2″, 10 1/2″ and 11 1/4″.

If you don’t have the Simply Scored tool, you can measure and score the old fashioned way.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Fold gussets across the middle and on either side as indicated by the score marks.  Your envelope will have a gusset along the bottom and on the sides.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Trim off the sides as shown.  The narrow panel at the bottom of the photo will be your flap and will be 9 inches wide.  The second panel will be adhered to the third (top) panel to create the envelope.  Clear as mud?

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Adhere your DSP to the 9 inch wide flap.  I use Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) so that I can get as close as possible to the edge.  (I use a bone folder to smooth out any bubbles and assure a smooth fit.) This is the fabulous new Timeless Elegance DSP, and I think it is gorgeous with Basic Grey card stock.  Use the Corner Rounder punch to (wait for it) ROUND THE CORNERS.  Lol.  I know.  I crack myself up.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Fold in the gusset that will be at the bottom of the envelope, and then fold in the sides.  Apply our new Tear and Tape to the flap as shown.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Snip a bit into the flap, because there’s some magic to be done.  That little snip will create a space for the flap to leap over the gusset.  When you adhere the sides this way, you won’t have a gap at the bottom for little things to slide through.  Practice once or twice before you remove the tape from the adhesive to get the feel of it.  It’s not hard!

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Once the sides are together, trim the ends that stick out at the top to a pleasing angle.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Almost done!  Punch a 1/8″ hole in the center of the top flap and thread through your twine.  Tape into place – I use the Tear and Tape because I can.  (This beautiful Basic Grey and Vanilla twine is from the Gratitude for Days Simply Created kit on the Clearance Rack.  It’s a steal at $8.79!)

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Loop the twine around the brad before you open the prongs to be sure there is enough clearance.  Secure the brad.

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Apply Tear and Tape around the bumpy parts where the brad and the twine appear on the bottom.  (We’re going to cover those up!)  Apply Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive) to that second piece of card stock (2 3/4′ x 9″) and cover that mess!

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015Yeah, I’m fussy like that.  Your travel wallet is ready for your next trip – where are you going?  I’m Salt Lake City bound next month for Inspire.Create.Share 2015!

Maui Stamper RemARKable Blog Tour Going Places 2015

The tour continues with Heather Mathieson, if you’ve been hardy enough to make it this far!  The rest of the team is listed below – enjoy the creative projects!

 

 

Nancy Amato – http://stampinallnight.blogspot.com/2015/06/remarkable-stampers-blog-tour-going.html
Melissa Bolinger –  http://creativeblessingsbymissy.blogspot.com/2015/06/remarkable-blog-tour-going-places.html
Tamra  Davis http://www.theCardLadies.com/remarkable-blog-tour-going-places/
Anne Matasci – http://wp.me/pCcBw-1RL    YOU’RE  HERE!!!
Heather Mathieson – http://wp.me/p2wIuv-2f
Audra Monk – http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com/2015/06/going-places-remarkable-blog-hop.html
Maria Pane – http://stampinandscrappinwithriri.blogspot.com/2015/06/remarkable-stampers-blog-tour-moving-on.html
Michele Reynolds – http://inspirationink.typepad.com/inspiration-ink/2015/06/going-places-blog-tour.html
Pam Staples – http://wp.me/p3p2VA-12t
Janet Wakeland – http://wp.me/pHIQD-7ij

 

Sweet Birds for the First of June

June’s Easel calendar is one last look at the retiring set For the Birds:

Maui Stamper June 2015 Easel CalendarIf you saw the RemARKable Blog tour in May, you’ll remember that I featured this stamp set.  It’s ideal for coloring with colored pencils.

Sweet Birds for the First of JuneSuch happy little birds!  If it wasn’t for Captain Stupidhead, I would have a bird bath in my yard.  Come to think of it, he’s gotten so old that he doesn’t even look when they are on the lawn 6 feet in front of him.  Maybe I’ll go bird-bath shopping…

Please take a look at what Crystal and Cheryl have done for the Merry Month of June.  And happy crafting!

Happy Happy Birthday

A friend celebrated a special birthday recently:

Maui Stamper Starburst Technique Happy Birthday

  • Stamps:  Amazing Birthday
  • Color Palette:  Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
  • Accessories:  Park Lane DSP, Mellow Moss ribbon, Stampin’ Trimmer, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The technique is a very simple one, but there are nearly endless options.  I cut rectangles of DSP at 4″ x 1 1/2″ and then used my paper trimmer to cut them diagonally from corner to corner, creating a series of triangles.  At that point, it’s just a matter of assembling them in a pleasing pattern.

Maui Stamper Starburst Technique Happy Birthday

I kept the sentiment and embellishment simple, as this is a Manly Card.  The stamp from Amazing Birthday was inked in 3 colors and then cut into pieces with paper snips to create texture and color for the sentiment.

Maui Stamper Starburst Technique Happy BirthdayJust a couple of days until the new catalog goes live!  June 2nd is the first day to order, and it’s going to be a busy day. Order early in the day – the system is supposed to open at 2am Mountain time, which is 10pm on June 1st Hawaii time.  You can place your order HERE.