I would gladly pay you Tuesday…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by mauistamper

for a RemARKable HAMBURGER BOX today! Ah yes, Welcome to the RemARKable Pinworthy Blog Tour, where anything can happen!

Is this the cutest thing EVER? (Sorry, I know I’m shouting.) I am enchanted, delighted, smitten with the Hamburger Box! My initial thought was to create a 3-D birthday cake on the top of the box, but that idea refused to leave the confines of my head. So I cheerfully stacked up a heap of 1 1/4″ circles, put a shredded ribbon across the top and topped it with what else – a flower:

Stamps: Four You, Chevron and Oh Goodie (Holiday Carryover list)
Color Palette: Island Indigo, Hello Honey, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White
Accessories: Hamburger Box Bigz XL, 1 3/4″ Scallop circle punch, 1 1/4″ circle punch, Petite Petals punch, Regals Designer Buttons, Crushed Curry Bakers Twine, 5/8″ Satin Ribbon, Perfect Dots TIEF

When the outside is this cute, you’ve got to step it up inside, don’t you think?

You were wondering where that Oh Goodie part came in, weren’t you? When a little goodie goes into this box, it’s going to be wrapped in cello so those banners don’t get all gooey.

Hope you’ve enjoyed – be sure to continue the tour to see what the other RemARKables are sharing with you for the first tour of the new catalog!

Your next stop is The Crafty Yogi, and I’m sure Audra will inspire you!

Whisper White vs. Very Vanilla

Posted on June 11, 2014 by mauistamper

Do you select between Whisper White and Very Vanilla intentionally or randomly? Sometimes I really think about it, and other times I just grab the one that’s closest at hand. I started this card with Very Vanilla, but as soon as I stamped the first tone I wanted to see what it would look like on Whisper White. At that point it was just as easy to make both cards, and so I did:

Stamps: Work of Art, Too Kind, Memorable Moments or Regarding Dahlias
Color Palette: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White or Very Vanilla
Accessories: Honeycomb TIEF, Pool Party Seam Binding (retired)

Here’s the Vanilla Version:

I see a substantial difference between the two. In my eyes, the colors are much crisper and cleaner on Whisper White. I guess I should know that, but it was something I hadn’t really thought about. Very Vanilla changes the color of the ink.

Have some fun experimenting on your own. I don’t think you would see the same dramatic result if you were working with warm colors – Tangerine Tango, Tangelo Twist and Pumpkin Pie, for example. I’ll think more purposefully about my neutrals now.

Blendabilities, blendabilities, wherefore art thou, blendabilities?

Posted on June 9, 2014 by mauistamper

One of the most exciting products in the new Stampin’ Up! catalog is only available to demonstrators at this time. The Blendabilities product line has been delayed for release to customers for production reasons, and should be available in late June or early July – stay tuned! In the meantime, I’ve been dutifully playing with mine so that you will have the opportunity to enjoy them vicariously 🙂

Color Palette: Rich Razzleberry, Hello Honey, Basic Black and Very Vanilla
Stamps: Fabulous Florets (retired), Dictionary and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories: Decorative Dots TIEF, Crushed Curry 3/4″ Chevron Ribbon, Large and XL oval punches, Neutrals Decorative Buttons, Rhinestone Jewels, Blendabilities in Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight, and Stampin’ Dimensionals

I stamped the same image multiple times and colored it with each color family of Blendabilities markers. I’m sorry it’s a retired image, but my options were limited and I liked this flower because it only had a few petals 🙂

I learned that I prefer to work with dark first and move into the lighter colors. I also learned that I favor an overall darker tone than most people. And unsurprisingly, I learned that I don’t really understand lighting and shadows.

I also learned that I LOVE to color with Blendabilities!! No streaking, no uneven color, just rich, beautiful, saturated tones. The process of going back and forth over your image does create some bleed through on the back of the image, and I recommend that you plan on layering your image to disguise that.

If you’re really anxious to try these out, you can take advantage of the June Sign-and-Save promotion: for $50 you can become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and select Blendabilities in your initial order. It’s a no risk, no obligation decision and right now it’s the only way to get your hands on these markers. Let me know how I can help you get started!

A Saffron Pear by the Pool…

Posted on June 7, 2014 by mauistamper

I’ve spent a couple of days since my return from Merry Olde England playing with color and today it’s all about my favorite combination: shades of yellow, blue and green. Specifically, I’ve chosen So Saffron, Pear Pizazz and Pool Party:

Stamps: Work of Art
Color Palette: So Saffron, Pear Pizazz and Pool Party, plus a little Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Candy Dots, Large oval punch, Oval Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The chevrons in the Work of Art stamp set are super easy to line up. I generally have serious issues with that sort of alignment, but this as a happy surprise. I also broke all the color-coordinating rules in this one – sort of. I used Coastal Cabana Ink and Pool Party card stock. I chose So Saffron ink and a Candy Dot but I used the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding. Walkin’ on the wild side, I guess. Speaking of…

We spent the first week that we were in England in the Cotswolds, exploring a different town each day. We’d seen a photo of this door, and when we were in Stow-on-the-Wold my son said he thought it was nearby. We walked around the perimeter of St. Edward’s Church and there it was – how could we not take a photo?

It wasn’t as cold as we make it look, but remember, we’re from Maui. I put on a sweater when it gets to 76°. The weather was lovely, although I’m pretty sure it drizzled off and on this day. There were some glorious views through the clouds, though:

Even through the windshield you can appreciate the glorious blues, greens and yellows!! Enjoy!

Love ya, Blackberry Bliss!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by mauistamper

Oooh, have you gotten your hands on the new 2014-2016 In Colors yet? I mean for reals, not just looking at them on a printed page or a computer screen. Up close and personal. Oh yeah…

Every year when the new crop of In Colors are released, my first impression is “meh”. I don’t mean to be cynical, but I just can’t seem to drum up a lot of enthusiasm for colors on a screen. I faithfully place my order and wait to see what comes, and when I get my hands on them I ALWAYS fall in love. This batch is no different; they are rich, saturated colors that combine beautifully with our existing colors.

Stamps: Tape It, Just Sayin’ and Happy Hour
Color Palette: Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Rich Razzleberry and Lost Lagoon
Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits, circle punches, Candy Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals and Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon

This simple concept can be re-interpreted so many ways – a geometric base, a label, and a few accents. Break out something new or maybe dig out something neglected and give it a shot!

Bloomin’ June

Posted on June 1, 2014 by mauistamper

Although parts of the country were extremely dry this year, we had more rain than usual on the Valley Isle. As a result, it seems that anything that could bloom is blooming. That includes my June calendar:

I’ve been slightly obsessed with birds recently. This one is looking for a little snack beneath the flower bed.

I used Petite Petals and Everything Eleanor for this calendar page, and did a little bit of masking to create some dimension amongst the flowers. These calendars are fun precisely because the area to embellish is small, and it’s more of a challenge than you might think to get the image balance right. A little sparkle makes it all work out…

You may be wondering where I’ve been…it’s been a while since I’ve posted. My family is literally spread across the world from Western Australia to Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Maui Stamper and I got it into our heads that we should have a reunion, and that a nice middle spot would be in England. We had a fabulous time with the family, including loads of sight-seeing, great food, and of course photos. My son was tremendously amused when I tried to take a selfie with the Tower Bridge in the background, and once he started taking pictures of me taking pictures of myself…well, it was pretty hopeless:

At least I ended up with a photo – or three – of myself with the Tower Bridge in the background.

There are three of us posting these little calendar pages today – take a look and see what Cheryl and Crystal have done with their calendars this month. I’m pretty sure they’re not posting selfies.

the May Paper Pumpkin

Posted on May 20, 2014 by mauistamper

Have you tried My Paper Pumpkin?

I had some fun with the kit for May:

Love the stamps that come with these kits! They’re so fresh and fun. And I couldn’t resist making it REALLY 3-D:

I wanted to play with that chubby bird from Betsy’s Blooms. I haven’t used that set much lately but I’m fond of that goofy birds. Actually, I’m fond of birds in general.

Im also going to miss those Lovely Words. I like the font and I like the words themselves. But it’s time to make room for new things.

Circles and lines

Posted on May 17, 2014 by mauistamper

I can’t remember much of high school geometry – I was good at math, but I didn’t enjoy it – but I do love playing with shapes.

Stamps: Oh Hello (retiring)
Color Palette: Basic Black, Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: 1/8 inch Black Taffeta ribbon, Cute Clips, Kaleidoscope DSP, the Big Shot and Circles Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I love using Basic Black and Whisper White (or Basic Black and Very Vanilla) as a foundation for my color palette. Change out the contrasting bright color and change the feeling of the project! This DSP is from Kaleidoscope, which is retiring, as is the Black/Vanilla combination in Modern Medley – my favorite 2013-2014 DSP.

I used a Post-it® note to mask the words and stamped that fabulous chevron image from Oh Hello above and below them. Don’t try to do both sides at once. Trust me.

Now that’s geometry I can love.

Friends across the miles

Posted on May 13, 2014 by mauistamper

One of my absolute FAVORITE things about blogging is the sweet serendipity of making new friends. My post on May first inspired a Maui Stamper reader to share a photo with me, and one thing led to another…

Cheryl Hasson gave her permission for me to share this photo. Here’s what she said:

I was born in 1947 in Wailuku and this pic was taken on Lei Day in Keokea at an Hawaiian school where my mother was teaching (now the site of an Episcopal church.) I woke up this morning wishing I was in Maui on Lei Day.

I love the sweetness that this photo represents. Someone lovingly made all those flower petal skirs complete with greenery sashes. The circle on the grass is almost surely flour, and the teacher (Kumu) is watching carefully in the background. May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii (are you hearing the melody?) and there are still celebrations in schools across the islands on or around the first of May.

After we corresponded a bit, Cheryl sent me one more photo of a May Day celebration:

I’ll have to dig back into the Stamper Family archives…I have a few May Day program photos that are a little more recent 🙂

Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing your beautiful photos! Aloha…

A Housewarming Giftcard

Posted on May 10, 2014 by mauistamper

I feel really blessed to have lots of young couples in my life. It’s a joy to watch them settle into their marriages, and lately that has included moving into new spaces. Mr. Maui Stamper and I were invited to a celebration last weekend; he couldn’t attend as he was busy surprising his sister for her birthday, but I went and had a fabulous time.

Being a practical sort of mama, I thought the perfect gift was a gift card to a home improvement store. Being a Maui Stamper, it needed a little dressing up:

Stamps: Oh Hello, On the Grid, Yippee Skippee and Day to Day (Project Life®)
Color Palette: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Antique Brads, Gold Clothespin, Big Shot and Polka Dots TIEF, Fringe Scissors, Circles Framelits, Word Window punch, Tangerine Tango Embossing Powder, Piercing templates, Chevron Gift Bags, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Older-than-the-hills-retired Ribbon.

Here’s the note card that fits in the back of the bag. I grunged it up a bit with On the Grid and the piercing template – just a double line of dots.

Sometimes the best things happen when you make a “mistake”. I originally stamped the word “happy” in ink, but it needed some oomph so I decided to emboss it. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig (TOTALLY ESSENTIAL TOOL, friends) to stamp “happy” again in Versamark ink and must have jiggled it, because it was offset just a bit. I think it’s PERFECT.