2020 DIY Calendar Review

Let’s not have a review of 2020 The Year, okay? I don’t know about you, but much beyond early March the story is all the same. But there was a DIY Easel Calendar every month in 2020, and we can take a look through those! Click on the link for the details on each project.

First up, January and The Gang’s All Meer from Sale-a-bration:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up The Gang's All Meer SAB 2020
RETIRED!!!!

Those happy faces put a smile on my face every time I see them! In February it was Lovely Lilypad for Leap Year 2020:

RETIRED!!!!

This was one of my favorites – another beautiful Sale-a-bration selection for 2020. I loved the soft colors with that crazy pop of Lovely Lipstick.

In March, I went back to critters and featured the Little Ladybug Host Set:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Little Ladybug March 2020 DIY Easel Calendar
RETIRED!!!!

Not my usual style, but really fun in this format. These petite easel calendars are really satisfying in that way – there’s just a little space to design, but plenty of room for creativity.

Next up is April with the Chunky Lamb from Welcome Easter:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar April 2020
RETIRED!!!!

She’s so fluffy! And she’s sparkly, too.

In May I chose a retiring favorite – Tropical Chic:

Maui Stamper Tropical Chic May 2020 DIY Easel Calendar
RETIRED!!!!

Oh, I was sad to see this stamp set and the beautiful accompanying dies hit the retiring list! It’s in my archive of favorites and I know I’ll use it again and again.

In June I previewed Birds and Branches. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know I have a soft spot for birds:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar June 2020 Birds & Branches

These aren’t colored after any particular species, they’re just happy, pudgy little brown-and-yellow birds!

For July I decided to Celebrate Sunflowers:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Celebrate Sunflowers DIY Calendar July 2020

This is the smaller flower, and the way it fit made me think of sunflower fields. I colored the images with Stampin’ Blends, which are one of the most forgiving coloring tools I’ve ever used.

In August I featured Timeless Tropical, our new tropical set. While it doesn’t replace Tropical Chic, I am thrilled to have these palms in my creative stash:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar August 2020 Timeless Tropical

A simple design for a simple setting – there’s an ocean out there somewhere! Check the original post if you’d like to see my first, more detailed version.

September was created with Love of Leaves:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar September 2020 Love of Leaves

Stampin’ Up! has gifted us with a wonderful assortment of stitched dies, and these leaves really take it to the limit (one more tiiiiime….🎶) They’re gorgeous left plain, but they were a lot of fun to spritz and watch the color move where it wanted.

October featured the Stitched Triangles and my favorite DSP ever:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up October 2020 DIY Easel Calendar Stitched Triangles

I didn’t buy pumpkins or make a jack-o-lantern this year since there wouldn’t be trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. I just wasn’t feeling Halloween, so it was a forest instead.

For November I previewed Dragonfly Garden, a gorgeous stamp set with a coordinating punch:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar November 2020 Dragonfly Garden

This stamp set will be available on January 5, 2021 as part of an entire garden suite and I predict you will LOVE it!

Finally, the beginning of this month I featured my out-of-this-word Poinsettias:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Poinsettia Petals December 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

I’ve loved looking at these all month and I’m going to really have to work at it to top this one! (Who am I kidding? It’s done already and you’ll see it tomorrow 🤓)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little stroll through my 2020 DIY year. If you’d like to make your own DIY for 2021, there’s still plenty of time! Contact me and give me your email address and I’ll send you an invoice via Square. For just $5 you’ll have a pdf of the calendars plus a set of covers so you can gift them to the people you love best.

And if you need supplies for any of the above, SHOP HERE. I appreciate it!

August 2020 DIY: Timeless Tropical

August…who would have imagined this is where we would be???

A tropical scene seems like a soothing vision for this month, and I think many of us need that right now. I feel so fortunate that I can take a walk and place myself in this setting, but if that’s not available to you, I invite you to enjoy this paper version!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar August 2020 Timeless Tropical
Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar August 2020 Timeless Tropical

I worked a bit outside my comfort zone with this project – lots of sponging and improvising and experimentation. I managed to cover up some of the printed dates, but to be honest, I hardly ever use these DIY calendars to actually check the DATE.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up DIY Easel Calendar August 2020 Timeless Tropical

This is the second version I did for August. I got a little carried away with the first version, and after sleeping on it decided I would go back to the simpler version. Here’s the “I couldn’t stop myself” calendar:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Timeless Tropical DIY August 2020 desktop calendar

I kept adding layers and details, and at some point I set it down and said enough. This one has a lot more sponging, some Wink of Stella, and a fair amount of glossing using the glue from the Fine Tip Glue pen. I kept looking at it and asking myself if I would be happy with it for 31 days, and it became pretty clear that the answer was NO. What do you think? Would you choose the calmer, simpler calendar, or would you take it over the top?

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Bonus Days Promotion July 2020

Just a few more days to take advantage of Bonus Days – earn a $5 savings coupon for every $50 you spend. Those $5 coupons can be redeemed beginning Tuesday, August 4 – which just happens to be the first day that the August-December mini catalog is available to customers! Shop Here.

Cheryl and Crystal have their own versions of August for your inspiration, and I hope you’ll stop by and see what they’ve done.

If you’d like to create your own calendar, please click on Contact Me and provide me with your email. I’ll invoice you for the bargain price of $5 and you’ll have your own pdf to print and enjoy for all of 2021.

DIY July 2020: Celebrate Sunflowers

There are SO MANY GORGEOUS FLOWERS in the 2020-2021 Annual Catalog! I am a complete pushover for a gorgeous flower stamp set, and Celebrate Sunflowers definitely sent me over the edge. Two sizes of flowers, lots of leaves, great sentiments – well, what’s not to like?

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Celebrate Sunflowers DIY Calendar July 2020

These sunflowers are really fun to color with Stampin’ Blends. I have a pretty simple formula: follow the lines, start dark in the center and end up light on the ends.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Celebrate Sunflowers DIY Calendar July 2020

It’s hard to see, but I added a l’il Wink of Stella to the center of the flowers. Stella makes EVERYTHING better. I’ve also used the masking technique to add a little dimension. There are die cuts for this set if you prefer that look, and they’re sold as a bundle with the stamp set so you can save when you choose both!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Celebrate Sunflowers DIY Calendar July 2020

These little calendars are really fun to design, and they’re gratifyingly small when you need a little project to start and finish all in one go. I have both the 2020 and the 2021 calendar pdf available, and if you’d like one please click on Contact the Maui Stamper to securely provide your email address. Each pdf is $5 and you can make all the copies you like, making it a great purchase for a crafty gift. Be sure to let me know if you want 2020, 2021, or both!

Please visit Crystal and Cheryl to see their July calendars. It’s our pleasure to share these images with you every month for your inspiration and amusement!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Bonus Days Promotion July 2020

Ready to add some sunflowers to your crafty stash? It’s a great day to do it – July marks the return of BONUS DAYS and you’ll earn a $5 reward to spend in August for every $50 in merchandise you purchase in July. You can get started right HERE.

Farewell to Tropical Chic: May DIY Calendar

Tropical Chic is one of my favorite, go-to suites, and it’s retiring on June 2, 2020. It will have a permanent place in my archives, for both practical and sentimental reasons. This set is the one I am most sorry to see retire this year.

Maui Stamper Tropical Chic May 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

The Tropical Dies are on sale for $18.90, and I can highly recommend them even as a standalone product without the stamps (although why you would do that is beyond me, but a lot of things are beyond me, especially lately). There are beautiful tropical leaves and a versatile “leaf window”.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Tropical Dies 146831

I used these dies to create the Save the Date cards for my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding this past January, and I cut a LOT of Tropical Leaves!!! It’s amazing that my dies are still working so well, because I really put them to the test.

Maui Stamper Tropical Chic May 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

I used the last few Grapefruit Grove Enamel Dots from my stash of Happiness Blooms embellishments for the center of these hibiscus. A true hibiscus has a gorgeous, feathery style, but that’s a very difficult thing to create out of paper, much less embellishments. I’m happy with this look even if it’s not perfectly botanically correct.

As always, Cheryl and Crystal have creations to share in our little monthly Blog Tour. I hope you’ll stop by and see what they’ve come up with for May. If you’d like to add a set of Tropical dies or any other Stampin’ Up! product to your craft archive, please shop HERE.

Sparkly Ladybugs for March

Little Ladybugs is a charming collection of images suitable for young and old alike. I think that makes it perfect for my March DIY Easel calendar!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Little Ladybug March 2020 DIY Easel Calendar
Maui Stamper Stampin Up Little Ladybug March 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

I used my Snips to fussy cut all the Ladybugs (Officially Lady Bird Beetle, from the family Coccinellidae. (There are dies, I just didn’t have them at hand!) If you are using anything other than Stampin’ Up! paper snips, do yourself a ginormous favor and spend the $10. You won’t believe how they will Change Your Life.

I’ve seen a lot of them colored with red wings, but I just couldn’t do it. This girl clearly has her hands full with those four roly-polys, and she needs a little sparkle to get through the day. I certainly would.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Little Ladybug March 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

I’ ve said it before, and I’ll say it again (and again, and again). That field of poppies image from Peaceful Poppies might just be the best image in the entire January – June spring catalog.

If you’d like your own 2020 template, click on “Contact the Maui Stamper” and I’ll send you an invoice. For $5, you can print all the calendar pages you’d like! And for those of you EARLY BIRDS who are looking for 2021, hold on! We’ll get there, I promise, and you’ll be the first to know.

Stop by to see what Cheryl and Crystal are doing for March. If you’re ready to do a little shopping to start the month of right, head over to the Online Store.

The Gang’s All Meer for 2020!

Happy New Year! January First is the original fresh start, new leaf turned over, time to renew…you’ve heard them all. It’s also 2 days before Sale-a-bration 2020, and I think it’s safe to say that The Gang’s All Meer will be a huge favorite.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up The Gang's All Mere SAB 2020
Maui Stamper Stampin Up The Gang's All Meer SAB 2020

I used our Watercolor Pencils to color the image and softened the lines with the Blender Pen. I took the liberty of adding hair-bows to a couple of the ‘cats and even added a little color on lips and eyes.

I was able to add those fine details because I found a LIFE CHANGING pencil sharpener. Really. This tool has a little dial on the front, and you can have it make your pencil super-dee-duper sharp or wider and softer for coloring. Life changing, I tell you!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up The Gang's All Meer SAB 2020

It comes in turquoise or pink or black (ho hum) and you can even get a two-pack. I got mine on Amazon.

Maui Stamper 2020 DIY Calendar

The 2020 DIY Calendar PDF is still available and it’s just $5. Please click Contact the Maui Stamper above and message me your email (we’re all a lot less likely to be spammed if I do it this way).

Crystal and Cheryl are sharing their calendars again this year – stop by to see how they’re kicking off 2020.

And of course, if you need supplies, check out the Online Store. The Holiday Catalog will be finished, kaput, complete at close of business Mountain TIme on January 2nd.

October 2019: Spooktacular Bash DIY Easel Calendar

Happy October First! It’s the month of ghosties, ghoulies and mummies as well as yummy treats – I’m not sure I’m as excited about these treats as the mummy is, but to each their own, right?

Maui Stamper Stampin Up October 2019 DIY Easel Calendar Spooktacular Bash
Maui Stamper Stampin Up October 2019 DIY Easel Calendar Spooktacular Bash

I’m kinda in love with the Mummy. I think it’s the eyes. I mean, really, look at them all side-eye! Perfect for the jars o’ bits, and perfect for coloring with Stampin’ Blends.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up October 2019 DIY Easel Calendar Spooktacular Bash

Enjoy your October! It’s a fun month as autumn starts to feel real (OK, who am I kidding – I live on Maui – all we’re asking is that the insane heat we have had all summer Goes Away!!) Halloween is a fun time here in the islands, because trick-or-treating doesn’t require boots or parkas.

Please stop by to see what Crystal and Cheryl have created for October. If you are interested in creating your own DIY Easel calendar, I have the 2020 pdf for sale. It’s only $5 – let me know if you’re interested.

September 2019: This Little Piggy Can Fly

If a pig can fly, she can certainly be purple – Purple Posy, that is! My September 2019 DIY Easel Calendar will keep me smiling all month.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up This Little Piggy DIY Easel Calendar 2020

All of the piggies in This Little Piggy are charming, but I think this one is my favorite. Since this set was released last year, it’s languished a bit as I’ve focused on new things. It was time to change that!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up This Little Piggy DIY Easel Calendar 2020

Wink of Stella is one of those non-negotiable, indispensable products on my craft table. It’s controlled sparkle, and if you know anything about Mr. Maui Stamper, you’ll know he believes that sparkle needs to be under control.

*There are a couple of sneak peeks in my September calendar. The Holiday catalog will be available to everyone on September 4, but demonstrators have had a month to play. There are new metallic inks – Silver, Gold and Copper – and of course plenty of new stamps!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up This Little Piggy DIY Easel Calendar 2020

Be sure you hop on over to see what Cheryl and Crystal have done for September. If you need more STELLAAAAAAA, shop here.

2020 DIY Calendar is READY

2020 DIY Calendar Template

I’m delighted to announce – for all you get-it-done-early crafters – that the 2020 DIY Calendar template is ready for purchase! I’ve had a number of requests to advance the availability of the template, and I’m quite pleased to be able to oblige. The cost is still just $5. Are you ready to get crafty?

And just a note…I depend on your integrity with this purchase. It’s easy enough to share the file with a friend, so what’s the harm done? Well, the harm is that I’m a small business, and those shared files add up. I truly appreciate you sharing my contact information with your friends and fellow crafters, and I’m grateful for your support.