MARCH 2024 DIY: TROPICAL LEAF

Posted on March 1, 2024 by mauistamper

Tropical Leaf is one of my favorite Online Exclusive products. There’s a stamp & punch bundle, and it’s perfect for any tropical location or plant lover. I’ve been meaning to play with the watercolor effect direct to stamps, and tried it with the leaf. Tell me what you think:

Stamps: Tropical Leaf
Color Palette: Basic White, Pool Party, Granny Apple Green, Lost Lagoon
Accessories: Paper Snips, Stamp n Write Markers, Linen Thread, Water Painters, Spritzer, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue dots, DIY Easel Calendar Template

I started playing with ink and the water spritzer on the leaf. You can see in the middle row that I went a little overboard with the water! After some experimenting, I found that using the small Water Painter brush to move the ink a bit on the stamp (after spritzing, before stamping) gave me the result I wanted.

You can also see the difference between inked veins and inked-and-stamped-off veins in the second row.

The punch fits the large leaf in the stamp, and I chose to use the smaller one so I fussy cut the leaves. Look at the difference when you follow the edge into the shape of the leaf!

I used Stamp n Write markers to add a little drizzle to the leaves and the calendar page – Lost Lagoon for the leaves and Pool Party for the calendar. I tucked a few unthreaded strands of Linen Thread behind the leaves with a Glue Dot to evoke roots.

Take a moment to visit Cheryl and Crystal for their March calendars. We have such a good time putting these together (although occasionally there’s a moment of panic when you get that email that says “here’s my link” and you look at the calendar!!!) If you need a DIY template, they’re just $5. Send me a message and tell me you’d like an invoice and I’ll get it to you as quickly as I can.

Say hello to the January April 2024 Mini catalog! See a digital copy HERE, or go straight to the ONLINE STORE.

The March Paper Pumpkin kit contains supplies for 9 cards and envelopes and coordinates with the Meandering Meadows Suite and the Garden Meadow Bundle. It features precut vellum and wood pieces and includes a bonus full stamp set. An exclusive coordinating set of dies coordinates with all 3 first quarter Paper Pumpkin offerings. Subscribe HERE by March 10th.

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Stampin’ Up! also features an exclusive collection of kits that don’t require a subscription. Visit the Online Store to see what’s available.

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SUNNY DAYS FUN FOLD

Posted on February 26, 2024 by mauistamper

There is a fabulous selection of Designer Series Papers available for FREE in Sale-a-bration 2024. Sunny Days has gorgeous designs and they coordinate really well, making it a great choice for a fun-fold card:

Stamps: Bright Skies
Color Palette: Basic White, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Stamp Cut and Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes dies, Masking Paper, Sunny Days DSP, Stampin’ Write Marker, Tear n Tape

I used the “rainy dots” image from Bright Skies and stamped off to create this pattern on the interior panel. To add a message to this card, I would either use the inside flap (on the left) or a really FAT marker to say “I LOVE YOU” on top of that pattern. You could certainly leave it off if you wanted more room to write.

Here are the dimensions for this card:

Card base (Pool Party) 6 3/4″ x 5 1/2″, scored at 2 1/2″ on the long side
Inside Panel (Basic White) 5 1/4″ x 4″ (DSP is layered on top of this panel)
Right DSP Panel (Rainbow DSP) 5 1/4″ x 1 1/2″
Left/Front DSP Panel (Cloud DSP) 5 1/4″ x 2 1/4″
Fold over flap (Lost Lagoon) 3 1/2″ x 3″ scored at 1/2″ (makes a 3″ square)
White panel is the largest of the Stylish Shapes dies. It’s 2 7/16″ squared

Basic assembly:

Stamp the Basic White Inside Panel if desired and adhere the 5 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ DSP panel.
Put Tear n Tape (aka TNT) on the 1/2″ scored strip of the Lost Lagoon 3 1/2″ x 3″ panel
Adhere the 1/2″ scored strip to the back of the Basic White Inside Panel and fold forward
Stamp the Stylish Shape Square and adhere to the Lost Lagoon panel.
Adhere the entire assembly to the card base

I used Masking Paper to stamp just half of the sun image. I also masked each flower when I stamped the leaves. I used the Lost Lagoon Stampin’ Write marker to put a contrasting center on each flower.

This is a 100% mail friendly card – no ribbon or embellishment to create lumps and bumps! You could certainly add those things if you desire.

Sale-a-bration 2024 ends at midnight MOUNTAIN TIME on FEBRUARY 29th – stock up on paper, ink, and adhesive and be rewarded for getting the basics! Don’t miss out – shop HERE.

Just a few more days of everyone’s favorite time of the Stampin’ Up! year – Sale-a-bration! This year we’re featuring an unprecedented variety of products including LOTS of gorgeous, coordinating Designer Series Papers. There is also a bonus selection of Annual Catalog products available as of February 1. See a digital copy of the original brochure HERE or go straight to the ONLINE STORE. for the entire selection.

Say hello to the January April 2024 Mini catalog! See a digital copy HERE, or go straight to the ONLINE STORE.

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Stippled Roses with Blending Brushes

Posted on February 7, 2024 by mauistamper

My local crafting groups love new techniques, and they really love time saving techniques. Using Blending Brushes to color the Stippled Roses is a perfect example – it’s so much faster than other methods of coloring, and the result is soft and appealing. The amount of shading in these stamps really make a difference when you’re using this technique.

Stamps: Stippled Rose, Something Fancy
Color Palette: Basic White, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Stippled Rose dies, Stippled Rose DSP (SAB 24), Blending Brushes, Adhesive Backed Cork rounds, Ribbon Duo Combo Pack, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Blender Pen

There are only 2 ink colors on this card: Petal Pink and Crumb Cake. The image is stamped in Crumb Cake since the Blending Brush doesn’t blur the stamped lines the way a Stampin’ Blend would do. And Crumb Cake and Petal Pink are both what I think of as “dusty” colors, so if there’s a little overlap with the brush it doesn’t matter.

After adding color with the Blending Brush, I used the Blender Pen to add a little more depth and detail. You can see it on the leaves: I use the natural shading that’s part of the stamped image to guide my placement.

The sentiment is fussy cut with my snips, but that’s a really quick task. (You DO have a pair of Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips, don’t you?? INDISPENSABLE.) This is a speedy card, and it would be suitable for a lot of different occasions. You could easily swap out the focal point as well.

Don’t miss those Cork Rounds. I was skeptical when I saw them, but I’m a big fan. They’re so different from other embellishments, they’re soft so they don’t add bulk to your card, and they work really well with nature-themed projects. Try them, you’ll like them!

And thank you so much for shopping the Online Store.

It’s everyone’s favorite time of the Stampin’ Up! year – Sale-a-bration! This year we’re featuring an unprecedented variety of products including LOTS of gorgeous, coordinating Designer Series Papers. See a digital copy of the brochure HERE or go straight to the ONLINE STORE.

Say hello to the January April 2024 Mini catalog! See a digital copy HERE, or go straight to the ONLINE STORE.

The February Paper Pumpkin kit contains supplies for spring and Easter themed cards and treat boxes. An exclusive coordinating set of dies coordinates with all 3 first quarter Paper Pumpkin offerings. Subscribe HERE by February 10th.

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February 2024 DIY: Painted Lavender

Posted on February 1, 2024 by mauistamper

This “Lavender Fields” image from the Painted Lavender stamp set is easy to overlook, but it’s my favorite. There are lavender fields in Upcountry Maui, and they’re such a beautiful sight in bloom. Even though they won’t be in bloom til late summer, I chose them for this month.

Stamps: Painted Lavender
Color Palette: Basic White, Lost Lagoon, Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape
Accessories: Stamp & Write markers, Brushed Brass Butterflies

This is a simple calendar this month. No die cuts, no fussy cuts, no dimensionals – but I did choose to hand-write my sentiment. It’s my reminder to LOVE FIRST.

The stems are stamped twice across the page. with Lost Lagoon. I inked the flowers with Fresh Freesia, and then added more color with the Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape Stamp & Write markers. I love how the extra layers of color add depth, and those brass butterflies were the little bit of sparkle I wanted.

DIY Calendar Templates are still available – message me for yours. They’re just $5.

And before you move on to the rest of your day, stop by and see what Crystal and Cheryl have done this month. Painted Lavender is back in stock, so if you’d like to create with your own stamps, shop the Online Store.