Settling into routine

Posted on August 26, 2012 by mauistamper

It’s been an interesting week, this first official Empty Nest week. The cat is doing his best to convince us that the nest is NOT empty, that he is still here and that he needs attention and he needs it now. But clearly it’s not the same – you can’t throw a child out the back door and come back 8 hours later, lah dee dah. Captain Stupidhead has a lot to say, but if you keep him fed the rest is easy.

Mr Maui Stamper and I are doing the same things we did when there were chickens in the nest, but it feels different now. I’m not thinking about what the family wants or needs, I’m thinking about the present. We were married for 6 years before we had our first child, and that BC (Before Children) lifestyle is a comfortable fit. Of course, our kids are an enormous part of our lives, and we are in touch with them often, but they aren’t on my To-Do list now. Well, they are of course…there’s a wedding early next year, and plane tickets for Thanksgiving…but it’s not an every day type of thing.

You would think that I would have stamped up a storm by now, but the sad truth is that my stamp studio has been a scene of absolute and atrocious chaos since before convention. I’ve been up here a couple of times trying to make progress. Finally last night I got serious with the heaps, bits and pieces, methodically working through the mess. It was a late night, but I’m happy to report success. There’s still some work to do – I have a number of brand new sets that aren’t put together – but I can think in here.

I have a card to share, too. I didn’t make it last night, but a couple of days ago. A friend of ours lost his dad, and though it wasn’t unexpected, the loss of someone dear weighs on your heart. I remember when my grandmother died at the age of 92 – she didn’t remember us any more, and she wasn’t the same energetic woman I’d grown up with, but still when she died I was sad to realize we wouldn’t make any new memories together. Fortunately, I have wonderful memories of both of my grandmothers, and those stories help to define who I am.

Thoughts and Prayers, Artistic Etchings, and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
Naturals Ivory and Soft Suede card stock
Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake FFIP
Baja Breeze Stampin’ Write marker
Baja Breeze Seam Binding
Oval and Small oval (retired) punches
Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’m really sorry that Stampin’ Up! retired that small oval punch, and I’m a bit stubborn about giving mine up as a result. You could just use the regular oval and ink up the edges, but that’s not what I wanted. Well. And that’s that.

And here I was going to say something about embracing change…

Visiting Paris (in my dreams)

Posted on December 19, 2010 by mauistamper

I’m not quite sure what got into me, but I had a “Springtime in Paris” sort of moment the other day:

Artistic Etchings and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, and Chocolate Chip card stock
Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, and Chocolate Chip Classic ink pads
Big Shot and Elegant Bouquet Textured Embossing folder

Paris seems like the perfect city for a special celebration. It’s on my list, that growing list of places I hope to visit. I have a very romantic vision of Paris in the spring, but something tells me it’s not a tropical destination. I think perhaps I would need to visit in the late spring when the weather turns warm. And bring a scarf and gloves, just in case.

In case you were wondering, yes, I did mask the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t that difficult to cut the mask, and I like the look of that narrow white “shadow” that the mask creates. I was thinking about the moon when I stamped that ornate circle, but later when I looked at the image I thought of fireworks. You would need to add a couple more circles to get that effect, but I think it could work. Maybe Versamark…hmmm. I’ll get back to you on that.

New stamps, new colors

Posted on June 29, 2010 by mauistamper

It’s nice to be home.

I’ve been on the Mainland for a couple of weeks, enjoying the change of scenery and pace. We spent a week relaxing, hiking and eating in Northern Wisconsin in towns with an average population of 350, and a week charging through the city of Chicago – shopping, visiting museums, sightseeing, eating fabulous food and attending a baseball game (well, once the Civil Defense sirens finished and the tornado warning was lifted and the thunder, lightning and pouring rain stopped.) It’s funny…when people find out we’re from Hawaii, they always ask “What are you doing HERE?” It doesn’t matter if “here” is the middle of nowhere or a the middle of a big city. Somehow, it seems incomprehensible that we would want to leave. Ever. We do enjoy leaving – but we also enjoy coming home. I’m happy to be back, happy to have the laundry done, and happy to spend a few hours in my stamp room.

Artistic Etchings, Wonderful Favorites and En Francais stamp sets
Whisper White, Early Espresso and Marina Mist card stock
Marina Mist and Early Espresso Classic ink pads
Piercing tool and mat; Stampin’ Dimensionals; retired enamel brad

I finished this card weeks ago in order to have it with me and ready for Father’s Day giving to my wonderful husband. He’s a fabulous dad, and I realized he would be very early in our relationship when he did his best to teach me to ski…but that’s a story for another time.

Artistic Etchings is one of my favorite stamps from the new 2010-2011 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalog. The images are beautiful enough to stand on their own, but they also work well in collage form and I’m finding that style appeals to me the more I work with it. There are a number of complementary stamps, wheels and papers that follow this style in the new catalog and I’m looking forward to experimenting with all of them very soon.