Upscale shopping

Posted on October 20, 2011 by mauistamper

In January of this year, a law went into effect in Maui County prohibiting the use of plastic bags. You know the ones – they’ve replaced paper bags everywhere. They’re thin, they’re strong, and they’re easily airborne on the trade winds, meaning they ended up everywhere. We called them “opala birds”, opala being the Hawai’ian word for trash. Not only were they an eyesore, but they made it very quickly into the ocean where they could easily be mistaken as food by marine life.

Now we’re all in the habit of carrying re-usable tote bags with us. I have a cute little rolled-up one that fits in my purse, and there are probably a dozen sturdy bags in the trunk of my car. Recently, Crystal brought me one that I fell in love with:

Can you say WOW!!?

No drippy groceries in THIS bag. This is for my upscale shopping – you know, Old Navy, Office Max – clean stuff. Crystal used our Flourish Decor Stencil (#117581, $9.95) along with some Timeless Portrait fabric (#122337, $9.95) and Cherry Cobbler 1/2 inch scallop dots ribbon (#124138, $7.95) for this.

Don’t you love the flower?

She used the Fun Flowers L Bigz die to cut the individual flowers, then made a hole and pulled a knot from the ribbon through. The woman is a genius – a very generous genius. I’m lucky she’s my friend!

Caffeine + List = Inspiration

Posted on February 23, 2011 by mauistamper

Do you keep a “To Do” list? I can’t function without one – or two! My lists serve two functions. First and most obvious is that lists help me keep track of what has to be done and when it has to be completed. The second function is even more important; lists allow me to clear my mind. If a task is written down, I can let my ideas simmer on the back burner without worrying I’ll forget them. I even keep a pad of paper and a pen on my bedside table for those invasive dropping-off-to-sleep thoughts.

Being an organizer, I need a place for my lists. I’ve mentioned the Levenger Circa notebooks here, and here. I’m a big fan of this system, and I love the fact that I can easily customize my covers. It was time for something new:

Perk Up, Baroque Motifs and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
Whisper White, Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Old Olive and Whisper White card stock
Play Date and Springtime Vintage Designer Series papers
Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Old Olive and Pear Pizazz Classic ink pads
Marina Mist taffeta ribbon; Scallop trim border punch; Aquapainter
Piercing tool, template and mat

This is the Junior notebook, and the cover is 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches. That’s BIG when you’re used to a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch card front! A little caffeine for inspiration and voila! I had my cover. If it were only this easy to finish the tasks on my list.

Following your heart

Posted on January 29, 2010 by mauistamper

There’s a big transition looming on my horizon. My oldest daughter is moving. To Australia. In about one week.

We’ve known about this for a long time. She spent a semester abroad in Perth her junior year at Notre Dame, and met someone. These two have maintained a long distance relationship for two years, seeing each other a couple of times a year and making do with Skype, instant messaging, email and the occasional card. Our daughter graduated in May and came home to work for a few months. Her goal was to earn enough money to convince the Australian government to grant her a visa, and a couple of months ago, she got the good word that she could enter the country. Her Someone has just finished law school and needs to get work experience in his field before he can apply to work in the U.S. They assure me that living in the U.S., specifically in Hawaii, is their long term goal.

As her departure grows closer, the distance seems to grow greater. It’s not all that much farther than she was when she was at Notre Dame, but it’s another country. Not so easy (or so cheap!) to pick up the cell phone and push her speed-dial. And it’s West of us instead of East, which makes the time zone coordination a little more complicated.

Her dad and I support her decision, but it’s still hard. When I saw this sentiment in the Sale-a-bration catalog, I knew it was meant for her.

Whimsical Words SAB Clear Mount stamps and Baroque Motifs stamp set
Whisper White, Bordering Blue, So Saffron, and Pale Plum card stock
Certainly Celery and Bordering Blue Classic ink pads
Big Shot and Beautiful Wings Embosslit
Ticket corner punch, Gold brads, and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

The butterflies seem appropriate too, though butterflies aren’t really her favorites. They represent change and taking flight and letting go. I’m working on accepting all three.