What a RemARKable Spring!

Posted on April 14, 2016 by mauistamper

Aloha and welcome to the Valley Isle, where we don’t celebrate Spring as much as we celebrate whale season, mango season, lychee season and tourist season! I know some of the stops on this RemARKable Spring tour have taken you to places still waiting for the sun, but here on Maui you can throw off your jacket and glide into your rubbah slippahs.

Stamps: Circle of Spring, Hardwood, Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot and Wreath Framelits, Stampin’ Trimmer, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Triple Banner Punch, Blender Pens, Pink Rhinestone Jewels (retired from a kit so old I can’t begin to tell you it’s age!)

The markings on the Stampin’ Trimmer make it very easy to cut away the top panel. I trimmed off 2 1/8″ to create the gate effect.

The wreath is colored quickly and simply with Blender Pens. With this much detail, I like the ability to work with a fine tip but still have control over color saturation. The Blender Pen allows more color variety than a Stampin’ Write marker.

If you know me, I’ll bet you guessed this was coming! This is my favorite combination and it’s hard for me to pass up an opportunity to showcase how well these colors play together.

In addition to Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Wild Wasabi, I’ve used Soft Sky, Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight. I often choose Pool Party in a case like this, but I liked the more subtle shade of Soft Sky this time.

The slats for the fence are made by using the Hardwood background stamp and cutting them with the Stampn’ Trimmer right along the board lines in the image. They end up being about 3/8″ wide, and I take one board and slice it in half for the cross bars. I tuck the end of the slat into the back of the Triple Banner punch to get a perfect peak.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these cards. Time to head over to see what Heather Mathieson has done for this month’s RemARKable Spring Blog Tour.

Anne Matasci – YOU ARE HERE!

Still Wild About Flowers

Posted on July 16, 2015 by mauistamper

Really love this set!

Stamps: Wild About Flowers, Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Tip Top Taupe, Hello Honey, So Saffron
Accessories: Sweet Li’l Things DSP, Hello Honey ribbon (retired), Pearl Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stampin’ Write markers

And I love the way Tip Top Taupe (T3) works with yellows! I started with a T3 card base, but it was overwhelming – I switched it to Sahara Sand and liked the difference.

I saw another blogger use a Stampin’ Write marker to add some depth to the flowers – I tried it, but I don’t think I have her expert technique. It’s not bad from a distance, but I think it looks a little clunky up close.

Just for fun, I tried the same layout with the addition of Mossy Meadow – and a different flower technique. I used a Hello Honey Stampin’ Write marker to add definition directly to the stamp after inking the image with So Saffron, then stamped onto my Very Vanilla panel. The sentiment is from An Open Heart – love that font.

Which one do you like better? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Breakin’ out the Butterflies

Posted on July 2, 2015 by mauistamper

…and there are a LOT of butterflies to break out! This card uses the stamp and framelit bundle that was SO hard to get earlier this year. Thank goodness it’s easy as can be to order now!

Stamps: Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Whisper White, Mint Macaron, Tip Top Taupe
Accessories: Butterflies thinlets, All is Calm DSP (retired from Holiday 2014), Rhinestone jewels, Glue Dots

I grabbed the retired All is Calm DSP because it was close by, and found rather serendipitously that it was a very close (but not exact) match for Mint Macaron. Life can be sweet that way! There are beautiful Mint Macaron papers in my new 2015-2016 In Color paper stack, but when I made this card, that stack was not in my stash.

This is a very simple look to create. The top Whisper White layer is 3 3/4″ x 5″ and the butterfly is carefully positioned using the magnetic platform to be cut out of the top 40%. The top layer, sans butterfly, is stamped and then adhered to a DSP layer measuring 4″ x 5 1/4″, and that whole assembly is adhered to the card front (in this case, the GLORIOUS new THICK Whisper White). Finally, a couple of Glue Dots put the butterfly back in place, with a gentle bend in the wings to provide additional dimension. Easy and done!

Shop HERE to add these goodies to your stash!

Butterflies Thinlets are Back in Stock!

Posted on April 18, 2015 by mauistamper

The long wait is finally over, and Stampin’ Up! is offering a special promotion to thank you for your patience:

Just want the thinlets? They’re 15% off.

Were you waiting for the bundle? While supplies last, you can choose from a selection of Sale-a-bration items when you order the bundle (which is already discounted at 15%).

I’ve been waiting to share this card with you – it seemed really mean when the thinlets weren’t available. I’ve cut the butterfly from Shimmer White paper, then used the negative image left behind to trace the outline onto a piece of vellum. I trimmed out the vellum (doesn’t have to be pretty) and adhered it to the butterfly with a few drops of Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive). The Butterfly Basics stamp set has such beautiful, romantic images that it’s easy to create a pretty backdrop. Don’t wait – this special offer from Stampin’ Up! is only available through April 30th. Order HERE and bring a little Springtime into your stamp room!

Inspired by Washi

Posted on April 3, 2015 by mauistamper

A lovely friend surprised me with a gorgeous roll of washi tape:

Stamps: Butterfly Basics, Gorgeous Grunge
Color Palette: Real Red, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Flower Frenzy Bigz die, Big Shot, Rhinestone jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Washi tape (non-Stampin’ Up!)

I drew the colors for this card directly from the lush floral design. I’ve seen a lot of pink with red lately, and gave that trend a little nod.

I haven’t played with stamped textures like this for a while and it was very satisfying. I especially love that honeycomb/chickenwire stamp. Definitely need to use that again.

An Exquisite Butterfly

Posted on March 9, 2015 by mauistamper

I finally broke out the Butterfly Basics bundle:

Stamps: Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Whisper White, Shimmer White, Pool Party
Accessories: Butterfly Basics Thinlets, Vellum, Pool Party cotton ribbon, Pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The bad news is that the Butterflies Thinlets are currently unavailable. It’s a serious challenge, but it’s one that is outside of Stampin’ Up!’s ability to control – the problem is due to shipping problems through the West Coast ports. I’m taking names and details now of anyone who would like this product so that as soon as it is available I can place an order.

Just a few construction details…

I cut the butterfly in Shimmer White paper, then used the negative template to draw an outline on a piece of vellum. I hand-trimmed the shape – can’t call it fussy cut because it wasn’t very fussy as the edges are hidden behind the die cut. I carefully adhered it with Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive). Use a very light touch with the Tombo. A few well-placed Stampin’ Dimensionals hold the butterfly above the ferns.

I struggled with the details but ultimately decided that for once, less could be more. I hope you enjoy! And please let me know if you’d like to be on my Priority List for the Butterfly Basics Bundle!