Color and Contour and Stampin Blends

Can I just go out on a limb and say you NEED the Color and Contour Bundle? The images and sentiments make gorgeous cards, and the dies – especially the layering scalloped rectangles – are indispensable. Oh, and Blends: you’ll need Stampin’ Blends.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Color and Contour Stampin Blends #handmadecard #DIY #makeacardsendacard #fancyfold
  • Stamps: Color and Contour, Sweet Strawberry
  • Color Palette: Pale Papaya, Mint Macaron, Basic White, Memento Black
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Scallop Contour dies, White Crinkled Seam Binding ribbon, 21-23 In Color DSP, Champagne Rhinestones, Stampin Dimensionals

This card is a Fancy Fold. It’s pretty tricky to photograph and get the full impact, but the scalloped focal point opens on a hinge to the right, and the card opens the normal way to the left. My inspiration was a Stamptastic Designs Youtube video and she does a great job of explaining how the card is constructed.

I used the dark Mint Macaron Stampin’ Blend to color the White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon. It is VERY easy to do, and dries in the blink of an eye. (Really.) I also used the leaf image to create an abstract border on the white panel inside of the card. Those little extras aren’t necessary – but they make a card so personal.

Each scalloped rectangle has a different detail on the edge, but they nest beautifully. The large stitched scallop edge die is also part of the set, and I confess I clapped my hands and laughed out loud when I figured out that I could add that to the edge of the card. Those details are truly a Stampin’ Up! trademark.

Spend a little happy time coloring with Stampin’ Blends this weekend. And don’t forget the Last Chance products from the January – June Mini Catalog! They’re available while supplies last, but gone for good on June 30th. Find all of them HERE, and click HERE if you’d rather just see those on sale.

Maui Stamper Last Chance 2021 January-June

Hand-Penned Petals and Stampin’ Blends

I need to practice my coloring skills with Stampin’ Blends, so I produced a handful of images from Hand-Penned Petals and got to work. To my delight, this image is a PERFECT image for the purpose! Not too big, not too small, not too complex – it’s just right. Here’s what I did with the results:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Hand Penned Petals handmade card
  • Stamps: Hand-Penned Petals
  • Color Palette: Pale Papaya, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Memento Black
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Penned Flowers dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, 21-23 In Color DSP 6×6 pack, White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Champagne Rhinestones

Today’s serendipity: The Champagne Rhinestones are a FABULOUS match with Pale Papaya! (Forgive me shouting, please.)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Hand Penned Petals handmade card

The White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon is my favorite. When tied, it’s still soft enough to slip through the USPS without extra postage. You can add color with Stampin’ Blends. And it’s just so pretty! It’s part of my Must Have Stash.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Hand Penned Petals handmade card

My technique with Stampin’ Blends is pretty simple. I start with an overall light blend wash, then add the deeper tones and go back with the light tone to do the blending. I use the shading marks in the stamp to guide me, but I don’t have a sophisticated system for dark/light placement. Learning that is on my to-do list <wink>

The Hand Penned stamps and dies are available in a bundle, saving you precious crafting dollars! Stop by the Online Store to get yours today.

While you’re shopping, don’t forget to check out Last Chance shopping for the January – June 2021 Mini Catalog! June 30 is the retiring date for products in that catalog that don’t carry forward in the new 21-22 Annual catalog. Don’t miss out – check the Mini Catalog page HERE.

Maui Stamper Last Chance 2021 January-June

Pretty Perennial Petals

The four-petal flower in Pretty Perennials makes me think of dogwood, a flower I loved when I lived in Northern California. There are others that are only four petals, but that shape isn’t typical for a flower. I wanted to explore this simple stamped image:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals
  • Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Painted Poppies
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Basic Black, Pear Pizazz, Pale Papaya, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Perennial Petals dies, Painted Blooms dies, Sunflowers dies, Vellum card stock, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Champagne Rhinestones, Crinkled White Ribbon

I like to stamp and die cut multiple colors of the same image as a source of inspiration. I think it’s pretty funny that these three tones are so complimentary and so edible – and so is Pear Pizazz! It’s practically fruit salad.

When you look at these flowers on the card, they have a lovely, flowing color. Look a little closer and you’ll see they’re screened, and that’s what softens the intensity of the color and allows it to have so much depth.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

This version uses Daffodil Delight, Gorgeous Grape, and Highland Heathy, with a little Soft Sea Foam as an accent. I really like yellow and purple together, and this combination really pops.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

The white centers are from the last mini catalog in the All the Trimmings suite. I gave them a little swipe of Wink of Stella for some sparkle. I love that we offer more flat style embellishments so that they don’t get held up in the USPS letter sorting equipment!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

This is a bright and happy card for someone who loves color! That’s our new In Colors Fresh Freesia and Polished Pink with Melon Mambo. I used the Greenery Embossing folders on the main panel – they fit perfectly in the Baby Boss! And while they’re not as flat as other embellishments, I do love the class of our Matte Black Dots.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennial Petals

I’ve fussy cut enough of these “happy” sentiments that I’m starting to get pretty fast with the task, but it’s still a bit of a labor of love. Good thing I love the way it looks when it’s done, don’t you think?

Does the four petal flower deserve a place in your craft room? Which color combination do you like the best? I’ve got a stack of a dozen or so more petals, and I hope to turn them all into HAPPY mail this weekend. If you’re ready for a little happy of your own, please shop at my Online Store.

Lovely You: Miles Apart, Still in my Heart

This sentiment was the first thing to catch my eye in the Lovely You stamp set. I have family and friends all over the world – literally – and I knew this would be a message I would use again and again.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Lovely You handmade card

I watched a video where a crafter used blue painters tape to mask off the center portion of the card. After she stamped all her beautiful images, she whisked off that tape like nothing doing and voila! she had a spot for her sentiment.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Lovely You handmade card

Crafty Friends, I did that FOUR TIMES. FOUR STINKIN’ TIMES. And every single time it tore my card stock. I was Not Amused. So I stamped my sentiment on a 3/4″ wide strip of card stock and adhered it to my card front and was Very Happy. Moral of the story? There’s always another way to get the result you want.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Lovely You handmade card

That Braided Red Linen Trim is a little sneak peek from the August-December mini catalog that will be available to all of you on August 4th. It’s a teeeeeny bit darker than the Poppy Parade ink, but it’s close enough for me.

And don’t miss the Lovely You bundle – it includes the amazing Lovely Labels Pick a Punch at a 10% savings!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Bonus Days Promotion July 2020

Don’t forget to shop Bonus Days – every $50 you spend will earn $5 to spend in that new August-December mini catalog! Shop HERE.

Two Poppies Four Ways

Our two Poppy bundles are clearly meant to work together, and spent a happy afternoon last week putting them through their paces. I was pleased with the results, and especially impressed with how well all the pieces in both sets of stamps and dies work together:

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Peaceful Moments

It’s almost a tragedy to use the reverse side of the Golden Honey Specialty DSP. The stripes are really the “B” side, and the “A” side is all buzzing bees and golden swirls and general delightfulness. But the bees are too large and distracting for this application, and the stripes are just right, so the sacrifice Must Be Made. Fortunately, I have stashed away a couple of packages of this paper and I don’t feel too badly about this decision.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Peaceful Moments

Once the card was designed, it was a short leap to move to other colorways. This is Coastal Cabana and Pool Party, and uses Glitter Enamel Dots instead of the Champagne Rhinestones. Those Enamel Dots are sadly overlooked in my opinion – they have just the right amount of sparkle, they come with multiple sizes on the sheet, and are packaged in very trendy colors!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Peaceful Moments

One of the things Stampin’ Up! does VERY well is color – especially tonal colors. This is Rococco Rose and Blushing Bride. If you are VERY observant, you’ve noticed the change in the label – this isn’t the punch, but the label from the Painted Labels dies in the Painted Poppies Bundle. The two Poppy bundles combined are a complete crafting suite, with images, sentiments, shaped dies and labels included.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Peaceful Moments

This last combination is Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather. I played with the color roles in this one, reversing the background color from the large flower to the smaller one, and I like the effect. It’s hard to see with the black card stock, but there is a layer to the leaf as well – these dies are really thoughtfully made!

I used our Whisper White Note Cards and Envelopes for these cards, so they’re a little more petite at 3 1/2″ x 5″. They are accepted as First Class USPS mail, too. The back flap of the envelope was the ideal size for two rows of those fabulous tall-stemmed poppies – I think that image may be the most versatile one of the entire suite.

What’s your favorite combination? There are many more options in the Stampin’ Up! color palette, and it would be fun to make a Poppy Rainbow. Hmm…

Ready to shop? All of the products are available HERE with the regrettable exception of the Champagne Rhinestones. They have been so popular that they have exceed the backorder allocation and are currently unavailable to order. Current expected availability is late March, so in the meantime, we will have to be creative with Glitter Enamel Dots!