Happy Birthday, Sara

Posted on June 19, 2011 by mauistamper

My Sara turned 21 last month…in Spain. I’m sure it was wonderful, although not quite the thrill it is to turn 21 in the U.S. It was a little challenging for her dad and me since we didn’t feel confident sending her birthday gift through the mail – a 21st birthday present should be something to remember, and entrusting such a gift to the Spanish postal system made me nervous. So Sara has to wait until she’s back in the U.S. before she gets her gift, and we sent this card to let her know we were thinking of her:

Bliss (SAB 2011), Charming and Well Scripted (retired mini) stamp sets
Whisper White, Pear Pizazz and Baja Breeze card stock
Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist and Night of Navy Classic ink pads
Vanilla Smooch Spritz; Stampin’ Sponges
Pear Pizazz Seam Binding
Pearl jewels

My little point-and-push doesn’t pick up the Smooch Spritz but trust me when I say it’s there. I’ve discovered that if you want a nice, even Spritz you need to press the plunger with complete authority. No hesitation here, my friends. If you hesitate, you get blobs. This isn’t such a big problem with Vanilla but it doesn’t work for me with Gold and Log Cabin. Bloppy. Blech.

The flourish stamp was inked in Marina Mist, then sponged with Night of Navy around the edges. The butterfly is cut out and attached with a glue dot for just the tiniest bit of lift. Yes, you guessed it; this is a One Stamp Card. When the stamp costs $.98 (International rate) one should be enough – and we don’t want to give the Spanish post office any excuses for delaying these birthday greetings.

Manly cards – collage

Posted on March 28, 2011 by mauistamper

My Frou-Frou-Ribbon card got me started playing with collage, and when I edited out the ribbon and switched up the colors a bit I thought it was a worthy Man-Card:

Sense of Time and Charming stamp sets
Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point and Garden Green card stock
Garden Green Patterns Designer Series Paper
Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point and Garden Green Classic ink pads
Square Punch (just about any one will do, I used 1 1/4 inch)
Mini Library Clips

I’m not quite certain that a stamp set named “Charming” belongs on a Manly card, but I guess we’ll just have to imagine that the name refers to the Prince. The images from the Bliss set didn’t have the right look.

Let me tell you a secret about cutting out that clock face. I didn’t want to struggle with lining up a die cut, or even with the Circle Scissors Plus, so I just cut it out free hand. I did a decent but not fabulous job, because I had a plan: I was going to distress the edges. It’s a sneaky little trick, but it hides every imperfection and adds texture to boot.

The pennant edge is really simple – just cut your cardstock to the width you want, stamp your sentiment, and use a corner of the square punch to create a perfect little pair of points.

So…masculine colors, no ribbon, rough edges and a pair of easy techniques…surely it’s a Man Card.

Two-Steppin’

Posted on November 29, 2010 by mauistamper

If you don’t mind, I’m taking a little break from holiday cards. The holidays are a wonderful time to make and send cards, but enough is enough already – too much of the same thing makes the Maui Stamper a dull girl.

Fast and Fabulous, Charming, Just Believe and Wonderfully Worn stamp sets
Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy card stock
Cherry Cobbler and Not Quite Navy Classic ink pads; Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write marker
XL Decorative Label punch
Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding

Fast and Fabulous is a Level II hostess set, and I recently added it to my stamp library. (Doesn’t that sound glorious? So much better than heap.) It’s a two-step stamp, which I consider a double dip because you can use the two step technique when you want a fast card, or you can just use the outline and then watercolor when you have more time. It’s almost December first – any question about which technique I’ll be using??

I made a 3×3 note card with this same design just because I could:

Remember, these photos were from my “Not Using This Again” photo set-up, so they look kinda wonky. I don’t know how you can take a perfectly square card and make it look this distorted, but if it takes talent then I am the Distortion Queen. Trust me when I tell you this card is perfectly square in real life.

Tomorrow is the last day of the fabulous $87.50 Demonstrator Kit Special, so if you’d like to become a card carryin’ Stampin’ Up! demonstrator skedaddle yourself to www.AnneMatasci.StampinUp.net and sign up pronto! My card-carryin’-demonstrator password is themauistamper.

So very Charming

Posted on January 13, 2010 by mauistamper

The February Stampin’ Success magazine had an article about combining purple and yellow. It’s a bold combination that I’ve always loved, though I tend to mute one hue or the other. I also tend towards monochromatic color schemes, so it was easy to start with Lovely Lilac and Almost Amethyst.

Charming, Bella Toile and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
Very Vanilla, Almost Amethyst and Lovely Lilac card stock
Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst and So Saffron Classic Ink pads
Styled Vanilla Hodge Podge Hardware, Piercing tool and template, small oval punch
Paper snips, So Saffron 5/8″ Grosgrain (last year’s SAB) and Stampin’ Dimensionals

I started defining the Lovely Lilac panel with scoring, but it was just too subtle. If you know me at all, you know I’m not subtle. Nope. I wanted to line up my piercing template with the scored lines, and by using my Grid Paper, I was able to do a pretty successful job of it. And yes, I did go a little over-the-top on the trimming of the floral spray. It was just one of those things that had to be done. Good thing I had a nice sharp pair of snips!