Thinking in blue and green

Posted on February 24, 2011 by mauistamper

There’s a color thread running through my days:

Bliss (Sale-a-bration) stamp set
Old Olive, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Pear Pizazz and Night of Navy card stock
Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper
Old Olive, Marina Mist and Night of Navy Classic ink pads
Old Olive taffeta 3/8 inch ribbon
Piercing tool, template and mat
Sticky Strip and Mini Glue Dots
Corner rounder punch

DANG! I just noticed that I rounded the corners of the cover and not the DSP panel!! I really don’t like it when I miss details like that. Back to the drawing board!

Ah, but I still like this cover for my Circa Notebook. I love shades of blue and green together. Even the vivid tones seem restful to me, and using natural elements like flowers and butterflies enhance the peaceful feeling. Good thing, because when I open those pages and see all the stuff on my list, I can use a little deep breathing! Nothing ventured, nothing gained – so I put it all on my lists and put the pedal to the metal!

One little construction note for you…the Old Olive taffeta ribbon is laid down on Sticky Strip, with a little flap created above each butterfly panel. After the panels were attached, I added a Mini Glue dot under the ribbon flap to make it stay down. It’s more 3-dimensional in person.

I’m off to tackle my list!

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.

Welcome back, Baja Breeze!

Posted on April 26, 2010 by mauistamper

Color is such a subjective thing. What makes one person’s heart soar leaves another person squarely in the dust. I don’t know about you, but Baja Breeze makes my heart soar and I am thrilled beyond words that it is returning to the Stampin’ Up! color palette in July. I have carefully guarded my stash of Baja Breeze cardstock and grudgingly doled out bits and pieces of my Baja Breeze Designer Series Papers over the past year, but no more! I can’t wait to see what the Design Geniuses at Stampin’ Up! have in store for us in the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. In the meantime, I offer you this:

Awash with Flowers Stamp Set, Very Vintage Stampin’ Around Wheel
Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi and So Saffron card stock
Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper (retired – don’t remember the name)
Wild Wasabi and So Saffron Classic ink pads
Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, and Real Red Classic ink refills
Aquapainter, Wheel Guide and White Taffeta ribbon
Circa Notebook from Levenger Catalog

Don’t you love this color combination? Wild Wasabi has been retired two years and Baja Breeze for only one year. I’ll be using these colors together again and again! And I love the options for two-step stamping and/or watercoloring with the new Awash With Flowers stamp set – don’t forget that it’s a 2010-2011 Sneak Peak and will be available only through April 30 (that’s Friday!!) Go to my Online Store and place your order now, or you’ll be waiting until July 1 and wishing you’d placed your order now.

Someday I will take a watercolor class, but in the meantime I play around and make messes. I love to work with color saturation and layering different colors, and even when it doesn’t turn out as I planned I find the process enjoyable. I’ll warn you, though, when you watercolor with Real Red ink refills, it can look positively magenta! That was a bit startling, to say the least.

Have you heard of Circa notebooks? I am addicted to this system. Infinitely customizable in a variety of sizes, I love the specially punched papers, covers and rings. They are available through the Levenger Catalog (stores in Boston, Chicago, and I think Florida) and the concept is absolutely brilliant. Circa provides a very pedestrian cover for the notebooks, but because of the way the system works you can easily remove their dull-as-dirt cover and create one of your own – and that’s what I’ve done here. This is a Junior sized notebook, and the cover is 5 1/2″ x 8″. It’s my To-Do list notebook, and it keeps me on track on the days when I want to follow an agenda. Some days – like this weekend – I jettisoned the To-Do list in favor of the spirit of What-Do-I-Want-To-Do-Now? Needless to say, it was a lovely weekend.