Floral Squares and Fun Folds in Black and White

Posted on August 14, 2021 by mauistamper

Oh, I do love black and white with a pop of color! My dear friend Robbie showed me this fun fold, and I thought it was perfect for our Host Pattern Party DSP and the Floral Squares. I confess I was also inspired by the black and white gingham ribbon in the current mini as well!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Floral Frames Pattern Party fun fold handmade card

Stamps: Many Messages
Color Palette: Basic White, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Boss, Floral Squares dies, Messages dies, Stampin’ Blends, Pattern Party DSP (Host), Black & White Gingham ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The papers in Pattern Party have gorgeous color on one side (both tone-on-tone and rainbow brights). The reverse side for every sheet is a black and white pattern. I LOVE THEM ALL (oops, sorry, got carried away with myself.) This huge pack has 48 sheets, so there are 4 of each design – plenty for a big project, and enough so that you don’t fear cutting into one sheet.

The Fun Fold part of this card is that front panel. Mine is 2 3/4″ wide and 5 1/2″ tall, with a DSP layer that’s 2 1/2″ wide on the front and a Basic White panel of the same width inside. Pro tip: Make your inside panel a smidge (highly scientific mathematical term) shorter – maybe 5 7/’16” tall – so that it doesn’t crowd the top fold and make your card wonky (highly scientific paper management term.)

Please note this is a highly scientific blog.

The dies for the Floral Squares include small flower dies that coordinate with the floral images in each square, but I preferred coloring with my Stampin’ Blends. I find it so therapeutic to sit with a stack of die cuts and just color. I did a few with Watercolor pencils as well, but I love the vivid color and shading of the Stampin’ Blends.

This is a different die, combined with Poppy Parade and Old Olive. I love the bold stripes on the back panel – they begged to pair up with Poppy Parade.

My Floral Square panels are adhered to a 2″ square of Basic Black card stock, letting the image and the color stand out. You can leave them without color and adhere them to a patterned paper background, but that wasn’t the look I wanted for this project.

Fresh Freesia made a softer looking card, and that criss-cross railroad track pattern was a great match for the lighter look. I used the dotted lines on all the card fronts to let the bold backgrounds be, well, BOLD.

I oriented this last square on what seemed to be the side for me. A slightly different direction gave it a casual look, and the combination of Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral added to that laid back style.

Which is your favorite? Leave me a comment and if you’re feeling frisky, tell me why!

There are stamps (All Squared Away) that coordinate with the Floral Squares dies, but I didn’t use them this time. I left off the sentiments as well so that I could add them when it was time to send each card. I like having options <wink>

Maui Stamper Stampin Up SALE-a-bration 2021 8-3 to 9-30

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Using Designer Series Paper with Garden Wishes

Posted on May 26, 2021 by mauistamper

I love our Designer Series Paper (DSP). My favorite thing is the way it coordinates with our products, both colors and images. But wait, there’s more! I love the range of styles, the images themselves, and the perfect weight: not too heavy, not too light, jussst right. The fact that it’s two-sided (and often a multi-colored design on one side and a monochromatic design on the other) expands your crafting options even further.

DSP is an easy way to add interest or complexity to a simple design. With a couple of well-measured cuts, you have a quick addition to your project that often just makes it sing. Our Dandy Garden 6×6 DSP has been a star in the January-June Mini Catalog, and it’s going to retire at the end of June. It coordinates with both the Garden Wishes and Dragonfly Garden stamp sets, so it’s a real hero.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Dandy Garden DSP Garden Wishes

Stamps: Garden Wishes, Many Messages
Color Palette: Basic White, Mossy Meadow, BumbleBee, Basic Black
Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Messages die, Stampin’ Blends, Mossy Meadow Braided Linen Trim*, Stampin Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Dandy Garden DSP*
*Retiring June 30 and available while supplies last

I used the Daffodil Delight and Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Blends to color this image, and treated the light and dark toned Blends as separate shades. The Dandelion leaves need a light color and a soft touch to retain the detail in the images. I’ve also used a very old, long-retired tool to get that color spritz. I just can’t seem to pull off the paint-brush-flick with any reliable results!

I did a series of these cards with my clubs using the monochromatic papers from the Dandy Garden DSP pack, and I had a narrow strip of the Bumblebee Dandelion design left over. I really wanted to use it, and came up with the idea of adding the Mossy Meadow strip to the side in order to fill out the front of the card.

I used the same layout with a multi-hued DSP option from the same pack. It’s definitely colorful! This card includes one of the little ladybug embellishments that will retire the end of June. They’re the perfect size to secure with a Glue Dot.

Ready to shop? The Connect, Craft, and Collect offer adds $25 in Host Rewards to your qualifying order through June 14th! Maybe you’re ready to take the leap and earn a discount on Every. Single. Purchase. you make – Join+ increases the value of your No Obligation kit when you join the team by May 31st!

Or just pop on over to the Online Store to see what catches your eye. There’s ALWAYS something!

True Love for Snailed It

Posted on April 10, 2021 by mauistamper

Our catalog calendar this year is a little different than in the past. While the Annual Catalog ends on May 3, the January-June catalog is available through June 30. That means that the True Love Designer Series paper and my favorite Snailed It images will be around for a while, and I intend to make use of them as much as I can!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up True Love with Snailed It

Stamps: Snailed It, Many Messages
Color Palette: Basic Black, Basic White, Magenta Madness, Seaside Spray (retiring 5/3)
Accessories: True Love Designer Series Paper, Big Boss, Stitched Shapes Dies (retiring 5/3), Messages Die, Snail dies, Old World Paper Embossing Folder (retiring 5/3), Stampin’ Blends, Fine Tip Glue Pen, Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is a great example of a simple layout stepped up with the use of dies, DSP and embossing folders to add interest and texture. It’s just a few rectangles and a snail, right? That little “Oh happy day” sentiment from the Many Messages bundle is a great multi-purpose message. I can add Congratulations or Happy Birthday on the inside when I’m ready to send.

It’s hard to see, but trust me, those snaily eyebubs have some shine. I keep a long bamboo skewer on my craft desk (indispensable in so many ways). I’ve used it here to add some Fine Tip Glue to emphasize my snail’s eyes. The skewer gives me more control over how much and where the glue ends up.

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