SO MUCH NEWS. But first, the Cling Wrap Technique

Posted on April 10, 2019 by mauistamper

This technique has been making the rounds again as the Press’n’Seal Floating Frame card, and if I had Press’n’Seal I would have used it…but my entire kitchen is Furnished By Costco, so it’s the Kirkland Cling Wrap technique today, my friends!

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Wonderful Romance Cling Wrap Technique

Stamps: Wonderful Romance, Picture Perfect Birthday
Color Palette: Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Highland Heather, Basic Black, Soft Sea Foam
Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Big Shot, Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Wonderful Romance Framelits (no longer available, sorry!) and HEAPS of Stampin’ Dimensionals!!!

This is a really enjoyable technique, but it takes time and patience to color all of the elements you need to create the floating frame. It’s a great project for when you’re at home recovering from the flu (ahem). One of the complaints I read when crafters used Press ‘n Seal was that it stuck too well to the card stock, causing the surface to tear. Trust me, that’s not a problem with the Kirkland wrap!

As you can see, when I ran everything through the Big Shot it cut the pieces quite nicely, but things moved around quite a bit once I removed the cutting plates. I had to be patient when I adhered the pieces to the frame, but by using the corner shapes as anchors everything else fell into place nicely. It’s quite similar to assembling a puzzle! You’ll want to be VERY VERY generous with the Stampin’ Dimensionals on this one – be prepared to find a lot of those little paper hexagons floating around your craft room!

Speaking of the Big Shot, you may have heard the announcement that Stampin’ Up! is terminating its relationship with Sizzex at the end of the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog period, effective June 3, 2019. This change will streamline design and production, and allow Stampin’ Up! to work directly with a manufacturer. This in turn will provide a more nimble response to inspiration, supply and demand. While Stampin’ Up! will still sell dies and embossing folders that are compatible with the Big Shot, we will no longer market the machine itself or any accessories (cutting pads, specialized platforms, etc). A new die cutting machine is in development, but it is not ready for the 2019-2020 catalog. If you need any accessories, I encourage you to shop soon, as supplies of retiring products are not guaranteed.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Stampin' Trimmer

Similarly, Stampin’ Up! is also discontinuing the Stampin’ Trimmer. While this product has been extremely popular, recent concerns with blade quality have caused Stampin’ Up! to seek an alternate supplier. Again, a new Trimmer is in development but will not be available in time for the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog. If you would like to stock up on cutting blades, I urge you to act quickly as these accessories will also retire at the end of the catalog. As we all know too well, supplies of retiring items are not guaranteed! There is currently a limit of 3 packages of cutting blades per order, but that limit will be raised to 6 when the Retiring Products List is released on April 15, 2019.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations – you get a bonus question! Lyssa Zwolaneck, a generous demo friend, created a fun graphic now that demonstrators have seen the NAMES of the 2019-2020 In Colors but not the shades!! What do YOU think???

A very cheerful Painted Harvest

Posted on September 12, 2018 by mauistamper

Painted Harvest is so versatile – it can be subtle and monochromatic, or it can be Put-On-Your-Sunnies-Bright! For this version, I CASEd (Copy And Share with Everyone) myself:

There were leftover “parts” from THIS card. (What do you do with “parts”?)

Stamps: Painted Harvest, Picture Perfect Birthday
Color Palette: Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach (retired In Color), Rich Razzleberry, Lemon Lime Twist, Call Me Clover
Accessories: Naturally Eclectic DSP (retired)

If you no longer have the Naturally Eclectic DSP, this look is easy to achieve with an Aqua Painter and Ink Refills. You can customize it to any color palette you like, or you can copy this one.

A lot of people work really hard to align those sunflower Two-Step Stampin’ images so they’re Just Right, but I didn’t. I just kind of slapped ’em in there, because I was really focusing on finishing this group of cards and getting those “parts” off my desk. I think it turned out okay.

This is a perfect birthday card for that friend who brightens up your life just by being who she is. She’s authentic and positive and just a little bit whack-a-doodle. You know the one.

Need supplies? Shop HERE.

Colour INKspiration 35: Petal Palette in Khaki

Posted on June 24, 2018 by mauistamper

I loved my own layout so well that I did a second version. The gray version, lovely as can be, is a bit somber. I wanted to lighten things up:

Stamps: Petal Palette, Picture Perfect Birthday
Colour Palette: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot, Subtle Dynamic TIEF, Petals and More Thinlits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Linen Thread, Wood Textures DSP, Corrugated Elements, Metallics Sequin Assortment, Stampin’ Blends, Glue Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals

This card parallels my first CI35 submission with just a few exceptions. I added the Linen Thread and the Corrugated Elements tag – much lighter in feeling – as well as a few clear sequins from the Metallics collection. I don’t know which came first – the chicken or the egg – but Glue Dots fit PERFECTLY underneath our sequins.

Which version do you like better? If you’d like to try your hand at this, all the supplies can be found HERE. Happy Crafting!

PS. Back in the day, Crumb Cake was called Kraft in the Stampin’ Up! Colour Palette. When I created my title, Petal Palette in Khaki just sounded better to my ear.

The view from my beach

Posted on May 14, 2018 by mauistamper

My family has a spot at the beach near our home. When I say we have a spot, I mean there’s a place along the beach where we always sit. I laugh when I see my kids’ Instagram posts, because I know exactly where they were sitting when they took their photos.

We live near Keawakapu Beach, known as Sidewalks to the surfers. It’s a relatively long stretch, at least in Maui terms, because many of our beaches are really just coves. There are two entrances to the beach, and our spot is midway between them.

Often on holiday weekends, the space around the entrances is crowded with families and umbrellas and coolers and beach chairs. We just smile and walk down the beach to our spot, where there always seems to be room. Yesterday, Mr. Maui Stamper and I spent a few glorious hours there, watching an enormous pair of turtles feeding quite close to the shore.

You can see Kaho’olawe from our beach, so we really do look across at another island, although it is very small.

Stamps: Waterfront, Picture Perfect Birthday
Color Palette: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky/Crumb Cake or Wild Wasabi/Sahara Sand
Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Linen Thread, Wink of Stella