Tag Archives: Pretty Perennials

Pretty Perennial Petals

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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.

Pretty Perennials and True Love

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There is such fabulous inspiration in the January-June mini catalog! Pretty Perennials was the first stamp set that caught my eye, and I’m an absolute pushover for black-and-white, so pairing those stamps with the True Love Designer Series paper was inevitable.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card
  • Stamps: Pretty Perennials
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay
  • Accessories: Big Boss, Perennial Petals dies, Stitched Shapes dies (retiring May 3), Scripty Embossing Folder (retiring May 3), Matte Black Dots, Stampin Dimensionals, Paper Snips

I based this card very closely on one I saw somewhere in the interwebs, but despite spending a good thirty minutes searching, I cannot find my source. If you created and shared something that looks a lot like this, please message me and I’ll gladly update the post to give you credit! (Pandemic Brain. That’s my story and I’m standing by it.)

The Stitched Shapes dies are still available in the Online store, although they are on the Retiring Products list. I recently heard them described as indispensable to a craft room the way salt and pepper are to a kitchen, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. If you don’t have these dies in your craft stash, I highly recommend you add them to your collection ASAP. I bought a second set for myself.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card

The Pretty Perennial flowers are whimsical and fresh. Stampin’ Up! has loads of realistic flowers, and flowers that are great for coloring, but these are gloriously happy What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get flowers. They stamp quickly and can be made a little more fancy with the addition of a few die cuts, but WUSIWUG with these babies.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials True Love DSP Scripty birthday card

I’ll be honest: fussy cutting the word happy is the very definition of FUSSY cutting. I love the effect, and I really love this font, but it takes some time to cut it out. Do it while you’re waiting for someone, or watching TV, or doing anything possible to avoid finishing your taxes. It works well in all of those circumstances. Or design your card around happy stamped directly onto the card! It’s your project, do it the way you want to do it. And if you don’t like the way it turned out, remember that it’s pennies worth of paper and just THROW IT OUT. Don’t hang onto it hoping to change it like you did your first boyfriend. We know how that went. Throw it out.

Oops. Guess I took a wild turn there, didn’t I?

Turn yourself to shopping and pick up Pretty Perennials. You don’t have to change them – they’re perfect, just as they are. Shop HERE. (nb: It says they’re low inventory as of right now. Don’t wait.)

Pretty Perennials: March 2021 DIY

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Pretty Perennials was my favorite sneak-peek stamp set in the January-June mini catalog, but as with all things topsy turvy in 2021, it has been waiting patiently for ink. As of today, it’s got it in the DIY Calendar for March!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials DIY Easel Calendar March 2021
  • Stamps: Pretty Perennials
  • Color Palette: Basic White, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight
  • Accessories: Big Boss (Stampin Cut and Emboss), Perennials Petals dies, Stampin’ Sponge, Blue Adhesive-backed gem, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I wanted a soft look behind my die cuts, especially because I was working with tone-on-tone. I attempted to get the look I wanted with the stamping off technique, but with this type of screened stamp, the resulting image was irregular (ok, truth: when I saw it I exclaimed “now that’s UGLY!”)

Instead, I sponged the ink onto the stamp. It gave me the softer impression I wanted without going all ugly on me. The largest flower is in Pool Party, but the other two are Coastal Cabana. In the photo, you can’t see any difference and might wonder why I would go to that trouble, but in person it’s different. You’ll just have to trust me on that.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Pretty Perennials DIY Easel Calendar March 2021

The little dots in the center of the 4 petal flowers are from the center of the 6 petal flowers. Perfect serendipity! I think I will go back and make them shiny with a splash from the Fine Tip Glue pen, but here in Hawaii it takes a loonnnnng time for that to dry, and I don’t want to take a chance of smudging it while I’m taking photos and such. March has 31 days, I’ll be good!

I still have the 2021 pdf available for $5. Click on Contact the Maui Stamper and send me your email address, and I’ll send an invoice via Square. These calendars are the perfect tiny canvas for inspiring new ideas – I have a dozen projects lined up now!

Hop on over to see what Cheryl and Crystal are doing for March. “Winter” is over here in the islands (unless you live above the 4000 foot level on the mountain) so it’s time to put the A/C back on! Yes, we have seasons – right now we’re in whale season, and it’s nearly lychee season! You have to learn the art of subtle observation to see the seasons change here.

If it’s Stampin’ Season (and when ever is it not??) pop on over to my Online Store for a little Shoppin’ Season!

Sending Snail Mail

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The only thing better than making cards is sending cards. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like getting a card in the mail, and I like to make cards! What a perfect match. The stars of my latest batch are the charming, bug-eyed snails from Snail Mail.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snail Mail Pretty Perennials Happy card
  • Stamps: Snailed It, Pretty Perennials
  • Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, Purple Posy, Daffodil Delight
  • Accessories: Stampin’ Blends, Wink of Stella, Fine Tip Glue Pen

This is a pretty simple card without a lot of embellishment. The snail has a little Stella in her eyes, and I used the Fine Tip Glue Pen to make those black eyeballs good and shiny. Other than that, there’s some coloring and some doodling. This is a relaxing and enjoyable project!

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snail Mail Pretty Perennials Happy card

Can you see the sparkle and shine? The combination really works for these hilarious eyeballs. I considered adding some Stella to the doodles running around the edge of the card, but it seemed a little too, well, snaily.

I mean, the truth is that I’m a gardener and snails are my arch-enemy out there! The Stampin’ Up! concept artists did an amazing job making these little critters so appealing, because in person, I like them NOT SO MUCH. (Also, in Hawaii we have ginormous snails, and that’s even more gross.)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snail Mail Pretty Perennials Happy card

Once I got started I was on a roll. Coloring the snails is addicting. I’ve always loved to color, and Stampin’ Blends are such a satisfying coloring tool.

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Snail Mail Pretty Perennials Happy card

I chose Flirty Flamingo, Calypso Coral, and Just Jade for this version. I used the same treatment on those big eyes – don’t you love the lashes?? Seriously. It must be such fun to dream these things up. I would need someone else in the room to call over and affirm my creative genius! I think that’s one of the things I miss most as a result of the pandemic. It’s such fun to craft alongside someone else, and try as she might, the cat doesn’t cut it.

So what do you think? Are these colors too far from reality? (Of course they are, I would freak out if I saw snails in my garden that looked like this.) I’m trying to decide if I dare try one in shades of blue…

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Sale-a-bration 2021-JaFe

Snail Mail is available as a bundle with snaily dies, or as a suite that includes the bundle, Designer Series Paper, and two different embellishments. If you’re ready for some paper snails that won’t snack on your herb garden, shop HERE.