ADORABLE OWLS in GINGHAM

Posted on February 10, 2023 by mauistamper

Gingham!! It’s timeless, it comes in limitless colors, and it’s a versatile design pattern. Today I’ve paired our Country Gingham 6×6 inch Designer Series paper (you need this!!) with some gingham ribbon and our Adorable Owls. I’ve love how it looks – what do you think??

Fun fact: the Gingham pattern was invented in the 1600’s with roots in Asia, possibly Malasia. After over 400 years of enduring popularity, I’d say it’s a pretty solid tradition!

Stamps: Adorable Owls (SAB 23), Rays of Light
Color Palette: Basic White, Memento Black, Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Balmy Blue
Accessories: Big Boss, Stylish Shapes dies, Versamark Ink, Stampin’ Blends, Paper Snips, Black & White Gingham ribbon, Fine Sparkle Gems (retired, sorry!) Stampin’ Dimensionals

These are square cards measuring 4 1/4″ x 4 1/4″. You can create an envelope to fit them precisely, but you’ll need to pay extra postage in the US for a non-machinable card. Or you can just grab our medium envelope and mail them in that – they don’t need to fill the whole thing!

Each of these owls has been fussy cut with Paper Snips. I know that’s a deal breaker for some crafters, but it’s not for me. Do what you love and be happy about it. If you don’t like to fussy cut, die cut that circle from Basic White card stock and add some stamping around the edge. Don’t stress, this is FUN.

The “Hoot hoot” owl has a sassy “come hither” backwards glance that cracks me up. And don’t let the prospect of coloring all these owls hold you back. They’re simple, and you can leave lots of white space as I did to simplify the task. Remember, we’re having FUN. (Says the Drill Sergeant Stamper.) The background stamp for this card is Spiral Dye, stamped again in Versamark. That’s one of my favorite ways to add texture – Versamark ink!

This owl was almost a tragedy. I colored the eyes with the Sweet Sorbet Stampin’ Blend marker, since that’s the color of the Gingham DSP. I IMMEDIATELY regretted my choice, as they had that creepy demon-in-the-night sort of look! I toned them down with a couple of the Natural Blends (sorry, don’t remember which ones as I was in a panic!!)

Do you see what I mean? Kinda spooky. But now you know, and you won’t make this mistake. (You’re welcome.)

There’s another mistake you don’t want to make: you don’t want to miss Sale-a-bration 2023! These owls are available as a free selection with a qualifying order, but only until February 28th. They’re not the only option, but I think they’re one of the best! And if you’ve already added them to your stampin’ ensemble, there are 10 new options available as SAB rewards. Whoooo’s ready to SHOP?

Be sure to subscribe by February 10th for your Craft Escape in a box! The February kit has a sunny theme and includes everything you need to make 9 cards and envelopes. These cards are sure to brighten the day and for the first time ever, there are coordinating dies available as an add-on!

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

New products in the January-April Mini Catalog are flying off the shelves! Even better, when you place a qualifying order you will choose FREE Sale-a-bration products. Sale-a-bration ends February 28th and as always, those products are while supplies last.

EMBOSS RESIST with BIGGEST WISH

Posted on February 7, 2023 by mauistamper

I get pretty excited when something turns out on paper the way I see it in my head. This rainbow emboss resist technique birthday card REALLY made me dance! I wanted bright colors, and friends, I GOT bright colors!!!

Stamps: Biggest Wish
Color Palette: Basic White, Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide, Parakeet Party, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Polished Pink
Accessories: Big Boss, Deckle Rectangle dies, Painted Texture 3D Embossing Folder, White Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy, Embossing Tray, Heat Tool, Blending Brushes, Glossy Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I embossed a stack of Happy Birthday messages and started playing. Not all of them were Ready For Prime Time results, if you know what I mean. But that’s part of the process, and it’s just paper. This one surely made the cut!

It’s time to open a fresh jar of White Embossing powder. The humidity here in the tropics is brutal. My take on this is that it’s intentional, as it adds more texture. {wink} One little tip: Use a blender pen on top of those broad embossed lines to wipe off any excess ink from the ombré Blending Brush technique. Your white will pop!

I used a larger piece of paper to create the ombré effect with the blends. There are a lot of advantages to doing that: it helps hide any dark spots you might get from working over an edge, and it allows you to choose the best balance of colors when you die cut it. The Deckle Rectangles are my new go-to shape, and stacking them in layers really sets off your focal point.

Another bonus of working on a larger piece of paper is that I had a nice strip left over when I cut the rectangle, which gave me a perfect embellishment for the interior of the card. I love how it brings the rainbow theme inside.

Shop for all the supplies at my Online Store.

Have you been Sale-a-brating? There’s nothing quite as sweet as FREE – and it’s so easy to place a qualifying order. See the choices HERE. If you haven’t purchased our Embossing Tool Kit, add it to your order. You’ll thank yourself over and over again. (If you’ve held off because you have our old tray, wait no longer! This tray has a threaded cap instead of a cork-style cap. Your fingernails will thank you.)

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

Love Cats in Dainty Flowers

Posted on January 21, 2023 by mauistamper

Everyone loves an orange cat, right? This Love Cat is suspended in a Dainty Flowers DSP garland that I fussy cut exactly ONCE. I love the surprise in the color combinations of this card!

Stamps: Love Cats
Color Palette: Basic White, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Polished Pink
Accessories: Big Boss, Timeworn Type 3D Embossing Folder, Stamparatus, Paper Snips, Basic Black Journaling Pen, Wink of Stella, Stampin’ Dimensionals, daubers, Dainty Flowers DSP (Sale-a-bration 2023)

I fussy cut that oval from the new Dainty Flowers DSP. It was definitely an act of love, because I got all OCD about it and really worked the edges. I inked up this kitty in Crushed Curry on the Stamparatus, then added some details with Cajun Craze on a dauber and stamped again. This is an ideal application for the Stamparatus!

It’s hard to see the Stella – there must be a trick to capturing it, but it’s not in my toolbox! You can see that Timeworn Type though. It’s an ideal background when you don’t want to draw a lot of attention, but want a little texture. And I pulled the Rich Razzleberry for the card front straight from the DSP. There’s a lot of inspiration in those designs!

The Dainty Flowers DSP includes shapes like this on paper that has a textural element. That background in the center of the floral oval isn’t embossed, it just has a wonderful stucco kind of printed texture. I think it adds a lot!

If this isn’t a great Valentine message, I don’t know what is. Add the Love Cats stamps to your shopping cart right HERE.

Paper Pumpkin subscriptions deliver ready-to-go projects to your doorstep every month, but you have ultimate control to skip or cancel 😱 if you decide it’s not for you. Don’t miss this kit!

The 2023 DIY Template is available for just $5. You may use it to make as many calendars as you like. It includes a page of covers, 12 monthly calendar blocks (4 to a page), and a set of cutting instructions. The blocks are designed to be cut to 3 1/2″ square.