A Glorious Birthday Card in a Box

Posted on May 3, 2014 by mauistamper

I love that word – Glorious. It’s one of Crystal‘s favorites 🙂 And it’s very appropriate for this card:

Yes, it’s full of Sale-a-bration product that you can no longer get…and I’m sorry. But for those of you who have leftover Sweet Sorbet paper, you need some ideas, right?

I had a fabulous time with this one – there’s a lot crammed into a little space. I used the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die (so sad this is retiring!!) to help stabilize the folds. In my excitement I scored them a leetle bit too hard and they were thinking about breaking, so that Calypso Coral scallop actually folds and adheres inside the wall of the box to give it strength.

Lots of flowers – Petal Parade from SAB but also Petite Petals and the little scallop from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack (also retiring). That gorgeous Happy Birthday is from the retiring stamp set You’re Amazing – and is only available now in wood.

Some of the flowers and cut and layered for extra dimension, and you can just see the window sheet strip that allows that Petite Petal to fly.

There’s a cupcake with a single candle right in the middle!

I even made a coordinating envelope. Hope you enjoy!

Hello – just Hello

Posted on March 28, 2014 by mauistamper

Sometimes Hello is enough:

This subtle Designer Series paper is one of the hidden gems in the Sweet Sorbet Sale-a-bration offering. I love having these single tone papers in my stash – they provide interest and texture without distracting. If you’re pairing Melon Mambo with ANYTHING you want to be careful not to get too distracted!

Take a good look at this detail – it’s not what you might initially think. The Melon Mambo oval is a frame, not a mat. Typically, to achieve this look I would cut two ovals: the larger would be Melon Mambo, the slightly smaller would be the DSP. However, in this case I wanted a different type of texture, so the two ovals are actually cut the same size, but there’s a smaller oval cut out of the center of the Melon Mambo oval. That creates a raised frame instead of a mat that sits behind the paper. It’s subtle, but I like the difference.

It’s VERY difficult to see in the full-card photos, but the first one is done with the frame style and the second is done with the mat style. As I said, it’s a very subtle difference, but you notice it when you hold the card in your hand.

Stamps: Petite Petals and Four You
Color Palette: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Petite Petals punch, Sweet Sorbet DSP, Rhinestone jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Early Espresso Stitched 1/4 inch grosgrain, Ovals Framelits, Decorative Dots TIEF an the Big Shot

You Make Me Happy

Posted on March 27, 2014 by mauistamper

…you make me happy, whether the skies are gray or blue!

Sweet Sorbet Designer series paper makes me happy, too – especially when it’s punched into banners! Stampin’ Up! has really hit the mark with Sale-a-bration DSP the past few years. I’ve got a little stash of Sweet Sorbet set aside just for me, myself and I.

Stamps: See Ya Later and Banner Blast (both SAB 2014)
Color Palette: Whisper White, Pool Party, Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories: Pearl jewels and the Banner punch (SAB 2014)

This is an easy card sketch that will adapt to whatever sentiment and DSP you happen to have on your craft table. I made another card using my favorite sentiment from the See Ya Later SAB stamp set:

Don’t tell Mr. Maui Stamper you saw this one, because one of these days it’s gonna be in his carry-on when he’s headed off on business. When I met him, it really did change everything. 🙂

The little heart from the Owl punch fits perfectly at the top – it’s not as modern as the one on the stamp, but the change in color gives it an extra pop.

You’ve got until Monday to pick up these 2014 Sale-a-bration winners. Shop HERE.

A last look at Petal Parade

Posted on March 26, 2014 by mauistamper

March is almost over {gasp} and that means we’ve nearly reached the end of Sale-a-bration 2014. I know some of you folks on the East Coast had snow yesterday – my son told me it snowed on campus too. (There was deep disgust in his voice. He knows full well what the weather is here at home. I was a good mommy – for once – and didn’t mention the warm sunshine.)

If it snowed at your house yesterday, please accept my condolences and this bright Spring bouquet!

Stamps: Petal Parade and Yippee Skippee
Color palette: Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, Pool Party, Basic Black and Whisper White
Accessories: Petite Petal punch, Victorian faceted buttons, Calypso Coral Baker’s twine, Sweet Sorbet DSP

Those faceted vintage buttons are very handy to have around. They come in 3 sizes and reflect colors around them very nicely. I have a nice little stash of them 🙂

I hope you have a little bit of spring weather!

Happy Congratulations

Posted on February 3, 2014 by mauistamper

The name of this stamp set cracks me up – it makes me think of one of those “close but not quite” translations. You know the ones. In any event, I used a sketch from the Paper Players to get started:

Stamps: Happy Congratulations and Petal Parade (SAB)
Color Palette: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Pool Party, Whisper White and Black Staz-on
Accessories: Sweet Sorbet DSP, Big Shot and Decorative Dots TIEF, Pool Party Seam Binding, Oval punch, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals

It’s a fun sketch because it includes a pull-out tag:

The little paper lanterns are very easy to (Two Step) stamp – I just gave ’em the Maui Stamper eyeball – and that panel is lifted on Dimensionals. I think EVERY card should use Dimensionals.

Here’s the sketch. You can see I took a little creative license with it, but that’s all in the game:

Speaking of games, congrats to all you Seahawk 12th Men out there – but what a horrible game. The Super Bowl is supposed to be competitive. I feel for all of you Denver fans. Go read Alexander and Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. You’ll feel better. Bad days happen. (I’m a 49er fan – we already had our Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.)

All righty then! A quick little detour and we are adding things to the book list! (Not that I’m above adding to my book list – please feel free to share.) But let’s have one more look at Happy Congratulations (which would be a fine name for a Chinese Restaurant, if you ask me):

Enjoy!

Time to Sale-a-brate!

Posted on January 29, 2014 by mauistamper

It’s the Most-Wonderful-Time….of the Yeeeear!!!!

Ah yes, Sale-a-bration. Spend $50 in merchandise and earn exclusive product absotively, posituvely free! (Say it out loud, it works.)

The Sweet Sorbet DSP is one of the Sale-a-bration choices that has made my day! The patterns are fresh and trendy and every single one of them is a winner – Stampin’ Up! has been rockin’ the DSP boat during SAB. The color choices might surprise you – they did me – but as I’ve worked with them I have become quite smitten 🙂

And just in case you don’t have a wish list ready, Stampin’ Up! has come to the rescue with a sweet new offering.

It’s embossing made easy. The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine is a compact and portable tool to add texture to cards, tags, embellishments, and more. Use it with our Stampin’ Up! exclusive Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (see why I call them TIEFs?) The initial supply of The Texture Boutique is limited, but it will be making a permanent appearance in the next annual catalog that debuts in May.

Just so happens that the purchase of the Texture Boutique (#132657 – $29.95) and any 3 Embossing Folders will earn you a free Sale-a-bration item – including the brand new Embossing Folder Decorative Dots (#133520). You’ll be ready to rock and roll!

Visit my Online Store to order, or contact me and we will find the perfect solution for your crafting needs. Need a refresher on the TIEF options? Here you go!