December 2020 DIY: Poinsettia Christmas

Posted on December 1, 2020 by mauistamper

Ah, December. Not what we expected this year, is it? So let’s have some alternative poinsettias, shall we?

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Poinsettia Petals December 2020 DIY Easel Calendar

Stamps: Poinsettia Petals, Celebration Tidings, Forever Fern
Color Palette: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Just Jade, Calypso Coral, Mango Melody
Accessories: The BOSS*, Poinsettia dies, Fluid 100 watercolor paper, Watercolor pens, Vellum, Metallic pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Wink of Stella

* Stamp Cut and Emboss Machine. Which takes a lot of space and typing, so I’m calling it The BOSS.

Poinsettias aren’t just red any more! They’re cream colored and speckled and variegated and even gold, so I don’t see why they can’t be Calypso Coral and Mango Melody! It’s 2020 and the rules are all useless, so I am making my own. So there.

This might have been my favorite month of all of 2020. The watercoloring, the vellum, the swirls and dots, and the metallic pearls all made me feel very in-the-zone, and heaven knows 2020 needs itself some ZONE.

Cheryl and Crystal have December calendars too, so take a moment to see what they have done. And then maybe, in the spirit of the holidays, take another moment to leave them a comment to tell them what you love about their work. Bloggers are funny like that, we like a little bit of attention every now and then.

Or just tell us what new rule you’ve made for 2020! What colors are your poinsettias??

If you’d like to make a 2021 calendar click Contact the Maui Stamper at the top of the page and send me your email. I’ll invoice you $5 and when you’ve paid I’ll email you a pdf of the 12 months of 2021 and a cover to finish it out and make a lovely gift. (I think we will still be making new rules in 2021, so a new calendar is a Very Good Thing.)

If you’re as smitten with this bundle as I am, click HERE to get your own. Thanks.

The Woodland is Rooted in Nature

Posted on July 31, 2019 by mauistamper

It’s been a delightful summer in my craft room, and I’m ready to get the show back on the road and share some of it with you. Would you like to see what I’ve been doing?

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Woodland is Rooted in Nature

I seldom use Very Vanilla card bases, and when I look at this one I wonder why! I especially like the way it works with the braided linen, which is just an abundance of linen thread – and you know I love linen thread!!

Stamps: Rooted in Nature, Artisan Textures, A Wish for Everything
Color Palette: Very Vanilla, Granny Apple Green, Shaded Spruce, Soft Suede
Accessories: Natures Roots Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Woodland Embossing Folder, Vellum, Braided Linen Trim, Stampin’ Write Markers, Fine Tip Glue Pen, Sponge Daubers, Bone Folder.

I have a few great tips for you when you’re working with vellum:

The Fine Tip Glue Pen is VELLUM MAGIC. Use it to adhere vellum to any project and it doesn’t show through!!!
When I run it through my die cut machine I layer a piece of waxed paper between the paper and the die (and yes, I have a Big Shot, which Stampin’ Up! no longer sells – but something BIGGER is coming!) It helps to release the vellum from the die, especially the Stitched Shapes, which have a tendency to hang onto the die cut.
I use my trusty Bone Folder when I’m removing a vellum die cut from the die, since it’s thin and helps to avoid creases in the vellum.

I used sponge daubers to ink the foliage in Granny Apple Green and Shaded Spruce. Once they were inky, I colored the trunk with the Soft Suede Stampin’ Write marker. If you try to color the trunk first, it’s easy to accidentally cover the ink with the daubers. Coloring it second allows you to push off any GAG or SS ink (yup. That’s what I call it. GAG. Love that color.)

Maui Stamper Stampin Up Bonus Days July 2019

Today is the FINAL BONUS DAY!! Skedaddle on over to my Online Store to earn your savings – a $5 voucher for every $50 in merchandise you choose! You’ll be glad you did.

Colour INKspiration 54

Posted on April 23, 2019 by mauistamper

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration Guest Designer

It’s such an honour to be chosen to join the Colour Inkspiration Challenge tour. I enjoy these challenges immensely, and love to see what the many talented and creative crafters imagine for each colour challenge. This round features one of my absolute favorite combinations!

I LOVE crafting in black and white! There’s something about it that really satisfies me, and when I learned that was the combination for this challenge I was delighted! I created a lot of different cards for this challenge, and I’ll be sure to share some of them over the fortnight. I’ve chosen just one for today:

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! ColourINKspiration Challenge #54 Climbing Orchid

Stamps: Climbing Orchid (retiring with the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog)
Colour Palette: Whisper White, Basic Black, and Lemon Lime Twist (a 2017-2019 In Colour, retiring with the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog)
Accessories: Big Shot, Orchid Builder Framelits, Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Botanical Butterfly DSP (2019 Sale-a-bration), Stampin’ Write markers, Vellum Card Stock, Stazon Jet Black Ink, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Fine Tip Glue Pen
The “spritz” is made with a very old tool that Stampin’ Up! sold – and retired – eons ago. I love mine, and I kept it. You can get a similar effect by tapping a brush loaded with colour over your project.

A few construction tips:

Because I used the Rectangle Stitched Framelits as a mat, I had to commit to that shape for my focal point. I assembled my orchids and arranged them on the card stock until I was satisfied before adhering them to the base.
The orchid layers are assembled with Stampin’ Dimensionals, and are also adhered to the base with them as well.
In my humble opinion, the leaves in the stamp set are Just Wrong. (I have orchids growing in my garden – nuff said.) I ended up free-hand drawing the stem and leaves with the Lemon Lime Twist Stampin’ Write Marker. By outlining first and filling in the shape with careful linear strokes I was able to create an interesting high/low colour texture.
The sentiment is inked in Stazon to avoid smearing on the vellum.
The vellum layer is adhered to the card front with a very thin line from the Fine Tip Glue Pen on either end. It dried and left no trace.
Start with your black and white elements. The pop will reveal itself.

Are you ready to play? Just dive right in! Seriously, you just can’t go wrong with this combination! When you’re ready, share your project HERE and be sure to tag it #CI54.

Maui Stamper Stampin' Up! Colour Inkspiration Tour NEXT

If you’d like a little more inspiration before you start, continue on the tour. You’re headed to Kelly Kent, and she’s created a very charming card. I think you’ll love it!

An Exquisite Butterfly

Posted on March 9, 2015 by mauistamper

I finally broke out the Butterfly Basics bundle:

Stamps: Butterfly Basics
Color Palette: Whisper White, Shimmer White, Pool Party
Accessories: Butterfly Basics Thinlets, Vellum, Pool Party cotton ribbon, Pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals

The bad news is that the Butterflies Thinlets are currently unavailable. It’s a serious challenge, but it’s one that is outside of Stampin’ Up!’s ability to control – the problem is due to shipping problems through the West Coast ports. I’m taking names and details now of anyone who would like this product so that as soon as it is available I can place an order.

Just a few construction details…

I cut the butterfly in Shimmer White paper, then used the negative template to draw an outline on a piece of vellum. I hand-trimmed the shape – can’t call it fussy cut because it wasn’t very fussy as the edges are hidden behind the die cut. I carefully adhered it with Tombo (the Wonder Adhesive). Use a very light touch with the Tombo. A few well-placed Stampin’ Dimensionals hold the butterfly above the ferns.

I struggled with the details but ultimately decided that for once, less could be more. I hope you enjoy! And please let me know if you’d like to be on my Priority List for the Butterfly Basics Bundle!