Looking ahead to Easter

Posted on March 12, 2012 by mauistamper

I took this layout straight off Pinterest:

Mixed Bunch and Delightful Dozen stamp sets
Whisper White and Blushing Bride card stock
Whisper White and Blushing Bride Classic ink pads
Pear Pizazz seam binding
Blossom punch
3/4 circle punch
Big Shot
Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’ve been doing a lot of these raised panels lately – I’m SEEING a lot of them too! I like the look, and I like the possibilities…you can selectively emboss, easily wrap ribbon around the panel, raise the panel with Stampin’ Dimensionals…I’ll bet you can think of other techniques! Leave me a comment if you have an idea – I’m always looking for new tricks 🙂

Blushing Bride is such a grown-up pink, and I’m going to miss it when it bows out of our Stampin’ Up! color palette with the end of the catalog on May 31. I do my best to embrace change, but to be very honest, I have a hard time letting go of things. Take a peek in any closet in my house (well, except Mr. Maui Stamper’s closet) and I’m sure you’ll agree – I’m not a minimalist! I’m trying to be more clutter-free, but it’s a lifestyle that is going to take some time to embrace. My Gramsie on my mom’s side kept EVERYTHING – old vegetable drawers from the refrigerator that stopped working (after all, they were useful for storing things), back issues of the Wall Street Journal (we found issues from the 60’s when we moved her from her big 3 bedroom home in the early 90’s) – so I’m just carrying on a family tradition.

Well, except I don’t subscribe to the Wall Street Journal.

Yellow and Black

Posted on October 19, 2010 by mauistamper

One of my favorite color combinations isn’t really a color combination at all. I love black and white paired with a bold color, and the other day I decided to pair it with yellow.

Silhouette Sentiments (Level I Hostess) stamp set
Basic Black Classic ink pad; Blender pen; Real Red Stampin’ Write marker
Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black and Daffodil Delight card stock
Black Lace trim; 1/8 inch Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon
Big Shot and Vintage Wallpaper Textured Embossing folder
Basic Pearls
Stampin’ Dimensionals

I didn’t intend to include red when I began this card, but it just fell into place as I was putting things together. I like the way the black lace trim looks like a skirt under the skinny Daffodil ribbon – I’m finding a lot of use for that skinny ribbon. I need more colors – I only have 3 of them. (I know. What a whiner.)

I won’t put a sentiment on this card until I’m ready to send it. I like having a few “ace in the hole” cards like this.

Card so nice, I made it twice

Posted on October 4, 2010 by mauistamper

Where has More Mustard been all of my life, and how did I overlook it for so long?

Blessings Brighten Jumbo wheel
Always Artichoke ink cartridge
More Mustard, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla card stock
Always Artichoke Seam Binding
Antique brads
Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder

Our new Antique brads really suit my style. I love the texture they add to a card, and they come in a gorgeous range of finishes. The only disadvantage to using them is that they really have to go in a padded envelope with extra postage if you want to put them in the mail, but that’s a small price to pay for such gorgeous-ness. I liked this so well I did it again with the colors reversed:

This is almost the same card. I used the Vintage Wallpaper folder and the Victoria 5/8 inch crochet trim, and the accent behind the wheeled panel is Chocolate Chip. Don’t know which one I like better – what do you think?

Embossing Boxes

Posted on June 15, 2010 by mauistamper

You won’t believe how simple this is. The WOW factor is huge – at least I think so!

I {Heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Wishes, You and Moi stamp sets
Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery Classic ink pads
Bashful Blue, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon
Medium Jewelry Tag punch
Big Shot, Matchbox die and Vintage Wallpaper Textured Embossing Folder

Check out that ribbon! It won’t be available much longer – and for sure it won’t be available after June 30 – so if you like it, order it now! That Embossing Folder is a 2010-2011 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and catalog Sneak Peak and it is very, very cool. Every embossing folder that comes along is more awesome than the last one and this Vintage Wallpaper is no exception.

These little boxes are perfect favors – you almost don’t need the ribbon. The depth of the embossing folder is enough embellishment, so these would go together very quickly. I’ve only embossed the band that wraps around the box base. A few quick tips:

crease the fold lines heavily BEFORE embossing
insert the band with the wider of the two end pieces in first
apply adhesive to the narrower end which remains outside the embossing folder

The box base doesn’t need any adhesive, and the white panel is cut to fit inside. You could cut all these pieces and then have an assembly line to make a lot of little favors in a very short time.

Brand New Stamps: Friends Never Fade

Posted on June 5, 2010 by mauistamper

My Sneak Peak order of new 2010-2011 Stampin’ Up! products arrived on Thursday afternoon! That box was sitting in my craft room taunting me almost 24 hours – it was a relief to squeeze in about an hour on Friday afternoon. I am thrilled with my preview items, and they aren’t even the things I thought I couldn’t live without in that big beautiful new catalog. This is going to be an exciting year.

Here’s my first creation:

Friends Never Fade Sneak Peak 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog
Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card stock
Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight Classic ink pads; Versamark ink pad
Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write Marker
Embossing Buddy, Clear Detail Embossing powder, Powder Pal and Heat tool
Whisper White 3/8″ taffeta ribbon; Scallop Trim border punch
Big Shot and Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Having so many new colors to work with is almost over-stimulation…I ordered assortments of the new In Colors as well as all the new core colors introduced in the Color Renovation. It came down to my favorites – blues and greens – but when I pulled out that stamp with that beautiful flower, I knew it needed a yellow center. The photograph isn’t quite true to the Daffodil Delight color – it’s softer but still a clear yellow, like a butter color. And what can I say about that embossing folder except you’d better put it on the top of your wish list?

I have a full day tomorrow but I WILL find a way to squeeze in a little more stamping time. I have more new stamp sets to put together and try out!