Tag Archives: Stampin Up

Apr1

Always a reason to Celebrate

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I love celebrating. And I love flowers. So, I knew this Celebrate With Flowers stamp set needed to be part of my collection.

I mean, just look how happy it is! I was attracted to the simple line art and the quirkiness of it when I saw it, and I just love the variety of ways you can make it work. I also love that it lends itself to a unique style of card (think slim-line) as well. The inclusion of the vertical Happy Birthday is also what attracted me to this set–different than the norm, and unexpected! (I will include a pic of the images below).

So, for April, I hope you can find something to celebrate! And, while doing so, make some pretty flowers to go along with the celebration!

Go check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

PS: This stamp set is currently available, but it will NOT be available for much longer! It’s being retired at the end of this month (but, will only be around while supplies last!) So, if you want to own one, you better snatch it up FAST! If you message me, I can help you do that!

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Dec1

Joy to the World!

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Christmas brings such JOY to me! I love this stamp set with the bold declaration of “JOY”!

All the images come from the stamp set Peace and Joy. And, they’re great for mixing and matching–and adding the large script with a small block print. It works perfectly here and would be great on a Christmas card too! I used real red and old olive for the images. Expresso is used for the block text. Super simple, super easy, but a striking declaration of the season!

I can’t believe we are at the end of the year! It has come so quickly! I pray that you can know the Joy that has been declared to the world through the birth of our Savior! We celebrate Him this season!

If you happen to be on Maui, stop by our street! Come shop local makers and small businesses to finish up your Christmas lists! As an added treat, the Maui High School Choir will be caroling through the streets! Hope to see you!

Have a wonderful Christmas! And head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have in store for you today!

With love and aloha!!– Crystal

Oct1

Happy Little Pumpkin

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Happy October! It’s here! Officially fall and sweater weather (well, I can dream, right??) I currently am diffusing a harvest blend so that I can pretend I’m enjoying fall while I am sweating away in my office…

SU released a set called Harvest Hello (now retired) and it had a coordinating ‘apple’ punch to go with it. But, you could use that apple to also make pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns! I love using punches that coordinate with stamps… Makes it super easy to create cute projects. This little pumpkin would be a cute bag topper. It would even be cute just dimmensionaled (like how I turned the SU product into a verb??) to one of the snack size candy bars! And, because it’s so easy to make, you can make DOZENS in no time at all!

With the page turn to October, it makes my mind start thinking about the upcoming holiday crafting. And, then the panic that always comes with the ‘…I haven’t started my holiday crafting’ realization. So, if you need me, that is what I will be doing this month… 🙂 Namely starting on the 2022 easel calendar! See you next month!!

Check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

Aug1

Thoughtful Blooms

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AAAAAHhhhhhhhh…. August. The month that is both full of excitement and trepidation…. Funny how the ONE event can have both feelings…. but, alas, school is starting again.

I am very excited to go back to school. I have missed students! But, I’m also anxious about it because it means getting back to the busy. I am trying to find a way to keep the ‘slowness’ of the shutdown alive a little longer…

This beautiful stamp set is called Thoughtful Blooms. And, it was an Sale-A-Bration offering from last year. (No longer available) It also had the coordinating flower punch which makes this set really pop!

I love paring smoky slate and flirty flamingo together. They are such a good combination… the peacefulness of the gray with the excitement of the pink. Kind of the balance I am searching to create in my own busy.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy back to school! Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

Jul1

Buzzing Through Summer

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I write while I am basking in the glory days of summer. The days are lazy and glorious, but we are SPEEDING through the weeks. And, I know that I will be returning to school in a few short weeks….. sigh.

Anyway, That’s what this bee means to me. Now, I know that bees are stereotypically busy… But, the serenity in these images and the feeling that I get to stop and actually notice the bees… That is what the glory days of summer are to me.

ANYAY…. I digress. This stamp set, (now retired) Is Honey Bee. It had a fantastic set of coordinating dies. The simplicity in the images and designs make for a fantastic calendar (and card). They are the epitome of simple stamping. Which is perfect for summer so that there is still time left over to sit and enjoy the world around you…and truly celebrate every moment.

The yellow I selected for this month is Bumble Bee (obviously) and it makes a simple monochromatic layout and image.

Hope you are able to slow down and enjoy summer. Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

Jun1

Prickly Little Bloom

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I used to kill all plants that came into my life. Total BLACK THUMB. If anyone gave me a plant, I would enjoy it for a couple days, and would quickly pass it along to someone I knew that could sustain it’s life much longer than me… Until we went on a small trip and my bff surprised me by redoing a large pot we had by our front porch (full of dead plant remains). She filled it with happy little succulents. And, left strict instructions to not touch it–she would care for it. So, I got to have a front row seat in Plant Care 101. And, what I learned is that succulents thrive on neglect. Which, I CAN DO! I can NEGLECT plants!! Fast forward a couple years and now we have our own succulent JUNGLE! So, when I saw this happy little succulent, I KNEW it had to be on one of my calendar months!

This simple little cactus came from ‘The Gang’s All Meer’ stamp set (sorry, now retired…) was the perfect stamp to use for me to celebrate the beginning of summer. This is ‘simple stamping’ at its finest… just ink and a little swipes with some blends and you’re all finished! This could easily be turned into a simple note card to send to someone to let them know you’re thinking of them…

It’s unbelievable that it is June already–but turning the page to June is the most glorious feeling—its turning the page to freedom and that comes with summertime! I hope you get to spend some time this summer doing something you enjoy with people you love!

Head on over to see how Anne and Cheryl decided to celebrate the start of summer!!

May1

May Day is Lei Day

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I love the traditions of May Day here in Hawaii. May Day is Lei day and all the schools have the children create performances of hula for family and friends. It’s something I look forward to every year. And in addition, you are supposed to wear a flower lei!

Though I don’t have a lei for you this month, these flowers from the Honey Bee Stamp set would eh the perfect flowers to weave into a lei.

I really love the Honey Bee set and you will see it again this year. It is now retired. But it was a good one. I use the mango medley blends to color the flowers. Super simple but they give a nice gradient feel to the image.

I can’t believe May is already upon us. In some ways it is so fast but in other ways, I’m glad it is signaling the final stretch in what seems to be the never ending school year. It’s been a long year and I’m DEFINITELY looking forward to summer. And I love that these flowers symbolize that!

Check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

Jan1

Oh 2021. So happy to see you

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I’m not sure that there has ever been a new year that we’ve looked forward with as much anticipation as we have this new year.

So I’m happy to have a fresh new calendar to welcome 2021 with! For January, I did step out of my comfort zone and used an actual snowman image. It always seems weird to me to do much with snowmen or other winter scenes as…well, our idea of winter is about 76 degrees and partly cloudy…

This happy guy is from Snowman Season and he’s happy to be celebrating 2021 as well. Just a few swipes with the pool party blend and that adds just enough color to make him come alive.

I too am looking forward to 2021, but I keep remind myself to not put unreasonable expectations on the idea that just because 2020 is over we will be free from challenges. 2020 was a rough year for us, personally and collectively (as it was for everyone). And as I think back through the year I am so thankful for the constants I had in my life. My faith and my family sustained me through some dark times. And as I see this collective burst of anticipation for 2021, I just want to make sure that my focus is not on the year or the newness or any of the things that can change but that it remains on the constant that never changes: That my faith is my constant support and my family will be there for me no matter what the days on this new calendar brings. My wish is that we hold on these lessons from 2020 and they become the solid foundation for us in 2021.

I wish you the best of New Years and I’m hoping you can celebrate with those you love most (even if it is on FaceTime).

Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you for this new year!

Also! I have a handful of these completed calendars left. You will get a new image each month to brighten up your space. If your interested in one, contact me and we can work out the details!

Nov1

Rooted in Thanksgiving

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This month, we are entering a season to be thankful. And, for the craziiness that has been 2020, that may be hard to come by. But, the deeper we look, I am learning to be thankful for so many things, things that I don’t even notice until perhaps they are absent.

I am so thankful for my family and this shut down gave me time to REALLY connect with them. We also were able to build deeper relationships with neighbors and friends around us. I have seen in SO MANY WAYS how God’s divine hand of protection has been on my family and I am so grateful. I want to take this month with my family to really focus on thanksgiving…to be ROOTED in THANKFULNESS. Though it should be an every-day-all-the-time occurrence, I want to be sure to pause and really dwell on the things we have to be thankful for.

This leaf image comes from the Rooted in Nature stamp set, which is one of my most favorite super universal stamp sets. I used Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and Cajun Craze for the colors.

I hope we can use the fact that ‘life’ has slowed us down this season and so we can dwell in the stillness, the slowness, and focus on what really matters. Happy Thanksgiving to you. I am thankful for all of you too!

AnneHead on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you!

Oct1

Cutest Little Mummy

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October begins the season of pumpkins, sweaters, and a night of the cutest creepy crawlies you will see. This little mummy is no exception. The stamp set, Monster Bash and it’s coordinating dies, ornate frames definitely showcase some of the sweetest monsters of the season. (Monster Bash has retired, but the ornate frames are still available).

Fall is my favorite time of year. And, October seems to usher in all the goodness of the upcoming seasons. One good thing that has come out of this upheaval is that the world has SLOWED DOWN. I hope we can take this sense of slow, deliberateness into the upcoming season…a season that is always way too rushed and filled with obligations. This step-back that has been required of me is now causing me to see things from different perspectives and new realities. I pray that we don’t lose this new perspective as we begin to fill our holiday calendars.

Happy October to you all!

See what Anne and Cheryl have created for you today!