inky friends: thankful for… blog hop

November 9, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Today, I am joining My Inky Friends Thankful For… blog hop. You are in for a great variety of inspiration on today’s hop. We are each featuring a Stampin’ Up! stamp set or product that we are thankful for. If you are following in order, you have arrived here from Holly and her wonderful projects. Weren’t they great. If you are starting here make sure you check out all the stops and see what everyone is thankful for!

I am thankful for… Stampin’ Blends! These markers are so amazing and really easy to use. They make me feel like a real artist! There is so much you can do with them!

First off, how about no-line coloring. I’ve seen it done with watercolors and thought why not try it with my Stampin’ Blends! I love the outcome!

I stamped the milk can and flowers in Sahara Sand that was stamped off to make it lighter. Then I colored it in. I used the stamps as a guide if I could no longer see the inked outline. I really like how the milk can turned out! It’s even better in person.

Next up, I went with basic coloring. Postcard Palls is a great set for this. Isn’t that little otter just adorable! The Stampin’ Blends make it possible to get so much depth with the shading.

Finally, I made my own designer paper – the flowers and background are colored with Stampin’ Blends. The possibilities are endless!

If you haven’t tried Stampin’ Blends yet, you need to. They make coloring so much fun! I now send you over to Cindy and her fantastic creations!

Thanks for stopping by! Join me again to put a spotlight on creativity!

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stamp review crew: farm house Christmas

November 4, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The Stamp Review Crew is starting off November with a fun holiday set: Farmhouse Christmas! This set is loaded with possibilities! Make sure you go through all of the stops on the blog hop. You don’t want to miss any of the amazing creations we have in store for you! As always, you can find the full blog hop list on the Stamp Review Crew page.

Growing up in northern Minnesota, this set brings back a lot of great holiday memories. My three cards today draw from those memories. For my first card, I wanted to feature the coordinating Festive Farmhouse DSP.

Of course, this set and DSP pairs wonderfully with the Wood Textures DSP. (Then again, what doesn’t!?) The card base and stitched circle are Pear Pizazz. I took a couple of leaves off of one of the Boxwood Wreath embellishments and three of the red rhinestones to create the holly. I think it is the perfect little embellishment.

For this next card, I wanted to feature the fantastic little truck. And again I went with the Festive Farmhouse and Wood Textures DSP’s. What can I say. When it works, it works! I colored the truck with Mint Macron and the tree with Shaded Spruce Stampin’ Blends.

This last card is all about texture with embossing folders and framelits. The Crumb Cake card base is embossed with the Pinewood Planks and the Pool Party panel is embossed with the Subtle embossing folder. I cut a piece of Sparkle Glimmer Paper with the snow mound die in the coordinating Farmhouse Framelits and layered it behind the fence cut from Wood Textures DSP. The tree is cut out and colored with Stampin’ Blends. Don’t you just love those tiny little red bows? There is a die in the Farmhouse Framelits that cuts out six off them at once! So much fun!

Did these projects stir up any nostalgic holiday memories for you? Leave me a comment, I’d love to know! Now for some more creative inspiration, I am sending you over to Holly and her fantastic creations! or you can always go back to Stesha and her amazing creativity.

Thanks for stopping by. Join me again to put a spotlight on creativity!

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stamp review crew: dashing deer

October 14, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome to another Stamp Review Crew blog hop! This time we are featuring the fantastic Dashing Deer stamp set! I have been having a lot of fun creating with this set. And to think, I almost didn’t get it. What was I thinking?! I am so glad I came to my senses and ordered it right away. I LOVE it! I have featured it on two previous blog post that you can find here and here. For today’s spotlight, I decided to showcase two different looks for the set. The first is a very deep, rich card pairing Dashing Deer with the Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper.

I started with a Crumb Cake card base. I embossed the Tranquil Tide panel with the Pinewood Planks Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and used my Layering Circles Framelits to cut out a circle in the panel. I backed this with some of the Joyous Noel DSP. I stamped the little deer in Soft Suede and cut him out with the coordinating Detailed Deer Thinlit. I added a few dots of Copper Shimmer Paint for some extra detail. I cut out the twig spray from the Frosted Bouquet Thinlits in copper foil paper and adhered it poking out of the circle. The sentiment is embossed in White on Merry Merlot card stock with a smaller strip at the top of the card with a True Gentleman button tied with Linen Thread. My second card has a much lighter color scheme.

For this card I wanted a winter white woods look. The white panel is embossed with the Woodland embossing folder. I stamped the large deer with Gray Granite ink on Sahara Sand card stock. The smaller deer is stamped with Sahara Sand ink on Sahara Sand card stock. I added some Frost White Shimmer Paint dots on the smaller deer. The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso ink on Sahara Sand card stock with Linen Thread wrapped on the ends. I love these two deer together.

I am now going to send you over to the wonderfully creative Tanya. Wait until you see what she can do with this great set! Or you can go back to Lou and her beautiful projects. Either way, make sure to go all the way through the blog hop – you won’t want to miss any of the inspiration for the gorgeous stamp set! You can find the full blog hop order on the Stamp Review Crew page.

That’s a wrap for me. Join me again to put a spotlight on creativity!

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inky friends: handmade holidays blog hop

October 12, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome to My Inky Friends: Handmade Holidays Blog Hop! You will find lots of inspiration for you Holiday crafting! You should have arrived here from Paula and her wonderful Country Home projects. Weren’t they great? If you are starting the hop here, make sure you go through and check out all the stops. You don’t want to miss a thing.

My projects are putting the fantastic set Merry Christmas to All in the spotlight. This is a great holiday greeting set and the coordinating Merry Christmas Thinlits take it to the next level. I just love the dimension and texture of die cut words. I paired this great set with the amazing Joyous Noel designer series paper. I love the new Merry Merlot color. Paired with a touch of copper, it is perfect for elegant holiday projects. I decided to create a card, gift package and ornament trio. Let’s start with the card.

Isn’t that paper gorgeous!? I also used a bit of Neutrals 6×6 DSP (the Crumb Cake dot panel) I layered a Pearlized Doily with a Stitched Shapes circle cut from Wood Textures DSP. A tiny bit of Copper Glimmer Paper draws out the copper foil in the Joyous Noel DSP. I also added a tiny tree from the Festive Farmhouse Elements. The sentiment is stamped on the Wood Texture DSP in Early Espresso Ink. I think it gives a wood burned look to the image.

Next up is a cute little gift card pouch. I started with one of the Kraft Pillow Boxes. I just love those little white polka dots. I kept some of the elements from the card, but changed them up a bit to make the belly band wrapped around the pillow box.

Finally, I made this fun medallion ornament. I started with two 4″x12″ strips of the DSP. I scored them every half inch, fan folded them the assembled them into the medallion. Once again I used the Pearlized Doily and a Stitched Shape circle, this time cut out of Crumb Cake card stock. I added a few snowflakes from the Blizzard Thinlit with added rhinestones.

A fabulous trio perfect for holiday gifting! I am now sending you over to Rhonda and her fun projects with the tiny take-out box! They are so much fun!

Thanks for stopping by! Join me again to put a spotlight on creativity!

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stamp review crew: buffalo check

September 30, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Time for the Stamp Review Crew to put another great stamp set in the spotlight! Today’s blog hop is featuring the amazing Buffalo Check background stamp. Buffalo Plaid is very trendy and yet timeless. It can be found all over fashion and home decor. With this stamp, your card making can be on top of one of the hottest trends too! It is great for any occasion and can be the star of the show, or a great supporting role.

Let’s start with featuring Buffalo Check in a supporting role.

Stamped in Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White card stock, Buffalo Check makes a great base for this bouquet from the Wishing You Well set. The layers and ribbon look black in the photo, but it is actually Night of Navy. The flowers and heart are Lovely Lipstick. I love the little corrugated tag!

The next card puts Buffalo Check in the leading role.

Stamped in black ink on Real Red card stock, you get the iconic buffalo plaid. I used the tiny cup from the Coffee Cups framelits and layered it on a white Stitched Shapes circle. I hand wrote the sentiment to get just what I wanted and to fit the space. The ’tis the season repeated on the right is from Itty Bitty Greetings. Final touches are a few pine sprigs from the Pretty Pines Thinlits and tree from the Festive Farmhouse Elements. I used the backside of the tree and colored it with my Garden Green Stampin’ Write marker.

One last card. I know I have shared it before, but it showcases this stamp so well.

I think this is one of my favorite Christmas cards I have made this year. I love Buffalo Check paired with the log patten from the Wood Textures designer series paper stack. (I don’t know why the tiny bit got blurred out in the photo. must have blended with my backdrop too much.)

If you are #madforbuffaloplaid like me, this stamp is a must have. Check out the rest of the stops on the blog hop for more amazing Buffalo Check inspiration! You can go back to the wonderfully talented Nikki or move on to the uber creative Stesha. Enjoy the rest of the hop and join me again to put a spotlight on creativity.

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stamp review crew: country home

September 16, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome to another Stamp Review Crew blog hop! Today, we are shining a spotlight on the fabulous set Country Home from the 2018 Holiday Catalog. Rustic farmhouse style is very hot right now and this set is totally on trend! It is full of fantastic images and great sentiments. Make sure you check out all of the stops in this blog hop – you wouldn’t want to miss all the awesome inspiration!

This set isn’t really my usual style. I’ll admit I stared at it for quite awhile before diving in to create. But, I am quite happy with the outcome! I decided to bring back color on Crumb Cake card stock. This time, I colored in the floral arrangement with Stampin’ Up!’s Watercolor Pencils. I like the soft look, but I really LOVE the white colored pencil on the Crumb Cake card stock!

I stamped the pitcher in Night of Navy on Whisper White and Crumb Cake card stock. I cut out the Whisper White one, sponged it with a little bit of Crumb Cake ink to “dirty” it up a bit and adhered it over the pitcher on the Crumb Cake panel. I distressed the edges of the image panel to add to the rustic farmhouse feel of the card. I punched out a partial 1/2″ circle on either side of the card front to let the ribbon rest in. I think the Harwood background stamp (on the card base) is a perfect compliment for this set.

That’s a wrap for me. I am sending you on to the talented Lauren Alarid, or you can go back to the creative Mike Funke. Either way, you are in for some fantastic projects! Thanks for stopping by. Join me again to put a spotlight on creativity!

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inky friends: 2018 holiday catalog showcase

September 14, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome to My Inky Friends 2018 Holiday catalog Showcase blog hop! We are shining the spotlight on some of the great new stamp sets in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. If you are following the hop in order, you have come here from Cindy and her wonderful Winter Woods display. Now, join me as I put the fantastic Wishing You Well set center stage.

I love a versatile set and this one really is great for any season. So, let’s take a look at some of it’s many talents.

I love this wreath with the Wood Textures designer series paper! Lemon lime twist and Berry Burst create a vibrant contrast to the wood. A wonderful card just to let someone know you are thinking of them. But, change out the greeting and this would work for a Christmas card as well. See, versatile!

Since this is the HOLIDAY Catalog showcase, I naturally had to make a Christmas card. I went with traditional green and red, but chose to work with bright and bold Lemon Lime Twist (I seriously can not get enough of this color!) and Poppy Parade.

I love how the bit of striped Poppy Parade paper peeking out from the main panel echoes the striped Poppy Parade ribbon! The three little pearls were colored with my Poppy Parade Stampin’ Blends marker. Voila – perfect coordination! This would be an easy card to mass produce. Simple, but with some fun little details to make it interesting.

That’s a wrap for me. I will now send you over to Twila who is showcasing one of my favorite sets – Dashing Deer. Thanks for stopping by! Come back again and join me in putting a spotlight on creativity!

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stamp review crew: waterfront

September 2, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome back to another Stamp Review Crew blog hop! I’m so glad you have joined us as we put the Waterfront stamp set in the spotlight. This set is a lot of fun to play with and creates wonderful watercolor style landscapes and more when you let your creativity cut loose. I have to admit, I have had the set for several months, but this is the first time I have created anything with it. I assure you, it won’t be the last!

For this card, I stamped the mountains, lake and trees first in Whisper White craft ink on Crumb Cake card stock and let it completely dry. Once dry, I stamped over the images with the colors Gray Granite, Pool Party and Tranquil Tide (with a little Early Espresso for the tree trunks). Since the stamps are photopolymer, it made lining up the images a breeze. I didn’t try to line them up perfectly. The bits of white peeking out give some nice highlights. I layered the image panel on a piece of Tranquil Tide dots from the ’17-’19 In Colors Designer Series Paper stack. The front of the card base was run through the NEW Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Isn’t it just AMAZING! I can tell it will be used A LOT!

I used Stampin’ Write markers to ink the sentiment stamp and layered it on a Pool Party circle cut from the Stitched Labels Framelits. Then adhered it over a bit of Linen Thread wrapped around the image panel.

I had been watching an episode of Murder She Wrote when I came up with the idea for this next card. I hand an image in my mind of a quaint painting hanging on a weathered cottage wall, Here’s what I came up with:

I covered the card base with a piece of the Wood Textures designer series paper – seriously, my FAVE! I stamped the scene on a piece of thick Whisper White card stock. I hand drew the flowers with Stampin’ Write markers. Then I framed the painting. First I cut a pice of Basic Black card stock the same dimension as my “painting”. Next, I cut diagonally corner to corner both directions. Finally, I trimmed about 1/4″ off the outer most edge of each triangle. Here is a picture to help you see what I did.

I could have just mounted the “painting” on a piece of Basic Black and called it good. But this way, I get the mitered corners like a real frame.

It’s a really small detail and most probably won’t notice it, but I thought it was neat.

If you started this blog hop from the beginning, I am the final stop. If you picked it up somewhere in the middle, make sure you go around and check out all the great inspiration with the Waterfront stamp set! From here you can go back to Heidi or on to Debra

*The Stamp Review Crew is a group of International Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who want to show you how much you can do with ONE stamp set. Each edition the SR Crew will showcase a new featured stamp set. Each stop along the hop will show you a different idea, or ideas using that set!**

That’s a wrap for now. I hope you will come back and join me in putting a spotlight on creativity!

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stamp review crew: varied vases

August 19, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The Stamp Review Crew is hopping again and this time we are putting Varied Vases in the spotlight! This is such a fantastic set. I love the little vases and flowers. The coordinating Vases Builder punch makes it even better. I had played with set quite a bit when it first came out. Check out this post or this one for even more Varied Vases inspiration. This time, I wanted to try a different approach with this set.

For my first card, I chose to let the sweet flowers take center stage. I started with a gradient watercolor wash on three small panels of watercolor paper. i used Calypso Coral, Lemon Lime Twist and Coastal Cabana. Once completely dry, I stamped the flowers on each panel with Memento Black ink. I adhered a panel of Wood Textures DSP on a Whisper White card base which I had wrapped three rows of Linen Thread. The sentiment is stamped and embossed in white on the bottom of the Wood Textures DSP. I adhered the three flower panels with dimensionals for some added depth. I finished off with a little rhinestone one each panel. I colored these with Stampin’ Blends markers – Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay.

My next card brings back the Wood Textures DSP. I think it is a great pairing with Varied Vases. I stamped the Vase in Coastal Cabana, punched it out with the Vase Builder punch and wrapped a bit of Linen Thread around it. I stamped the flowers in Memento Black, Poppy Parade and Lemon Lime twist and cut them out. (Full disclosure, I cut them out with my Scan-n-Cut.) I layered all of this on a Whisper White panel and stamped the sentiment along the edge of the Wood Texture DSP squares. I added two little Poppy Parade Ribbon loops before gluing the Whisper White layer to the Gray Granite card base. Notice the texture on the card base? I ran it through the NEW Tin Tile Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This folder is in the Stampin’ Up! 2018 Holiday catalog! It is really awesome!

That’s a wrap for me. I am the final stop on the blog hop, so if you started at the beginning, you have seen all of the amazing Varied Vases projects. You can go forward to Charlet, the first stop of the blog hop. Or you can go back to Mickey and work your way back around. If you started the hop somewhere in the middle make sure you continue on so you don’t miss any of the fantastic inspiration! And as always, you can find the blog hop archives over on the Stamp Review Crew blog.

**The Stamp Review Crew is a group of International Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who want to show you how much you can do with ONE stamp set. Each edition the SR Crew will showcase a new featured stamp set. Each stop along the hop will show you a different idea, or ideas using that set!**

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

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inky friends: suite designs blog hop

August 10, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Welcome back! I excited to be part of My Inky Friends Suite Designs Blog Hop! This time we are putting a spotlight on various product suites in the 2018-19 Stampin’ Up! catalog. I am thrilled to put the broadway Bound suite center stage! (I know, you are all so surprised that i would pick that suite. What can I say? Somethings are just meant to be!) This dramatic suite can be found on page 69.

Let’s start with this fun project pairing.

Who wouldn’t love to get a birthday treat like this. The gold foil in the Broadway Bound designer series paper brings out that Broadway sparkle!

First off how awesome is this cupcake topper? A bit of gold glimmer paper punched with the Starburst punch makes a great base for the fun greeting. A few gold Metallic Pearls are a great finishing touch.

The gold shimmer cut from the Broadway Lights Framelits balloons make this a great coordinating card for the cupcake treat.

This next pair of projects Brings out the Bold colors of Lovely Lipstick and my favorite, Lemon Lime Twist,

Here is a closer look at the gift box.

I started with one of the Lustrous White Mini Gable Boxes. I wrapped the bottom with the cake pattern from the Broadway Bound dsp. I glued some Lovely Lipstick 1/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon around the top. The greeting on the box is layered as follows: 1-3/8″ scallop circle in Basic Black, 1-1/4″ circle in Lovely Lipstick, the hat die cut from the Broadway Lights Framelits (I added the black dots with a Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker). I stamped the sentiment on Lemon Lime Twist card stock and cut it apart and adhered to the circle. This element is added to the box with dimensionals.

I let the Broadway Bound dsp take center stage for this card. The little candle embellishment on the “I” is one of the silver Candle Embellishments. But wait, it’s pink, not silver. Ah ha! I colored it with the dark Lovely Lipstick Stampin’ Blend! How cool is that?

Broadway Bound is a fantastic suite of products that give your birthday projects great dramatic flair! I’m sending you over to Twila and her wonderful projects featuring the Under the Mistletoe Suite. Or, if you are traveling backwards through the hop, you can go back to Rhonda and her delightful projects with the Delightfully Detailed Suite.

That’s a wrap for now. Happy Stamping!

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