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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thank you elephant

October 10, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Just a quick post today to share this adorable guy!

With Basic Gray as a backdrop and pops of pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist and Grapefruit grove, this cute little elephant steals the show. I decided to keep the card pretty simple with a few fun details to spotlight my little pachyderm friend. I punched out a Whisper White 1-3/4″ circle and a Lemon Lime Twist 1-3/4″ circle, then trimmed down the Lemon Lime Twist one and fringed the top edge for the grass. The little Basic Gray elephant is punched out with the coordinating Elephant Builder punch and made it a breeze to give him a Pool Party ear. I fussy cut the Grapefruit grove heart sentiment. This little guy is definitely deserves to be center stage!

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

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country home hello

October 8, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The gloomy rainy weather continues – ugh. It really makes it hard to get anything done, including creating. Anyone else feel like that? I need a jolt of sun and warmth. SOON! I am counting the days until I leave for Orlando and Stampin’ Up! On Stage! And of course Disney and Universal with some of my best friends! Bring on the sun and fun – and Butter Beer!

Today’s card takes a different approach to the popular Country home stamp set. I wanted to do something without the milk can or pitcher. This set is more versatile than you might think.

I stamped the cotton spray image in Fresh Fig along the bottom of the card base and colored select flowers with my Crushed Curry marker. I used an image from Timeless Textures to add the distressed look on the base. I wrapped some linen thread around a Wood Textures dsp layer and layered the fussy cut little oval with the sentiment. The little Crushed Curry sprigs are from the Eclectic Layers Thinlits. A quick and simple card with a funcountry fall feel. Don’t be afraid to branch out from the obvious with a stamp set. There is a lot more fun to be had!

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

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Christmas Wreath

October 5, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The weather here has been nutso this week.. We dropped into the 40’s, back into the 50’s, jumped up to the 80’s for a day, then plummeted back to the low 50’s. Plus rain every other day. Please, bring back the sun and some warmth! I am not ready for winter. At all. I think I need to move farther south.

In spite of the weather, I have been busy creating some fun Christmas cards. And I just got some new goodies that I can’t wait to play with this weekend! I’m excited to share those projects with you soon. Today I have a card that puts the wonderful Wishing You Well set center stage.

I love the combination of Crumb Cake, White and a touch of copper! I embossed the wreath in white and added little “berries” with the Bright Copper Shimmer Paint. I used the stylus end of the Take Your Pick Tool, dipped it in the Copper Shimmer Paint and dotted it on the wreath. a great way to add some detail with the shimmer paint. A Copper Trim bow is a great finishing touch for the wreath. The sentiment is embossed in copper on a little tag cut from the Stitched Labels Framelits. This would be an easy card to mass produce.

While I am not ready for winter and the cold and gray skies that come with it, I do love Christmas and creating fun cards to send to friends and family. But, hey! I can do that year round!! Hmmm – maybe I do just need to move where it is warmer….

That’s a wrap for today. Please, 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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inky friends: dc 10

September 28, 2018 By Mary Haugen

My Inly Friends are back with their 10th design challenge! This is a color challenge based on a sample on page 115 of the Stampin’ Up! 2018-19 Annual catalog. A very bright combination of colors! You can head over to the My Inky Friends page to see what all of the Design Team created with this color inspiration. Here is my creation:

I used the A Big Thank You stamp set and coordinating Thank You Thinlit. The small images work great to create your own background paper. The Crumb Cake card base is embossed with the Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I just love the texture and dimension it gives. I added two little ribbon loops on the top left corner of the image panel to finish it off. I let the die cut thank you hang off the image panel a bit to pull it into the card base some. I think it helps it stand out more.

Head over to the My Inky Friends page and check out the other design team creations, then have a go at this color combo yourself! Be sure to upload your creation to the My Inky Friends page so we can share in your creativity!

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

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tropical chic

September 26, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Only in Minnesota: Two weeks ago, it was in the 80’s – 90’s, last week was mostly rainy, and this week we are in the 50’s. I am so not ready for the winter gloom to set in. I am desperately trying to hang on to summer. Give me warmth and sunshine! I decide to play around with the Tropical Chic stamp set to help keep that summertime feelin’ going.

I started by stamping the various leaves all over a Whisper White card base. I used Petal Pink, Flirty Flamingo, Melon Mambo and Calypso Coral inks. Next I added a panel of the Wood Textures designer series paper (have I mentioned it is my FAVE!!) with the sentiment stamped in Black Memento Ink. I cut the leaves from the coordinating Tropical Thinlits in Petal Pink, Melon Mambo and Calypso Coral card stock and added a Linen Thread bow. A quick and simple card, but it really pops. Think I have to try this in some other color combinations…endless possibilities!

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

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get well soon

September 24, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I’m back with another card featuring the stamping on designer series paper technique. I had so much fun creating the first one, naturally, I had to try it with a different pattern. Today’s card features the same Healing Hugs stamp set and Tropical Escape designer Series Paper. This time I used the Basic Black tiny dots pattern and Coastal Cabana, Lemon Lime Twist and Gray Granite.

I just love this stamp set! The big bold rose and leaves and the leaf outline work so well together . A beautiful card to brighten someone’s day. I love how you can change up designer series papers. I have a few more dsp patterns I want to try this with. Try it for yourself and let me know what you come up with!

That’s a wrap for today. Please, join me again to put a spotlight on creativity.

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healing vibes

September 21, 2018 By Mary Haugen

It has been raining and dreary here all week. I just want to curl up with a warm blanket and watch movies all day. Or hide out in my craft studio and stamp all day! I have been working on some fun projects and I cant’ wait to share them with you. One of my favorite things to work with is designer series paper. Stampin’ Up!’s Designer Series Paper is a versatile tool to have in your crafting arsenal. It is a great way to add detail and can make a simple project really stand out. But, it doesn’t have to stop there. You can stamp on it and personalize it even more.

For this card, I took the Basic Black striped sheet from the Tropical Escape 6″x6″ Designer Series Paper and stamped the flower and leaves from Healing Hugs. I used Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Gray Granite. The card base is Basic Gray and the Sentiment is stamped in Basic Black on Gray Granite card stock. I cut out some Lemon Lime Twist leaves from the Animal Friends thinlits and a Berry Burst Stitched Shapes circle. I also ran the stitched circle through the Big Shot with the Subtle 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. A wonderful way to send some get well wishes to a friend.

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

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grand opening

September 19, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Last weekend was the Grand Opening of the new Stamp-n-Storage retail store! It was quite a whirlwind, but a lot of fun. We had a balloon arch, official ribbon cutting, a make & take, food and a LOT of people. We are so excited for this new space!