stamp review crew: rooted in nature

August 5, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I’m super excited to be joining the Stamp Review Crew this month! What’s that? What is the Stamp Review Crew? We are an international group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators that gets together to do a blog hop on the first and third (and sometimes on a fifth) Monday of each month. For each hop we choose a single stamp set to put center stage, and then we work our creative magic! All of the hops are archived on the Stamp Review Crew blog. So, if you every need some extra inspiration, head on over HERE and check them out. If you are following the hop in order, you should have arrived here from Anne at The Stampin’ Schach.

For this hop, we are putting Rooted in Nature in the spotlight. What a beautiful set! I got to work with this set this spring when I made display samples for Stampin’ Up! On Stage Milwaukee. You can see some of those projects in this post.

This time I decided to go for a bolder look by stamping the leaves in Granny Apple Green and Tranquil Tide.

I was going for the feeling of falling leaves so I kept them more sparse at the top and layered them heavily at the bottom. The Wood Texture DSP made me think of a fence. I did use one retired item – the clear epoxy dots. I just loved the idea of dew drops on the cut out leaves.

I’m also sharing my absolute favorite project I have made with this set. This scrapbook page features one of my favorite pictures of my two daughters from my oldest’s wedding last summer. I am so proud to be Momma Bear to these two beauties.

Well, if you started at the beginning, I am the last stop on the blog hop. I hope you have enjoyed all the great projects that have shone a spotlight on Rooted in Nature! From here, you can head back to Anne’s blog or go on to Heidi’s(the start of the blog hop). If you started somewhere in the middle, make sure you check out all the other blogs. There are some fantastic projects out there!

That’s a wrap for now! Happy Stamping!

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forget you not

August 3, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Today, the adorable Little Elephant stamp set and coordinating Elephant Builder punch are taking center stage.

How cute is this little guy!? The elephant punch makes this so easy. I used Smokey Slate (for the elephant), Basic Black (for the eye) and the pattern from the Tea Room Specialty DSP (for the ear). The sentiment is punched with the Classic Label punch. That little bird on his trunk would be really tough to line up and stamp just right. But, with the Stamparatus, it is easy peasy.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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dandelion wishes

July 23, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Dandelions are so pretty when they are fluffy white, but such a nightmare in my yard. Well, Stampin’ Up!’s new Dandelion Wishes stamp sets lets me enjoy them with out the frustration of dealing with them in my lawn. I’ll admit, I kind of overlooked it at first. But, I’m so glad it caught my attention.

For today’s card I combined Dandelion Wishes with Stitched All Around (sentiment) and Gallery Grunge (background). For the main panel, I embossed the dandelion image in white embossing powder. Next, I did a water color wash. I started with Mango Melody and let it dry. Then I added the Coastal Cabana. I really like how it turned out. I love water color wash backgrounds. Each one you do is unique. I mounted this panel on a strip of mango dots from the Brights Designer Series Paper stack. This was added to the card base that I had stamped with this great image from the Gallery Grunge set. Finally, I added the white embossed sentiment on a piece of Mango Melody card stock.

I definitely prefer this kind of dandelion over the ones in my yard!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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wild about you

July 6, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I just love the Animal Outing stamp set and coordinating Animal Expedition designer series paper. For today’s card, I decided to let the paper take center stage.

These animals are so darn cute! I fussy cut out one of the little chameleons from a different sheet of Animal Expedition designer series paper to accent the lower corner of the card. I stamped the sentiment on Pool Party, Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist and cut out one word from each. I angled the cuts to keep with the whimsical feel of the card. This set and paper is proving to be very versatile and a whole lotta fun!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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bloom with happiness

July 2, 2018 By Mary Haugen

July is off to a fantastic start! Stampin’ Up! has announced some great deals this month. I have shared more details about those on my Center Stage Stamping Facebook page. But I have to tell you about the starter kit special. Sign up to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator in July and you not only get $125 worth of product for $99, you also get a color family set of 10 ink pads- FREE! With all the fantastic NEW colors available, this is a great way to get your hands on them and join the Stampin’ Up! family. I would love to have you join my Center Stage Stamping cast!

I am loving the fresh new palette of colors Stampin’ Up! has. There are nine BRAND NEW colors and six previous In Colors returning to the core color line up. Not to mention the five new 2018-20 In Colors! That’s a whole rainbow of color fun waiting for you.

Speaking of new colors, I usually do not use purples much, but I have had a lot of fun with Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape.

The Highland Heather panel is embossed with the Simple Stripes embossing folder. I used Gorgeous Grape for the little vase, Daffodil Delight for the flowers with Mango Melody for the flower outline, Lemon Lime Twist for the leaves and Granny Apple Green for the leaf outline – all punched out with the coordinating Vase Builder punch and popped up with dimensionals. Sentiment is heat embossed in white on Basic Black card stock. A great card to brighten a friend’s day.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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blooms for you

May 23, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Today I have a fun technique to share as we say good bye to the Blooms and Wishes set. This is a fun way to make colors really stand out on Crumb Cake or kraft card stock.

First, I stamped the various images with Whisper White ink on the Crumb Cake panel and let it dry. Next, I stamped the same images, but in color. I din’t worry about lining up the images perfectly. It gives some great shading if it is slightly off. I stamped the sentiment and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. The final touch was to take a white colored pencil and draw the border lines to tie things together. I adhered this panel to the card base with dimensionals. How much fun is that! I really love this effect.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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shelter from the storm

May 21, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Life is lumpy. Sometimes we all could use a little note of encouragement – like today’s card.

This card was made with the retiring Weather Together stamp set and coordinating framelits. I masked off the area under the umbrella, then sponged in around and stamped the raindrops to get my stormy background. The bright Peek-a-boo Peach umbrella is a fun pop of color. It is popped up with a dimensional for some depth.

Do you know of someone who could use some encouragement? Why not create a card and send it out today? It is amazing what a little happy mail can do. Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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love what you do

May 7, 2018 By Mary Haugen

What a beautiful weekend! Finally, some sunshine and warmth. I’m back with another card made with the Share What You Love suite. Seriously, you need these great products! They will be in the NEW 2018-19 Stampin’ Up! catalog. But, you can get them now! You can find them HERE.

This card spotlights a few different patterns in the Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series Paper. It is great paired with the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper. I die cut a stitched circle from the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper and stamped the sentiment and flowers on. The Linen Thread works with the distressed look of the wood.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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petal palette duo

April 2, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I can’t believe it is April already. Spring is coming – well, eventually. Unfortunately, Minnesota didn’t get the memo. We had snow last Friday and more is coming this week. UGH! Enough already! At least today’s cards have a springtime feel to them. They spotlight the Petal Palette stamp set and coordinating Petal Passion DSP in the Occasions catalog. I used the same colors and layout for these cards. I changed up how color was added to the DSP and the sentiment.

The black and white prints of the dsp offer great versatility for your projects. Add in a pop of color (Calypso Coral for these) and you can customize the DSP to you project. For the card on the left, color was added to select flowers in the DSP with a blender pen and ink in the lid of the ink pad. The card on the right, I stamped one of the flower images int he Petal Palette set in Calypso Coral to give more depth to the DSP.

Try customizing your DSP. It’s a lot of fun and adds a fun element to your project!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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Hold on to Hope

March 30, 2018 By Mary Haugen

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Today’s card uses the Hold on to Hope set and coordinating Cross of Hope framelits to create a note of encouragement.

I love the detail in the cross framelit. I used the Petal Pair embossing folder to add some texture to the shite panel and stamped the flower in crumb cake on the crumb cake piece. Both sentiments are stamped in Soft Suede. Here is a closer look at the stamped panel.

I like the subtle flowers behind the sentiment. The Tutti-frutti cards and envelopes make a nice base. This card would look good in any of the colors in the pack.

Thanks for stopping by. As we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday, I leave you with the words of one of my favorite hymns:

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

-Mary

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Thinking of You