Sweet Strawberry

January 8, 2018 By Mary Haugen

We are briefly crawling out of the deep freeze. A short respite before we crawl back in. It has been ridiculously cold the past few weeks. I know, I know – what do you expect living in Minne’snow’ta? Even though I have lived here all my life, I still don’t like winter. Oh how I long to be warm! Today’s card has me looking forward to summer, when the sun is high and warm and the strawberries are fresh. (sigh) Strawberries also make me think of my daughter, Jess. She LOVES strawberries. In fact, once when she was little (maybe 5 or 6) she said to me “Mom, I love strawberries sooooo much. You should have named me Strawberry Rae Haugen!” LOL . I still have to fight her for this fruit.

Anyway, let’s check out my project.

Aren’t those tiny little strawberries cute? The Fruit Basket set has the cutest little fruit images. Best thing – there is a coordinating punch to punch them out! The strips of designer series paper are from the Tutti Frutti pack. This whole pack screams summertime. I love it! The little banners on this card are a great way to use up some of those scraps laying around.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

– Mary

Beautiful Friend

January 6, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Today, I am playing along with my friend Mindy and the Fab Friday crew. They have a great color challenge going on. I love the jewel tones of this combo.

And here the card I made using the Beautiful Peacock set. This is one of the great Sale-A-Bration offerings this year. It can be yours FREE with a $50 purchase!

On the Emerald Envy wing – I peeled off a layer of the card stock so it has a soft texture you can’t see in the photo. I drew on the eye lashes to give a more demure look. The Petal Burst embossing folder compliments the feather / leaves in the tail. Sweet card to give a dear friend.

Thanks for visiting! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Treat Yourself

January 5, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I can’t help but think of Parks and Recreation when I hear the phrase “Treat Yourself”. I have to thank my oldest daughter for introducing me to it a few years ago. Since then, we have had our own “Treat Yourself” days.

I was happy to see this phrase included in the new Picture Perfect Birthday set! Pair it with the new Picture Perfect Party Designer Series Paper Stack and you have a quick eye catching card.

This DSP is a real WOW! I wanted to let it take center stage on this card, so I kept the card fairly simple. The Stitched Shapes Framelits are a great way to add a little detail to the greeting.

Go treat yourself to a look at the new Occasions mini catalog! And don’t forget it’s Sale-a-Bration time – FREE stamps with a qualifying purchase!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

– Mary

Inky Friends Design Challenge 1

January 4, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Hello! Today I am playing along with the Inky Friends Design Challenge. These challenges are inspired by either layouts or color schemes in the Stampin’ Up! 2017-18 Annual Catalog

Here is the first layout challenge, inspired by the card on page 61.

And here is my card.

I used the Lots of Lavender set. This set is a Sale-A-Bration exclusive. It is a fun and versatile set. The little pop of DSP behind the main image is from the Sweet Soirée DSP. I used the Burlap Background stamp to ground the panels.

We’d love to have you play along with the Inky Friends Challenge. Go get creative!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

– Mary

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

January 3, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The Stampin’ Up! year that is. It is the start of Sale-A-Bration AND the Occasions Mini Catalog is here! So many fun new products to create with. Today I want to share a couple of cards made with the Party Pandas set. This is one of the exclusive Sale-A-Bration sets. It can be yours FREE – with a qualifying purchase.

This first card I copied right from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. I love this little guy. He looks so happy with his balloons. It is easy to add to the single balloon on the stamp. Just stamp extras and cut them out. Layer them on and hand draw the strings to blend in with the one on the stamp. I also like how the greeting stands out. This is a great color scheme. I LOVE the Lemon Lime Twist color!

My next card features our little balloon panda and Lemon Lime Twist again.

Like the balloon outside the circle punch? I punched out a template then traced the circle where I wanted it around the image. I then trimmed it a bit to fit through the punch.

Then I kept this outside the 2 ¼” Circle punch and punched out the little guy.

Finished by trimming a little closer around the balloon and string.

Some Petal Passion Designer Series Paper and a thin strip of Lemon Lime Twist card stock balance the repeated Happy Birthday stamping. A few Silver Metallic Enamel stars finish off a fun Birthday greeting.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

– Mary

Curtain Up!

January 1, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Greetings! Welcome to Center Stage Stamping. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mary Haugen. I am a wife, mother, paper craft artist, Stampin’Up! Demonstrator, actor and director.

My husband Brett and I have been married for almost 25 years. We have three children: Jessica, Rachel and Nick, one son-in-law, Tyler (married to Jessica), and two crazy dogs: Pippin (Shi Tzu) and Elphie (Yorkie). And yes, Pippin was taken from The Lord of the Rings and Elphie is short for Elphaba from the musical Wicked.

I have been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator since 2001. I look forward to sharing my love of paper art and theatre with you here at Center Stage Stamping.