time for a road trip

April 6, 2018 By Mary Haugen

It may be cold still, but I’m not going to let it bother me this weekend. I am heading to Milwaukee for Stampin’ Up! On Stage!! So excited to spend a day with fellow Demos, swapping, stamping and socializing. But the best part is – we get a copy of the NEW 2018-19 Annual Catalog!!!! So excited to see what new treasures Stampin’ Up! has for us. Another highlight this weekend is, I was asked to create samples for the Display Boards with some NEW product! They will be displayed to give demos in attendance some inspiration. I had a lot of fun making these samples. Make sure you come back as I will be sharing those samples as soon as I am able.

For now, I will leave you with this fun card.

I love the detailed flower cluster framelit. So Saffron, Sahara Sand and Whisper White are a soft color scheme with white baker’s twine and delicate pearls for accent.

I’m off to road trip with my demo friends Lisa and Roxie.

Thanks for stopping! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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

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

You’re Grand

March 7, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Sharing one last project with the Truly Tailored Suite today. How about a little treat box filled with goodies to let someone know how “grand” they are.

I started with on of the adorable little pizza boxes. I sponged Night of Navy all over it and let it dry over night. I layered the DSP and stamped image on top. I created the bow tie by punching out a piece of DSP with the Tailored Tag punch and cutting it in half and adding the tiny center piece. A couple of True Gentleman buttons finish off the box. And then I had to find the perfect treat to put inside –

100 Grand bars, of course (three will fit nicely in this little box).

Make sure you stop by on Friday. It’s time for another Inky Friends blog hop and we have some great projects lined up. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

A Dapper Day

March 5, 2018 By Mary Haugen

The title of today’s post definitely refers to the card I made, not the weather. Freezing rain, high winds, snow coming – Yuck! But that means more time in my studio. I have another card featuring the Truly Tailored suite. What can I say, I was on a roll.

I started with a Night of Navy card base and added a Navy panel I embossed with the Simple Stripes embossing folder. I used Stampin’ Write Markers in Night of Navy, Tranquil Tide, Chocolate Chip and Crushed Curry on the sentiment stamp and cut it out with the Stitched Shapes framelits. Finished off with a True Gentleman button and some Linen Thread. Fun greeting for the dapper gent in your life.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Lookin’ Sharp

March 2, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I was on a roll with the Truly Tailored Suite. I finally have several masculine cards in my stash! I saw a card similar to this one on Pinterest and knew this product suite would be great for my version.

How cool is that!? The True Gentleman Designer Series Paper is perfect for the fabric of this shirt card. I used the Tailored Tag punch to do the bottom of the pocket. I added one detail that you really don’t notice, but I think it makes a difference when you see the card in person. I went over the edges of all the dsp with a Night of Navy marker to cover the white core of the paper. I think it made it seem more like fabric. There is a thin strip added under the buttons and at the top of the pocket to help the seams stand out. The collar is adhered with a dimensional strip at the top (I also colored the Night of Navy to hide the white).

Thanks for stoping by! Happy stamping!

-Mary

Classy Kind of Guy

February 28, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I often find it difficult to design cards for men. I tend to like a lot of accessories and BLING!! Thankfully, the Truly Tailored Suite in the Stampin’ Up! Occasions catalog makes it so much easier to create something more masculine, like today’s card.

I started with two patterns from the True Gentleman designer series paper. I just LOVE those little bow ties – so cute! Next i stamped the image from the Truly Tailored stamp set and punched it out with the coordinating Tailored Tag punch. The image actually has a comb over, but I wanted to keep the tie theme. So, I stamped the bow tie, fussy cut it out and adhered it over the comb. I think a tie is a little more “classy” than a comb. The Night of Navy Corduroy Ribbon covers the seam of the two pattern papers and two Nigh of Navy enamel dots finish off the details. This card came together pretty quick, the coordinating products in the suite made it easy!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Inky Friends DC 3

February 23, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Time for another design challenge over at the Inky Friends blog. This week is a card sketch challenge based on a sample form page 10 of the Occasions catalog.

Here is my card based on this layout.

I decided to work with products from the Petal Passion Suite. I love the bold black and white prints in the Petal Passion designer series paper. The polk-a-dot print made for a great base for this card. I used the Petals and More Thinlits to die cut the flowers in Lemon Lime Twist and the scallops in copper metallic. The top panel has the sentiments stamped in Lemon Lime Twist and Basic Black. I added a copper trim bow and finished off with some Basic Pearls the I colored with a copper sharpie marker. Head over to My Inky Friends and check out the other Design Team members take on this sketch. Then create your own and share it with us on the Inky Friends blog. We would love to have you play along!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Today Blooms

February 21, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Just popping on with a quick post today. I’m getting prepped to start blocking at today’s rehearsal for the High School play I’m directing. The most tedious part of directing – figuring out who moves where, when and why. At least today’s card wasn’t tedious to make, even though I made 20 of them for a recent swap. I really love the delicate feel of this one.

I used the Perennial Birthday set. Colors are Rose Red, Soft Sky, Peekaboo Peach, Pear Pizzazz and Crumb Cake. The Soft Sky card base has been embossed with the Simple Stripes Textured Impressions embossing folder. The sentiment is embossed in white on a strip of Wood Textures designer series paper. This is hands down my favorite designer series pack. I LOVE the various wood textures/ grains. They are a great addition to many projects. A few rhinestones and a small linen thread bow add the finishing details.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Sweet Pineapple

February 19, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Fab Friday has a new sketch challenge up and I was inspired to play along. I really like sketch challenges when I need to jump start my stamping mojo. Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

I love this pineapple print from the Tutti-frutti designer series paper stack. I used the pineapple from the Itty Bitty Fruit punch pack to punch out tiny pineapples from the patterned paper. I stamped the bowl from the Fruit Basket stamp set on Pool Party card stock and fussy cut it out. To add a little detail, I added some shadows with the light Pool Party Stampin’ Blends marker. Here is a close up so you can see it better.

I think it added some nice depth to the bowl. And, aren’t those little pineapples adorable? I LOVE that little punch. The whole Tutti-frutti suite in the Occasions catalog is fun. I can’t wait to play with it some more. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head, just need time in my studio!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

Occasions 2018