pink ombre

February 7, 2021 By Mary Haugen

I have been practicing a lot lately with stencils and blending brushes. I love the gradient looks you can get. I tried what I call double layer blending. It was perfect for this Valentine card!

For this card, I first lightly blended Merry Merlot, Rococo Rose and Blushing Bride onto a white panel. Next, I laid my Taylored Expressions Mini Slim Cable Knit stencil over and added more of the same colors. The panel was then cut with a mini slim stitched rectangle die. The hearts are from Stampin’ Up!’s Stitched Be Mine dies. I hand wrote the word “love” with a black pen and added a few rhinestones for a bit of bling.

Have you tried double layer blending with stencils? I’ve got a few more ideas in the works with this. Thanks for stopping by! Join me again to shine a spotlight on creativity!

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curtain call

May 30, 2018 By Mary Haugen

As curtain is about to go down on the 2017-18 Stampin’ Up! catalog and 2018 Occasions catalog, how about one final bow for all of the great Stampin’ Up! sets and colors whose run has come to an end.

Bravi, Bravi, Bravissimi. (Sorry, I couldn’t help throwing in a little Phantom of the Opera quote there.) June 1 is curtains up on the NEW 2018-19 Stampin’ Up! catalog! I’m looking forward to it’s time on stage and sharing many more great creations with you. 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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all you need is chocolate

May 14, 2018 By Mary Haugen

In just a few weeks, the new Stampin’ Up! catalog will be out. While I am super excited about the fantastic new stamps and accessories coming (and the color revamp- Coastal Cabana is back, baby!), there are many that are leaving us that I will miss. You can find the retiring list HERE. I thought I would take some time to look back at some of my favorite projects from the 2017-18 catalog that will be retiring.

I think this card was my absolute favorite from this last year. It spotlights the More Than Chocolate stamp set and the Wood Textures designer series paper.

I love the delicate Pool Party scalloped circle peeking out from under the candies. The Pool Party twine and little Calypso Coral heart are fun details. I love chocolate, so this set was a must have for me. I also really like the fonts used on the sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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display samples – part 4

April 17, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I’m back with a few more samples with the Artisan Textures stamp set. This set is great for making your own designer background paper.

My color scheme for this card is Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist and Pool Party. I used All Things Thanks stamp set for the sentiment panel.

Why not use a stamp to color with? I started with a piece of Petal Passion Designer Series Paper, which is just black and white. I added Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry and Pear Pizazz with one of the stamps in the Artisan Textures set. Coloring made simple. I stamped the sentiment in white craft ink on a die cut from the Stitched Labels Framelits and added some doilies to finish it off.

This little treat bag started as a plain envelope! I hope to do a quick tutorial post on this next week. Again, I stamped the background, this time using Bermuda Bay, Sweet Sugarplum and Lemon Lime Twist. The two circles are die cuts from the Stitched Labels Framelits. The sentiment is for the NEW Rooted in Nature set. (I will have samples featuring that set tomorrow.) .

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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display samples – part 3

April 16, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Wow, what a weekend. It’s the middle of April, and this weekend when had a two day blizzard that dumped 15+ inches. of. snow. Seriously. I’m not joking.

This was the view from my deck early Saturday afternoon. It just kept coming. It snowed all day Saturday and all day Sunday. At times we couldn’t even see across the street! I am so over this. I just want sun and warmth. I want to wear my sandals and go out in just shirt sleeves. I don’t want to feel cold any more.

At least today’s Display Samples are bright and cheerful. These creations feature the Artisan Textures stamp set.

This first card I used the paint swatch stamp in Bermuda Bay, Pool Party and Lemon Lime Twist to creat a fun background. I stamped the line image in Basic Black for some contrast. The sentiment is from the Rooted in Nature stamp set. (another new set. more samples of that coming later.)

On this card, I stamped several of the images in a cluster as a background for the sentiment. I used a strip from the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper and stamped various words from the Thoughtful Banners stamp set. This is a great card to let someone know you think they are amazing!

Today’s last cardagain uses the Artisan Textures images for a fun back ground. Colors are Tranquil Tide, Fresh Fig and Crumb Cake. I added some Embossing Paste with the brick stencil to add some more texture behind the Celebrate You Thinlit die cuts. I added more texture from a bit of Linen Thread tied on the “amazing” and by stapling the “You” to the crumb cake panel.

Be sure to check back for more creations to build your anticipation for this great new set!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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Inky Friends Blog Hop

April 13, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I am interrupting my display samples to join my Inky Friends in another blog hop. This time we are putting the retiring 2016-18 in colors in the spotlight: Dapper Denim, Peek-a-boo Peach, Flirty Flamingo (Will becoming part of the core color line!), Emerald Envy, and Sweet Sugarplum. We have some fun projects showing off these colors, so make sure you follow the blog hop for all the inspiration! You may have come here from the talented Tanya or from the Sensational Shelley if you are traveling backwards through the hop.

I am putting Peek-a-boo Peach in the spotlight. I love how fresh and fun this color is.

This card uses Swirly Bird and All Things Thanks stamp sets. I used the small swirl to create a fun background. The banner die cut is a fun way to highlight part of the sentiment.

I love Peek-a-boo Peach with the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper. The dainty flowers of the Floral Sentiments set help showcase this great color.

I hope you are inspired to give Peek-a-Boo Peach a little love. Make sure you continue through to all the blogs in our hop for more great color projects!

Thanks for stopping! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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display samples – part 2

April 12, 2018 By Mary Haugen

Well, it feels like spring may have actually arrived. Today it’s supposed to be 50 degrees out. But, it is just a dream. There is a storm a brewin’ and we are expected to get 4+ inches – of SNOW! Come on. It is the middle of April for cryin’ out loud. I can’t take this any more. I think I’m heading South, to a beach… Oh yeah, I can’t. I have a play going into performances next week. Sigh. Guess I’ll have to settle for looking at my display samples for Sea of Textures and use my imagination.

This card used just about every stamp in the set. I sponged Pool Party around the edges of the panel and added some of the clear epoxy shapes to complete the underwater feel. I stamped the net and distressed the crumb cake panel and wrapped it with linen thread.

I kept this same feel for this next project.

I started with one of the pizza boxes and stamped it in Crumb Cake. The octopus is stamped on one of the Stitched Shapes Framelits circles. The other die cuts are from the Stitched Labels Framelits. Sentiment is embossed in copper on a Night of Navy die cut. I pulled apart some of the Copper Trim to get the netting look and finished off with a bit of linen thread.

I’m off to dream of sunshine, beaches and warmth. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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display samples – part 1

April 11, 2018 By Mary Haugen

I am excited to share my display stamping creations with you! Let’s start with some ideas for the new set, Sea of Textures. I’ll admit this took me WAY out of my comfort zone. This set sat on my desk for three weeks before I made anything. I would stare at it thinking “what am I supposed to do with that?” But, I love a challenge and soon the ideas started coming.

I started pretty simple with this first card. I did a quick water color wash on water color paper in pool party. Next I stamped the octopus in Calypso Coral and fussy cut him out. (There are coordinating dies coming! Making it much easier to cut this guy out.) Next I gave him a little sign to hold. Finished off the card with some linen thread and a few of the clear epoxy shapes.

For this next card , I once again fussy cut that octopus out. (Again, wish I had the dies!) I thought having one tentacle coming out of the circle fit with the sentiment. Pool Party and Tranquil Tide pair well for a watery feel.

This next card I went for a very different look. I used Stampin’ Write markers to color the various color stripes directly on the stamp.

Bermuda Bay and Lemon Lime Twist help this card to really pop. Notice that little die cut the sentiment is on? That is from the new Stitched Label Framelits! If you look closely at the Lemon Lime Twist panel, you can see it is embossed with the new Maps Etc. Dynamic Textured Impressions folder.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you come back soon, I have 18 more projects to share. Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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friends, fun, fabulous

April 9, 2018 By Mary Haugen

What a fantastic weekend! Stampin’ Up! On Stage Milwaukee was a blast! I had a great weekend with great friends. Stamping friends are the best!

Great celebration for Stampin’ Up!’s 30th anniversary. I can’t wait for the BIG Celebration in November in ORLANDO!

I was blessed to be chosen as a Display Stamper for Milwaukee. Stampin’ Up! sent a box of stamps, paper and accessories form the NEW catalog and I made samples to help inspire other demonstrators. I will be sharing my creations here over the next few weeks. Make sure you check back to see them all!

Big high light of the weekend is getting the NEW 2018-19 catalog!! Oh. My. Word! So much fun coming! I can’t wait to get my hands on new goodies and start creating!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

-Mary

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