Stampin' Fun

More Downline Cards

2012-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi Stampers!

Today's cards were from the January Downline meeting. The Kindness Matters card uses a free Saleabration set, "Kindness Matters". It was made by Shelley, and uses one of my favorite embossing folders, Elegant Lines. The Happy Birthday card was made by Bev C, and it features one of the beautiful sheets of DSP that is also free with a $50 merchandise purchase during SAB.

Happy Stamping! Brenda

Free Stampin Up Shopping Bag

2012-02-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

Isn't this an adorable shoppping bag? If you host a $150 workshop/party or book order between now and March 31st, you will receive this beautiful bag in addition to your other hostess gifts! I placed my own $150 order just so i could get one of these.

Downline Meeting Post 2

2012-02-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning! The first of my cards today was made by fellow Witty Stamper, Joan. i love the look of the embossed flowers in the background, and the beautiful watercolored flowers on the top piece. Layers add so much to any card. I am so grateful to these ladies for their willingness to trade cards. We get such great ideas from each other. I would love to have you join my team, and be in on our trades! Just email me at Halfwittstamps@aol.com and I will fill you in on the details of joining us.

Here is another of the cards that one of my downline made for our trades this month. This one was made by Mandy. Don't you just love the little birdhouse hanging from the beautiful branch??? i am so blessed with talented downline.

Downline Meeting Share

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi ladies!

The first card, which uses the 3 flowers from Easy Events was my trade card at this month's downline meeting. The shabby chic look was achieved by using a tool that I hadn't used in a long time. Guess it just got pushed to the back and I kind of forgot about it. (Imagine how that happened, what with all the new Big Shot toys and Simply Scored that have come out! lol) Any way, the tool is called the Cutting kit, and it is really cool, with a cutting knife, a scoring part, and distressing wheelie thingie, and a perforation tool, all hooked together on a key chain. I used the distressing wheel part of the tool to distress the edges of the top 3 layers. I used an embossing folder to make the fourth layer, and note the new SAB ribbon that i used on the side of the card as well as one of our flower brads. There is even a little of the Dazzling Detail in the center of each flower. This was a fun card to make and a great showcase for lots of our great SU products. This card was inspired by one that I traded for at Leadership. if it was yours, thank you so very much! Brenda

Here is one of the cards that was shared with us at our Monthly downline meeting on Sunday. This one was made by Sheila. Love the use of the triple layer punch and the tulip embossing folder. Also I never thought about using the leaf part of the bird punch for a stem and leaves for the flowers! I love downline meeting! Thanks for stopping by. Breneda

Leadership Bag

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi ladies,
I am finally getting around to posting the beautiful bag that we were given at Ledership in San Antonio--and there is a portfolio inside that goes with it. This is made from new fabric that will be in the new Idea book when it comes out later this year! The design on the top of the bag mirrors a stamp set that will also be in the new catalog. Isn't it pretty! And that was also a gift (stamp set) to us at the Manager's Reception! Woo Hoo! The purse is made so that the bottom part of the purse can be unbuttoned! Hmmm - wonder if that means we will be able to get other covers for it, or if we will just have to buy more SU fabric and make our own??? Guess time and the new catalog will tell. Maybe it is just so we an wash the bottom part if it gets dirty. Sigh. While that is definitely nice, not what i am hoping for! lol Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Candy

2012-01-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hi stampers! This card was made by one of my very good customers! Isn't she creative? And it looks so real! She used the Candy Conversations stamp in the Occasions mini to make the hearts. Isn't this the cutest card? And who doesn't remember getting those little boxes of Conversation hearts on Valentine's day--usually from your teacher. I loved the use of vellum to let us see that the box is full of little hearts! Thank you Nancy for sharing with us.
Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Valentine

2012-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite cards that I have seen at Leadership. I love how striking the black and white is! This is one of the sets in the new Occasions Mini catalog. Note the little hearts that are made with the new mini embossing folder. I dont' know who to give credit for for this card, but I sure do like it. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Leadership Manager's Reception

2012-01-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the outside of the Lila Cockerell Theater, in the San Antonio Convention Center where the Manager's Reception was held last night at Leadership. The buildings here on the Riverwalk are so interesting. Much of the Riverwalk was built by the WPA back in the 1930s, and those that weren't are made to fit in with what was already here. San Antonio is a fascinating city. I really enjoyed our boat tour of the Riverwalk. Lots of gorgeous cards are being traded. Many are on display. Today we were told of the new catalog program that will be unveiled shortly. Exciting times! Will post a few cards later. Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Wreath again

2011-11-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is the wreath that my 8 year old granddaughter put together. She took the lollies that were left from class this week, and I helped her make some more. She had lots of fun choosing the embellishments! She was so tickled with her wreath! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Wreath Class

2011-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

In our Wreath Class we had a lot of fun--and created not only pretty wreaths, but a huge mess! lol Love, love our new Simply Scored tool. It makes creating these "lollies" for our wreath so easy. We found that using the Cropadile to make holes at the top of each lollie, and using Baker's Twine to put through the holes and gather the lollies made much nicer lollies than using the glue gun, or the Double sided sticky tape. Stampin Up has such a nice selection of button and brads, that we had a hard time choosing which ones to use! Sue and Renee proudly display their wreaths for us. Sorry that the picture of Sue is slightly blurry. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Candy Bar Pull Card

2011-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Today's post was inspired by Dawn Griffith. Isn't this the cutest thing! It uses grocery bag strips to work the Magic to make the candy bar and the message slide right out! The Christmas tree is from Christmas Lodge stamp set. This is one of my favorite Christmas tree stamps that we have ever had. It has Dazzling Details to give it the sparkle. Much more impressive in real life! Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping. Brenda

Gum Holder

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today's sample is of a gumholder that we made in the Small gifts class last week. This one was so simple and easy to make. I was inspired by Judy Lynn Morton for this one. I used a small strip of magnet to hold it closed. Love the Christmas designer paper! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Small Gifts Class

2011-11-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

Good morning and thank you for stopping by today. I want to share with you today 2 of the items that we made in my Small Gifts class last week. The tile on the left was a quick and easy gift to make. We used 6" tiles and stamped on them with Chocolate Chip Craft ink. We used the Hello Doily background stamp as the focal point of the tile. The verse is from the Blessings from Heaven set of stamps. After stamping with the craft ink, we added clear embossing powder and baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. My husband made the stands to put the tiles on! I owe the thanks to this project to one of my downline, Rhonda McCutcheon! Thanks for letting me case this idea! The candle uses our silver glitter paper and the Big Shot snowflakes and the Scalloped silver Glitter paper was also done with a Big Shot die! In fact, all the decorations on this candle were done with the Big Shot. (Did I mention that you can get one free if you join my team by November 11th???) Contact me if you are interested. halfwittstamps@aol.com
Happy Stamping! Brenda

Hearts and more Hearts

2011-10-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning and thanks for stopping by. Today I want to share with you a card that we made in one of my stamp clubs last week. Look familiar to you?? It is a slight adaptation of a card that is found on page 143 of our catalog! This one was a little out of my comfort zone. I only have one of each of the punches used on this card. So I handled that by pre-punching several of the hearts and flowers for each person, and gave them scraps of designer paper to punch the rest for themselves. They picked it out, and they loved it. (So did I, once I got over the logistics of how to make one set of punches do! lol) I don't know why I wrack my brain so hard to think of samples for classes, when there are such good ones in our catalog! Happy stamping! Brenda

Shamrock Thank You

2011-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by today! "What? It isn't St. Patrick's Day!" And right you are, it isn't. However this is a card that I made for a friend who works for a production company that is producing Lottery commercials. She wanted a shamrock or a leprachaun. I didn't have the Gift Givers stamp set that has a leprachaun in it, so I took the "I Heart Hearts" set of stamps and made a shamrock! I used the scallop trim border punch to punch the corners on the white cardstock. Love that look! Happy Stamping! Brenda

Simply Sent Kit Samles

2011-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the details to the promotion pictured at the top of my blog! These sets can not only be used as they come for a very pretty, simple card, but they can also be stepped up by adding a stamped image such as a small image such as one from "Button Buddies" and mounted on another small piece of colored Cardstock! Even with addons, you can make one of these cards in just a few minutes!

Dates: October 1-31, 2011

Promotion Details: Buy two Simply Sent Kits and get a FREE coordinating stamp set from the list below! Stampin' Up! Simply Sent Kits are the ideal choice for the beginning crafter or a busy stamper. The card kits offer a variety of basic themes, so it's easy to create cards for any occasion.

Buy any two of the following Simply Sent Kits:
Page Item Description Price
192 122375 Simply Sent Great Day $12.95

193 122377 Simply Sent Everyday Elegance $11.95

193 122376 Simply Sent Sweet Moments $13.95

And get a FREE coordinating stamp set from the list below:

Page Item Description Price

192 123682 It's Your Day $8.95

193 123686 Everyday Wishes $9.95

193 123684 You're Cherished $8.95

Today's post features cards made with one of the Simply Sent kits that are the featured October Stamping special. The bottom one was cased (with a couple of changes) from Mary Fish--who I think is one fantastic and creative lady! The one with the owl is also from the same kit. I made this one for a friend of mine who has an appointment with an oncologist on Tueday. She loves owls, thus the addition of an owl to this card. The card and the cardstock stickers with the words stamped on them are a part of the kit. (The words aren't stamped on the stickers when you get them, I did that to personalize them for the people that I am sending them to. You can add whatever you want on the stickers.) I just chose to step them up a bit with a few additions. I never would have thought of it on my own, if I hadn't been inspired by Mary Fish. Thanks for stopping by! Brenda

Mr. Chicken

2011-10-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

This was our newest Downline attendee! His owner was having a bad day, so instead of leaving him in the car, he got to come in and join us for the evening! He was so quiet and well behaved that you hardly knew he was there! lol Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow with some Simply Sent samples! Brenda

Mobile Secretary

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning. Thank you for stopping by today. I want to share with you a project that we made at Downline meeting on Friday night last week. This was such a fun project! It uses our Clear Mount Stamping Cases, and our Designer Paper. This particular DSP is called Paisley Prints. I failed to get the pen in the picture, but it was a RSVP pen with a small piece of DSP to match the rest of the set. I am going to keep mine in the car, so that I can use the pockets to keep my receipts and the notepad to keep lists and to keep track of mileage.
We will be making these in a class on Tuesday, November 29th at noon and again at 6:30 p.m. We will use a variety of DSP, and the cost of the class is only $10.00 and all supplies are provided! These will make wonderful gifts for friends and family. Email me for more details if you are interested: Halfwittstamps@aol.com Happy stamping! Brenda

Simply Scored Dress Card

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning, and thank you for stopping by. Don't you love this card? It was created by one of my friends, Monta. The top of the dress is the Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslet die. the skirt is made using a partial "Lollie", which is made with the awesome SU Simply Scored tool. The little purse is made using the Tab punch! I am blessed with creative friends.
Have a great day. Brenda

Wreath

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a wreath made by one of my downline, Bev Joplin, this week. She used the Spice Cake Designer Paper and the Spice Cake Designer Buttons that are featured in SU's Holiday Mini. The lollies are made using the SU Siimply Scored, mostly 1/2" size. It is such a cool tool - you can just whiz through the scoring with this tool! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Christmas Ornament

2011-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! This is one of the 3-D items that one of my downline brought for Show and Tell at our Downline meeting this weekend. Isn't it gorgeous? She used our new silver glitter paper for the big scalloped square. Then she used one of the shiny pieces of DSP and love the silver in the center of JOY! We had an awesome time at our downline meeting. I would love to have you join my team. Now is a great time, as when you sign up, you get a Free ($99.95 value) Big Shot, in addition to all the great items you get in the kit for $175.00! Send me an email if you are interested. halfwittstamps@aol.com Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Warmest of Wishes

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's card is an adaptation of a card that we made this past weekend at Kathy Hamrick's downline meeting. We used Versa Mark and 3 colors of embossing powder to get the varigated look of the leaves--Wild Wasabi, Tango Tangerine, and Pumpkin Pie. I love the look. I added the Pumpkin Pie 1/8" ribbon bow at the bottom of the wreath, and also put the Embossed greeting in the center of the wreath. I love the new Snowflake embossing folder that makes the background on this card. Thank you for stopping by! Happy Stamping! Brenda

Gently Falling

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a card made by one of my teammates, Rhonda McCutcheon for our meeting Saturday in Clarksburg. We had a great time stamping and swapping with other members of Jan Wakeland's WV downline! This card uses our Spice Cake designer paper, Gently Falling stamp set, and the Pennant Die, and our large scallop punch. The background More Mustand cardstock has been run through the Big Shot with the new snowfalke embossing folder. Did I mention that you can get the Big Shot FREE this month just for joining Stampin Up! Or if you already have the Big Shot, then you can get $100 in free merchandise!!! Email me for details if you would like to join my team (halfwittstamps@aol.com). Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stamping. Brenda

Medallion Wreaths

2011-10-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love our new Simply Scored tool. It makes scoring these medallions so easy! It is worth the investment! This is a close-up of a medallion gathered with our Baker's Twine. This particular one was used on a wreath. Holes were punched with the cropodile to make gathering easier! the strips of cardstock were first punched with the scalloped edge punch. Once the medallion is gathered, it can be covered with another medallion or another punched layer of some sort to hide bothe the hole and the twine. The top picture shows an alternative to making a wreath - a pot full of Medallion flowers! I love the new Spice Cake buttons! I have been working on medallions for a wreath today. Hopefully I can finish it tomorrow and post the picture on here. thanks for stoppping by! Happy stamping. Brena

Button Buddies Snails

2011-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today's card uses Button Buddies, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites! We made 5 cards in the Button Buddies class last week, and they were such fun. I will post more of them soon. This one uses the 3/4" circle punch to make the "Buttons". Stacked together with adhesive between them to give the thickness of a button. The top layer is stamped with a stamp from Button Button, and then punched with the 3/4" circle punch. The "thread" is drawn on with a white gel pen. I found this card on Stampin Connection, but I forgot to write down who had it. If it is you, let me know and I will give you credit. I loved this card. The background is made using a stamp also. Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Out on a Limb

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Today's card is made using a new set from the Holiday Mini - Out on a Limb! Isn't that the cutest little witch you ever did see? I got the idea for this card from another card that I saw on Stamping Connection. It was very easy to make. The DSP is from Autumn Spice, which is also in the new mini. You will be able to order from it on September 1st (tomorrow!) If you don't have your mini yet, let me know and I will get one in the mail to you. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Pennant Parade Christmas Trees

2011-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! Today's post features another card that uses the Pennant Parade stamp set. This one also uses a new product that is coming out on September 1st in the new (awesome) Holiday mini catalog! The product is called Dazzling Details, and it provides the glitz that decorates the trees. It is a combination of glue and glitter! Love it! The frame for this card is what was left when I cut out a Top Note die with the Big Shot. It was just lying on my stamping desk, so decided to use it to frame this card. I also ran it through the Petals Aplenty embossing folder with the Big Shot. I sprayed the background of this card with a mixture that is made up of alcohol and Champaigne Mist Shimmer Paint. I love the extra sparkle that it gives a card! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Pennant Parade Birthday Hats

2011-08-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi stampers!

I love this Pennant Parade stamp set. This card is from the class I did this week. The little flap opens up to reveal the birthday wish! Since we no longer have the slot punch, I improvised with the 3/4 inch hole punch to make a "latch"to hold the flap shut. Love it that the Tempting Turquoise ribbon is back in the catalog this year! Woo Hoo! Stop by tomorrow to see another card we did with this stamp set. Happy Stamping. Brenda

Lace Ribbon Border and Snow Swirled

2011-08-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I thought I would share with you another card from my "Christmas in July" class that I held last week. The tree uses our new Wild Wasabi embossing powder. The lace ribbon Border punch is done in Cherry Cobbler cardstock, and is laced with 1/8" Very Vanilla ribbon. The Christmas Blessings words are from a retired set, but I thought they looked nice with this card. I used the decorative label punch for both the words and the "shadow" piece. Again, another simple and easy card. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Waterfall Christmas Card

2011-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's card uses a set called Jolly Bingo Bits. The waterfall technique is one that I learned a long time ago, and just hadn't used it recently. I love how you pull the string and the little pictures just flip over and the greeting appears! Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping. Brenda

Welcome Christmas

2011-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! This is one of my favorite sets of Christmas stamps from last year, Welcome Christmas! I needed a 4th card for my Christmas in July class, and I couldn't get my card to do what I wanted it to do. (Ever have days like that?) Anyway, I just gave up and took the girls to the pool. When I got back I had only about an hour before class time, and this is what I came up with. the white background uses the Petals Aplenty embossing folder, but it doesn't show up very well in this picture. The oval is cut with the Ovals die and the Big Shot. It is matted with Wild Wasabi and Real Red cardstock. The striped paper is from the Brights Designer Paper collection, and is finished off with the 3/8" white taffeta ribbon. I like the clean lines and the simpleness of this card. It may be one of my Christmas cards this year, as it is quick and easy to make. Hmmm, that might be a good beach project for me! Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping. Brenda

Flirtatious Card

2011-08-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

This card uses our luscious new designer paper, Flirtatious! The base card is made from Concord Crush cardstock, and the next layer is one of the sheets in the Flirtatious designer paper. The Melon Mambo medallion in the center is carefully cut from a sheet of 16 medallions, also in the Flirtatious designer paper. I used Concord crush again to punch out the large scalloped circle, and the 1 3/4 " punch for the white circle. Get Well is stamped with Concord Crush ink with a stamp from the Perfectly Penned stamp set. The leaves are punched from Certainly Celery cardstock with our Bird Punch. The butterflies are from the Butterfly embosslit. The melon mambo scallop is made using the Big Shot and the Tasteful Trim die.

This was our make and take for the July Downline meeting. Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping. Brenda

Lion in the Grass

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

This card was one I created for my masculine card class last week. the cardstocks used are Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake and Bashful Blue. I used one of our 5/16" neutral Jumbo Brads as the "nail" to hang the picture! lol The chord is Early Espresso Baker's Twine. The background of this card is stamped on Crumb Cake Cardstock using the grass stamp from Inspired by Nature with Versa Mark Ink. The lion and the words are stamped with chocolate chip ink. This was another quick and easy card. Hope you enjoyed it. Stop by again. Brenda

Simply Scrapping Kit - Different Use

2011-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Just wanted to share with you a different use for a Simply Scrapping kit, in this case, Playful Polka Dots, which is in the Summer Mini Catalog. My upline, Jan Wakeland sent us the Word Document with the phrase on this Oats box. The idea is to save our CHANGE all year so that we CAN have the money to go to Convention next year. I thought that was a very clever idea. Don't know if it was hers or someone else's, but here is the can that I decorated to save my change in! I used the Playful Polka Dots kit to decorate my can. I love the cheerful striped paper and the cardstock weight "stickers"! Now to start filling it up! These kits make great cards as well as scrapbook pages--and also cans. Hard to tell how many things you really might be able to use them for! Enjoy and happy stamping!

Brenda

Set Sail

2011-07-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is another card from my Masculine Card Class. It uses a set fromt he Summer Mini Catalog, The Open Sea. The ship and compass are stamped in Night of Navy, and the Happy Birthday is stamped in Real Red. The Happy Birthday is from a new set, Perfectly Penned. This was my chance to showcase our new denim ribbon, and it was perfect for this card. The red scallop was made using the Big Shot die, Tasteful Trim. The base of the card is Night of Navy and the top part of the card is Whisper White. thanks for stopping by. And happy stamping. Brenda

Summer Fun, Hamburger and Hot Dog

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

These are the hamburger and hot dog that I used in yesterday's post of the Summer Fun Scrapbooking pages. The hamburger is made using the large oval punch. I punched the "buns" from Crumb Cake cardstock, the "burger" from Early Espresso cardstock, the lettuce uses Certainly Celery Cardstock. The "Cheese" was just snipped from a scrap of Daffodil Delight Cardstock, as is the "tomato" from Real Red Cardstock.

The hot dog is made using the Word Window punch, using Crumbcake Cardstock for the bun, and Cajun Craze for the weiner. Thanks for stopping by! Happy stamping. Brenda

Summr Fun Scrapbook Pages

2011-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

These are the pages that we made in Scrapbook class this month. I love the combination of Island Indigo and Pool Party cardstocks together. The ice cream "cone" is made using Pennant Parade stamp set, and the Scoops of ice cream uses the Cupcake Punch! The stamp set that i used for the apron and the bbq grill is a retired Stampin Up set. The little kids - swing and slide--are from the set, Recess, that is in the Summer Mini Catalog. The checked paper is from the DSP pack, Domestic Goddess. The hamburger and hot dog are made using punches. I love the hamburger.Ii will post better pictures of the tomorrow so you can see them more clearly. Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping!

Masculine Card with Anchor

2011-07-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by today. We have been unindated with Thunderstorms this week, and has made posting kind of hard to do. This is one of the cards from my Masculine card Class yesterday. (Or as one lady's husband said "So you are going to a man card class, huh?") lol
Anyway, this is a quick and easy card, using the Nautical Expeditions Designer paper in our Summer Mini catalog. The Anchor is also from a set in the same catalog. The Baker's Twine is the Expresso Twine, which also comes in Cherry Cobbler and White. I only bought one package of the Expresso Baker's Twine, because normally I am not a fan of brown. Would you believe that my brown is almost gone and I still have alsmost all the Cherry Cobbler left?
I brought out my crimper to make the small piece across the botton of the card--I think it looks a lot like ruffled ribbon.
Thanks for stopping by, and happy Stamping. Brenda

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

2011-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight, just as I was trying to get an order put in, a huge thunderstorm rolled in, and the thunder went on, and on, and on. And so did the rain! We lost power, phone service, and worst of all (lol) the computer! I don't have a card sample, since I had no light to see by, so I will post what the little creek behind our house looked like. If the water in the foreground of the picture had gotten much higher, the water would have come down through the yard and gotten into the garage and the playhouse. That happened last summer and we had a horrible muddy, yucky mess to clean up. so thankful that didn't happen again this time! God is good. Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping. Brenda

Whooooos Using new Products??

2011-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Loved these little owls as soon as I saw them. They are cut from one of the sheets in the "Nursery Nest" Designer Paper. That is the most awesome paper!!! And I don't even have a baby to use it for scrapbooking. Nice pastel papers. Love the rick rack sheets, and the birds are really cute too.

The stripes will make nice masculine cards. i designed this card for one of my stamp groups. One of the ladies, as I have mentioned before, really loves owls. So Jean, this one is for you! I stamped the little hello stamp on white cardstock with Marina Mist and then ran it through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice die. (This is the one that one of my customers calls the Viva folder--because it reminds her of the texture of a paper towel! I think that is so funny.) I cut a quare of 4 owls from a sheet of the designer paper and just made borders for the square. I used a little of the Early Espresso bakers twine for a "Limb" for the owls to sit on. The striped paper is also from the Nursery Nest DSP. very little stamping today, but a fun card none-the-less. Happy Stamping! Brenda

Daisies a work in Progress

2011-07-19T00:01:00.001-07:00

Good morning! Today's card is a Work In Progress. I cased the basic idea for this card from Stampin Connection. I loved the quilted effect that you get when you use the Square Lattice Die on the whole card. I need something to put in the center, some sort of greeting, but am too brain dead today to figure out what! I love the look of the center of the daisy. It is made by punching the Scalloped Circle die, and then putting the paper back in the punch and punching again, this time with the pointy parts punching in the rounded parts of the previous punch out. It requires a strip of post it note to be able to hold on to the punch while you repunch it. The daisy petals are one of the punch outs from the Blossom Petals Builder Punch. When I get the center figured out, I will repost the finished card. Enjoy your day!

Brenda

Fabulous Florets

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Thanks for stopping by. I used the new set, Fabulous Florets, for my card today. I made the frame for the flower using a 3 1/4" square of Marina Mist Cardstock and the Decorative label punch. I punch it horizontally and then vertically to get the "Framed" look. (OK, so it is a square, and there is no discernable horizontal or vertical--just arbitrarily call one horizontal and the other vertical!) I stamped the flower and the Hello salutation on the white cardstock and then ran it through the Big Shot with the new Stripes Embossing Folder. I then stamped the flower and the stem on another piece of white cardstock, cut them out, and mounted them on top of the frame. Thought the 3-D effect was nice. I added some glitz with Dazzling Diamonds on the flower. Enjoy your day. Brenda

Cherish Friendship

2011-07-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today's card uses the new set "Cherish Friendship", and I think this is an appropriate card for today because it is Convention Week! And that is one of the very best things about Stampin Up--the friendships we make both with our customers and with our fellow demonstrators. i so hate it that I am not at convention this week! I miss seeing all the freinds that I have made through the years at Leaderships and Conventions! Anyway, that is why I chose this set of stamps for today.

The chair is from "Cherish Friendship" and I watercolored the chair and used markers to color in the basket and the flowers. The "hangy downy" things are from the set My Friend. (Again an appropriate stamp set choice for Convention week! lol) I inked the stamp with Versa Mark and then immediately inked it again with Island Indigo, and then added Irredescent Ice embossing powder and heat set it. The brownish smudge above the chair is all me--got my finger in the ink, as usual, and thus I have left my signature fingerprint that seems to be mandatory on each card I make! Grrr. I love the use of the Scalloped Border Corner Punch. I used two of our new in-colors for this card also --Calypso Coral and Island Indigo. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stamping. Brenda

New Embossing Folders

2011-07-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am so excited about today's card! It uses two of our new embossing folders. The background is made using the Stripes Textured Embossing Folder. I embossed the white and then embossed the piece of Pool Party cardstock for the bottom of the card. (1 /2" x 4 1/4"). The center of the card is done with the oval one of the Designer Frames Textured Embossing folders. The image was stamped on Whisper White cardstock and colored in with markers (Pool Party and Pink Pirouette) Added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds to the icing and to the cake plate for a bit of sparkle. I then punched the image out with the Extra Large oval punch and isn't it cool how that just fits right inside the textured oval???
Stampin Up thinks of everything! I added the large pearls and the new Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon to finish the card. I love, love LOVE that ribbon. (It was the only one that I ordered on my first order, as i wanted to see how I like it! Awesome! Now I need to order the rest of them. So easy to work with, and a really good size - not too bulky!)

Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping!
Brenda

Flower Fest

2011-07-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I am sharing another of my 1 -3 - $5 class cards with you today. This one uses 2 stamp sets: Flower Fest and Thoughts and Prayers. I also used three punches: Decorative Label, Fancy Flower, and Extra Large Oval. I punched the decorative label punch twice, and placed them at right angles, just to get a little different look. The ribbon is 1/8" Night of Navy (which I just now realized is discontinued), but it would also have looked nice with THE 1/4" Night of Navy ribbon. The background cardstock is Cherry Cobbler, and the second layer is a piece of Designer paper from the Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stacks. (pg. 186 in the 2011-2012 Catalog). And of course I just had to add the Rhinestones for bling! Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Brenda

1 - 3 - $5 Class Sample

2011-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a card that we are making in today's 1 - 3 - $5.00 Class. (We make 3 cards in one hour for $5.00) We are using the stamp set, Just Believe, for this card. This is still one of my favorite stamp sets. I saw a similar card on Stampin Connection, and changed the accessories. I used our new baker's twine, in Espresso, and added one of the Antique Brads. the colors of cardstock are Marina Mist, So Saffron, and Whisper White. The inks are Chocolate Chip and Marina Mist. Quick and Easy! Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping. Brenda

Customer Thank Yous

2011-07-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the little 3" x 3" Thank you notes that I make to put in my customers' orders. I really appreciate all the orders that I receive, and I like to put these in with their orders as a small token of my appreciation! Thanks for stopping by today, and happy stamping.

Brenda

Love and Care

2011-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's card uses the Hostess set, Love and Care, that is found in the Summer Mini Catalog. I used Melon Mambo, Concord Crush, and Old Olive inks to stamp the images on Whisper White cardstock. I started with Concord Crush cardstock as the 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" base for my card. Then I stamped the images of the flowers and leaves on the 5 1/4" x 4" whisper white cardstock. The central image is colored with Old Olive and Melon Mambo markers, on a 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock, then mounted on Certainly Celery, and then on Old Olive cardstock. Each piece is 1/4" larger than the one before it. The greeting, "Happy Birthday" is from the stamp set, Create a Cupcake, and is stamped in Concord Crush ink. It is finished off with some bling - our row pearls. Love the pearls! They add so much to just about any card! Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping.

Brenda

Fabulous Florets

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's card is made with Fabulous Florets stamp set. It was stamped with Versa Mark and embossed with Tango Tangerine on the flowers and Wild Wasabi embosing powder on the leaves and stems. The base cardstock is Daffodil Delight. The 1/8" ribbons are Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil delight. The sentiment, Happy Birthday, came from the set of stamps, Create a Cupcake. The aborder of the white was punched with the scallop border punch. The centers of the flowers have medium size pearls. Thanks for stopping by. Happy stamping.

New In Color butterflies

2011-07-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

These little butterflies are cut with our Butterfly Die (the smallest of the 4 butterflies on the die). They are held together with one of our Glitter Brads. I gave these to the members of my Downline so they would have a ready sample of our new In-colors to show customers. The first one is Pool Party, as seen in the bottom picture. Then going clockwise, the other colors are Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, and Island Indigo - awesome new colors! I think they look really cute all spread out in a circle, but they close up and take up next to no space at all to store. Hope you enjoyed the butterflies. Thanks for stopping by,and happy stamping!

Brenda

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's card is a quick and easy one. I just cut strips of Real Red cardstock and glued them to a rectangle of white cardstock. The stars (from Courage and Sacrifice) were stamped in Night of Navy. It doesn't show up in the picture, but the Night of Navy background piece has been run through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder. It looks really nice in person! Happy Birthday America. Hope you are enjoying this day with family and friends. Say a special thank you today for the men and women who are serving so that we may enjoy our freedom. Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping.

Brenda

Owl Punch Meets Just Eat Cake

2011-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by today. I made this card for a friend of mine who fell and broke her shoulder. She loves anything with an Owl on it. I used the new Just Eat Cake Designer Paper for the background, and the other side of this particular sheet is the polka dots that is the owl's vest! The cardstock colors are Garden Green and Early Espresso. Happy Stamping!
Brenda

Scrapbooking: Travel Pages

2011-07-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

These were the pages that we did in Scrapbooking Class in June. They use the now retired Photo corner punch. I love the little map on these pages. it is from the stamp set, "Travel Log", which is in the current Summer Mini Catalog. This was the set that was given to us at Leadership this year in Nashville. (Another good reason to join Stampin Up! And now is the perfect time to do so, with the $99 joining special!) Another good reason to join Stampin Up is the access we have to Stampin Connection, which has over 100,000 samples of cards, scrapbook pages, and 3-D items. This is where my daughter found the little punch art car, which was posted by Debbie Henderson. (Thank you Debbie for sharing!) I also owe a big thank you to my daughter, who designed these pages for me.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stamping

Brenda

Retiring Wheel: Retro Remix

2011-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! This is a card that we made in my 1 - 3 - $5 class last month. It uses the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and the Retro Remix Wheel, inked with Melon Mambo ink. Again today, the butterflies are from the Butterfly Sizzlet die. A trick I found to keep the scallops even is to punch a 11" strip of cardstock, and fold it in half, matching the scallops. Then cut it in two, thus the two pieces will be the same on either side of our stamped (wheeled, in this case) strip of paper. The rhinestones again adds just the right touch of bling!

Remember that June 30th is the last day to order from the 2010 - 2011 Idea book and catalog!

Happy stamping!

Brenda

Doiley Triple Layer Punch

2011-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hello! Thanks for stopping by today. I love the pastel colors in this card. And it uses one of our new punches, The Doiley Triple Layer Punch. It is the blue lacy one under the pink flower in the left-hand corner of the card. The butterfly is a sizzlet die. Love the simplicity of this card! The rhinestones and the pearls make great accents.

Happy Stamping!

Brenda

Easter Blossoms Card

2011-02-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

We made this card as one of the three in my "1 - 3 - $5" class this month. (1 hour, 3 cards for $5.00)

The card base is Pretty in Pink, with an overlay of cardstock Vellum. On the white cardstock, under the Vellum, we stamped the little girl with Rose Red and the spray of flowers is stamped in Pretty in Pink. the Happy Birthday sentiment is stamped on top of the vellum with Rose Red. Again, as in yesterday, I love the springy feel of this card. Can you tell that I am soooooooo ready for spring??? I know we haven't had as much snow here in my party of WV as many of you have had elsewhere, but I am so tired of being cold. think it may take till June to thaw out! lol Just let me say that the top 5 things I have been grateful for each of these warm days we have had is: Sunny warm weather, sunny warm weather, sunny warm weather ..... You get the idea!

Happy stanmping, and thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Blossom Petal Card - Yellow

2011-02-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

I love this card! I have made similar ones in pink and in purple, but this one really strikes my fancy! We made it in Stamp Club this month. Maybe because it was the first truly sunny, warm day we have had since last fall! It just seemed like the sunny day came right in and landed on our card! lol

I used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder for the background. The color of the flower is Daffodil Delight. The leaves are stamped in Certainly Celery and outlined in Wild Wasabi. Love the little pearl in the center of the flower.

Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Build a Blossom Card

2011-02-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

This was a card that we made at one of my monthly stamp clubs. I love the rose embellishment that is in the center of the flower. They are available in our Occasions Mini catalog, now through the end of March. The designer paper is from Springtime Vintage. The flower uses one of the smaller petal stamps and the small petal punch on the Blossoms Petal bunch.

Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Build a Blossom Class

2011-02-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

These are two of the projects that we made in the "Build a Blossom" Class this month. the card is one that I got in trade at Leadership. and the little goodie box is one that I came up with. It uses the Fancy Favor Big Shot die, and the Build-a-Flower Stamp set and punch. The center is highlighted with a large pearl from our Basic Pearls. this was a fun class, and we learned a lot about how to position the punch when cutting out the petals. I cut strips of paper for the petals--that way we didn't waste a lot of paper.

Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

February Thank yous

2011-02-23T20:39:00.000-08:00

These are the3" x 3" thank you notes that I made for my customers this month. I love the little sizzlet heart. The border is made by using one of our border punches. I love making the monthly thank yous. I especially like it that they can't wait to open them when they pick up their orders at stamp club! and they can be reused by cutting off the front and incorporating it into a bigger card! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Tile Coasters

2011-02-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

These are the tiles that we made at our January downline meeting. The main images are done with Staz On ink - Brown and Black which is available in our Stampin Up catalog. They were such fun to make. We put felt pads on the back of these coasters. Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Valentine's Day Scrapbook Pages

2011-02-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

These are the pages that my Scrapbook Class made during this month's scrapbooking class. My daughter was home and helped me design these pages! I love the box of chocolates that she used with our punches and the Big Shot Petal Die. The little valentine on the left hand page was made using the Big Shot scalloped envelope die.

Valentine's Day Scrapbook Pages closeup

2011-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

This is a closeup of one of the pages from yesterday's post. I wanted to point out the heart that my daughter came up with. She used the little scalloped heart sizzlet. Then she took the snowflake punch and cut off one of the prongs of the flake and used it for the "feather" part of the arrow. The arrowhead was made with the discontinued small star punch. She cut off the two side points of the star and , wala--an arrow head!

thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Simply Adorned

2011-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I would like for you to ignore the picture of me, and pay attention to the Simply Adorned charm that I am holding in my hand. This is one of the projects that we made as a Make and Take at Leadership. I have fallen in love with these inserts that we made for our 1 1/2" x 2" Simply Adorned charms. The other one is one that was shown to us in one of the Main Stage presentations. it uses one of the Sew Suite items. I can hardly wait for the Simply Adorned class on the (Charming) class on March 8th. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Home Again!

2011-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

We made it home from SU's Leadership conference about 6 p.m. tonight. What a great experience! We got so many good ideas, and pretty card samples while we were gone. Am so excited about choosing some of them for this week's Valentine card class! Will post samples later in the week of what I choose! I wanted to share with you a picture of the purse/bag that SU gave us this year! it is so pretty, and I was able to purchase a matching wallet in the Merchant Mall. The color is actually Early Espresso, although it appears to be black in the picture. I also couldn't resist buying the travel mug--it is such a pretty color. As usual, it is way past bedtime, so i will post my pictures and head off to bed. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Leadership 2011 Day 2

2011-01-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Leadership has been an awesome experience this year!! The sessions were wonderful--lots of great stamping done on stage, and loads of giveaway! The cards are what my table made last night. We were given a box of stamping supplies and told to use what we had and create cards for the Ronald McDonald house. We only had to make one each, but the 4 of us ended up making 11! After we got over being intiminidated by not having a sample, we did fine. You should have seen the looks on our face when we frantically searched the box and realized there was no sample, no instruction, etc. Just supplies! There was a contest to see who could come up with the best card. We didn't win, but we did have a good time!

We were all given a package of the Red Glitter paper at the morning General Session. Woo Hoo! I won one of the prize patrols - the spinner stamp set and a package of the spinners!!!! And at the very end today - they gave us ALL (about 1000 of us) a set of stamps, a piece of fabric, a My Digital Studio Download disk, and a package of the new big buttons!!!! The make and takes tonight were so good--we got a big charm (2" x 1 1/2") and we made 3 inserts for it. Also got the chain and a pearl charm to go with it!!! The bouquet of flowers was one of the decorations in the Merchant Mall. I think my favorite item there this year was the travel mug. Hopefully tomorrow I can show you that and the awesome bag we were given on Wednesday morning at checkin. Would love to have you join my team and promote to Manager by next October, so you can join me for Leadership next year in SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS!!!! Interested? Contact me at HalfwittStamps@aol.com

Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Leadership 2011

2011-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

We left home this morning in a snowstorm--school was cancelled, so at least there wasn't a lot of traffic! The worst roads were between Huntington WV and Olive Hill, KY. Was good to arrive safely in Nashville.

Tonight was Manager's Reception at SU's Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN. They bussed usfrom the Opryland Gaylord Hotel to the Wilhorse Saloon! (As you can see in the picture above of my friend, Lois, and I--we were all wearing cowboy hats that we were given just before we got on the bus. One of the singer's from Black Hawk was there to sing for us, Dave Robbins. The food was really great--especially the barbeque! We were given a set of stamps as we arrived back at the Gaylord. This set will be in the new catalog this summer. Tomorrow morning we will be attending classes and a general session. And trading cards!! Hope to have card pictures for tomorrow's post.

Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Easter Blossoms

2011-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today's card is made with the new stamp set from the Occasions Mini, Easter Blossoms. I love the image of the little girl. It reminds me of Mary Gregory Glassware. The background was brayered with Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery, with a wee bit of Wild Wasabi at the bottom of the grass. I drew in the blades of grass with the Wild Wasabi marker. The blossoms are stamped with Regal Rose Classic Ink, and the little girl is stamped with Black Staz-on Ink. I did use marker to color in the 3 egss in her basket. I made these for trade at Leadership. I didn't stamp Happy Easter on them, though, because the weather looks so iffy here--predicting snow and ice--don't know if I will even get there or not. So decided to wait, and if I don't get to go, I will make them into Thank You cards or Birthday cards! Thanks for stopping by! Brenda

Friends Fur-ever

2011-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I am again using up things that are on my desk. I found a card sample that I had used in a class this fall, along with enough pieces to make 2 or 3 more. So I decided to go ahead and cut more and make this one of my card swaps for Leadership. So I cut enough to make 16 cards. this is the first picture. Turns out I cut extra white pieces and had already stamped and colored the dogs and carts, so I made the next two cards--again using card kits that were on my desk. It sure feels good to get some of these things used up! In fact in the card with the embossed top note--The top notes were left over from one project and the other three pieces (melon mambo, black and embossed white) were from yet a different project!

One of my goals this year was to get organized and put things away when I finished with them. But in order to "put things away", I need to create "homes" for the things I am putting away! I have been working on this since Christmas, and so far it is working out pretty well. Still a long way to go! However, I digress. I am so bad to save extra card kits, and say "I will make these up and send them out to people when I need a card". But somehow, I never seem to get them made. Sure felt good to finally use up some of these project leftovers. There is a shoebox of these projects that need my attention, so back to stamping! Hope you enjoy.

Brenda

Season of Friendship

2011-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. this is a very simple card that I made tonight. I was cleaning off my desk, getting ready to work on some trades for the upcoming Leadership conference. (I know, nothing like waiting till the last minute!) Anyway, this stamp set was on my desk, as was some unmade card kits. Just the cardstock and envelopes. No card sample. So I decided to challenge myself to create cards using what was on my desk! I made this one using Season of Friendship stamp set. The cardstock is Chocolate chip and Very Vanilla. The birds are in red, as is the 1/8" taffeta ribbon. Quick and easy! Happy stamping! Brenda

Birthday and Valentine cards

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning! These are cards we made in Stamp Clubs this month. The one of the top left is using the same papers as the one on the right, only I changed it to a birthday card instead of a Valentine. Love the new Love Impressions Desginer Papers. The paper and the stamp set are part of the Bundle that is being offered until January 24th.

The bottom card uses the new Birthday stamp set and the new cupcake punch! It was such fun to create.

Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Christmas Hand Sanitizer - Samll Gifts Class

2011-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is the Hand Sanitizer holder that we made in the Small Gifts Class in December. I apologize that the picture is on its side. Guess you will just have to turn your head sideways to see it! lol

Again i used the Candy Cane Designer paper. This has to be my all time ever favorite Designer paper.
Thanks for stopping by!
Brenda

This is the outside of the Hand Sanitizer Gift that we made in our Small gifts Class in December. I will try and figure out how to get this picture of what it looks like when it is open. So far technology has defeated me. I can get the piture in here, but it is not in an upright position!
Thanks for Stopping by.
Brenda

Christmas Scrapbook Pages

2011-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

We made these pages in the November Scrapbook class - so we would be ready with our pages once we got our Chrismtas pictures developed. The tree is made from the scalloped circle punch - the larger one. The edges were swiped with white craft ink. I love the "cookie sheet" on the second page--It represents 2 traditions in my family. My mother baked Christms sugar cookies every year, and if I was lucky, I got to sprinkle the colored sugar on! After my mother died, my daughter and I continued the tradition. The problem was, I am no cookie baker, if it involves a rolling pin! The tradition would have died out if my daughter hadn't taken over the baking here. And again, if i was lucky, I got to put the colored sugar on! lol
The second tradition is the making of the Gingerbread houses. My daughter is doing that with my granddaughters, and sometimes their friends.

Winter Scrapbooking Pages 1

2011-01-06T23:37:00.000-08:00

This is one of the 2 pages that we did in the December Scrapbooking Class. We used the Season of Friendship, Winter Post, and Scenic Season Stamp sets. Love the addition of the Snowflakes that were made with the Snowflake Die Cut on the Big Shot! We used sponges to fill in the background. This was a fun class.
I am trying an experiment. As I am editing my pictures on Picasso, there is an option to post the picture directly to my blog! Here's hoping it works. If it doesn, i will be posting the next page in a few minutes.
Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Winter Scrapbook Page 2

2011-01-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! The first page of my 2 scrapbook pages posted. So i am sending the second one! I feel just like Neil Armstrong when he walked on the moon! It is such an accomplishment for me to do battle with technology and win. I have spent the last 3 hours trying to edit, upload and order pictures from my granddaughter's birthday party in 2009. I had planned to order them from one company, but I would have had to edit them all over again--so i chose one of Picasso's partners! AND I had the option of either picking them up at my local store tomorrow morning!!! or having them come in the mail in about a week! I am so amazed at what you can do online. Maybe it is time for me to throw away my hammer and chisel and move into the modern world! lol

The stamp sets used on this page are Scenic Season and Cute as Christmas (little snowman hiding in the trees). Also got to use the bird punch to tie in the little red birds from the stamp set, Season of Friendship.
Thanks for stopping by.
Brenda

Come to Bethlehem

2010-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi stampers! Today's card is made with Cherry Cobbler Cardstock, Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink, and uses the set, "Come to Bethlehem". The ribbon is 3/8" Very Vanilla Taffetta ribbon. This is a very simple, quick and easy card. I scored my cardstock and tore the top part to make it look like the top of a present. Then put the ribbon around that part. I cut a piece of cardstock 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" of Cherry cobbler. Then I stamped the scene from "Come to Bethlehem" on it and glued it up under the Present flap. Easy Peasy. Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Card Gone Wrong!

2010-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Good morning stampers! Today's Christmas card used a technqiue called "Inlaid Embossing" . However, it didn't work out as planned, so I just added stamped cutouts to improve the looks of the card. When I stamped my tree, cut it out, and glued it to my white cardstock, I then ran it through my Petals Aplenty folder on the Big Shot. My stamped tree was Wild Wasabi,a nd it wasn't enough contrast to the white, so it just sort of faded into the background. Since inlaid embossing was the technique I was planning on teaching that day, I tossed this asside and went on to find something else that would work. Later I came back and stamped the tree in Garden Green on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock, cut it out and put it on with Stakmpin Deminsionals, as I did with the 3 red presents. now I like the card. It didn't meet my original critieria for the card, but it turned out fine as just a Christmas card. Don't give up on your "failures"--they are just opportunities for further creativity! Have a great day. Brenda

3 Christmas Cards

2010-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are 3 of the cards that my daughter is making to send out for Christmas this year. The top one used the Merry Crittermas Stamp Set. The DSP is from a previous year, but I like that our new merchandise still looks good with some from the past! (Use it up, wear it out, Make do or do without!--We are both greatly influenced by my Depression era mother! lol) The second card used "Under the Stars" - the bear, and the hat is from another Golden Oldie, "Crab and Company" Aren't they perfect together? The third card uses the Top Not die and the Delightful Ornament Stamp Set. I appreciate her willingness to share with us today. Happy Stamping! Brenda

Ornament Thank You Card

2010-12-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

I love this little Thank You card. The base is textured Wild Wasabi Cardstock. The ornament is REal Red and the rickrack trim and the "string" is Brushed Silver Cardstock. I used one of the teeny tiny pearls from our halfback Pearl Collection. The Silver Rick Rack is one of the 4 on the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die (#120893) which is in the Holidy Mini Catalog. Love that die! It makes such great Scrapbook borders, as well as cool trim on cards.

I have been adding Thank You notes in my customer's bags every since July. It has been such fun to come up with different ones each month--and even more different ones for customers who order more than once a month! This is one of my favorites!

Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Furever Friends 2

2010-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

As promised, this is another card that we made in the "Furever Friends" Stamping class. We used the Square Lattice Folder to make the background for this card. (I have a friend who calls this the Paper Towel folder!) It adds such great texture to a card. The tree is from "Nature Silhouttes". The sky was sponged in with Pumpkin Pie and Marina Mist inks. The grass was sponged in with Old Olive. The Scotty dog was stamped on Chocolate Chip cardstock and then cut out. The dog collar is a very thin piece of real red cardstock. Thanks for stopping by! Brenda

Furever Friends 1

2010-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

This was one of the cards that we made last week in my "Furever Friends" stamping class. I just love the cute little dogs in this set. The cutting was fun! It is nice to find a stamp set that lends itself to both masculine and kids cards. Come back tomorrow and see another card that we made in this class! Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Christmas Scrapbook Pages

2010-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are the pages that we made tonight in my Scrapbook Class. Love the Candy Cane Designer Paper! The tree is my favorite. It was made with the large scalloped circle die and the Big Shot. The white on the edges of the tree is White Craft ink. You can't see it well, but I used the pearls and red punches to decorate the tree. Next month's scrapbook class is to be on Monday, December 27th at 6:30. We will be making Winter Scene pages. Email to register. Cost is $10.00 Halfwittstamps@aol.com

Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda

Great new Special!

2010-11-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

From November 15 through November 30, 2010 your new recruits can purchase the Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits for only $87.50--that is 50 percent off the regular price of $175 for over $310 worth of paper or digital crafting and business supplies! From November 15 through November 30, 2010, when you join my team you can purchase the Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits for only $87.50--that is 50 percent off the regular price of $175 for over $310 worth of paper or digital crafting and business supplies!

This is the best price I have ever seen Stampin Up give - you get the whole kit, and not a scaled down kit. if you have ever considered doing what I do, now is the time to do it!

Even if you just want to sign so that you can have lots of cool new stamping supplies, it is still the time to do it! lol

If you don't have a stamping demonstrator, I would love to have you sign up under me. My website is: http://www.brendawitt.stampinup.net/

My demonstrator sign up password is: Danielle2001

Happy Stamping! Brenda

2010-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are the scrapbook pages that we made in October. I love the new die that cuts the tiny Rickrack border. The scarecrow was a combination of scarecrows that i found online, plus my own twist to it. We had such fun making these pages. The pumpkins are made using the Oval Punches. This month we are going to be making Christmas pages. The class is Monday, November 29th at 6:30 p.m. email me if you are interested in attending. Halfwittstamps@aol.com

Happy Stamping!

Brenda

Thank You Notes

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are some of the thank you notes that I have been including in each person's order in October. They were such fun to create. I was using up, (trying to that is) my fall desginer paper and some fall colored scraps. did you know that it just can't be done? I think that I would have had to make 3256 thank you notes to begin to use it all up! I love the Autumn Splendor stamp set.

Happy Stamping!

Brenda

Birthday Scrapbook Pages

2010-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

These are the Scrapbook pages that we made in the September Scrapbook Class. I finally found where I had "hidden" them on the computer! I have such trouble with things disappering! As usual, I found them while looking for something else on here that I can't find! I love the cupcake! It is made using the large Simple Birthday Thanks stamp. I inked the outline of the stamp and stamped the cupcake top on a piece of Elegant Soiree Designer Paper and the bottom on a piece of the dark brown piece of designer paper, also from Elegant Soiree! I finished it off with pearls from our Basic Pearls (#119247). The candle flames? Made from the bird's wing on our Bird Punch!! Hope you enjoyed these pages as much as i enjoyed creating them!

Happy Stamping! Brenda

Round Scallopped Easel Card

2010-11-11T08:42:00.001-08:00

Hello! This is one of the prettiest cards that I have made in a very long time. I saw it on someone else's blog, or on Stamping Connection, maybe. It is changed a little bit, because I didn't have the circle scissors cutting to make the white layer. I still think it turned out just fine! Hope you enjoy it too!

This card uses the 4 1/2" Scalloped circle die, the 4" clear round circle die for the Big Shot, and lots of punches: Large bird punch, heart punch, Bo Ho Blossom Punch,large scallop punch, oval scallop punch, and the Butterfly punch. The stamp set is the Hostess set, Punch Potpouri. I have added some different size pearls from our Basic Pearls (#119247, $4.95) Colors of Cardstock are Marina Mist and Bashful Blue.

Happy Stamping!

Happy August

2010-08-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, Augsut isn't really just beginning, but I am just now catching up to it! lol Have had lots of fun selling retired items at my Stamping Garage Sale. Now I am ready to start playing with the new items from the Catalog. The wreath is an example of the kind of thing that can be done with fabric. And yes, we are getting fabric in the new Holiday mini catalog!!! My favorite is Candy Cane! Can't wait for that to be available. i have preordered your Holiday Minis and you should receive them the last week of August. If you don't, let me know so that I can get you another one! Thanks for stopping by today. Brenda

Home again, Home again !

2010-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

We got home on Sunday at 11 a.m, after a red-eye flight from Salt Lake City to Charleston, WV. We were tired puppies. And as I thought, there was the garden awaiting me. Instead of going to bed for a nap, I helped can 14 quarts of green beans, and we froze 28 pints of corn. More needs freezing tomorrow too! But I love the corn, so not too big of a deal. (I had good help with the beans--my granddaughters and their mother. ) My husband was the biggest help of all--in fact we were all helping HIM! lol He picked all the beans, we just helped string, break and stuff the jars. He even watched the timer on the canner and kept adjusting the heat. He also picked, shucked, and cut the corn off the cob. All I did was cook it and put it in the bags.

Tonight's scrapbook class was really fun. I had one page ready when they got here, but not the second. I had the idea and a poorly put together second page, but the ladies loved it. We did paper tearing technique to make the mountains for our MOUNTAIN themed scrapbook pages this month.

Convention was so much fun this year. So many good card samples, and lots of new ideas to try. One class was on recruiting and getting bookings. I came home and one of my scrapbookers booked a party for August! Woo Hoo! I am so excited. Love the special for August hostesses - $25 extra hostess dollars with a $350 party merchandise total!

Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Convention 2010 - Friday

2010-07-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

I want to also show you one of the cards that I brought for trade. It surprised me that it was one of the fastest to go, as it is so simple, and I designed it myself! Yes, I know - not words you often here from me! It uses the deer from Winter Post, the new large scallop punch, and the stripe paper is in Sentimental Journey DSP, which is in the Summer Mini catalog. Love the new 1/8" Marina Mist ribbon!

Today was a totally awesome day!!! My downline and I, Bev Joplin, got to have breakfast with Shelli Gardner, founder and owner of Stampin Up! We received this honor because we were members of The Recruit Crew, and had one or more recruits from March to June. It was very nice. And then we were taken to the Gathering Place and we got to sit in the front rows!

Then during General session, I won one of the Prize Patrol Packages. I got the Halloween bundle--the stamp set, Wicked Cool, the Wicked Fun DSP, plus another item that will be in the new Holiday Mini that will be available September 1st. (PS - this holiday mini is the very best ever. Even the things I wasn't sure about, I NOW want, because of the samples, demonstrations, etc that I have seen here at convention!)

My friends, and fellow Dreambuilders, Kathy Hamrick and Jill Hilliard marching across the main stage in the Sales March.

Tomorrow is the last day of convention, and Bev and I will be on the red-eye home tomorrow night. When I get there the garden will be awaiting me - green beans to can and corn to freeze. Class on Monday night and my big Stamping Garage sale the 30th (for my stamp club members 6:30 - 8:30) and on Saturday for anyone who wants to come (8 a.m. - noon)

Thanks for stopping by! Brenda

Convention 2010 Thursday

2010-07-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

What a day it has been! Bev and I both were part of the Recruit Crew on Stampin Up, and we just found out today that we get to have breakfast with Shelli for signing a recruit between March and June! Woo Hoo! What an honor! We were treated to great demonstrations on the Main Stage, and were greatly entertained by Corporate office staff, Jill K and Bonnie Thurber. They did a wonderful rendition of "Me and My Sister". There were more prize patrols, but none of our group won today. Kathy Hamrick won a stamp set last night. We got to eat lunch today with the head of Product Control and he asked us for our opinions on how they were doing. We had the opportunity to complement and voice our concerns. It was an awesome lunch. Tonight was the Awards Ceremony, and our upline Jan Wakeland was chosen as an Advisory Board Member! She was also one of the top 100 demonstrators in the company, as was fellow team members, Jill Hilliard, and Laurie Krauss. I hope to get to the display boards tomorrow to get pictures to share with you! Thanks for stopping by! Brenda

More Pictures from Convention

2010-07-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from Convention. Love the many differnt styles of cardmaking! Happy stamping, and thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Convention Day 1

2010-07-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the cards that I brought to trade. It is a smaller version of a card that Gretchen Barron made. We saw so many great card samples today, and I traded for several of them. The high point of our day, besides spending time with the great friends we have made through stamping and SU, was the visit to the Stampin Up headquarters in Riverton, Utah. We got to see tons of sample cards, where Demonstrator support is, and the pickline, where they box up our orders before sending them on to UPS!

Salt Lake City

2010-07-20T00:48:00.000-07:00

Today we had pleasant weather for our flights - no rain storms this year! And beautiful sunny weather here--not like the flooding at my house today!

It has taken me 4 years of being at Convention in Salt Lake City to get to Temple Square. I was so impressed with all there is to see there. Bev and I had a wonderful time. Gorgeous artwork, beautiful buildings and awe-inspiring views. Wanted you to see a few pictures. Tomorrow will be the first day of convention and we are so excited. Our hotel is right beside the Convention Center! We took a short cut through there today on the way to lunch. I have never seen it empty before, Wow. it is huge! Hope to post pictures and news tomorrow! Enjoy our pictures of SLC! Thanks for stopping by. Brenda

Journey

2010-06-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Life is a journey, and I felt like the car from Sentimental Journey should move on a card. Although the road should be twisting and turning, I settled for a straight road. I also used the tree from Forest Friends. The punches are the Word Window, the Scallop Oval and Small Oval punches.

2010-06-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

I have attached the retiring stamp sets with pictures. These are only available until June 30th.
Buy 3 sets of retiring stamp sets and get a $5.00 off coupon on your first order from the new catalog.
Brenda

It's Wedding Season

2010-05-28T16:30:00.001-07:00

Since June is about to start and it is wedding season, I was inspired by a card with a sun dress on it to turn it into a bride. The pieces for the bride use the Scallop Circles #2 Sizzix (both the dress and the veil, the small and large oval punches, the largest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch and also the Trio Flower punch. Her dress and flowers are punched from the Bride Specialty paper and the bouquet is dusted with Dazzling Diamonds. I used the Bashful Blue designer series paper to match the color of the wedding I was scrapbooking. The background on the paper is stamped using the wedding cake from Fun and Fast Notes.

Big Shot - with a new Twist!

2010-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Right now fabric is all the rage with the Big Shot. I have seen some gorgeous purses and quilts made using Big Shot dies to cut the pieces. My project is using 2 of the dies and the Big Shot, but on a much smaller scale! My granddaughter is making yarn dolls for a project at school. We got the dolls made and she wanted it to have clothes. (We we made them before, we just used different colors of yarn) This time, I thought, why not make them with fabric and the Big Shot? I used the Top Note die to make the doll's blouse. Yes, those are staples--this is just the prototype, we can actually find a needle and thread for the ones she uses at school! The skirt was made using the 4" scalloped circle die. Danielle had such fun going through my fabric stash to pick out the fabrics for each doll! The instructions for the yarn doll came from her Brownie Try It book! What fun. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stamping and Big Shotting! lol

Easter Weekend at my House

2010-04-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

This was the nicest Easter I can remember in a very long time - maybe even ever! My family was all here, and it was full of all kinds of activities - garden planting, Easter dinner, Easter Egg Hunt, basketball, (both on TV and in our driveway!), church, and my littlest grandaughter learning to ride her bike! Oh, forgot to mention the frogs! I have seen nature shows on tv for years that show the frog making that sound (mating call, screeching, ???), and the picture always shows the sac on his neck expanding to look like a bubblegum bubble. I thought that just happened to frogs in some exotic place. Not. I saw it in my own backyard! I had gone out to watch the planting of the garden, and heard the shrill sound of the frogs. Sure enough, I looked and there was one sitting there with that "bubble" I nearly fell in the little pond trying to get a picture. Just had to share it with you! There were at least 4 frogs in there on Saturday. 2 or 3 were screeching and 2 others were otherwise occupied.

No cards today, just wanted to share my Easter with you.

Thanks for stopping by. Next time I will do cards, or a Big Shot item. I promise.

Happy stamping.

2010-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share with you today the card that my daughter made me for Mother's Day! She brought it home to me at Easter so that I could use it to display in my classes, and also use as a pattern if I want. Of course I want! I love the flower. She used the small oval punch to do the flower petals, and the 5 petal punch to do the leaves. The center set of petals was done by punching the Curly Label punch, folding it and snipping! Wala! you have a flower. The desginer paper used is Cottage Wall, and the stamp set is Messages for Mom. I love it! I am so lucky - Mary Ann is not only my daughter, she is also a fellow demonstrator! (And she is the one who makes it possible for me to have a blog - it certainly isn't my ability! lol) Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stamping!