Get your Masters in Stamping!

Have you been crafting for a while now? If so you might really enjoy this monthly Master class!

I come up with slower, more "steppy" projects like this that would intimidate many people but are PERFECT if you have been around the block a few times and like a challenge!

We have class tomorrow, Thursday, at 9 a.m. or Monday at 6:30 p.m. Please let me know if you'd like to know more about it!

Hope you're having a great day - Brenda

When the rain is done...

I don't know about you but I am REALLY looking forward to Spring! I love this hopeful little wellington boot card - but, I have to say, it reminds me of England more than Colorado - a snow boot, or some BOGS would be more appropriate here!

Isn't it cute though? It's a swap card I received at leadership - but I gave the original away so I don't know who designed it, please let me know if you do and I'll credit her! We made this same card at one of my classes. Classes are a fun option if you want to just come along, pay a flat fee and leave with some finished cards! Please let me know if that's something you might be interested in.

I hope you're having a great start to your week, Brenda

Bayfield's Bring It To The Table!

I'm excited to share this short video over at Bayfield's Bring It To The Table with you! 

Pedro and Junior feature members of the Bayfield community on their YouTube site and interview them about local opportunities, products and services. It really was a blast and I got to pretend I was a celebrity for a few minutes - I'm all ready for Oprah now!

The 'Set'

They were great at making me feel comfortable and appeared genuinely interested and excited about what I am offering here in Bayfield! I don't have many men stamping with me so it was great to get their perspective - I even got Junior to stamp a card on camera using the Dude, You're Welcome kit - he did a great job - I'm dying to hear what his wife thought of it...

Samples for the set

It's kind of interesting how you can live in a small town like I do and still not really know what your neighbors do, or what fun activities are available. I spent a little time looking through all their videos and was impressed to see all that's going on, some of things I knew about, but there were others that I had no idea! I'm looking forward to bumping into some of these people in the grocery store now. One thing about living here is you know you definitely WILL bump into everybody sooner or later...

Lights! Cameras! Action!

So, thanks Pedro & Junior! Look forward to more videos on your site!

Brenda

Did you know you can stamp on plastic?

Have you ever tried stamping on plastic? It's so cool! And it's really easy too... Here's a little video showing you how - why don't you try and send me a picture of your project? I'd love to share it!

If you don't have them already you really need Staz-On ink to do this
Jet Black - $7.95
Cotton White (comes with a refill) - $11.95
We also carry lots of different sized cello bags

• 1" x 8" - $2.50 for 50
• 4" x 6" - $4.50 for 50
• 6" x 9" - $4.95 for 50
• Gussetted 6" x 14" $3.95 for 25

Have a great day and please let me know if I can be any help!
Brenda

Callum's Spooky Monster Valentines

Do you recognize this little monster? Not Callum! The little purple monster? He's from the stamp set Spooky Bingo Bits but Callum thought he'd be perfect for his Valentines and I have to agree.

We made a simple little sleeve to wrap around a box of Sweethearts - of course it had to be orange (Callum's favorite color) We punched out a red heart using the biggest heart from the Hearts a flutter framelits and then used the full heart punch for the yellow heart. 

Callum stamped lots of little monsters in Rich Razzleberry and punched them out with the 1" circle punch. We added a little red glimmer heart and we were done... except for the writing part...

That takes a lot of concentration when you're in 5th grade, we're thankful that the teacher printed out a checklist though, that was a lot of help! Callum said I had to tell you that 5th graders get a lot of work which makes it hard to remember all the people in your class(!) 

Hope you have fun making your Valentines! Brenda

Henry Says Happy Valentine's Day!

As soon as I saw this cute elephant, Henry, I knew I had to get him!
This is the first card I made with Henry, it's real simple: I just stamped him in Jet Black Staz On and colored him a little bit using the Basic Gray watercolor crayon that I could blend with a blender pen to soften and shade a little. That makes it sound quite clever doesn't it?! But really I just rubbed over the crayon lines so they blurred and didn't look so stripey! That's the beauty of the watercolor crayons, they are lovely to work with.

The set comes with various things you can add... a banner, birds, hearts, pennants and Christmas ornaments - all sized to hang from his trunk or walk along the top! Haha - I don't know why but that whole idea really appeals to me!

I wanted to use this as a Valentine's so I stamped the hearts twice and added a cheery greeting. I think it came out cute!

I hope you're having a great day and hope to be stamping with you again soon! Please let me know if I can be of any help.

Brenda

Word Play Valentine

We made this card at our recent card class - We were making sympathy and thinking of you cards - originally I just had the silver hearts but when we added the red glimmer heart I thought it would work for a Valentine too... It uses the Honeycomb texture embossing folder and Pool Party core-dinations card stock. I stamped the greeting from the Word Play stamp set in Raspberry Ripple and then cut out the heart using the heart framelits, I love how you can see exactly where the shape will be before you cut!  I used a heart punch to cut out the small hearts - love how it turned out!

Our next class will be all about Easter, get ready for some cute chicks and bunnies! Contact me for more info.

Have a great day! Brenda

Taking a moment to be thankful

I saw an idea on Pinterest that really spoke to me - somebody had taken a jar and when they had things to be thankful about during the year they wrote a little note and dropped it in the jar - at the end of the year they were able to shake the notes out and read them... isn't that lovely? I love the idea of taking a moment to be thankful, and of actually recognizing and writing down our blessings.

Well, 99% of the time, I hear an idea that I love, and that's all it ever becomes, an idea! I think:

     "Oh! I love that! I'll find the perfect jar... and I can DECORATE it! And it will be so cute!! And where did I put that chalkboard vinyl I had? That would be PERFECT!! And I'll get the boys to help me! And it will be a great family project! And I'll tie on a cute little matching pencil! And maybe buy a BEDAZZLER! and... and... and..."

You get the idea?! And it will never happen - and I'll remember months later and be sad that I never did it. 

So, this time I thought "Done is better than perfect." I just stuck a plain old jar up on the shelf, no ribbons, no labels, no bling, told everybody in the family and let it sit there. 

And I am LOVING it! I am jotting down the big and little things I'm thankful for. And I'm looking around me for things I can put in there, which makes a big change from looking around for all the things I can whine about and add to my "It sucks to be me..." story! 

And I might even decorate it - someday :-)
I hope you can find a moment to think about what you're thankful for today.

Brenda

Stamping Master Class - our first graduate!

We had our first graduate at the Stamping Master Class this week! Barbara has attended 10 classes and turned in all her homework - yay Barbara! We have 2 more people walking tonight... and all three are signing up for another season - too much fun!

Here is one of this month's projects, I cased the idea from Patty Bennet.  Love these beautiful flowers. This series of classes was created specifically for my stampers who have mastered most basic techniques and are ready for a challenge! We do projects that are slow and "steppy" and would be too  frustrating for many people. The girls attending this class embrace these fussier style cards. Truthfully, that would not be me! I like cards that LOOK like they took ages but were actually quick and easy. So, this has been a great experience for me, pushing me out of my comfort zone and challenging me, love that. 

To get credit for their class they need to turn in homework each month! They use one of the techniques we learned that month to create something of their own. They then bring it to the next class or post it to the Stamps and Tea facebook page .

In October we had learned about Soot Stamping and Barbara decided to make something using that technique. Her husband apparently loves rhino's so she used a (non SU) rhino stamp to make him this card, isn't it just fantastic?! I'm thinking I should maybe come up with a way to penalize those stampers who make something better than my template, what do you think?!

Interested in this class? You'd be more than welcome to give it a try! Just let me know if you'd like more information.

Have a great week! Brenda

My Digital Studio content discs - One dollar - no holler!

I had to quickly tell you about this great deal!! On the clearance rack TODAY are the following My Digital Studio content discs for just one dollar each, yay!

• Avant Garde (Was $31.95)
• His and Hers (Was $32.95)
• Sweet Retreat (Was $27.95)
• Simple Snapshot (Hostess exclusive $16.95 value)
• October, November, December Whenever! (Was $32.95)
• Cheerful Treats (Hostess exclusive $16.95 value)

I have the contents of these listed below!

If you have or are ever GOING to get My Digital Studio you should snap these up as soon as you can! Lots of lovely stamp sets, designer series paper & templates at just a fraction of their original price, yippee!

Place an order online by clicking the link on the Shopping link on the right and going to the clearance rack - or email me right away with your order... While you're in the clearance rack be sure to check out the other goodies in there, and don't forget, you get free Sale-a-bration items with every $50 you spend AND then if you hit $150 you would get SAB items PLUS hostess benefits! Gotta love that.
Have a good Friday and please let me know if you have any questions. Brenda

Avant-Garde Collection Dvd Item #125841

Catalog Price: $31.95)
Enjoy bundled digital content that coordinates with our catalog suites—Our Avant-garde Collection DVD offers four stamp brush sets (4 piece, two 5-pieces, 9-piece) and 48 Designer Series Paper patterns.

Content Includes:                                                                                                                                                  Timeless Portrait Suite: Forever Young Stamp Brush Set and Timeless Portrait Designer Series Paper; Berry Blossoms Suite: Fruit and Flowers Stamp Brush Set and Berry Blossoms Designer Series Paper; Flirtatious Suite: Delicate Doilies Stamp Brush Set and Flirtatious Designer Series Paper; Pocketful of Posies Suite: My Friend Stamp Brush Set and Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper

Cheerful Treats – Digital Content Cd Item #124237

Hostess exclusive value: $16.95
Includes one 16-piece stamp brush set, 12 Designer Series paper patterns, and 30 embellishments. Coordinating colors include Bashful Blue, Concord Crush, Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, and Pink Pirouette.

His and Hers Collection Dvd  Item #125842

Catalog Price: $32.95
Enjoy bundled digital content that coordinates with our catalog suites— Our His and Hers Collection DVD offers three stamp brush sets (4 piece, 10-piece, 26-piece), 24 Designer Series Paper patterns, and 41 embellishments.

Content Includes:
Beau Château Suite: Number It and Letter It Stamp Brush Sets, Beau Château Designer Series Paper, and  Beau Château Embellishments; Well Worn Suite: Daring Adventure Stamp Brush Set and Well Worn Designer Series Paper

October, December, Whenever Collection Dvd  Item #124485

Catalog Price: $32.95
Enjoy bundled digital content that coordinates with our catalog suites—Our October, December, Whenever Collection DVD offers three stamp brush sets (two 6-pieces, 28-piece) and 36 Designer Series Paper patterns.

Content Includes:
Frightful Sight Suite: Scaredy Cat Stamp Brush Set & Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper; Letters to Santa Suite: Merry and Type Stamp Brush Set and  Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper; Nursery Nest Suite: Little Additions Stamp Brush Set & Nursery Nest Designer Series Paper

Sweet Retreat Collection Dvd  Item #125840

Catalog Price: $27.95
Enjoy bundled digital content that coordinates with our catalog suites—Our Sweet Retreat Collection DVD offers five stamp brush sets (4-piece, 5-piece, 10-piece, 12-piece, 39-piece), 36 Designer Series Paper patterns, 5 embellishments, and one 4" x 9-1/4" trifold card designer template.

Content Includes:
Domestic Goddess Suite: Now You’re Cookin’ Stamp Brush Set and Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper; Big Top Suite: Under the Big Top Stamp Brush Set & Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper; Just Add Cake Suite: Party Time II Stamp Brush Set and Just Add Cake Ki

Simple Snapshots Content Cd  Item #127185

Exclusive Hostess item: value $16.95
This digital-exclusive CD includes a mix of bright and fresh colors with organic and graphic designs—versatile enough for any project. Includes 15 Designer Series Paper Patterns, 32 embellishments, and a 22-piece stamp brush set. Perfect for photobooks, cards, journals, and more! Basic Gray, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, River Rock, and Tangerine Tango.

Express Booster Pack Dvds  Item #124889 (If you have MDS software you will have much of this content already)

Content includes:
* 408 Designer Series Papers
* 62 stamp brush set
* 187 embellishments
* 6 designer kits with designer templates, Designer Series paper patterns, and embellishments
* 7 12-page photobooks in each of these sizes: 5" x 5", 8" x 8", 12" x 12", 8-1/2" x 11", and 11" x 8-1/2", seven greeting cards in each of these sizes: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2", 5-1/2" x 4-1/4", 5" x 7", 7" x 5", and 6" x 6"