Photoshop tippies!

Hi All!  So yesterday was my last day of photoshop class.  I feel like I could take at least 10 more weeks of class and still not learn it all.  Today I thought I would share a tool that I find very helpful in photoshop called an adjustment layer.  By adding an adjustment layer it is possible to lighten or darken a photo and make it more vibrant.  I use it a lot because I accidently don't use flash or I use too much flash!  This is really helpful when photographing cards and projects too.  My favorite is an adjustment called "curves".  I realize that I am ill equipped to explain this completely but I found this great tutorial here:
http://photoshoptips.net/2005/09/16/adjustment-layers/ 
Give it a go.  I think you'll like it too!   Here is a version of my final photoshop project.  Hope you like it!  Just a hint this is far from what I ended up turning in.  I'll show that sometime soon!

Graphic design fun!

Happy thursday everyone! Some of you are aware that I am working on my new career. Graphic Design! It has been a blast and a little surreal to finally be in these classes. Be watching the blog for assignments like the one above from my photoshop class and also for ways to sharpen your skills as I sharpen mine.
Some things that I have in the works are simple, EASY TO FOLLOW photoshop tutorials. To help improve your pictures or even improve your pictures of your projects that you might be posting on your own blog or community sites. Stay Tuned!

Spring is Blossoming at Stampin' Up!

Anyone who has known me for more than a year knows that my most FAVORITE time of year is when Stampin' Up! comes out with their new catalog. It happens every JULY! This year Stampin' Up! is letting us have a sneak peek of two new products before the new catalog is out. There is a new stamp set that is called Four Frames and of course, awesome new designer series paper. The best part of this sneak peek is that you can get them now! We don't have to wait until July!
Check out my site at wendyhalverson.stampinup.net to find the particulars including all of the items necessary to make these beautiful Stampin' Up! samples. Just click on the promotion section or shop section of my site.



Another exciting thing that I must tell you all is that I am going to CONVENTION this year!!! It is in July in Salt Lake city. Talk to me right away if you would like to sign up to get all of the perks of being a demonstrator and the chance to attend convention with me and thousands of other awesome stampers!

Hiya! To shop the Sale-A-Bration event click here and go to "SHOP NOW"

Happy Spring!

Today I have been spending a lot of time planning a fun trip to Utah for Stampin' Up! Convention. For those of you who don't know, it is like the superbowl of stamping...or Christmas time! It is an exciting and huge event! I am going with my fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrators Nicole and Nicole. Keep watch for pictures of cards I will be making to swap and postings about the fun times we will be having. Okay okay it is in July but I am pumped so had to tell you about it now! If anyone is interested in joining us you just have to sign up to be a demonstrator. Which is an AWESOME deal right now because it is sale-a-bration and that means tons of free stuff for signing up. If you are interested email me for more details!

Also for all you shoppers out there: Sale-a-bration ends in a few weeks! This is the huge Stampin' Up! sale where you get a free item of your choosing for every $50 purchase you make. It is my favorite time of year! visit wendyhalverson.stampinup.net to shop it up!

So this is the beginning of Spring? If you live around here you are experiencing, first hand, how spring "comes in like a lion"! Just wanted to a post a few of my latest creations. These are simple little cards that pack a whole lotta heart. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hi everyone! Remember Me? Can you guess what my first New Year resolution is? Yep to start blogging again! hooray! I wanted to kick off the year by showing you a few cards I made for Christmas.
The first card (above) is one of my favorites. I love the "2 Step Bird Punch" (#117191). Here I punched the bird body in Riding Hood Red and then the tree branch and leaves in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. I then used my 2Way Glue Pen and glitter to bling up the wing a bit. When I pieced the bird together I also used a Stampin' Dimensional dot to pop up the wing. The floral designs are from the stamp set Season of Joy (#110384). I have to admit the "Joy" stamp is not Stampin' Up!

I was really loving the "Season of Joy" stamp set and the swirl design on this card is also from that set. The Christmas tree and sentiment are from the set "Jolliest Time of the Year " (#116584). I used Stampin' Write markers to color in the tree and added glitter with my 2Way glue pen. I have a bling addiction so get used to this theme as you look on!

Okay so this stamp set cracks me up and lends itself too one of my favorite coloring techniques. I use this design element a lot. Stamp the image in black ink and only color in certain aspects of the design. This technique also works great with Stampin' Round wheels and their images. On this card I used a MUST HAVE stampin' up product...GLITTER GLASS! It is basically old fashioned, chunky glitter. Watch my site here for the new color being introduced in a few weeks.

At the request of one of my stamping buddies I made these snowman tags for a swap this holiday season. The snowman body is made out of "White Circle Aluminum Edge Metal Tags" from the Clearance Rack on my Stampin' Up! site. They are on sale for only $1.49 a package and you get both sizes! For the top hat I used the "Round Tab Extra Large" punch (#119864). It works perfectly when you fold it in half. I have also seen really cute purses made with this punch. Then I used the "1 3/4 scallop circle" punch in Pumpkin Pie cardstock to make the noses. I simply cut triangles like cake slices out of the scalloped circle. I used silver cord to hook the head to the body and grosgrain ribbon to make the bow tie and tag holder. I had some little jingle bells which I thought were a perfect addition. The sentiment on the snow man is from a Paper Source stamp.

Gear up all you stampers because SALE-A-BRATION 2011 is coming soon! You can always find great techniques and project ideas on my Stampin' Up! site, not to mention shop directly from the site and have products on your doorstep in a matter of days!

Summer is over but the fun is just beginning!

Hey everyone! So I have had a whirlwind summer to say the least. But the good news is that the whirling has not stopped! My next Stampin' Up! workshop is scheduled for Aug. 30th at 1pm! It is called Fall into the Holidays and we are making Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas projects! Don't miss it. You'll get great ideas for the upcoming holidays, plus there are some really fun prizes I am giving away too! If you are not on the evite already send me an email and I will add you on!


This is a card I made for my coworkers wife who broke her arm. Can you guess how? heehee. The stamps are hero arts and stampin' up! The paper is all stampin' up! I embroidered the swirlee line with brown embroidery floss. It added a fun little something. I also used copic markers to color the little girl. Easily one of my most favorite cards to date!