In another funny scheduling twist, I'm SO super excited for the chance to be a guest designer at this week's Library Challenge #38, and I even got to suggest the book!  I chose Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gifts From the Sea, a beautiful book I recently re-read!  So we get to spend two days in a row at The Library!
So, who here wasn't sure that I wasn't running straight to Seaside Notions for this one??  Lol...  As you can see, I did just that, and fussy-cut my little brains out, too.  And yes, I think the sponge brayer has become surgically attached this week, lol.  I was so happy to play with shells and ruminate on my own shell-stage while I made this card - such a great read!
I hope you can get in on the sandy fun over at The Library - see you there!
Seaside Notions Stamp Set; Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Pool Party & Pretty Peacock Inks; Soft Suede, Petal Pink, Pretty Peacock, Rococo Rose, Soft Sea Foam & Balmy Blue Blends; Basic Jewel Pearls, colored with Petal Pink; #TLC038.

Wow, The Library Challenge #37 is bringing on the BEST summer reading:  Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne!
It's kind of funny to me that the challenges fell out so that my two balloon posts lined up together, lol.  So since I did Above the Clouds yesterday, I pulled out the just-retired Lift Me Up for today's!  I know my stripes are going the wrong way, but I decided to do a play on the book cover for this one - good times!  I had so much fun on Nancy's ombre card a few days ago, that I decided to pull out my sponge brayer again, too - let's get rolling!  I got some sky going, and a few clouds in white stamped with Gray Granite - my new fave Gray!  I decided to go for a combo of Terracotta Tile and Very Vanilla for the balloon - looks just right!  So happy with how this one came out...
Left Me Up Stamp Set (retired 2019); Whisper White, Basic Black, Terracotta Tile & Very Vanilla CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party & Gray Granite Inks; Up & Away Dies (retired); #TLC037.

Pumpkin Club July 27!
Did you get your July Pumpkin kit yet?  Let's set sail!!  Check out the video HERE!
I hope you can join us for our next Pumpkin Club, Saturday, June 29, 3 pm, chez Heroldt - RSVP to let me know you are coming! 
Club is free for my subscribers, and includes any extra supplies you might need, drinks and snacks!  I also have a few extra spots available for $10 even if you are not a subscriber - come see what we're up to - no kit needed!
Remember to subscribe here if you haven't already - sign up by August 10 and you can join us in time for next month!

We have a beautiful bold color challenge this week at Fab Friday #168 - and I can't resist combining with this equally bold sketch from Inspire Create Challenge #47, too!
With these bright colors, I couldn't help but think of wonderful hot air balloons soaring and sparking in the sky - we often see field of them lifting off all at once around here - when it's not monsoon season, lol.  So out came my Above the Clouds set, and I set a little Bermuda sky scene, complete with clouds and birds - the sky is open!
So, what will you create? I can't wait to see YOUR creations over at the challenge!
Above the Clouds Stamp Set; Bermuda Bay & Whisper Whit CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Whisper White Craft, Poppy Parade, Pineapple Punch, Bermuda Bay (inside) & Pacific Point Inks; Circle Collection Dies (retired); Hot Air Balloon Punch; #FabFri168; #ICC047.

Fusion has another great new combo for us this week with an ombre twist - cool!
I couldn't resist using this challenge to create a fun card for my dear friend Nancy's birthday (that's North Carolina Nancy, around here, lol!)  Her birthday was Wednesday, and I hope this card got there in time, because my thoughts were all on her!  She told me she likes purples and yellows, but more subtle, and what better way to go for an ombre challenge?  I used my sponge brayer to lay on subtle passes of Highland Heather, letting it get lighter towards the top of the card.  I couldn't help using my Time for Tags set again (I need to get off that birthday cake, lol) but I layered THAT over a Daffodil stitched oval to really set it off - good thing I still had a bit of this Daffodil Sale-A-Bration ribbon left, too - we are COORDINATED today!  I finished with some iridescent sprinkles leftover from that old Donut Paper Pumpkin - Sprinkled With Love from May 2017.  I never throw away an embellishment - see how perfect it is??  Hope you had a happy, happy birthday, Nancy!  I love and miss you!
Time for Tags Stamp Set; Whisper White & Daffodil Delight CS; Highland Heather & Memento Tuxedo Black Inks; Basic Black Marker; Highland Heather & So Saffron Blends; Timeless Label Punch; Stitched Shapes Dies; Daffodil Delight Organdy Ribbon; Iridescent Dots; #FusionOmbre.

Ooo - CAS Christmas July has a snowflake theme this month - so pretty!  I'm going to try and squeeze in AAA #144's maxi white space challenge, too!
One of my favorite (and cleanest, lol) snowflakes is this big beauty from Holly Jolly Greetings, retired now from 2015.  I loved the combo of sentiments options you could do with this set, with or without the beautiful Christmas Greetings Dies.  I went uber-simple today, Pool Party on White, with just a few sequins and one rhinestone.  I don't think I could go any more CAS than this!  Simple and sweet - just what we need in a Christmas card!
Holly Jolly Greetings (retired 2015) Stamp Set; Whisper White & Pool Party CS; Pool Party Ink; Christmas Greetings (retired) & Stitched Shapes Dies; 2 1/2" Circle Punch; Pool Party Sequins; Basic Jewel Rhinestone; #CASChristmasSnowflake;#AAA144.

Check out our fun triptych-style sketch at this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday #417!
So what's hilarious for me is that as I type this up, I'm realizing that for some reason I did FOUR columns instead of three - of gosh!  Don't know where my head was, but this IS the card I made for this challenge, so I'm going with it, lol.  We had an optional theme of vacation fun, so I had the lovely Seaside Notions on the brain, let's go to the beach!  I added a few touches of copper metallic ink over my Blends coloring - I'm loving the effect!  And of course, the gorgeous See a Silhouette DSP makes for an amazing ocean!
So what will YOU create?  I can't wait to see, over at the challenge!
Seaside Notions Stamp Set; See a Silhouette DSP; Pool Party & Whisper White CS; Night of Navy & Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Bright Copper Shimmer Paint; Gray Granite, Petal Pink & Soft Sea Foam Blends; #TSOT417.

Yippee!  So excited that Joy of Sets #007 has a new grid for us to play with again!
I decided to go for the far right column:  Twine-Die Cut-Emboss, and with some trepidation, give our new Heirloom Frames a go!  I naturally pulled in the colors from the Woven Threads DSP, which is also in the suite it's shown with, but for my sentiment I went with this Isaiah quote in Hold on to Hope.  And that was the kind of encouragement I needed to get through these frames, lol.  It took me more tries than I want to tell to figure out the new "sandwich" for my machine, and in the end, I also discovered that the ORDER of the sandwich is making a big difference for me.  I finally got some results I can share, though - woo hoo!
Hold on to Hope Stamp Set; Woven Threads DSP; Whisper White, Terracotta Tile & Purple Posy CS; Pretty Peacock Ink; Heirloom Frames Dies; Heirloom Frames 3D EF; Linen Thread; Faceted Dots in Pretty Peacock; #JOSTTT007.

Aren't our colors this week at Sunday Stamps #209 just luscious?  I'm SUCH a purple-and-green nut, too, lol...
So, I think I might be the only SU! demo in existence that did NOT spring for the Noble Peacock suite right away, lol.  I do like the pretty papers, and the colored rhinestones, but somehow the stamps just weren't speaking to me the first round!  I am fascinated, however, by all the pretty accent stamps in the gorgeous Woven Heirlooms set, so I decided to create a lovely background for a bold encouraging sentiment from Here's to Strong Women - yum!  I actually pulled in some retired colors for this one, ones that seemed closest to the colors in our challenge...
So, what will YOU create?  I can't wait to see your magic, over at the challenge!
Woven Heirlooms & Here's to Strong Women Stamp Sets; Whisper White & Basic Black CS; VersaMark, Tranquil Tide (retired), Wild Wasabi (retired), Tempting Turquoise (retired); Gorgeous Grape & Blackberry Bliss Inks; Black EP; Clear Epoxy Droplets; #SSC209.

It's the most wonderful time of the year - Christmas in July!  Yay for As You See It #204!
So even though I have lots of fun new Christmas sets already, I JUST finished my Christmas in July classes using them, lol, so I went back to the shelves and pulled the still completely awesome Making Christmas Bright set.  I love this one so much - who knew how much fun could be had with all these strings of lights (which are my least favorite task during the actual tree decorating, lol.)  I think I managed to get all the recipe elements on here:  stars, diecut, ribbon, red AND Christmas - I got ALL the basket ingredients, lol...
Making Christmas Bright Stamp Set; Real Red, Old Olive & Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Real Red, Old Olive & Crushed Curry Inks; Real Red, Crushed Curry & Old Olive Markers; Stitched Shapes Dies; real Red Cotton Ribbon; Clear Epoxy Droplets; #AYSI204.

In{k}spire Me #396 has another fun combo for us again, especially that lovely sketch!
So I need to put right out there that I was NOT thrilled with these colors, lol.  Just not natural!  However, I DID get them out to be considering while I played with a card idea, and eventually, I ended up pulling them in, too.  Little elephants come in all colors, of course!  I tried to focus mostly on the Crushed Curry and Gorgeous Grape combo, but I fianally let the pachyderms be pink, sigh.  I just can't resist working out the sketch and color combo, I guess, lol.  Whew!
Little Elephant Stamp Set; Crushed Curry DSP; Whisper White & Crushed Curry CS; Blushing Bride & Gorgeous Grape Inks; Gorgeous Grape Mini Striped Ribbon; Elephant Builder Punch; #IM396.

Christmas in July 2019, July 13!
You know my philosophy:  it's never too early to start thinking Christmas!  Christmas in July is always our "Part 1" class, and features our holiday stamp sets and goodies from the Big Book - look for Part 2 in October!  Class includes all supplies needed (bring your own snips & fave adhesive!) for 6 cards and envelopes, plus drinks, snacks & a special gift from me, all for $25!  This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  RSVP to save your spot, for Saturday July 13 at 3 pm!  See you soon!