What's not to love about our big scallop shape at this week's Sunday Stamps #204??  What does it make you think of?
For me, I started thinking along the lines of a background-type stamp I could use for the shape, behind some bold picture elements on top.  Our Best Birds set fit the bill perfectly - I love this linen-y background element, just right for setting off the lovely branch and birdie!  I chose an anniversary sentiment for this one, getting low on those, and tried for simple but realistic coloring.  Who's a handsome man?  Lol.  This is another set that's retiring this year, I've found it to be so versatile, I'll miss it a lot!
Best Birds Stamp Set; Crumb Cake, Early Espresso & Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Soft Sea Foam & Cajun Craze Inks; Aqua-painter; Birds & Blooms Thinlits; #SSC204.

Fancy Folds Card Class May 9 & 11!
I'm so excited to bring on the techniques this month with Fancy Folds!  We'll be learning how to make it fancy the easy way, featuring 6 all-occasion cards each using a brand new idea for some extra fun in the folds!  I promise you will love them all!  Class will be $25, and will include all supplies needed, plus drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  Class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!   Classes will be held on Thursday, May 9 at 630 pm and also on Saturday, May 11 at 3 pm.  RSVP today to save your spot!

Yippee!  The Sisterhood of Crafters first challenge of the year is perfect - "make it sparkle!"
I decided to browse my glimmer paper stash to see if anything jumped out at me for this one.  And actually, something did!  I had totally forgotten I had some Blushing Bride Glimmer, and the pretty pink made me start thinking of hearts and love, lol.  I've always loved the squiggly heart in the Sunshine Wishes Thinlits, so I pulled out my Sunshine Sayings set to go with.  I ended up keeping it pretty simple - two entwined hearts with a "lifetime of love" sentiment - perfect for an anniversary or even Valentine's Day!  Yay for sparkle!
Sunshine Sayings Stamp Set; Subtles DSP in Blushing Bride; Whisper White & Blushing Bride CS; Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper; Memento Tuxedo Black & Blushing Bride Inks; Sunshine Wishes Thinlits; Fancy Frost Sequins (retired); #TSOCSparkle.

Woo hoo!  I'm so excited that What Will You Stamp #149 is featuring one of my fave stamp sets ever, Beautiful Bouquet!
The reason I so love this set is that it really is a complete package:  beautiful images with robust and varied sentiments, for both inside and outside the card, PLUS, it has gorgeous framelits!  I wish all our sets had it this good, lol.  Today, I decided to go for a lovely anniversary card - the sentiment set is perfect for it!  It's easy to go overboard with little flowers, too - so many choices!  I tried to keep them to three threes, lol, hope it's not too much!
Beautiful Bouquet Stamp Set; Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Powder Pink & Crumb Cake CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango & Bermuda Bay Inks; Layering Ovals & Bouquet Bunch Framelits; Crushed Curry Glitter Enamel Dots; #WWYS149.

Birthday Cards 2018 Class Jan 11 & 13!
Time to kick off the year right with five new birthday cards ready to go, all from our gorgeous new 2018 Occasions Catalog!  This is a fun way to get a little taste of lots of new items, and get your card tickler stocked at the same time!  Class costs $25, and includes all your supplies and envelopes (bring your own snips and adhesive), snacks, drinks, and a special gift from me!  This class can also be FREE with your purchase of $30 or more!  Class will be held Thursday, January 11 at 630 pm, or Saturday, January 13 at 3 pm - RSVP today to hold your spot!

This week's challenge from Less Is More #343 is SO COOL! "Use a real object" sounds like a real challenge, lol!  I'm using Paper Players #359 for my layout!
So, most folks I know have a little junk drawer somewhere - in our house, it's in the kitchen.  BUT, I also have a secret one in my craft room - SHH!  I throw all kinds of odds and ends - weird little things from the bargain bins at Michael's, stocking stuffer gags, inherited or found objects of curiosity - anything that looks like I might have a funny use for "some day."  You can pretend you don't have one, too, if you want.  I won't tell, lol.  I dug through mine for something wild for this card, and came across a tiny deck of playing cards - I'm pretty sure this was a stocking stuffer joke from a few years ago.  Hm, I thought.  This could be a fun one.  It took me a little bit to think of a good sentiment, and voila - a funny anniversary card.  Crazy!
Labeler Alphabet Stamp Set; Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight; Real Red Inks; Happy Hearts EF (retired); Basic Jewel Rhinestones; Mysterious Tiny Deck of Cards; #LIM343; #PP359.

This week we are reprising Clean & Simple #26 - let's go for the triple!  These rich colors from Global Design Project #97 will be just right, too!
So, I really felt called back to my new favorite stamp set, Beautiful Bouquet - I LOVE the wide variety of sentiments and images, combined with lovely detailed framelits - it's like a one-two-three punch!  I even loved it when I had to keep all the flowers the same color, lol!  I chose the anniversary sentiment because I so rarely have these cards on hand - time to fix that little problem, too!
Beautiful Bouquet Stamp Set; Whisper White & Crumb Cake CS; Wild Wasabi, Berry Burst & Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Bouquet Bunch Framelits; #FTL26; #GDP97.

OK, how cool is the theme at this week's Global Design Project #91 - "wheels?"  I plan to make it happen using this nested sketch from Freshly Made Sketch #292, too!
When I first started thinking about the "wheel" challenge, I had a little idea in mind - which promptly went out the window when I added in the nested shapes factor.  See, you guys have no idea blogging is also my little personal exercise in more resilient flexibility, lol!  I decided I wanted to do an alternate shape, and then I remembered my old Take It To Heart set - OMG, it's from 2012!  Yikes!  Oh well, you can't keep a good stamp down, right?  I also still have my old Hearts Framelits that go with this set, and that laid in the perfect alternative for me - yay!
Take It To Heart (retired) & Sunshine Sayings Stamp Sets; Whisper White, Silver Glimmer & Powder Pink CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Happy Heart EF (retired); Basic Jewel Rhinestones; #GDP91; #FMS292.

We have such a celebratory layout from this weeks' Case This Sketch #222 - like fireworks!  I think this'll be a good place to sneak in Less Is More #329's geometric challenge.  And just for good measure, let's make it an anniversary card for As You See It #150's love and marriage theme!
Happy Celebrations has some great shapes in it, in graded sizes, and I went with the triangle as more "geo" than the circle, lol.  I'm sure I'll get over my new Lemon Lime Twist and Fresh Fig obsession, but you'll just have to ride it out for now, I'm afraid, lol.  I also picked a nice big "anni" combo from Banners For You, and had a great time straightening out the curves on the block - thank goodness for grid paper!
Happy Celebrations & Banners For You Stamp Sets; Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist & Whisper White CS; Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist & Sweet Sugarplum Inks; Basic Jewel Rhinestones; #CTS222; #LIM329; #AYSI150.

These are fun flirty colors at this week's Create With Connie & Mary #438!
One of the card types that get asked for a lot, that I also NEVER seem to have on hand, lol, are anniversary cards.  As I got to looking at this color challenge, I started thinking, hm, boy-girl something, maybe, but silver might not fit, but hey, what about anniversary??  Sunshine Sayings was pretty made just for my stream of consciousness style of brainstorming, lol...  I kept it super simple, with just a touch of glimmer.  Love...
Sunshine Sayings Stamp Set; Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo & Pool Party CS; Silver Glimmer Paper; Smoky Slate, Flirty Flamingo & Pool Party Inks; Sunshine Wishes Thinlits; #CCMC438.

Oo, lots of angles in this week's Freshly Made Sketch #130, hmm...
It suddenly occurred to me that with my anniversary coming this week, maybe I should get crackin' on a card for hubby!  Yikes!  Good thing I'm a card-maker, lol...
So, I've been thinking for a while about how this sentiment from Yippee-Skippee would make a good anniversary card, now's the time to test that!  Add lots of color (just like our marriage!) and Houston, we have lift-off!  On to the lobster!  Yum!
Yippee Skippee!, Hearts A Flutter & Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets; Watercolor Wonder DSP; Whisper White & Daffodil Delight CS; Gumball Green, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo & Daffodil Delight Inks; Hearts A Flutter Framelits; Regals Button in Island Indigo; Tangerine Perle Cotton.