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.

OK, Fusion's "Hedgehog Scooter" combo is adorable!  I don't know WHAT way to go with this one, lol.
So, the very sad truth is that I have NO hedgehogs - how can that be??  Hopefully I'll get a chance to rectify that soon, lol.  So that leaves me the awesome sketch, and it looked to me like a perfect chance to show off some of our upcoming gorgeous DSP - from the Woven Threads pack.  So pretty!  It shows some new In Colors, too - can't get any better!  I paired it up with this encouraging sentiment from the String & Beautiful set - can't believe I almost let this one get away, lol.  I stamped in the new Pretty Peacock, and added some Peacock accents as well - check out the new In Color Faceted Dots!  So excited that we have so many choices for our In Color embellishments this year!
Strong & Beautiful Stamp Set; Woven Threads DSP; Sahara Sand, Pretty Peacock & Whisper White CS; Pretty Peacock Ink; Stitched Shapes Dies; Faceted Dots in Pretty Peacock; #FusionHedgehogScooter.

There's a major milestone celebration at As You See It #200 this week - their 200th challenge!  Wowza!  So there's a "two-fer" theme going on - such fun!
I figured this could be a great opp for another "sneak peek" from our upcoming catalog - check out Above the Clouds!  I'm loving it so far, I think I was so smitten with the retiring Lift Me Up that I jumped at the chance to have another hot air balloon set.  And this one uses a punch instead of dies!  Woot woot!  So many cute accessories in this one, and the sentiments are a perfect mix of encouragement and greetings.  I'm also taking this chance to introduce some of our new In Colors - aren't they dreamy?  So glad we're back on a muted family again, you're going to love them, too!
Above the Clouds Stamp Set; Seaside Spray, Whisper White & Pretty Peacock CS; Versamark, Seaside Spray, Pretty Peacock, Terracotta Tile & Rococo Rose Inks; White EP; Hot Air Balloon Punch; Layering Circles Dies; Woven Threads Sequins in Seaside Spray.

Oh my goodness, check the adorable cover on this edition of Mary Poppins over at The Library Challenge #30!  The cutest!
All those pretty colors made me go dig out my old Neighborhood Wheel, so I could make some cute houses for my card, too!  I added on an umbrella for Ms. Poppins, and a quick word of encouragement.  I think this has turned out to be a quirky and pretty topical card, but I loved this book (and the movie!) so much!  Had to take a try at this one!  Not even close to "practically perfect," but such fun to make!
Weather Together (Retired 2018) & Neighborhood Stampin' Around Wheel (retired 2007); Whisper White & Rich Razzleberry CS; Memeto Tuixedo Black Ink; Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder (retired), Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo, Mint Macaron, Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss, Pineapple Punch; Petal Pink, Bermuda Bay & Smoky Slate Blends Markers; Umbrella Weather Framelits; #TLC030.

Butterflies Galore Class April 13!
We have a couple gorgeous new butterfly sets this Spring and I think we should get out ALL the toys to do them up right!   Let's hear it for wings everywhere!  This class will highlight 6 all-occasion cards all featuring different elements of our amazing collections, even pulling in a few Sale-A-Bration items I saved just for this!  Class includes all supplies needed (bring your own snips and fave adhesive!), drinks, snacks and a special gift from me, all for $25!  This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is still on for Saturday, April 13 at 3 pm!  RSVP today to save your spot - hope you can flutter on by!

Another fun challenge at this week's AAA #136!  One image, and an added twist of Spring!
I have to be honest, even for Arizona, the rain for our Spring has been NOTABLE - my garden is going berserk, and I'm almost longing for our wood-fired oven summer to hurry up and get here, lol!  So THAT'S what I'm thinking about Spring this year, which meant I needed to go dig out last year's Weather Together for a gorgeous umbrella!  I like the one I have, don't get me wrong, it's a great one from our newspaper, the Arizona Republic, of the funny papers, but this cool beauty in Pool Party and Mango Melody pretty much has me beat, I think, lol!
Weather Together Stamp Set (retired 2018); Whisper White & Pool Party CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Pool Party Ink; Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Mango Melody & Calypso Coral Blends Markers; Umbrella Weather Framelits (retired); #AAA136.

Love the sketch this week at Inspire Create #038!
I started out this card by hunting through some stamp sets that I haven't used in a while - how can I go wrong with my adorable piggies??  I decided to go with winged cutie - I love putting her over cloudy paper, and I still have a few sheets of Carried Away that's just right!  I stamped her on a white Stitched Circle, then again on a scrap of Blushing Bride for the color - so much easier than coloring in the whole pig, lol.  Instead I just added a few accents in Flirty Flamingo with a marker, and snipped her out to float over her wings - perfect!  It's always a good day when pigs fly, lol...
This Little Piggy Stamp Set; Carried Away DSP (retired); Smoky Slate, Whisper White & Blushing Bride CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Flirty Flamingo Blends Marker; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Clear Epoxy Droplets; #ICC038.

Man Cards 2019
Yay!  It's finally time for THE class for the men in our life!  Sometimes it can be a little tough to "go manly" for our guys, but this class guarantees something for all our dudes!  This class will feature 6 all-occasion "man" cards, without a doily or a butterfly in sight, lol.  You'll have your choice of sentiments that most suit your needs, too!  Class is $25, and provides all supplies (bring your own snips and fave adhesive!), drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  You can also take this class for FREE with your order of $30 or more!  RSVP today!  Class is still on for Saturday, March 16 at 3 pm.  See you there!

Nifty - AAA #135 has a new twist on a tic-tac-toe - a pie chart!  We're supposed to start with choosing a sentiment, and THEN pick three more things from the pie chart!  All while keeping it clean and simple!
I'm relieved that my card came out so clean and simple, but whew, I had to sweat it out!  It was a strange process for me - very backwards!  So, I started with choosing a sentiment, not my usual procedure.  I settled on this lovely from Ribbon of Courage - so true, right?  From there I had to pick my three things, sigh.  I decided to include the stamped ribbon from the same set for my image, I die-cut my sentiment, and for my matted layer, I went with Stitched Rectangles, which gives a matted look with a little less fuss.  Did I pass??  Hard to say, lol...  I did sneak on a trio of tiny hearts, too - maybe I did too much, or I can fall back on that my layer isn't really matted!  Argh!
Ribbon of Courage Stamp Set; Whisper White & Flirty Flamingo CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Flirty Flamingo Inks; Rectangle Stitched, Layering Ovals & Support Ribbon Framelits; Enamel Heart Shapes; #AAA135.

Man Cards 2019
Yay!  It's finally time for THE class for the men in our life!  Sometimes it can be a little tough to "go manly" for our guys, but this class guarantees something for all our dudes!  This class will feature 6 all-occasion "man" cards, without a doily or a butterfly in sight, lol.  You'll have your choice of sentiments that most suit your needs, too!  Class is $25, and provides all supplies (bring your own snips and fave adhesive!), drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  You can also take this class for FREE with your order of $30 or more!  RSVP today!  Class is on for Thursday, March 14 at 630 pm, or Saturday, March 16 at 3 pm.  See you there!

This week's As You See It #194 has a cool "fill in the blank" challenge - "When I think simple, I think ____."  Nifty!
To get started, I wanted to pull a set that hasn't been out to play for a bit, and landed on High Tide - love this lighthouse.  So, when I think simple, I think one-layer, with stamps, ink and paper.  This set has SO many options for setting your scene, it's hard to leave much free space to be really "clean & simple" maybe, but with everything all on one layer, I DO think of it as "simple."  I used plenty of colors, but they're also muted a little on my Sahara Sand base - perfect for a beach scene, lol.  I think I might have sand on the brain just now - three more days til Hawaii! 
High Tide Stamp Set; Sahara Sand CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Merry Merlot, Garden Green, Balmy Blue & Night of Navy Inks; #AYSI194.

Clearly, my team is channeling my upcoming Maui trip with our gorgeous beach colors at this weeks Sunday Stamps #199!  Only 5 more days!
I decided to roll with it and pulled out the ever amazing Waterfront set - these stamps are just phenomenal for building water-scape scenes of all kinds!  I tried for a little island floating in a gorgeous sunset - all kinds of strategic stamping and stamping off going for this one!  I wouldn't normally think of these colors together, but they definitely have a tropical vibe going on - I'm counting the hours at this point, lol.
So, what will YOU do with these colors?  I can't wait to see your creations over at the challenge!
Waterfront Stamp Set; Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay & Whisper White CS; Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay, Flirty Flamingo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point & Memento Tuxedo Black Inks; Rectangle Stitched Framelits; Basic Jewel Rhinestones; #SSC199.

Ooo, The Library Challenge #25 has an awesome cover for us this week - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!
This one was a hard one for me.  I would have loved to do a pretty oriental dragon, but the only dragons I have are pretty cartoony - which is NOT very GWADT!  So I started thinking about my fave character from this book, Lisbet Salandar.  A total butt-kicker!  I dug out my old Favorite Thoughts set from 2010, which has a few sassy lady quotes in it, and matched it up with the glamour girl from Beautiful You.  It ended up being fairly sparse - Lisbet's character was so no frills, I couldn't think of anything to add.  Anyway, I'm thinking of the closing sequence where Lisbet dresses up and steals all the bad guy's money - such a perfect end to a creep of a guy, lol.  Go, Lisbet.  And never behave.
Favorite Thoughts (retired, 2010) and Beautiful You Stamp Sets; Whisper White & Merry Merlot CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Merry Merlot Inks; #TLC25.

Thank You Cards Class Feb 7 & 9!
I don't know about you, but I ALWAYS need Thank You cards!  It's so handy to have a little stash on hand - and we have some gorgeous new sets for them right now, too!  Class will include all supplies needed for 6 cards and envelopes (bring your own snips and fave adhesive!), drinks, snacks and a special gift from me, all for $25!  Class could also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is on for Thursday, Feb 7, at 630 pm, or, Saturday, Feb 9 at 3 pm!  RSVP now to save your spot today!