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! 

Check out these fun layers at this week's Freshly Made Sketch #368!  So playful!
It looked so playful, in fact, that I decided it was the perfect layout for one of our upcoming Sale-A-Bration sets, So Hoppy Together!  And yes, you guessed it, this set is all about frogs, lol.  There are three of them, and they have all kinds of toys to go with, too!  The one on my card today is actually riding a unicycle, but I snipped him out because I thought he was kind of hopping along fine without it, lol.  Gosh, these images remind me so much of the old Mr. Toad illustrations - eek!
So Hoppy Together Stamp Set; 2017-19 In Colors DSP (Lemon Lime Twist & Tranquil Tide); Whisper White & Granny Apple Green CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Granny Apple Green, Pool Party & Call Me Clover Blends Markers; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Granny Apple Green Glimmer Dots; #FMS 368.

Super excited about SU Only #211's "delightfully die-cut" challenge this week!
So, I finally got my own Lilypad Lake bundle this week - what a great chance to break in these dies!  I decided to do a pretty sailboat scene - I so wanted to color in those sails!  Putting everything together was s snap with the Lakeside Framelits.  I'm also fascinated by that water stamp - I did three layers in different blues to add more depth.  At the last second, I decided my sky needed some birds, so I snuck in this tiny silhouette stamp from the You Are My Anchor Paper Pumpkin - that was a fun nautical set, too.
Lilypad Lake & You Are My Anchor Stamp Sets; Balmy Blue, Night of Navy & Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Balmy Blue, Pool Party & Pacific Point Inks; Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay, Poppy Parade & Mango Melody Blends Markers; Lakeside Framelits; #SUO211.

2018 Mountainview Presbyterian Holiday Craft Boutique
Is that cinnamon rolls I smell?  Why, yes it is!  Come on out to the best Holiday Craft & Gift show, at Mountainview Presbyterian - a crafters heaven, with awesome food available, as well as baked goods galore made just for you!  I'll be there with lots of treats, cards and gifts as well - I'd love to see you!

8050 E Mountainview Rd, Friday Nov 16, 9-4 and Saturday Nov 17, 9-3.

This week's "speak your mind" challenge from As You See It #187 comes at an important time for me...
I started this challenge looking for a set that had the right words of encouragement, for someone dear to me who is going through an exciting, enervating and confusing time.  Someone who isn't hearing me, or anyone, right now, but who needs this message more than anything.  I'll be keeping this card for them, saving it for that time when words and comfort, understanding and acceptance, can play their part again.  Stay safe, my heart.  For me.
Rooted in Nature Stamp Set; Whisper White, Tranquil Tide & Crumb Cake CS; Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry & Tranquil Tide Inks; Stitched Shapes & Nature's Roots Framelits; Rich Razzleberry Enamel Dots; AYSI187.

Here I go again - time for a new-to-me challenge blog, this time CAS-ual Friday #205!  The challenge is to stamp a pattern - what a cool idea!
I spent some time looking for something I could stamp in a repeating pattern before I landed on this - it's the little roof from the treehouse set!!  Too funny!  Can you tell I'm still building my card stash for my college-bound daughter?  I'll try not to send them every day, lol, but it'll be tough.  I had some fun with bright and cheery colors, too - I think I might be going overboard on my Mango-Apple-Grape combo.  I have to move on eventually, right?  Anyway, this was a fun departure for me - good times!
Treehouse Adventure Stamp Set; Mango Melody & Whisper White CS; Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody & Gorgeous Grape Inks; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Maps Etc DEF; Glitter Enamel Dots; #CFC205.

All About the Stamparatus Class Aug 11!
This class will include SIX (I just got so excited!) mixed occasion cards that all feature how to get the most out of our amazing new tool, the Stamparatus!  You will never go back, lol.  Every card will use a fun new stamp set from our still new 2018-19 Idea Book & Catalog, so you can play with as many fun sets as possible!  All supplies provided and prepped, as usual (bring your own snips and fave basic adhesive) plus snacks, drinks, and a special gift from me!  Class is $25, or can be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is still on for  Saturday August 11 at 3 pm.  RSVP today to save your spot!  EXTRA:  There is a make-up session already scheduled for this class on Saturday, August 18 at 1pm, make sure to RSVP if you plan to attend!

July starts us off with our month long technique challenge over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday - and this month it's paper tearing!
My favorite thing to do with paper tearing is to do layers of color gradations - so dramatic for so little effort, lol.  I always try and finish on a paler color or white so I can add my sentiment at the last.  In this case, this sentiment from Colorful Seasons has become such a fave - and looks great with my blue gradated "ocean!"  Notice my use of all our "water" colors, lol??  Layering takes on a whole new dimension with the addition of the torn edge - so much fun!
Can't wait to see YOU tearing it up, over at the challenge!
Colorful Seasons Stamp Set; Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party & Whisper White CS; Night of Navy Ink; Glitter Enamel Dots in Dapper Denim (retired); #TSOTJulyTech.