Good times ahead - check out our fun sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday #392, love the big borders!
I cheated a little on the square shape, though, and floated  a big square on my standard card base.  To make up for it, I DID manage to slip in the secondary metallics challenge - something I almost NEVER pull off, lol.  I'll be honest, too, today is the first day I even noticed this sentiment in Love You to Pieces - I'm always stuck on the "keeping me together" one!  I liked this narrower one under my square...
So, what will YOU create??  See you over at the challenge!
Love You to Pieces Stamp Set; Twinkle Twinkle DSP; Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink & Silver Metallic CS; Night of Navy Ink; Puzzle Pieces Thinlits; Silver Sequins; #TSOT392.

Oh goodie - Fusion Challenges is back from the holidays, and with their 5th Anniversary challenge!  Wowza!
In honor of their suggested butterfly theme, I pulled out my Butterfly gala - fast becoming a go-to for me, I don't know what's wrong with me, lol.  I also snagged my Botanical Butterflies DSP for some background detail.  I followed the sketch pretty well, for the most part, and added a few popped up butterflies to pull the color over the black and white layer.  And yes, I'm actually using Grapefruit Grove - amazing!!  Lol.  Can you see my tiny little antennae made with Black Metallic Thread on my butterflies?  Cool trick and super easy to stick to a glue dot on the back!  Congrats to Fusion - here's to another 5 years!
Butterfly Gala Stamp Set; Botanical Butterflies DSP; Whisper White, Basic Black & Grapefruit Grove CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Grapefruit Grove Inks; Butterfly Duet Punch; Faceted Dots; #FusionFifthAnniversary.

So excited for our first sketch of 2019 here at Sunday Stamps #196!  We definitely have stars in our eyes, lol!
I looked at those stars and immediately went hunting for what I'd use instead, lol - how about butterflies?  Once that decision was made, Butterfly Gala was a shoe-in, of course.  I decided to cover my whole card base with this lovely Botanical Butterfly DSP, something I don't do THAT often, and since I was using a pretty green for that, I went with purple accents so I could hit my fave color combo!  I picked a different sentiment this round - love the different fonts here, and did a different pair of butterflies, too.  I used Gorgeous Grape, but stamped off for the wings.  I finished my pretties with Black Metallic Thread for the antennae, and a few Gingham Gala sequins - yum!
SO, what will YOU create?  I'll se you over at the challenge!
Butterfly Gala Stamp Set; Botanical Butterfly DSP; Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape & Basic Black CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Gorgeous Grape Inks; Butterfly Duet Punch; Gingham Gala Sequins; Black Metallic Thread; #SSC196.

I am super happy that In{k}spire Me #383 kicks off some changes over there - now I have two weeks to play, and that gives me plenty of time to jump in!  They're even doing BOTH a sketch and a color challenge!
I thought at first I'd be going for just the sketch this round, but after I picked out Flowering Desert to play with, I realized I could squeeze in the colors, too - yay!  I started by building a simple cactus on my stitched circle, then added the flowers and grasses.  I found some skinny Fresh Fig ribbon to go with the sketch, but finally decided to color some Perfect White Accents with my Petal Pink Blend Marker for the final touch - I'm really pleased with how the details came together!
Flowering Desert Stamp Set; Whisper White, Fresh Fig & Mossy Meadow CS; Mossy Meadow, Lovely Lipstick, Petal Pink & Fresh Fig Inks; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Sparkle EF; Fresh Fig Sheer Ribbon; Perfect White Accents (retired); Petal Pink Blends Marker; #IM383.

What a great sketch from this week's Hand-Stamped Sentiments #305 to kick of 2019!
For today's card I went hunting for something I haven't inked in a while - Sea of Textures "reached out" and grabbed me right away, lol.  Guess I just really wanted to stamp an octopus!  I had some fun playing with a few details - there's so much in the Under the Sea framelits that go with that I've never tried!  A little touch of seaweed seems just right down in that corner.  At the last second, I realized that my retired Dapper Denim glitter enamel dots take on a green-ish look when placed over something with Tranquil Tide in it - score!
Sea of Textures Stamp Set; Tranquil Textures DSP; Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam, Tranquil Tide & Calypso Coral CS; Night of Navy, Calypso Coral & Tranquil Tide Inks; Under the Sea & Stitched Shapes Framelits; Dapper Denim Glitter Enamel Dots (retired); #HSS305.

Birthdays Galore 2019!
I'm so excited to kick off our new Spring Occasions catalog with our annual Birthday Cards class!  We have so many fun new sets to play with!  This class will feature SIX cards and envelopes, all using stamps from our new Spring Mini and Sale-A-Bration catties!  There were just too many to choose from!  Come get a good start on having your birthday cards ready for the year!  All supplies provided, just bring your own snips and fave adhesive!  Class will be $25, and includes, drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is announced for Thursday, January 10 at 630 pm, or Saturday January 12 at 3 PM.  RSVP today to make sure I have your supplies ready and waiting for you!

Such a fun sketch this week at Global Design Project #170 - so excited to play along!
I decided today to break in another new Spring set - Butterfly Gala!  I've actually grown a bit stamp-shy with butterfly sets the last few years - we've had so many, I try not to get caught unless there's a major advance in the set design - which there totally IS for this one!  To start, there's a lovely punch to go with, that punches the two sizes at the same time.  Then, the stamp set has FOUR styles of butterfly pairs, with multiple two-step stamping coloring options - it's amazing and SO versatile!  And of course, the sentiments are super sweet with an eclectic font.  So, yes, a new butterfly set managed to tick all the boxes for me - I think it will for you, too!
Butterfly Gala Stamp Set; Gingham Gala DSP; Whisper White & basic Black CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Mango Melody Inks; Lemon Lime Twist Organdy Ribbon; Butterfly Duet Punch; Glimmer Dots; #GDP170.

Birthdays Galore 2019!
I'm so excited to kick off our new Spring Occasions catalog with our annual Birthday Cards class!  We have so many fun new sets to play with!  This class will feature SIX cards and envelopes, all using stamps from our new Spring Mini and Sale-A-Bration catties!  There were just too many to choose from!  Come get a good start on having your birthday cards ready for the year!  All supplies provided, just bring your own snips and fave adhesive!  Class will be $25, and includes, drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is announced for Thursday, January 10 at 630 pm, or Saturday January 12 at 3 PM.  RSVP today to make sure I have your supplies ready and waiting for you!

All right - so excited that The Library Challenge #23 is doing an "anthology" challenge - that is, pick a previous challenge!  Yes!  I haven't been here long so this is a great chance - and I knew as soon as I saw 101 Dalmatians that was the one!
BECAUSE, of course, this is my chance to show off the new Happy Tails bundle, a sweet doggy collection to go with our Nine Lives kitty!  It even has a builder punch to go with, too!  One of the doggie accessory stamps is even a set of dalmatian spots, so that was pretty much a done deal right there, lol.  I tried to squeeze a few extras from the set - love this little dog house and heart, but there's also pawprints, a bone, different spots - and perfect coordinating sentiments!  Good times!
Happy Tails Stamp Set; Whisper White, Real Red & Crumb Cake CS; Memento Tuxedo Black & Real Red Inks; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Dog Builder Punch; #TLC23.

Birthdays Galore 2019!
I'm so excited to kick off our new Spring Occasions catalog with our annual Birthday Cards class!  We have so many fun new sets to play with!  This class will feature SIX cards and envelopes, all using stamps from our new Spring Mini and Sale-A-Bration catties!  There were just too many to choose from!  Come get a good start on having your birthday cards ready for the year!  All supplies provided, just bring your own snips and fave adhesive!  Class will be $25, and includes, drinks, snacks and a special gift from me!  This class can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more!  Class is announced for Thursday, January 10 at 630 pm, or Saturday January 12 at 3 PM.  RSVP today to make sure I have your supplies ready and waiting for you!

Sometimes I actually DON'T want an "anything goes" challenge - I SO need structure, lol, but this week's SU Only #213 anything goes challenge is perfectly timed to sneak in some more new goodies!
Today's lucky winner is Nine Lives - a sweet little cat set that coordinates with our already released Cat punch.  I have to confess, I never got the original cat bundle - it was more Halloween-themed, and I wasn't sure how much I would use it.  But THIS set - yeah, baby!  I love that you can dress your kitty up or down, and he comes with toys and treats to play with, too!  So fun!  Today I made a stripey boy, in memory of my handsome Adso, who we had to let go a couple of weeks ago.  Mr. Fabulous was 17, and he WAS the cat's meow - we miss him!
Nine Lives Stamp Set; Gray Granite, Whisper White & Crumb Cake CS; Memento Tuxedo Black. Gray Granite & Real Red Inks; Pinewood Planks DEF; Cat Punch; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Red Sequins; #SUO213.

We have a quick and simple sketch this week for you at Fab Friday #153 - 'cause it's almost Santa time!!
Being from Arizona, the very first stamp set on my pre-order list from our upcoming Spring Occasions catty (starts Jan 3!) was the gorgeous Flowering Desert.  I love the "build-your-own" cacti options, and having that lovely big saguaro in there was an instant ht with me, lol.  This card is pretty much my view out of studio window - we have a monster saguaro right in our front yard area with several smaller kinds of cacti around it - finally a desert landscaping set!  Woo!  I am one happy stamper!
So, I can't wait to see YOUR creations - see you at Fab Friday!
Flowering Desert Stamp Set; Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White & Real Red CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green & Real Red Inks; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Old Olive Glimmer Dots; #FabFri153.

OK, too funny - Inspire Create Challenge #32 has given us a nice blank sketch to let us know that it's "anything goes" this week, lol.  Love it!
To tackle today's "sketch," I went hunting for a set that I haven't inked in a while - Remarkable You has gorgeous line art to color, and that awesome "remarkable" sentiment to go with - done!  I love that this can be simple or all dressed up - and I kept it pretty simple today.  I laid down my lovely leafy branch first, and then stamped this blossom on some scrap to snip out.  I colored everything with my Blends Markers - such smooth color and blending - my fave medium!  A few Petal Pink sequins finishes it off!
Remarkable You Stamp Set; Whisper White & Petal Pink CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Granny Apple Green, Pineapple Punch & Petal Pink Blends Markers; Basic Sequins in Petal Pink; #ICC32.

Big Plans Planner Kit Class Dec 13 & 15!
So excited that we finally get to put together our planners for 2019!  The new Big Plans kit is gorgeous and easy to use, and has so many awesome new features over last year's - I know you're going to love it!  For class, we will assemble our planner kits together, and then make a set of 10 notecards and envelopes to go with from the coordinating Big Plans Memories & More Card Pack - woo!  There are two pricing options here: if you need the planner kit, your class is $40, and includes the full planner kit along with everything you need to make your 10 notecards (plus extra supplies!)  If you have your own kit to bring, class is $15 for the notecard supplies.  If you are only making the cards, the class can also be FREE with your order of $20 or more.  Class is announced for Thursday, December 13 at 6 pm, or, Saturday December 15, at 3 pm, and includes drinks, snacks and a special gift from me for BOTH class options!  RSVP today to save your spot - and see you there!