So excited to share our 4th Color Challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday - so pretty!
I decided to pull out our new Highland Heather purple, and work in the other colors from there.  Bunch of Blossoms to the rescue!  I think I might be too similar to Sunday's card, except having a punch allowed me to add some dimension to things.  I went for a little drifting petal action, lol, and it's a cool effect combined with the flat stamping in the background, too!  A few tiny leaves finish us off!
I can't wait to see what YOU come up with - see you at the challenge!
Bunch of Blossoms Stamp Set; Memento Tuxedo Black, Highland Heather, Mint Macaron & So Saffron Inks; Bunch of Blossoms Punch; Fancy Frost Sequins (retired); #TSOTCC4.

SU Only #205 has a bittersweet theme for us this week - "back to school!"  This is my first year out of the normal school calendar, though I guess I can play at the collegiate level now, lol.
I had a tough time thinking of something school related, lol.  Finally I started thinking about my favorite and most inspiring teachers, both in and out of school, and I realized, our Statement of My Heart would apply to every single one of them!  Perfect!  And look at that, it fits perfectly on one of the gorgeous laser cut dies in the Share What You Love embellie kit - go figure!  I also decided to add this pretty pen from Crafting Forever - kind of classroom-ish, lol.  I know just what teacher this for already!
Statement of My Heart & Crafting Forever Stamp Sets; Real Red, Basic Black & Whisper White CS; Share What You Love Embellishment Kit Tag; Wood Textures DSP; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Real Red, Crumb Cake & Gray Granite Markers; #SUO205.

Oh, wow, another pretty combo at this week's Fusion "Rustic Flowers" challenge!
I'm continuing my "spread the ink love"quest today, and pulling out my seldom-used Touches of Texture set.  I'm also indulging my color tastes today, too - mango and Green Apple, anyone?? lol.  Anyway, I'm not sure why I don't use Touches of Textures more, really.  I think it might be my deep and abiding affection for our retired Gorgeous Grunge {SOB} and now I'm just afraid to get attached, lol.  I will say that this set has a few line-art elements, too, that are fun to mix and match, so maybe I can move on now...
Touches of Texture & Stitched All Around Stamp Sets; Wood Textures DSP; Crumb Cake, Whisper White & Mango Melody CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight & Mango Melody Inks; Stitched Labels & Layering Circles Framelits; Heavy Crumb Cake Twine (from a past Paper Pumpkin); Wink of Stella; #FusionRusticFlowers.

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!

Love this cute banded sketch from Hand-Stamped Sentiments #295!  I have just enough time to slip in TGIF #171's bright colors, too!
I decided to browse today for some still-current sets that I have been neglecting a bit - two that rose to the top are the Marbled background stamp, and Eastern Beauty.  I started with a bold marbled Poppy Parade background, then decided to build a bright medallion from the Eastern Medallion thinlits - I hope my little sentiment is visible enough!  I ended up mostly using my Eastern Beauty stamps on the envelope, lol - go figure!
Eastern Beauty & Marbled Stamp Sets; Whisper White, Pacific Point, So Saffron, Poppy Parade & Basic Black CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, Pacific Point, Poppy Parade & So Saffron Inks; Eastern Medallion Thinlits; Layering Circles Framelits; Black Rhinestones; #HSS295; #TGIF171.

All About the Stamparatus Class Aug 9 & 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!  Classes are on for Thursday, August 9 at 630 pm, or 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!

OK, this is cool - As You See It #181's challenge is to play with what we are "totally obsessed with."  How to pick just one??
In the end, it was actually pretty easy:  right now, I am TOTALLY obsessed with my Stamparatus, especially after getting ready for my "All About the SAR" class - I'm in LOVE!  One of my fave techniques with it is "stampin' in the round," and I had fun with that again today, using the little leaf from our Pop of Petals set.  I made a quick turning template using our Layering Square Framelits, and just went to town.  I pulled in this cute little sentiment from Label Me Pretty to go with.  Sigh.  I love you, SAR!
Pop of Petals & Label Me Pretty Stamp Sets; Soft Sea Foam, Mossy Meadow & Whisper White CS; Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow & Memento Tuxedo Black Inks; Layering Squares (for the template) & Layering Circles Framelits; Leaves Trinket; #AYSI181.

All About the Stamparatus Class Aug 9 & 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!  Classes are on for Thursday, August 9 at 630 pm, or Saturday August 11 at 3 pm.  RSVP today to save your spot!

Woo woo!  I can't believe it's August already!  That means it's also time for a new technique challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday - and we're entering a new dimension!
A stampin' dimension, that is, lol.  The challenge is to add dimension WITHOUT foam dots or strips - go check out three ideas we have over at the challenge!  For myself, I decided to stack some dies, and our new Love You to Pieces bundle is pretty much made for this!  The puzzle square pieces all stack up perfectly in layers of four.  I didn't even pop dot ANYTHING else - just my stacked puzzle pieces!  Love the finished card!
Can't wait to see YOUR creations - see you at the challenge!
Love You to Pieces Stamp Set; Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green & Whisper White CS; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink; Puzzle Pieces Thinlits; Brights Sequins in Orange; #TSOTTechAug.

All About the Stamparatus Class Aug 9 & 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!  Classes are on for Thursday, August 9 at 630 pm, or Saturday August 11 at 3 pm.  RSVP today to save your spot!

Another fun challenge from Back to Basics #8 - use an embossing folder!  Yay! 
One of my favorite and most used embossing folders this year is the lovely Layered Leaves - it just goes with so much!  I decided to pull out our Painted Harvest set to go with - I've been seeing so many pretty flowers in different colors with it this week - gotta get in on that!  I stuck with my subtles collection for my flower pairings - so soft!  I went a little nuts and made three combos - I think I covered up too much of my embossing - eek!  Still, lots of fun, I even got some fussy cutting time - yay!
PS.  August 1 marks the start of some great new holiday promotions - Bonus Days are back, and there's a gorgeous new suite, Color Your Season, available, with NEW watercolor pencils!  Click the links to check out the Promos page!  Links are also available on the right-hand column of the blog home page throughout the promos!
Painted Harvest Stamp Set; Whisper White & Pear Pizzazz CS; So Saffron, Blushing Bride, Petal Pink, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Soft Suede & Pear Pizzazz Inks; Leaf Punch; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Layered Leaves DEF; #BBB8.

All About the Stamparatus Class Aug 9 & 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!  Classes are on for Thursday, August 9 at 630 pm, or Saturday August 11 at 3 pm.  RSVP today to save your spot!

Wowza!  In{k}spire Me #360 is celebrating their SEVENTH birthday!  Amazing!  As usual, I get to pick my own past sketch and color combo to help them celebrate!  I decided to combine two recent challenges I missed while traveling: 355 & 356.
Another fun new set that has recently come my way is Enjoy Life, a million dollar set designed by Connie Fitzgerald.  It's full of inspiring images and sentiments, with pretty details to add.  I had a great time with this color combo - so gorgeous how the subtle colors play off each other!  I really like botanical stems in general -I can tell I'll be using those images a LOT...
Enjoy Life Stamp Set; Calypso Coral DSP; Whisper White, Petal Pink & So Saffron CD; Petal Pink, Calypso Coral & So Saffron Inks; Stitched Shapes Framelits; Envelope Punch Board; Ombre Ribbon in Calypso Coral; Calypso oral Enamel Shapes; #IM360.

Check out the pretty banded sketch Retro Rubber #91 has for us this week!
I pulled out some beauties for this one - THREE sets, lol.  I knew I wanted to do a stamped element for the scallop border, and I quickly came across Delicate Details - can't believe it's only from last year's SAB!  Next up - a focal image.  I started thinking about how pretty the lace would look heat embossed on Crumb Cake in white, so I thought some kind of floral-branchy image would be good, and in came my beloved Soft Summer from 2009.  It's a tree AND a flower, baby!  God, that still cracks me up, lol.  I finished with a simple sentiment from 2005's Small Script - I still have all these old script sets - so fun to punch out with our retired Small Oval punch.  Whew.  I think that's Retro enough for today, lol...
Delicate Details (2017), Soft Summer (2009) & Small Script (2005) Stamp Sets, all retired; Whisper White, Crumb Cake & Pear Pizzazz CS; Memento Tuxedo Black, White Craft, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron & Petal Pink Inks; White EP; Small Oval Punch (retired); Basic Jewel Pearls; #RR91.

Yippee!  Time for another Tic-Tac-Tuesday #4, over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday, of course!  Hope you're game!
This one, only my second ever, lol, was a little tougher for me.  I finally settled on the center horizontal - Foil-Geometric-Blue.  Our Accented Blooms set has two wonderful geometric sentiments, and a handy punch to boot, so I ran with it!  An assortment of blues, a geometric dots background, and we are all set!  So fun!  I also saved my center blank from the floral image to do a matching border for the envelope - waste not, want not!  See you at the challenge!
Accented Blooms Stamp Set; Whisper White & Silver Foil CS; Blueberry Bushel, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana & Balmy Blue Inks; Polka Dot Basics EF; Tailored Tag Punch; Silver Sequins; #TSOT-TTT4.

Catch Up Classes Available July 21!
Oopsie!  Did you miss something you still want to make up?  Well, this day is for you!  Come any time, all day, on Saturday, July 21, for your chance!  I'd love for you to visit with me at Sarah's 2018 Summer Craft Retreat, at the Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree!  I'll have FIVE classes available for you to make up - just let me know which ones you're interested in!  This will be your chance to check out the fun at retreat, too - maybe next year you'll join us for the weekend!
Available classes:  March 2018, Bubbles & Raindrops, 2 seats; April 2018, Man Cards 2018, 3 seats; May 2018, Picnic With You & Barn Door Class, 3 seats; June 2018, New Catty Intro, 4 seats; July 2018, Christmas in July 2018, 2 seats.  All classes include all supplies (bring your own snips & fave adhesive) and a special gift from me, all for $25 each!  Classes can also be FREE with your order of $30 or more per class!  RSVP today!