The lovely Claire, from The Paper Players, is hosting a Summer Fun in the Water challenge this week. Claire stated she loves being by the water in the summer, and I don’t blame her. I would love to live by an ocean, where I could walk barefoot in the sand and collect shells to my heart’s content. My love of shells is probably why the So Many Shells stamp set called my name. I hope you enjoy today’s summer card!
Colors of the Day
The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips
This finished card measures 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ when folded.
Who doesn’t love sparkly shells? The Sea Urchin and the Scallop were kissed with Wink of Stella, while the Large Shell received a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds. And although it may not be a traditional color palette for shells and sea urchins, I love how they look stamped in Blushing Bride, Perfect Plum and Sahara Sand.
Soft Sky water and Crumb Cake gulls, courtesy of the High Tide stamp set, create a vignette for the fabulous Seas the Day sentiment. In fact, if the shells are not enough to convince you that you need the So Many Shells set, the amazing sentiments should.
A little Copper Trim and a few Pearls accent the oval. Copper Trim is one of my favorite products from the new catalog. It’s so versatile, I find myself using it quite often.
Who’s This Handsome Dog?
American/Canadian Champion You Don’t Know Jack
As many of you noticed, I was missing from the blog most of the month of June. Kim, my husband, and I accompanied Jackie the Boxer on his quest to earn his Canadian Champion title. We were fortunate enough to enlist the aid of one of Canada’s top handlers, Colin Brownlee. If you think Colin looks familiar, you may have seen him on TV if you watch the Westminster Dog Show.
Jackie and Colin hit it off immediately. They made a beautiful team. Not only did Jackie earn his Champion title, he earned multiple working group placements.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to rest on our laurels for long. Upon our return home, Jackie was stung by a bee, and suffered an allergic reaction. We had two emergency trips to the vet, one at 3:00 AM. He was covered in hives, and his eyes and nose were swelling shut. Here he is the morning after, after many of the hives had went down. You can imagine what he looked like when I rushed him to the vet. He was one sick puppy.
Jackie has gained back most of the four pounds he lost, but he still is not 100%. Because the above picture is so sad looking, we’ll leave you with a happy picture. Here he is strutting his stuff in Canada. He definitely loves to run around the show ring!
If you would like to try your hand at creating today’s summer card, the supply list is located below. Clicking on a product takes you right to my store. And remember, during the month of July, every $50 you order scores a $5 Off Bonus Coupon from Stampin’ Up! to be used on August orders…as well as a free gift from me! As always, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…
Coming Soon: Retired Stamps List
Welcome to a new feature at The Stampin’ Schach: On the CASE with Ann & Nicole, an endeavor lovingly undertaken with my friend and stamping buddy, Nicole Watt of 
You know me…I LOVE to fussy cut, and I LOVE a soft, romantic card. It should come as no surprise that I would select this feminine beauty, pictured below, as my choice for this week.
It’s time for another round of inspiration from 
The Seaweed image was inked in Tranquil Tide and stamped onto Pool Party cardstock. It was then colored using Blender Pens with Pool Party, Tranquil Tide, and Powder Pink inks. A slight shimmer was imparted with a Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush. Shells were embossed in white, and accented with Pearls and Rhinestones.
A glittery Anchor is embedded in the sand, resting atop a swatch of Copper trim, which was spread out. The trio of fish were copper embossed. Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter adds a touch of bling.
I hope you enjoyed today’s card made with this versatile set. Won’t you let me know in your comment today? Of course, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away. Now hop along to 
We just returned from showing Jackie in Canada for three weeks, and I needed several thank you cards to send out to my new Canadian friends. I thought Narelle’s sketch would be perfect for showcasing the adorable Coffee Café set. It’s easy, thanks to the coordinating Coffee Cups framelits. I hope you like this cute little thank you card a latte!
The greeting was stamped in Garden Green, the lid in Early Espresso, and the little hearts are Cherry Cobbler. Since this was the first time I inked up this set, I rubbed over the lid and sentiment oval with a pencil eraser to help the ink adhere better, thus providing a better image.
For my first card today, I decided to showcase the fall splendor of Colorful Seasons by using my favorite trio of autumnal colors: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry. These were accented with the warmth and elegance of Copper Foil.
This card was created for my husband to celebrate his retirement from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Rail Road. He still has it, tucked away safely in the top drawer of his dresser. You may recognize the trees, which are from one of my all-time favorite sets, Lovely As a Tree (128655 W, 127793 C). Lovely As a Tree was one of the sets in my Starter Kit when I became a demonstrator. I’ve often jokingly said, when Lovely As a Tree retires, so will I. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (128748 W, 127802 C). It is still available, too.
My poor husband probably grew tired of train cards. He received one for his birthday.
And my son, Brady, probably grew tired of me inspiring him to “Live the Life You Imagined”, which was my favorite sentiment from the now retired set, Really Good Greetings. They were indeed really good greetings, and oh how I wish I had never sold that set. Yep, I have “seller’s remorse”.
And we both enjoyed a hug!
I hope you enjoyed today’s spotlight on Traveler. It’s a wonderful masculine set….but it is only available through this month. As always, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away. Until next time…
The Leaf image was stamped in Old Olive which had been stamped off once, in order to lighten the hue. The detail stamp was used “full strength”. Now to be perfectly honest, I did fussy cut the leaves, but they are easy to snip out.
I hope you enjoyed today’s card. If you would like the complete step-by-step instructions on how to complete your own easy Thank You card, please 
