It’s Thursday, and time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts! This week is a color challenge:  Real Red, Soft Sky, Whisper White.  At first, I was at a loss with what I would do with this color combination.  I pulled out my cardstock, and what few pieces of  Designer Paper I could find which contained these colors and hoped I would become inspired.  The more I played with this combination, the more I embraced it and the challenge.  I ended up using two patterns that, strangely enough,  reminded me of the oilcloth table coverings that my grandmother used.  I hope you enjoy today’s card.  Its quick and easy layout can be used whenever you have a “card emergency”.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Cute and Colorful
This finished card measures 4-1/4′ wide by 5-1/2″ long.

• Selectively ink! Real Red and Basic Black Stampin’ Write Markers were used to selectively ink the sentiment, “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful” from Perfect Pennants.  Don’t you just love this sentiment? It is so true!

• B is for Banner! With the new Banners Framelits, banners are just a crank of the Big Shot away!

• Packs a punch!  Don’t you just love it when a set comes with a punch!  The Petite Petals set does just that. Inked in Real Red, a trio of these cuties with Candy Dot centers were the perfect little accents.

This cold, winter weather is making me long for the freshness of spring, and this is being reflected in my card making. I love this clean design with the small floral print. I think it is “springy”! What do you think? Won’t you let me know in today’s comment? Your comments are important to me. And 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...

Stamp Sets:  Petite Petals, Perfect Pennants; Inks:  Real Red, Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker, Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker;  Designer Series Paper: Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack, Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack; Cardstock:  Real Red, Whisper White; Tools:  Petite Petals Punch, Big Shot, Banners Framelits; Glitz and Glam: Subtles Candy Dots

The Stamp Review Crew is at it again!  Who is the Stamp Review Crew?  We are a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators who specialize in showing you how versatile a single stamp set can be! Every 1st and 3rd Monday we feature one stamp set and show you multiple ways to use it. You will be able to hop through all of our blogs and find a variety of projects.  I am Lucky #13 on the hop. You should have just left stop #12:  Rita Wright.  If so, you are in the right spot.  If you get off track, the full blog lineup at the end of this post will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the amazing creations. This week our focus is on the Hearts A Flutter set.  With Valentines Day just ahead, we thought we would help you out with some awesome ideas for this  adorable set and coordinating framelits. I hope you enjoy today’s clean and colorful card.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Cute and Colorful
This finished card measures 5-1/2″ wide x 4-1/4″ long.

• Be still my heart! The hearts from Hearts A Flutter are perfect for “pearling” and stacking. Inked in Strawberry Slush and Bermuda Bay, they coordinate perfectly with the new Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper.

• Curvaceous! In a departure from my typical banner, the cursive “Love” sentiment from the Best of Love set was inked in JetBlack StazOn. It was cut out with an Oval Framelit, and then the sides were trimmed.  The result complements the curves of the hearts.

• Banner banter! Perfect banners were cut using the new Banner Framelits. And look how well these patterns from the Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper coordinate with each other.  My little secret as to why they work so well together? They are all geometric shapes! Triangles, circles and squares, oh my!

What do you think of today’s card? Won’t you let me know in your comment?  Your comments are very important to me.  And remember, if you ever have a questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Next up on the hop is #14, the super talented  Cindy Beach.  Until next time…

 

1. Yapha Mason  yaphamason.com
2. Debra Burgin  heartfeltinkspiration.com/
3. Beth Beard   mylittlecraftblog.com/
4. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/
5. Jill Coleman   jillstamps.com/
6. Deb Currier   artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com/
7. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
8. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
9. Kerry Willard Bray   kerrywillardbray.com
10. Holly Krautkremer   rubberredneck.typepad.com
11. Mary Rindal   maryrindal.com/
12. Rita Wright   ritascreations.blogspot.com/
13. Ann Schach   stampinchic.com/
14. Cindy Beach   stampspaperandink.typepad.com/
15. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
16. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com

Stamp Sets:  Hearts A Flutter, Best of  Love; Inks:  Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Jet Black StazOn; Designer Series Paper:  Kaleidoscope; Card Stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush; Tools:  Big Shot, Oval Framelits, Banners Framelits, Hearts A Flutter Framelits; Glitz and Glam:  Jewels Basic Pearls

The Paper Players are back from a holiday break with a fun challenge to start the new year off right:  Clean Slate…Projects Using the Chalkboard Technique.  I opted to frame my “chalkboard” with a gold-embossed ornate frame from Papaya Collage, and selected the romantic sentiment from Follow My Heart.  I hope you enjoy my first card of 2014!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:  The Chalkboard Technique
This finished card measures 4-1/4″ wide by 5-1/2″ long.

• As easy as 1 -2 -3!  The chalkboard technique that I employed was:  1)  Ink sentiment with VersaMark and stamp onto Basic Black cardstock; 2)  Heat emboss using White Stampin’ Emboss Powder;  3)  Add “chalkdust” using an Embossing Buddy.  How easy is that!

• The “Midas” touch! Gold Foil cardstock and gold embossing add a touch of elegance, contrasting beautifully with the black cardstock.  The hearts are courtesy of the Fashionable Hearts Embosslits, while the banners were created in the wink of an eye using the the new Banners Framelits.

• Sophisticated! Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black, when paired with gold, make a sophisticated statement, perfect for framing the Eiffel Tower image from Follow My Heart!

I hope you enjoyed today’s card.  I can’t wait to give it to my husband for Valentine’s Day!  It’s not masculine, but I know he will love the sentiment.

I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but it is bitterly cold here in SE Iowa.  According to our weather forecast, “a reinforcing shot of Arctic air will arrive on Sunday afternoon and bring dangerously cold wind chills of 35 to 45 below with some wind chills around 50 below zero late Sunday night and Monday morning.”  Even though Muffy looks snuggly in her plaid coat with hood,  with temperatures like that, the Twins and Lexi will be doing their “jobs” on paper in the garage.

It’s a perfect day to stay inside, stay warm and stamp away! Until next time…

Stamp Sets:  Follow My Heart, Papaya Collage; Inks: VersaMark; Designer Series Paper:  Modern Medley;  Cardstock:  Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Gold Foil; Tools:  Heat Tool, Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder, White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Big Shot, Banner Framelits, Fashionable Hearts Embosslits, Stampin’ Dimensionals;