It’s Thursday, and time to play at Pals Paper Arts! This week is our monthly sketch challenge, courtesy of the talented  Margaret Moody.  Don’t you just love how unique it is?  I thought is was perfect for showcasing the Modern Medley Designer Series Paper collection.  I have never been afraid of mixing patterns, and I hope that you enjoy my tip on mixing them successfully!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Mixing Patterns
This finished card measures 5″ x 5″.

• Harmony!  When mixing patterns, look for those that work together, either through similar theme, texture, scale or color.  Like Crosby, Stills and Nash, these three patterns from Modern Medley harmonize perfectly. Why? They share the same color combination of Basic Black and Very Vanilla. 

• Contrast! The Flower from Blooming with Kindness was inked in Cherry Cobbler.  The Flower image was actually stamped three times, and then snipped and layered to add depth.  What sets this blossom apart is the fact that the petal were curled upward to add dimension.

• Elegance! What better embellishment to impart elegance to this classy color scheme than Pearls! Strings of pearls were used to accent the sentiment and the butterfly, while a single one forms the center of the flower.

Wow!  Was I showing my age with the reference to Crosby, Stills and Nash.  But the other choice I could think of was Simon and Garfunkel, which places me in an even earlier era. But hopefully you get the picture! The result is a classy, elegant “harmonious” card where all of the patterns work together.

What do you think of today’s card? Before you run off to check out the rest of the Design Team’s cards, won’t you leave me a comment and let me know what you think? And remember, if you ever have any question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

Stamp Set:  Blooming with Kindness (W 131961,  C 126422); Inks:  Cherry Cobbler (); Designer Series Paper:  Modern Medley (126926); Card Stock:  Basic Black (121045), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools:  Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), 1-1/4″ Circle Punch (119861), Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406), Paper Snips (103579); Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls (119247)

It’s Sunday, and time to play with The Paper Players! This week we have a Clean and Simple Challenge from the talented Anne Marie:  Bring on the Bling!  While the other members of the design team brought it on with rhinestones and sparklies, I blinged it up with a simple trio of …what?  Can you guess? Anybody? Yep! Pearls! Enjoy today’s quick and easy card.

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

• Put the paper to work! Modern Medley is a gorgeous collection of Basic Black and Very Vanilla designer patterns.  I wanted an elegant, sophisticated look which would complement the flower, and this pattern filled the bill.  In a matter of minutes, the background was complete.

• The power of the flower! Since red is the color of love and passion, it was the perfect choice for this Stippled Blossom image. I selected Cherry Cobbler with a Jet Black StazOn overlay.

• It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that bling! I will admit that I originally tried a trio of rhinestones in the center of the blossom.  However, they “clashed” with the warmth of the Very Vanilla.  So I replaced them with pearls.

 

In retrospect, I wish that I would have matted the Bride and Groom sentiment from Sweet Essentials with Basic Black. However, I wanted to stay more on the clean and simple side and avoid layers.

This card was designed for a former student, Cory, who was recently married.  As a science teacher, it is always satisfying when a student embarks on a career in the sciences.  Cory is now a successful chiropractor, and I am so proud of him!

I am also proud of my girls, too! Muffy came back from the specialties this past weekend sporting two firsts in her very competitive class, while little Lexi won her class once and was second the rest of the days.  Muffy looked gorgeous, while Lexi looked adorable.  And speaking of adorable, Muffy gave birth yesterday…to the latex fish…again.  Those of you who are longtime followers of The Stampin’ Schach know that every year, Muffy goes through a false pregnancy.  The poor thing went off feed, built a nest, and “gave birth”!  She snuggles with it, cleans it, and positions it so it can nurse.  She will make a great mother some day!

What do you think of today’s card?  Won’t you let me know in your comment today? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one them.  Of course, if you ever have any questions about the cards I create, or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

Round Three Share Update:  I only have two openings left in the Designer Series Paper share and two left in the Ribbon Share.  These are Shares One and Two found at the bottom of  this post.   Everyone who participates in my shares will have their name placed into a drawing for a Holiday “I Want It All” share.  Please email me if you are interested in one of these two remaining spots.  This will conclude the new product shares from the 2013 – 2014 Catalog.  The next shares will be from the Holiday Catalog.  Thank you so much for your overwhelming support of my share program!

Stamp Sets: Stippled Blossoms (W 132076, C 126747), Sweet Essentials (W 132085, C 126457);  Inks: Cherry Cobbler (126966), Old Olive (126953), Jet Black StazOn (101406);   Designer Series Paper:  Modern Medley (126926); Card Stock:  Very Vanilla (101650), Basic Black (121045); Tools:  Paper Snips (103579); Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls (119247)

It’s Sunday…and time to play with The Paper Players! This week we have a summer quartet of colors for you:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, So Saffron, Early Espresso.  I elected to do something a little different from what I usually design. I hope you enjoy today’s “Dare to be Different” card, which I created for my son, Brady.  But how easy would it be to switch out the hybrid sentiment to transform this into a Father’s Day card.  How about “Dad, you stand out in the crowd” or “Dad, you are one in a million”.  Knowing my son like I do, who does indeed dare to be different, he would probably opt for something like “Dad, you’re the goldfish in a school of perch”!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Hybrid Sentiments
This finished card measures 5″ x  5″.

• Poppin’ perch! The Fish image from By the Tide was inked in Calypso Coral and stamped onto So Saffron cardstock.  It was then snipped out and popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals atop a Pool Party Sea Fan.  The result is a fish of a different color!

• Special sentiment! Looking for just the right words to convey what you want to say? My Digital Studio can come to the rescue.  I used Plantagenet Cherokee and Mistral fonts for my customized sentiment.

And here is the intended recipient of this card:

 I have to admire his unique sense of being.  In a world of Air Jordans, Brady elected to wear “Velcro” shoes in junior high.  In a school community where athletes are the stars, Brady stepped off the team to prepare for auditions and contests.  He preferred Goodwill over Abercrombie.  And he went on to be a participant in All State Band, All State Jazz Band, All State Speech, Optimist Youth of the Year, a Gallon Grad blood donor, Valedictorian and more.  His peers honored him by voting him Homecoming King and graduation speaker.  Today he continues pushing the boundaries, being different, and being true to himself.  His wardrobe still comes from Goodwill.  He is not afraid to wear Velcro and slip-ons.  He is still daring to be different…

I hope you enjoyed today’s post and this glimpse into my life.  Won’t you let me know what you think of my “Dare to be different card” in your comment?  As always, if you have any questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

Stamp Set:  By the Tide; Ink: Early Espresso, Pool Party, Calypso Coral; Card Stock:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, So Saffron, Whisper White; Tools: My Digital Studio; Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls