It’s Thursday…and time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts.  This week we have a color challenge for you. Three colors that strike fear into my heart, when combined together, are Pool Party, Summer Starfruit, and Lucky Limeade.  Have you ever been so overwhelmed by a color challenge that you completely lose your mojo? That’s what happened to me with today’s Pals Paper Arts card.  It didn’t help that I waited until Monday to begin creating the card.  Design Team cards are due into our blog master by Noon EST, Tuesday before the challenge. For someone like me, who can spend hours on any card, this was cutting it a little close.

I began like I always do with any color challenge…I laid out the card stocks and a selection of Designer Series patterns in the challenge colors.  I thought I would use one of the retiring sets, Cherish Friendship, and feature the Chair stamped onto a Summer Starfruit pattern.  I was going to create little card stock flowers and feature them in the basket, which I was going to paper snip out and mount on a dimensional.  I was thinking “wow factor” all the way.  Well, it didn’t take me long to realize this looked hideous.

So I pulled out a faithful friend, French Foliage…one of my “go-to” sets.  I would once again showcase how beautiful this set is.  How you can ink those leaves in any color and they look mah-vel-ous! NOT! 

So back to the drawing board I went AGAIN.  I knew what I would do!  I would showcase the new Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Everybody loves new product peeks! I would brayer the embossing folder with Pool Party ink, and zip it through the Big Shot.  How cool would that be! Well, it wasn’t so cool.  Some of the ink ended up in the cells of the mosaics. Ugh! So I decided to just brayer the ink onto the pattern AFTER embossing.  Double ugh! I usually have a light touch on the brayer.  What was wrong with me!

Well, on my fourth trip back to the drawing board, I decided just to stamp images from the Mosaic Madness set and use the coordinating punch.  I would add pearls…and a banner! I would distress it! Oh, yeah! I was in my element for sure this time.  Except the end product did not trip my trigger.  Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

By this time, I was really frustrated, and practically in tears.  My table was a mess, as was the kitchen island.

My fifth card, where I inked up the new Morning Meadow stamp with Stampin’ Write Markers, ended up in the trash, a Morning Meadow Mess. By this time it was nearly two in the morning, so off to bed I did head…only to find my place already occupied by three Boxers. I set my alarm for 6:00 AM and curled up at the foot of the bed to grab a couple hours of sleep.

Under the gun, I just had to be satisfied with whatever developed.  I decided to use all three colors sparingly, and make white my main color.  Less than one hour later, this is the result:

Finally, a card I could live with.   It’s not my usual style, but it makes me smile…with its Cloudy Day Textured Impressions Embossing Folder background and its pearled “rays of sunshine”, cut from Summer Starfruit paper from Birds of a Feather.  A  trio of Pool Party Butterflies, created with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit, flitter across sky.

There are no traditional Stampin’ Schach Design Tips today, because I don’t have a lot of tips to share with this card.  Essentially there is just one:  Don’t force the colors to work with each other.  If you are having problems, use them sparingly as accents against a neutral.  However, I did glean a few snippets of wisdom from my ordeal.

• Sometimes the best solution is the simplest.  
• Things usually look better in the morning.
• Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others really can’t keep it from themselves.  
• And if you want a good nights sleep, get to bed before the dogs.

I hope this little card has brought some sunshine into your lives today. Until next time…

Stamp Set:  Feel Goods; Inks:  Lucky Limeade; Designer Series Paper:  Birds of a Feather; Card Stock:  Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White; Tools:  Big Shot, Cloudy Day Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Labels Collection Framelits; Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls

Tomorrow Pals Paper Arts has another fun challenge in store for us.  Here is a little peek of my Design Team card to pique your interest.  Let me tell you, it was a challenge for me.  Join me Thursday for the reveal, and the story of my trials and tribulations!

Bye-Bye Bordering on Romance

Bordering on Romance (W 125480, C 125482) is on the retired list.  This was a set that in the beginning, I didn’t really like.  Then I created these cards, and the love affair started. However, I can’t keep every retired set, so it is one which I will be selling after June 1st.

Until next time…

It’s Sunday and time to play with The Paper Players! This week we have a sketch challenge for you. Remember that you can flip the sketch, and use any shapes you wish.  We just want you to have fun! And speaking of fun, I had a blast using Soho Subway,  one of the Designer Series Paper collections available when the new Stampin’ Up! catalog goes live on May 31st. Enjoy!

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

• Blue medallions! One of my favorite patterns from this shabby collection consists of Blue Medallions, just made for adding a pearl in the center!

• Crisp Cantaloup and Baked Brown Sugar!  Everything Eleanor Blossoms are inked in new In-Colors, Crisp Cantaloup and Baked Brown Sugar. They are nestled upon a Soho Subway Newspaper Print 2-1/2″ punched circle.

• Summer Starfruit! This gorgeous pattern in Summer Starfruit, pairs perfectly with the Crisp Cantaloup, Island Indigo and Very Vanilla Soho patterns.

What do you think of this paper? Won’t you let me know in today’s comments? I’ll be anxious to read your thoughts.  Plus, I am sending a big thank-you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and sent cards!  You all made my day very special! Until next time…

 

Stamp Sets:  Everything Eleanor (W 131987, C 124164), From My Heart (W 132007, C 126557); Inks: Crisp Cantaloup (Available May 31st, 2013), Baked Brown Sugar  (Available May 31st, 2013), Island Indigo (126986); Designer Series Paper:  Soho Subway (Available May 31st, 2013); Card Stock:  Crisp Cantaloup (Available May 31st, 2013), Baked Brown Sugar (Available May 31st, 2013), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: 2-1/2″ Circle Punch (120906), Paper Snips (103579); Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls (119247)