A big “Thank You” goes out to everyone who visited my blog and left comments during the Pals Blog Hop on Tuesday.  (In case you missed my Secret Garden card and the hop, you can visit the original post HERE.)  My Blog Candy winner for the Pals Spring Hop Blog Candy Giveaway has been selected using a random number generator.  Since many of the “hoppers” were offering blog candy, you will want to watch for their Winner Announcements.

And the winner is:  PAM MILLIS.  Pam will get all of the items in the photo above.

Pam said…

WOW, Ann, this card is a “knockout”! Love all the detail, the colors, AND, as usual, all your handy tips & “how-to’s”.

Congrats, Pam!  Please email me (ann@thestampinschach.com) in the next 24 hours with your U.S. mailing address. I’ll get your blog candy mailed out in a jiffy!  Until next time…

Did you ever have one of those days when you just wanted to throw in the towel?  Call it quits?  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  I was ready to shut down The Stampin’ Schach, and put away the stamps.  Had it not been for the support of a good stamping friend, I would have done just that.  

I was second guessing the cards that I create.  I am not a designer by any stretch of the imagination, but I wish I were.  I marvel at those who have the formal training and the innate artistic ability.  Yet I put my heart and soul into every card I make, and attack each project with a passion that comes from deep within. My cards are a part of me and they are a reflection of who I am.  It is important to me that you like what I do.

My friend talked me down off the proverbial “ledge”, and for that I am grateful.  I will be taking his advice to heart, and will be making some changes that will improve my blog while making me a happier person.  I made this card to show my appreciation for his concern and caring.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips
This finished card measures 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″.

• Lovely, layered butterflies! The Bitty Butterfly Punch is the perfect companion to the Elegant Butterfly Punch.  Don’t forget the Pearls!

• Pretty and pearly!  The Stippled Blossoms image was inked in So Saffron, and overstamped in Calypso Coral.  At your discretion, you can tuck a Paper Doily behind the blossom for a frilly look!  And don’t forget the Pearls!

• Banner with a twist! For a different look, paper snip around a rose, rather than cutting straight down the edge of the banner.  And oops…I forgot the Pearl! A small Pearl would be a perfect embellishment for the center of this little rose.

BLOG CANDY 

If you are interested in winning this blog candy, please be sure to leave a comment HERE by 6 PM CST on Thursday, March 14th.  One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments received on Tuesday’s post.  The winner will be announced on Friday, and will need to email a mailing address to me within 24 hours.  Blog Candy can be shipped to US addresses only, due to Stampin’ Up!’s guidelines.

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

 

(Edited on March 14th:  Still Addinktive is encouraging their readers to link up any projects that we have created using the Secret Garden stamp set.  They are accepting either old or new projects.  Some challenges call this a ‘Linky Party’ or a ‘Product Blog Hop’ but they call it – Spot that Stamp Set.  I am linking the card below to their site.)

Thank you for joining us for the March Pals Blog Hop! Today the Stampin’ Pretty Pals are excited to share new ideas and projects to get you ready for spring.  You should have just left Stop # 7 on the Hop:  Debbie Crowley at “expressively deb”.  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 from blog to blog.

Harbingers of Spring

When I think of spring, I think of  the “Three B’s”… Butterflies, Blossoms and Birds.  So in keeping with the theme of today’s hop, I decided to include all three on this Spring card.  This card will be heading to a special couple in Chicago.  How will it get there unscathed, you wonder?  It will be tucked away safely in one of Stampin’ Up!’s Clear Mount Stamp Cases, which will be placed in a padded envelope.  I hope they like it…and I hope you do, too!

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

• Butterflies, blossoms, and birds!  The Blossom from Secret Garden was stamped multiple times and given extra dimension by snipping layers and popping them up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.  As for the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Butterflies, they too float above the surface on dimensionals and Glue Dots. The Leaves and Bird are courtesy of the Bird Builder Punch.  Of course, Basic Pearls are the “pearl-fect” fillers!

• Banners! Pool Party Card Stock banners are given texture by zipping them through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Snippets of Sale-A-Bration Pool Party Ribbon and Basic Pearls complete the look.

• Softly and sweetly! The background, which was randomly stamped with the Bordering on Romance Posies and heat embossed with Pool Party Stampin’ Emboss Powder, achieves a sweet softness when covered with Vellum.  It was adhered with SNAIL Adhesive in places out of view…under the banners, under the sentiment, and under the collage of flowers.

Blog Candy

You may have noticed the cute little egg graphic at the beginning of this post.  It means that I am a Hopper who is offering Blog Candy.  Because you and your comments mean a ton to me, and because I want to thank you a ton, I am offering the following:

• Oh, Whale Clear Stamp Set
• Happy Whale Clearlit
• 12 –  6″ x 6″  sheets of Sunshine and Sprinkles Designer Series Paper

If you are interested in winning this blog candy, please be sure to leave a comment on this post by 6 PM CST on Thursday, March 14th.  One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments received.  The winner will be announced on Friday, and will need to email me a mailing address within 24 hours.  Blog Candy can be shipped to US addresses only, due to Stampin’ Up!’s guidelines.

Won’t you please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s card? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one.  As always, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away.   The next stop is #9 – Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping.  Until next time…

1. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
2. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
3. Nicole Picadura at Scraps and Stamps
4. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works 
5. Debbie Mageed at Scrappin’ and Stampin’
6. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
7. Debbie Crowley at expressively deb
8. Ann Schach at The Stampin’ Schach
9. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
10. Nicole Watt at Impressions By Nicole
11. Kerry Willard Bray at stampgoodness
12. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
13. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
14. Jennifer Takacs at Stamped in Full 
15. Carmen Sublasky at The Creative Stamptuary
16. Debra Simonis at Deb’s Stampin’ Grounds
17. Linda Callahan at Stampin’ Seasons 
18. Kim Czenszak at Live Love Stamp
19. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin’
20. Julie Trevett-Smith at The Stampin’ Affair
21. Rae Harper at Wild West Paper Arts
22. Ginger Toivonen at Ginger Stamps
23. Amy Williams at Stampin’ on the Range
24. Shannon Jaramillo at ezpeasy cards
25. Amy L. Lazzell at Just A Thought…Cards by Amy
26. Penny Nichols at Sierra Stampin!
27. Sherrie Gross at Stampin’ Sunshine
28. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
29. Maxine Conrad at Stamp to the Max

Stamp Set:  Secret Garden, Bordering on Romance, Sweet Essentials;  Ink:  Pool Party, Rose Red, VersaMark; Designer Series Paper:  Fan Fair, Floral District; Card Stock:  Whisper White, Pool Party, White Vellum; Tools:  Heat Tool, Pool Party Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Paper Snips, Bird Builder Punch, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots;  Glitz and Glam:  Pool Party Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration), Basic Pearls, Paper Doilies, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons