Nature Walk in Blue for The Paper Players

It’s Sunday, and time to play with The Paper Players! It’s a sketch challenge this week, designed by the talented Nance Leedy, and what a wonderful sketch it is! Don’t you just love it? I decided to pull out one of my favorite Occasions Mini sets, Nature Walk, and whip up this fun and feminine card. Enjoy a Nature Walk in Blue!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Texture! Don’t be afraid to run Designer Series Paper through the Big Shot. A pattern from the Botanical Gazette collection was embossed with the Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for a look which is both feminine and vintage. And notice the beautiful blue Tulips border? It was part of the paper’s design!

  • Dye it…Try it! The Rosettes were dyed quickly and easily! I placed rubbing alcohol into a spritzer bottle and added several drops of Marina Mist Ink Refill and Frost White Shimmer Paint. I sprayed the medium-sized Rosette first, added more re-inker, and then sprayed the smaller Rosette. Finally, I added even more re-inker, and misted the darker, large Rosette.

  • Bling the bird! Dazzling Diamonds add sparkle and shine to make this bird divine! With Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue, it’s so easy! I just “painted” selected areas with Tombow, sprinkled on the Dazzling Diamonds, and shook off the excess!

  • Pearls! The “string” of Basic Pearls are perfect for outlining ovals and circles, providing a finishing touch to the raw edge of the paper. The result is delightfully feminine and romantic!
I hope you enjoyed today’s The Paper Players’ inspiration card, and I hope that you will join us in this week’s challenge. If you wish to create a standard sized card with this sketch, that is perfectly fine with us. What is important is that you have fun! Until next time…
Stamp Sets: Nature Walk (W 121925, C 121997), You’re a Gem (W 122268, C 122270); Inks: Crumb Cake (121030), Soft Suede (115657), Early Espresso (119670), Marina Mist Ink Refill (119787); Stampin’ Write Marker: Soft Suede (120973); Designer Series Paper: Botanical Gazette (121783—Occasions Mini); Card Stock: Marina Mist (119682), Early Espresso (119686), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (115963), Ovals Original Die (114525), 1-3/8″ x 5/8″ Oval Punch (119863), 3/4″‘ x 15/16″ Oval Punch (120908), Brayer (102395), Sponge Daubers (102892), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755); Glitz and Glam: Rosettes (118774), Basic Pearls (119247), Victoria Crochet Trim (118481), Marina Mist 3/8″ Taffeta Ribbon (119257), Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding (122330), Frost White Shimmer Paint (116854), Dazzling Diamonds (102023)

The Paper Players Peek


It’s Saturday, which means it is time for The Paper Players Peek! As you can see, my Paper Players card for Sunday is blue! With Dazzling Diamonds and Pearls, it is fun and feminine! I hope you will join me tomorrow for the reveal.

The Twins Big Adventure

It has been lonely the past two nights. The Twins are with Michelle the Handler in Des Moines preparing for their first show. They were thrilled and happy to see Michelle again. Michelle makes their training fun with treats and toys. Thursday they participated in a “practice” show with a pretend judge. Of course, I thought they looked adorable! Brody was the first to “show”. He did a fabulous job “stacking”, which is when they are posed. He stood like a statue when the judge checked him all over, with one exception. He did not want a stranger looking in his mouth. Now his Dad and I have practiced this with him since he was a tiny baby…so who knows what his problem was! Kids! Brody is not physically mature, but he is being shown to gain ring experience. Here is a picture of Brody just chillin’ Thursday before his trip to Michelle’s:

To give you a perspective as to what he is doing, he is sleeping. His favorite spot is a big, leather ottoman, which I keep covered so he doesn’t scratch it. He always hangs his head over the edge, except now he is getting so big that his head nearly touches the floor. At six months, he is weighing in at 51.4 pounds!

Little Miss Muffy, on the other hand, stacked beautifully, gaited perfectly, and charmed the “judge”. Her only problem was that when it was time for the hands-on physical examination, she sat down…three times! However, by the fourth time she understood the importance of standing. And talk about a diva…Heaven help Michelle! Here is the diva getting her “beauty sleep”:
Michelle told us not to expect them to win right away, since they will need to gain experience. Brody will need to do incline work to build up his muscles, which means that we either need to find some hills to climb, or he needs to learn how to use Mom’s treadmill. Muffy, on the other hand, is looking awesome…she just needs to learn some show manners.

What is so important is that both of my babies absolutely LOVED what they were doing. You could tell that they enjoyed being in the ring, strutting their stuff. It is the start of a new adventure for them and for me. And regardless of what happens in their futures, they will be champions in our household. A year ago this month, my heart was breaking at the loss of my best friend, Missy the Boxer. And although the Twins will never replace her, they are forging their own place in my heart. We are sharing new stories, making new memories, and embarking on new adventures every day! Tomorrow: The Paper Players. Until next time…

A Sew Suite Sketch for the PPA


It’s Thursday, and time to play at Pals Paper Arts! We have a fabulous sketch challenge for you this week, designed by our own Margaret Moody. I hope that you have as much fun creating from this sketch as I did. After making so many vintage-style cards the past few weeks, I was ready for a change, and selected the whimsical Sew Suite stamp set with its coordinating Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper collection. Enjoy this “suite” sketch!

The Stampin’ Schach Designer Tips:

  • Put your paper to work! Several of the design elements on this card are taken directly from the Sweet Stitches designer paper. The “Quality Buttons” and “Fashion Pearls” cards are snipped directly from one of the patterns, as is the little blue “Pattern Pieces” in the center collage.
  • Collage! What fun to create a collage within the central circle of the sketch! A paper-pieced Dress Form, a Pin Cushion complete with a Vintage Trinket Safety Pin, and a fabulous Big Designer Button are just a few of the fun items I included in my collage.
  • Glitz and Glam! Basic Pearls add a touch of elegance, while Basic Rhinestones add a touch of bling!
What fun it was to create this card! The bright colors and delightful patterns of the Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper would bring a smile to anyone’s face! Now it’s your turn! I can’t wait to see what you create! So please, won’t you leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s card? And remember, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away!
I would love to thank everyone who helped me celebrate my second Stampin’ Up! anniversary by leaving such sweet comments. As selected by Random.org, the winner of the Blog Candy is:
#130: Veronica
Veronica said…
I love the Bliss stamp set and love your card! TFS.
Congrats, Veronica! If you will contact me with your address, I will send your Blog Candy out pronto! Until next time…
Stamp Set: Sew Suite (W 121933; C 122029); Ink: Soft Suede (115657), Early Espresso (119670); Designer Series Paper: Sew Suite (121781); Card Stock: Wild Wasabi (108641), Chocolate Chip (102128), Naturals Ivory (101849), Daffodil Delight (119683); Tools: Corner Rounder (119871), 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch (118874); Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Basic Rhinestones (119246), Vintage Trinkets (118764), Sweet Stitches Big Designer Buttons (122302), Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding (122330), Victoria Lace Trim (118481), Linen Thread (104199); Other: Needle