Our final Pals Paper Arts challenge for the year features a sketch by the talented Margaret Moody. Since I was in need of more Christmas cards, I pulled out the Greeting Card Kids set and this wonderful paper from the Jolly Holiday collection. And believe it or not, it is relatively quick to make! In some respects I am saddened that this is the last holiday card I will be making this season…but I look forward to playing with my new Occasions Mini sets!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Watercolor! Blender Pens with Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Suede inks make quick work of this adorable image from Greeting Card Kids. As my final step, I added Crumb Cake shadows. If you need a refresher on this technique, my video tutorial can be accessed here.
• Bling! Basic Pearls for buttons and ornaments, a Basic Rhinestone for the star, and Dazzling Diamonds for fur trim add a festive look to any holiday card. Hint: I use an old paint brush to paint a thin layer of Tombow Adhesive over the area I want to glitter. It’s oh, so easy!
• Simply Scrappin’ isn’t just for scrappin’! The cute Always Artichoke ricrac is from the Christmas Cheer Simply Scrappin’ kit! Just peel and stick!
• Winter Roses! The Rosettes from the Occasions Mini are easily applied with Mini Glue Dots! Don’t they remind you of winter roses? How pretty these would be if “smooched” with a little Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz! The leaves are simply punched from Always Artichoke card stock using the Two Step Bird Punch.

Thanks for stopping by on this eve of Christmas Eve. If you are like me, you have several last minute errands to run and things to do! I really appreciate that you have taken the time to stop in for the reveal of my PPA inspiration card and I hope that you enjoyed it. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think. And as always, if you have any questions about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Remember to stop by tomorrow, Christmas Eve, when I will name the winner of my last Blog Candy of 2010. I am excited to find out who it will be! Don’t forget that you can comment today until Midnight CST. Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Greeting Card Kids (W 119887, C 120633); Ink: Basic Black (101179), Always Artichoke (105219), Cherry Cobbler (119669), Soft Suede (115657), Crumb Cake (121030); Stampin’ Write Markers: Always Artichoke (105113), Cherry Cobbler (119681); Designer Series Paper: Jolly Holiday (117159); Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler (119685), Always Artichoke (105119), Christmas Cheer Simply Scrappin’ kit (117401), Watercolor paper (105019); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die (120893), Blender Pens (102845), Sponge Dauber (102892), Two Step Bird Punch (117191); Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Basic Rhinestones (119246), Dazzling Diamonds (102023), Rosettes (118774…Occasions Mini)

Stampin’ Up! Filled with Love Bundle

Starting December 17, 2010-January 24, 2011, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons–a $4.95 value–when you purchase the Filled with Love Bundle. Also included is the Filled with Love Stamp Set (your choice of clear or wood) and the exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper!

Can you believe that this is my final PPA Sneak Peek of the year? Next week, the Pals Paper Arts Design Team will be unveiling their favorites for each month in a fun feature which we are entitling our “Best Dressed List”. Of course, there is no disguising which stamp set I used for this card! And obviously I used the new Rosettes from the Occasions Mini! But please, tune in Thursday for the full reveal!

• Butterfly Prints—new, clear mount
• Basic Pearls
• Basic Rhinestones (after all, you need to bling those butterflies)

You will have until Midnight, CST on Thursday to make your comments. The winner will be selected by using a random number generator and named in Friday’s post. You will then have 48 hours to email me with your address.

For a little inspiration, here is a card I made using my Butterfly Prints set:

A Special Thank You to Yvonne, who is so graciously providing me with a tooth fairy image for The Twins’ scrapbook, and a thank you to all of those who volunteered to come to my rescue! I could have had an army of fairies! My husband was so funny this morning. He wanted to know what in the world I had posted about today, because I had a ton of emails! I know that I have said it before, and I will say it again, our community of stampers is so special and is always so ready to came to the aid of those who need something.

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Starting December 17, 2010-January 24, 2011, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons–a $4.95 value–when you purchase the Filled with Love Bundle. Also included is the Filled with Love Stamp Set (your choice of clear or wood) and the exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper!

As we continue our Stampin’ Schach retrospective, we are ready for May and June. Once again, clicking on the name of the card will take you to the original post. Enjoy another look at my favorite cards of 2010!

May
Life Is a Matter of Moments

Pale Plum and Sage Shadow are now history, but this card is a reminder of the beauty of these colors. As for updating, I know that there are other lovely colors which could be substituted. Baja Breeze is one which I would select. Of course, with the addition of Basic Pearls to the Stampin’ Up! arsenal, I would definitely add a few!

June
Our Journey

In a Word was one of my favorite little sets from the Summer Mini. Of course, there are a number of sentiments which could be substituted. And can you imagine how beautiful this would be for Valentine’s Day with a Cherry Cobbler flower? The tutorial for making the Eyelet Flower is located in the original post for this card. These types of cards are not meant to be mailed, but rather hand-delivered to that special someone!

Thinking of You, Bella Toile

Created for my first Dirty Dozen gallery in March, but actually featured on my blog in June, this card could be easily updated with Early Espresso. Once again I reached for Bella Toile, which seemed to be one of my “go-to” sets earlier this year.

Strange Request for the Boxer Twins

The Twins had a fabulous “first day of Obedience School”. What was supposed to be an hour long lesson ended up being 1-1/2 hours. We worked on sit, stay and down. Brody was the star pupil and teacher’s pet, while Muffy was…as you might have guessed…the class clown! Oh, my! However, their “teacher”, Barb DeAngelis, said they were both very smart puppies! And lest I forget…big for their age! They were able to watch Barb’s dog, Gracie, go through the exercises…plus they got to have “recess”! They were two tired puppies when they returned home, and promptly settled down for a nap.

And I do have a strange request that I am hoping that one of you can help me with. I am, as you might guess, working on a scrapbook for The Twins. I was lucky enough to find two of Brody’s baby teeth. I would like to create a “Tooth Fairy” page…but I do not own a tooth fairy stamp of any kind. I know that Stampin’ Up! currently has a tooth fairy stamp, but I hate to buy a stamp to use just once. So here is my plea…is there anyone out in blog land who could create a little card with a tooth fairy on it? It could either be the current stamp or a retired one. I would forever be indebted to you, and I would gladly reimburse you. Just something very simple stamped in black on white. No ribbons or embellishments would be necessary. If you can help me, please email me.

So there you have it…three of my favorite cards, and a strange request! Your comments are important to me, so let me know if you like my choices. And if you have a question about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use, I am just an email away! Until next time…

Please Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Starting December 17, 2010-January 24, 2011, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons–a $4.95 value–when you purchase the Filled with Love Bundle. Also included is the Filled with Love Stamp Set (your choice of clear or wood) and the exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper!