Here is a little peek at this week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge card! The full reveal will be on Thanksgiving Day. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out this week’s Pals Paper Arts Picks!

Thursday is also the last day to leave a comment for this fabulous blog candy:

It seemed only fitting at Thanksgiving to offer a chance to win this scrumptious blog candy in return for all of your on-line support and friendship. I am so thankful to you! Here is what it includes:

• Northern Hearts Clear Mount Stamp Set, which will arrive in time to make holiday cards
• Over 140 sheets of 6″ x 6″ retired Designer Series Paper
• Over 150 retired Stampin’ Up! buttons
• 10 yards of Real Red Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, perfect for Christmas or Valentine’s Day
• One On Board Bird Book
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Basic Rhinestones
• One Thank You card

All you need to do is leave a comment on any of my posts this week, Monday through Thursday…Thanksgiving Day…at 11:00 PM CST. After that time I will tally up all of the comments. A random number generator will be used to determine the winner, whose name I will post on Friday. The winner will then have until Monday, November 29th to email me their name and address so that I can mail their package.

Stampin’ Up! Specials!

For one week only, from now until November 30th, Stampin’ Up! is offering a fantastic sale! Take advantage of discounts from 20 to 50% off AND receive free shipping on qualifying orders of $150 (products before shipping and handling). Anxious to see what is on sale…wait no more! CLICK HERE to see the list of discounted products.

CLICK HERE to order.

Take advantage of the 50% Off Starter Kit for even greater savings! Why not take advantage of all of the perks and benefits of being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator at the no-risk price of $87.50 for over $300 worth of products and business tools! Click here for more details. Have questions? I am just an email away!

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think about today’s card. And as always, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

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It’s “Anything Goes” this week at The Paper Players! Since it is the 5th week of the month, we encourage you to share ANY of your favorite paper projects…scrapbook pages, tags, three dimensional items…and yes, even cards. As I said, “Anything Goes”! However, your project does need to be something newly created during this week…and it can even be a project for another challenge. The main rule here is to have fun and to challenge yourself! I opted for a Christmas card which showcases the Deck the Hall Designer Series Paper! I hope that you enjoy my “Christmas Balloon”!The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Punch Power! Balloons are so easy to create with the 2″ x 1-3/8″ Oval Punch. I simply punched five ovals using various patterns from Deck the Halls. To add depth and dimension, the top three were adhered to ovals punched from the cardboard that comes with the paper! After adhering to the cardboard, the edges were rounded with a Sanding Block and distressed with Soft Suede ink.
• Layer your Top Notes! The Top Note Die and Big Shot were used to create two die cuts, one from Deck the Halls Designer Paper, the second from Soft Suede card stock. Paper Snips were used to trim the patterned Top Note at the perforation lines.
• Snip! Snip! The “Balloon Gondola” from Sweet Centers was stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed using Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. It was then snipped out with Paper Snips and adhered to the Top Note base.
• It all in the details! Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding is adorned with three Basic Pearls. An Antique Brad accents the Fan-Fold Flower.
• Finish with a kiss! Gold Glow Smooch Spritz adds a beautiful patina to the entire card!

The inspiration for this card was a card that I originally created for the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen. It was my favorite for the “Up in the Air” gallery. I will be sharing this card with you soon. I can hardly wait to see what you create for this week’s challenge…and don’t forget…”Anything Goes”! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think about today’s card. And as always, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Sweet Centers (116521); Inks: Soft Suede (115657), VersaMark (102283); Designer Series Papers: Deck the Halls (120810); Card Stock: Soft Suede (115318); Tools: Top Note Bigz Die (113463), Big Shot (113439), 2″ x 1-3/8″ Oval Punch (119859), 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch (119854), Sanding Block (103301), Heat Tool (100005), Sponge Dauber (102892); Glitz and Glam: Cherry Cobbler 1/2″ Seam Binding (120992), Basic Pearls (119247), Gold Glow Smooch Spritz (118770)

It’s Thursday…time to play at Pals Paper Arts! This week is a fabulous sketch challenge designed by Margaret Moody. Although ’tis the season for fabulous Fall, Halloween and Christmas cards, I opted to create a non-seasonal card using the Dream Gardens set and the faux silk technique! Enjoy!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Emboss! Heat embossing is a wonderful technique to help images “pop”! All of the images used on this card were stamped in VersaMark Watermark Ink and then heat embossed with Black Stampin’ Emboss Powder! What an impact this makes when compared to just stamping an image in Basic Black!
• Faux Silk! In a matter of seconds, you can transform ordinary tissue paper into an extraordinary background! After preparing the surface (see this pictorial), I brayered Cherry Cobbler ink onto the tissue, and then randomly stamped and heat embossed the “Dream” image!
• Make the sketch your own! A sketch is meant to be a starting point for your creativity. Notice that I did not use a wide border, as illustrated in the sketch. Instead, I opted to use the Scallop Trim Border Punch, which I accented with Basic Pearls.
• Au naturale! Get out of the Very Vanilla rut! Natural Ivory has an organic feel, and is just perfect for adding “warmth” to a card. Try it…you’ll like it! A light daubing of Basic Gray connects the image mat to the black embossing, creating a cohesiveness among all of the layers.
• Add depth and dimension! “Pop” up the “Dream” circle with Stampin’ Dimensionals!

An added note: Those of you who frequent The Stampin’ Schach know that I respond to your comments individually, when an email address is available. Plus I comment on your cards, especially those which are submitted for Pals Paper Arts and The Paper Players. Please bear with me for the next few weeks, as time will be a limited resource for me. We had puppy drama Tuesday with Muffy the Boxer, who was injured trying to crawl over the divider in her crate. While her injuries heal, I have to keep the Boxer Twins separated, occupied, and happy…which is a full-time job! So if you notice that I have not thanked you individually or that I have not commented…you know the reason! Until next time…

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