October Pals Blog Hop

Welcome to the October PALS BLOG HOP! This month, we are featuring Thank-You and Thanksgiving themed projects for your inspiration! If you’ve hopped over from Dawn Gross, Dawn’s This & That, I am stop number 2. I am so glad you hopped in! I’ll help you “hop along” from blog to blog, where you’ll find great ideas for papercrafted creations made from Stampin’ Up! products! Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the line-up below and you’ll be back on track!

I have prepared two cards for you today…one using Stampin’ Up!’s new Cork Sheets, and a second Five-Minute Card for stampers in a hurry!
Grateful Day of Gratitude

For those of you who think this card does not look like a standard size, you are correct! It is 4-3/4″ wide and 5-1/4″ long, and fits nicely into one of Stampin’ Up!’s Square Envelopes! The Cork, which forms one of the matting layers, adds to the organic feel!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Cutting Cork! To cut Cork Sheets to the proper size, simply score with a Hobby Blade, and then snap backwards, away from the score line.
  • Texture! Fibers are an easy way to add texture! Hemp Twine is perfect for the Big Designer Button, while Linen Thread is just right for cross-stitching on the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.
  • Distress! A Sponge Dauber and Soft Suede ink softens edges, while the Color Spritzer Tool and Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker adds speckles!
French Foliage Fast and Easy Thank You


For a perfect fall “Thank You”, created in a minimum amount of time, try this one-layer French Foliage card!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Confetti! With their unique flecks of color and slightly heavier weight, the Confetti papers are perfect for one-layer cards! Confetti Cream coordinates beautifully with fall colors!
  • Random stamping! Remember to stamp off the edge of the paper, and vary the direction of your images. The “Leaf” images from the French Foliage set were inked in Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Always Artichoke, while the “Waterspots” from the same set were inked in Soft Suede.
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig to the rescue! For perfect placement, the Stamp-a-ma-jig was used to place the sentiment exactly where needed! This is a fabulous tool for those of use who can’t see straight…like me! If you are new to stamping, or need a Stamp-a-ma-jig refresher, CLICK HERE for my Stamp-a-ma-jig Video Tutorial.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s Thanks/Thanksgiving cards! For more inspiring ideas, please visit Barb Furlong, The Love of Stamping, stop number 3 on the PALS HOP! And remember, if you have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Next time: The Arrival of “Muffy the Boxer”. Until then…


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Stamp Sets: Day of Gratitude (W 120835; C 121148—Holiday Mini), Grateful Greetings (116511); Ink: Soft Suede (115657), Early Espresso (119670), Cajun Craze (119671), Old Olive (102277); Stampin’ Write Markers: Cajun Craze (119678), Old Olive (100079), More Mustard (100076), Early Espresso (119680); Designer Series Paper: Autumn Spice (120808—Holiday Mini); Card Stock: Old Olive (100702), Early Espresso (119686), Cajun Craze (119684); Tools: 1-1/4″ Square Punch (119865), 1 -3/8″ Square Punch (119877), Modern Label Punch (119849), 3/16″ Corner Rounder (119871), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (119275), Cork Sheets (119819); Glitz and Glam: Linen Thread (104199), Hemp Twine (100982), Metallic Brads (119741), Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons (121002—Holiday Mini)
Stamp Sets: French Foliage (W 1200845; C 121166), Thank You Kindly (111700); Ink: More Mustard (103162), Cajun Craze (119671), Always Artichoke (105219), Soft Suede (115657); Paper: Confetti Cream (102835); Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)

A Cardinal for The Paper Players


The Paper Players are featuring a color challenge this week. The challenge hostess, Jaydee, selected the classic color combination of Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White. Plus she provided us with this beautiful inspiration photo.

I substituted Cherry Cobbler for Real Red, and decided to use the “Cardinal”, from the Stampin’ Up set, A Cardinal Christmas, as my focal image. I had successfully resisted purchasing this set until recently, and this is the first card that I have designed with it. I was feeling nostalgic, remembering how the cardinal had been my mother’s favorite bird. Isn’t it funny how certain stamps can awaken long forgotten memories?

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Emboss it! Don’t be afraid to heat emboss images that you are going to watercolor! The embossing keeps the colors from “bleeding”! The Cardinal was stamped in Jet Black StazOn, and then embossed with Black Stampin’ Emboss Powder.
  • Water color it! Using Blender Pens and inks is my favorite method of watercoloring. Real Red, Always Artichoke and More Mustard inks are all it takes to finish this image in a flash!
  • Brayer it! Basic Gray ink was lightly brayered across the surface of the Vintage Wallpaper embossing, accenting this lovely pattern even more.
  • Bling it! Basic Pearls bling up the berries, while an Always Artichoke bow, made from Stampin’ Up!s new 1/2″ Seam Binding, adds the finishing touch! If you need a refresher on how to make quick and easy bows, please Click Here to review my video tutorial.
I hope that you will join The Paper Players this week! I look forward to seeing your beautiful creations, and of course, leaving you comments! Speaking of comments, your comments are very important to me, so please, won’t you leave one before you go? And remember, if you ever have 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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Stamp Set: A Cardinal Christmas (111760); Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406), Basic Gray (109120), Always Artichoke (105219), Real Red (103133), More Mustard (103162); Paper: Whisper White (100730), Basic Black (121045), Cherry Cobbler (119685); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (120175), Brayer (102395), Blender Pens (102845); Glitz and Glam: Always Artichoke 1/2″ Seam Binding (121000—Holiday Mini), Basic Pearls (119247); Other: Nestabilities

Fast Friday and Scrunchy Ribbon Video Tutorial


I needed a quick and easy Halloween card to affix to a plate of Macadamia nut and white chocolate cookies that I was going to bake today for my son, Brady. We will be driving to his college to attend his concert this evening, and I thought that his favorite cookies would be a nice surprise, as well as a welcomed treat! And what can be quicker and easier than making a card that showcases the “Flocked Bats” from the Wicked Fun Specialty Designer Series Paper!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Let the paper do the talking! Since I was not going to be using this paper for scrapbooking, I thought that I might as well put the bats to good use! How fun to have “Fuzzy Bats” on your card!
  • Layer the labels! The “wow” factor on this simple card is the sentiment! After stamping the “Spooky” sentiment from the Wicked Cool set onto Naturals Ivory card stock, it was punched out using the Designer Label Punch, and layered onto a second Basic Black Designer Label. Basic Black and Rich Razzleberry Decorative Labels were also layered.
  • Glitz and Glam! Basic Rhinestones further accentuate the sentiment and add a touch of “bling” to this spooky card!

I did have several people ask for details about creating “scrunchy ribbon” like on this card. This video tutorial will explain the process I used.

I hope that you enjoyed today’s quick and easy card, as well as the video tutorial. If you have any questions about the cards that I create, or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away. And remember, your comments are important to me! Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Wicked Cool (W 118738; C 120600); Ink: Basic Black (101179); Designer Series Paper: Wicked Fun (117400); Card Stock: Naturals Ivory (101849), Basic Black (121045), Rich Razzleberry (115316); Tools: Designer Label Punch (119862), Decorative Label Punch (120907); Glitz and Glam: Basic Rhinestones (119246)