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.

• 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 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)

Oh, my gosh! You guys are just too good at my “Guess the PPA Challenge” game…or maybe the fact that I was using Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz and Melon Mambo together was a dead give-away that it is indeed a Color Challenge this week! I had my heart set on making a Halloween card and the Melon Mambo was just throwing me off my game! But by golly, I was bound and determined to make it work. This week is also a special one at Pals Paper Arts because our Celebrity Artist is none other than the uber-talented Dawn Olchefske of DOstampin fame. But before you head on over to the PPA to see what my talented Design Team-mates have created for you, don’t forget to read through my Design Tips and leave me a comment. And by the way, the winner of the free Stampin’ Up! Basic Rhinestones is……going to be found at the end of my post. Wink! Wink!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Design your own Designer Paper! To tone down the “peachiness” of Peach Parfait, the “Vine” stamp from Vintage Vogue was inked with Early Espresso and stamped along the sides of the Peach Parfait card stock. If I was able to have a “DO-over” (I just had to DO that in honor of Dawn), I might have toned it down with Soft Suede…to make it “softer”!
• Distressed! Edges of the image mat and the Peach Parfait mat were distressed with the Seven-Sided Tool from the Cutter Kit. The edges of all surfaces were inked with Soft Suede and a Sponge Dauber. Of course, I did pull out my favorite tool…the Color Spritzer…and speckled everything except the Melon Mambo pieces and the card base, with a Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker!
• The “Vintage Advantage”! Vintage is the rage…and look at all of the vintage touches on this card…scrunchy Peach Parfait Ribbon, an Antique Brad, Basic Pearls, Finial Press embossing, little Button Brads from Vintage Trinkets. And it was made by a “vintage” stamper…me! (Does that count?)
• Smooch! Nothing “glams” up a card faster than a little Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz! The embossed Scallop Circle and the Fan-Folded Flower were both smooched to add just the perfect shine.
• Pearly girl! Our Little Witch from Greeting Card Kids, dressed in her Melon Mambo cape and Pear Pizzazz frock, sports a Basic Pearl on her hat, and Basic Pearl for her shoe-button! Of course, she was colored as I always do…with Blender Pens and inks. For a refresher on how I do this, check out this video tutorial on watercoloring. But be careful….the video is pretty scary in its production quality. (This is the one where the camera flipped and I ran out of power. One of these days I will re-tape a water coloring lesson. I promise!)