PPA Peek and Puppy, Too


How about a quick peek at Thursday’s Pals Paper Arts card? I know you will love what we have planned for this week’s challenge! So mark your calendars, and join in the fun! Plus I will have a pictorial for you highlighting an awesome technique! You won’t want to miss it! And don’t forget to check out this week’s PPA Artist Picks! They will be sporting our chic new PPA Pick badge!

We Have a Muffy!

Those of you who have been following the Schach family’s quest for a new Boxer baby will be pleased to know that we (really I) have made our (my) decision. My husband and son could not agree on which little plain girl to get from this litter. Brady was adamant that he wanted Muffy #2 from this post, while my husband wanted Muffy #3. So to avoid conflict, I selected Muffy #1 with the white in her face. The other two puppies were so similar in their appearance to Missy the Boxer, that I think I made the right decision in selecting the puppy with more “bling”. And so dear readers, let me present to you “Cimarron’s Do You Know the Muffin Man”, call name “Muffy”.

Muffy at 1 day of age.

Muffy at 1 week of age.

This was the breeder’s “Q” litter, which explains why the video is entitled “Queen”. All eight puppies were given names which began with “Q”. Let’s just hope that I am not too old to raise this puppy! Those of you who are Boxer lovers know exactly what I am talking about! But you know what…the six months during which we were without a Boxer in our lives were six long and lonely months! Starting the end of September, let the fun begin!
Oh no! There is only one week left to order from the Summer Mini catalog! Still a few things on your Wish List? Order today! Until next time…

Paper Players Challenge APP12

I am always in for a good challenge, and this week The Paper Players are hosting an inspiration challenge. Out of all of the challenges, I find inspiration challenges the most difficult. As I pointed out in yesterday’s post, there are certain tips to focus on when interpreting an inspiration photo. As you take a look at the inspiration photo below, provided by the wonderfully talented Jaydee, I will guide you through how I ended up with today’s card!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Since I had no blackberry, strawberry, or cheese stamps (I originally thought it was a banana), I decided to go with color! I selected Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Concord Crush and Poppy Parade. Plus, I opted to go with a French theme, since when I think of cheese, I think of wine, which makes me think of France! Whew! Now I have a starting point for my card!
  • Stamp your own designer paper! I inked the Circle stamp from Artistic Etchings with Concord Crush and randomly stamped onto So Saffron card stock. After a few little spritzes, using the Color Spritzer Tool and a Concord Crush Stampin’ Write Marker, the look is complete!
  • Evening in Paris! The Eiffel Tower was inked in Concord Crush and stamped onto Very Vanilla. This time I spritzed with Crumb Cake, and distressed the edges in Concord Crush. After matting onto Poppy Parade and adding a few Basic Pearls, the image is ready. Except…the Poppy Parade looks a wee bit too orange. However, I just used my Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker and “reddened” it up a little!
  • It’s all in the details! A fan-fold flower, complete with a Victoria crochet trim center and Antique Brad, makes the perfect accent for the left side of the card. This is balanced by the “Crown” tag on the right!
You may have noticed that this is a modified joyfold card. Beate Johns, of Splitcoaststampers fame, has a wonderful tutorial on making a joyfold card. This is such an easy cardstyle to make, and so much fun!
I hope that you enjoyed today’s card. And I hope that you will join us at the Paper Players challenge this week. Of course, if you have any questions about the cards that I make or the techniques which I use, don’t hesitate to email me. I am always happy to help. Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7
Stamp Set: Artistic Etchings (W 118517; C 120573); Inks: Concord Crush (119785); Stampin’ Write Markers: Concord Crush (119801—In-Color Set), Crumb Cake (120967); Designer Series Paper: Designer Series Paper Pack-In Color Level 1 Hostess Gift (121028); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Poppy Parade (119793), So Saffron (105118); Tools: 1-1/4″ Circle Punch (119861), 1-3/8″ Circle Punch (119860), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Crop-a-dile (108362), Sponge Daubers (102892) Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Victoria 5/8″ Crochet Trim (118481), Linen Thread (104199), Antique Brads (117273), Very Vanilla 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109055), Metallic Eyelets (105319)

PPA 56 : Challenged by the Challenge? An Inspiration Tip


Are you challenged by this week’s Pals Paper Arts Challenge (PPA56)? If so, that’s a good thing! I always told my students that if they were not challenged, they would never “grow” as a student. However, as a teacher in the classroom, I was always there to give my students helpful hints. So here is a stamping tip for you! Enjoy!

PPA 56 Inspiration Challenge Tip:
Narrow the scope of this week’s inspiration challenge. Simply focus on the bird or flower in the photo.

  • Create with color!
  • Stamp a bird, and even “bling” it if you like!
  • Stamp a stem and a flower or two!
  • Pick a punch!
  • Build a border!

Anything goes and there’s still plenty of time to participate. It’s that easy! I know…old teachers never die…they just lose their class! But I could not help but pass along this PPA tip!

Click here to reach the original challenge post and upload your card. Look for the blue “add your link” button at the bottom of the post. I can’t wait to see what you create! Until next time…

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