Jolly Old Saint Nick for Always Playing with Paper


I am a pushover for Santa! Maybe it is his fluffy white beard or his jolly demeanor. Or maybe it’s the twinkle in his eye. Or could it be that he is an animal lover? After all, he does have eight reindeer! At any rate, I haven’t met a Santa that I didn’t like. So when I saw the adorable Stampin‘ Up! set, Jolly Old Saint Nick, I knew that I had to have it! And it works perfectly with the delightful sketch challenge at Always Playing with Paper (Paper Players). I ho-ho-hope you will join in the fun this week!

The Stampin‘ Schach Design Tips:

  • Coordination is easy when using Stampin‘ Up!’s Designer Series Papers! The adorable “Dots” and delightful “Stripes” are from the Jolly Holiday collection. Notice how nicely they pair up with Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Very Vanilla? Designer Series Papers take the guesswork out of which card stock to use.
  • Versatile punch! The embossed Cherry Cobbler panel is layered upon two Very Vanilla Dotted Scallop Ribbon Borders, giving the illusion of a paper pierced scallop border.
  • Paper piecing is a breeze with this stamp! Just the upper section of the “Santa” image was inked with Jet Black StazOn and stamped a second time onto Cherry Cobbler. The body of the hat was then snipped out and adhered to the full image.
  • Popping jolly old Saint Nick up on Stampin‘ Dimensionals places him on center stage!
  • Glitz and Glam! Santa looks fab in his Dazzling Diamonds fur trimmed hat! And what about those Old Olive Glimmer Brads…a NEW PRODUCT offered in the Holiday Mini! Both the hat and the brads really sparkle in person!

What a great vintage looking image! The end result reminds me of some of the Santa cards from the 1940’s and ’50’s that I have collected over the years. And doesn’t it work perfectly with today’s challenge sketch? Of course, there are lots of images that would perfectly with this sketch, and I can hardly wait to see what you create! So please head over to Always Playing with Paper Paper Players challenge for more inspiration from their talented design team.

In celebration of the changes that are in store for the Pals Paper Arts challenge blog, don’t forget that I am offering you a chance to win this yummy BLOG CANDY!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, you could win all of these goodies.

  • “Out of the Box” Hostess Set
  • Assorted Real Red Corduroy Buttons and Brads
  • Bashful Blue 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon
  • Over 50 sheets of 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper

You have until NOON CST on August 17th to leave your comments. I will choose a random comment and announce the winner later in the day on Tuesday, August 17th. Please note that I only ship within the United States. The winner has 24 hours to email me their name and mailing address, so stay tuned! Even if you left a comment yesterday, feel free to leave a comment on today’s post, too.

Only four more days until we reveal the PPA’s new “personality”. Plus, my final Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen gallery goes live today! It is entitled “Fabulous in Faux“ and spotlights a variety of faux techniques. It has certainly been an honor to have been a member of this talented group of stampers! So as you head out today, don’t forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of Jolly Old Saint Nick. And as always, I will gladly answer any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use. Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin‘ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Jolly Old Saint Nick (available September 1); Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406), Basic Gray (109120), Blush Blossom Stampin‘ Write Marker (100037), Pretty in Pink (101301); Designer Series Paper: Holly Jolly (117159); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Old Olive (100702); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (116824), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (119275), Scallop Circles #2 Bigz Die (113469), Circle Scissors Plus (112530), Glass Mat (112531), Blender Pens (102845); Glitz and Glam: Dazzling Diamonds Stampin‘ Glitter (102023), Old Olive Glimmer Brights Glimmer Brads (available September 1)

Always Playing with Paper Peek and Blog Candy

For the entire month of August, I have the pleasure of being a Guest Designer at Always Playing with Paper. It is an honor to be designing alongside these talented stampers. I would definitely encourage you to join them in their next challenge on Sunday. To entice you, I am offering you a peek at my card which will be revealed on Sunday.

And speaking of challenges, Pals Paper Arts is near and dear to my heart. I have been a member of this design team since its inception over a year ago. As I hinted at in my last post, the times, they are a-changin’! I am excited to announce that the Pals Paper Arts blog and challenge (or PPA as it is lovingly called) is undergoing a “personality” transformation. We can’t wait to reveal what we have been up to and how you can join the fun starting Thursday, August 19. So to celebrate, how about some blog candy?

Please leave me a comment at the end of this post by Tuesday, August 17th, NOON CST and you could win all of these goodies:

  • “Out of the Box” Hostess Set
  • Assorted Real Red Corduroy Buttons and Brads
  • Bashful Blue 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon
  • Over 50 sheets of 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper

I will choose a random comment and announce the winner on Tuesday, August 17th. Please note that I only ship within the United States. The winner has 24 hours to email me their name and mailing address so stay tuned!

So…what changes do YOU think will be happening at Pals Paper Arts? Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Hello Baby for the PPA and Baby Boxer Pix

It’s Thursday…and what a glorious Thursday it is! Not only is it time for the Pals Paper Arts challenge, but I also have a hint about exciting changes that will be taking place at the PPA. Plus, I have exciting news of my own. I AM GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!! Now that I have your attention, I really am going to have a baby…a new fur-baby! When I saw these “happy” colors of Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise and Melon Mambo for today’s color challenge, I knew that I had to create a happy card! And what could be happier than the birth of the newest member of the Schach family? So let’s get the design tips out of the way so I can share the details about our new Boxer baby and give you a sneak peek at just one of the changes that will be occurring next week at Pals Paper Arts.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Let the colors dictate the mood of your card! Happy colors should be used to make happy cards!
  • The odds have it! Threes or fives are more pleasing to the eye…a design basic which has been used by interior designers for years. Three balloons, three bows, three elements on the button…all of these add balance!
  • Canine Couture! Even Scotties love to be well dressed. A few Basic Pearls transform this collar from drab to fab. And notice how many pearls there are…three!
  • Scallops, scallops everywhere! The Scallop Edge Border Punch was used to punch…you guessed it…three borders that compliment the large Scallop Square.
  • Button envy! Two tiny tags welcoming our new addition were punched using the Jewelry Tag punch and spiffied up with a Basic Pearl. These were then threaded onto a safety pin from Vintage Trinkets and adhered to a Daffodil Delight button using a Mini Glue Dot. So easy…and the perfect touch to any baby card!
As I hinted yesterday, I used no spritzing, smooching, distressing, tearing, daubing or…embossing! So, I really felt out of my comfort zone with this card. However, I did use two of my favorite new products: Basic Pearls and Vintage Trinkets! Remember, at the PPA you are welcome to play with any supplies…not just Stampin’ Up! And if you don’t have these same colors…feel free to substitute with similar colors! Come and join in the fun! And speaking of fun…here is a hint at just one of the changes that will be happening at Pals Paper Arts next week. How cool is this!

And Now for My Exciting Baby News:

Many of you were by my side as I shared my sorrow at the passing of my beloved Missy the Boxer. Your words comforted me then, and they still bring me comfort even today. Yes, there are those people who undoubtedly said, “She was just a dog”. These are the same people whose lives have never been touched by the love of “just a dog”. Over the last six months, my family has anguished over the question of whether to bring another baby into our midst. And happily that question has been answered. “Muffin” was born 8-09-10. We have the second female pick of the litter out of five females and three males. While I would have loved a flashy, brindle female…as would the first pick person…there was only one little girl with “bling”. Most of the girls are similar in their markings to their daddy, Ch. Happy Tails Dart Impact. I have “brand-new-just-dried-off” baby pictures to share with you. We have narrowed our choice to these three…one of them will be Muffy the Boxer! We just have to wait to see who is selected first, and then we will have a tough selection to make! Hey…maybe we will just have to adopt both of them. But wait! If odds are better, as we have seen with today’s card, maybe we will have to add a third…right? Even interior designers know that things look better in threes…even Boxers!

I will leave you today with baby pictures. Take a quick peek, then head on over to Pals Paper Arts for more inspiration! Tomorrow: Blog Candy. Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Friends Fur-ever (W 117008; C 120504), Tiny Tags (W 118091; C 118592); Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406); Stampin’ Write Markers: Melon Mambo (121074), Basic Black (100082), Tempting Turquoise (100058); Designer Series Paper: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise from the Brights Patterns Paper Stack (117155); Card Stock: Melon Mambo textured (119930), Tempting Turquoise smooth (102067), Whisper White (100730); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die (115950), Scallop Edge Border Punch (119882), Jewelry Tag Punch (117190); Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Vintage Trinkets (118764), Daffodil Delight 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon (119254), Daffodil Delight Button from the Brights Collection Designer Button (119747)