Pals Paper Arts Peek of the Week

It’s time for the Pals Paper Arts “Peek of the Week”, where I give you a tiny glimpse at my inspiration card for the upcoming challenge. For a change, this actually qualifies as a HUGE peek instead of a tiny one! And as you can see, there is no embossing (gasp), no distressing (double gasp), and no spritzing with the Color Spritzer Tool (triple gasp). It is definitely not my usual vintage or shabby chic style, for sure! And Thursday’s post will be filled with interesting revelations, other than just the rest of my card. Hmmm! What could it be! You will just have to make certain that you tune in Thursday to see!

My final Dirty Dozen gallery has been uploaded, and it is ready for Sunday, when it will go live. It is hard to believe that six months have flown by this quickly. I would have never presumed that I would have ever been honored by being named a member of this incredibly talented group of stampers. My friend and mentor, Mary Fish, once described being a member of the Dirty Dozen, as her “dream gig”, and I will have to agree. I am just wondering when I will awaken from the dream…I will, however, have much more time available now for my own stamping endeavors. I have tons of new items from the Holiday Mini just waiting for me to create. I can hardly wait to share them with you!

There is Still Time to Book Your August Workshop

With Stampin’ Up!’s “Extra! Extra Hostess Promotion”, you can earn an extra $25 of FREE product for a qualifying workshop of $350 through August! Here is what recent hostess Staci R. emailed her friends after her first workshop: “We had such a good time Friday night and we learned so much that I have scheduled another Stampin’ Up! party!” Not only will you learn new and exciting techniques at a Stampin’ Schach workshop, you will have fun, too! Email me today to set a date!

Want to become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and have fun while sharing your love of stamping? Do you have a huge Wish List and want to take advantage of a demonstrator discount? Ready to add to your income? Join my group today. Email me for more information!
Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Same Card…Two Looks for Always Playing with Paper


I am thrilled to be revealing this week’s card, or cards if you please, for the Paper Players Challenge. This week we are hosting a yummy color challenge combining Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla. If you do not have these colors, don’t despair! Just substitute with something similar. For my card, I inked up the three “Chair” images from Stampin’ Up!’s Have a Seat stamp set. Because of the almost austere lines of this set, I decided to keep my card simple in terms of embellishments. However, I could not resist trying it out with a big bow, too! Isn’t it amazing how different it looks? I hope that you enjoy this little slice of Cherry Vanilla Crumb Cake with an Espresso!


The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Be a Big Shot hero! Early Espresso was zipped through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, while Very Vanilla was paired with the Perfect Polka Dots folder. A small piece of Early Espresso was punched with the Modern Label punch, then embossed using the Square Lattice folder.

  • Layer your labels! The “i miss you” sentiment from Three Little Words was inked with Early Espresso and stamped onto Crumb Cake card stock. After punching it out with the 1-3/8″ x 5/8″ Oval Punch, it was layered onto a 1″ Cherry Cobbler Circle which had been adhered to the Early Espresso Designer Label that had been previously texturized. But as you can see in Picture Two, this card looks perfectly fine sans sentiment.

  • Plain and simple! A snippet of Hemp Twine tied around 1-1/4″ Early Espresso Striped Grosgrain Ribbon is the perfect ribbon treatment for a simple look. Or if you like, dress it up with a voluptuous bow, as shown below!

  • Age instantly! The Color Spritzer Tool, paired with an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker adds the perfect amount of speckling to the image mat, while the edges are gently distressed using a Sponge Dauber and Early Espresso ink.


So what do you think? Big Bow or Hemp Twine? Let me know in your comment! Isn’t it fun to see the difference! And if you have any questions about any of the techniques that I have used on this card, don’t hesitate to ask. I really do look forward to your emails.

I still have a few open dates in which to take advantage of Stampin’ Up!’s Hostess Promotion. Earn an extra $25 of free product for a qualifying workshop of $350 (before taxes and shipping)! Want to host a catalog party? That’s fine, too! Just email me for details! Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Sets: Have a Seat (W 116696; C 120447), Three Little Words (113254); Ink: Early Espresso (119670), Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker (119680); Card Stock: Crumb Cake (120953), Early Espresso (119686), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Textured Impressions Embossing Folders: Vintage Wallpaper (120175), Square Lattice (119976), Perfect Polka Dots (117335); Punches: Designer Label (119862), 1″ Circle (119868), 1-3/8″ x 5/8″ Oval Punch (119863); Sponge Dauber (102892), Color Spritzer Tool (107066); Glitz and Glam: Hemp Twine (100982), Early Espresso 1 -1/4″ Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (119961)

A Masculine KISS for the PPA


Can you believe that it has been a year since Pals Paper Arts began weekly challenges? Yet, here we are at Challenge #54…create a masculine KISS card! A KISS card (Keep It Simple Sweetie) is described as having one or more of these attributes: minimal layers and embellishments, quick to create, and “white” space. Now there may be those of you who are saying that today’s card is NOT a KISS card, but as we have always said at the PPA, “If it is KISSable to you, it is KISSable to us!” And this is simpler than many of the cards I create, coming together quite quickly. So I am calling it KISSable! What makes it masculine is hopefully obvious…the colors, the nautical theme, the jumbo eyelets and twine. As they used to say in the old Irish Spring commercials, “Manly yes, but I like it, too!” I can’t take all of the credit for today’s card as I did solicit the input of my son. It was his keen eye and sense of style that pulled these colors out of my stash! Thanks, Brady!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay! I’m havin’ fun with my Big Shot today!” In a matter of minutes, I zipped More Mustard card stock through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. For a little contrast, Marina Mist card stock was paired up with the Square Lattice folder!
  • Twine is fine! Whether you are looking for a distressed, country or masculine theme, Stampin’ Up!’s Hemp Twine does the trick. I just wrapped it around the Marina Mist section of the card and adhered it to the back. No bow…no woes! How easy is that?
  • Water color in the blink of an eye with Blender Pens and inks! Marina Mist seas, Cajun Craze cliffs, and a Cherry Cobbler with Basic Gray lighthouse complete this seascape!
  • Spritz! The Color Spritzer Tool is an indispensable part of my stampin’ routine, especially when paired with a Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker.
  • But wait…there’s more! Three Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets complete the look!

What do you think? Didn’t Brady do a great job picking out the colors? Just leave me a comment, and I will be sure to let him know your thoughts. And if you have any questions about today’s card or the techniques that I used, just shoot me an email! So…get started on those masculine KISS cards and help the PPA celebrate our blogaversary! And…there are changes looming on the horizon for The Stampin’ Schach this fall, so be sure to stay tuned to the never-ending saga of “Days of My Blog”! Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Uncharted Territory (W 116952; C 120456); Inks: Basic Black (101179), Soft Suede (115657), Bashful Blue (105209), Cherry Cobbler (119669), Basic Gray (109120), Cajun Craze (119671), Marina Mist (119668), Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker (120973); Card Stock: Pacific Point (111350), More Mustard (100946), Marina Mist (119682), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (120175), Square Lattice Textured Impression Embossing Folder (119976), Blender Pens (102845), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), The Tearing Edge (102930); Glitz and Glam: Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets (108431), Hemp Twine (100982)