Steppin’ It Up…Part 1

This is a week of firsts! My first Stampin’ Up! Convention, my first face-to-face meeting with my upline, my first time in Utah, my first time flying alone! I am not afraid of flying, but I am afraid of terminals. Please keep your collective fingers crossed that I don’t get lost in the Denver airport during my extremely short layover Tuesday afternoon. Coming back Sunday, I will have nearly four hours in Denver to find my gate…no problems there! I will definitely need to bring along a good book to read!

I will have a variety of cards for you to view during my absence, including Stepping It Up…Part 2 on Tuesday, the PPA Sneak Peak on Wednesday, the PPA Reveal on Thursday, my Convention Swap card on Saturday, and Dirty Dozen card Sunday. I will not be taking my laptop with me to Utah, but I promise that I will share plenty of pictures with you when I return!

Today’s card features the Wedding Sweet stamp set, which can be used for more than just weddings, and Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper! This card was quick and easy to make, and the nice thing about it is that you can easily take the same concept and “step it up a notch”, as you will see with tomorrow’s card!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • “Presto chango alakazam!” Just say the magic words, add ink, and watch the beautiful design appear on the Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper! I used a Brayer to quickly apply Old Olive ink, and used a paper towel to remove the excess from the white glossy design. (If you don’t have a Brayer, just sponge on the color.) The result mimics the emboss resist technique. For a vintage look, I sponged Soft Suede in the corners. Oh… and if time is a factor…you can skip the magic words!

  • Do the bow-dacious two-step! Use two pieces of ribbon for your ribbon treatment when using Stampin’ Up!’s luscious 5/8″ Satin Ribbon. Adhere one piece to the card base, and use the second piece to make a separate bow. A couple of Mini Glue Dots will hold your bow in place!

  • Add shimmer and glimmer! Heat embossing is a breeze with VersaMark ink and Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder! The gold embossed image from Wedding Suite coordinates well with the Old Olive background and Chocolate Chip ribbon. Did you know that Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon is still available in the Summer Mini catalog? If you love this ribbon as much as I do, you will want to make certain that you stock up!

  • Release your stress by distressing! A Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker and the Color Spritzer Tool does the trick, adding a shabby chic feel in a matter of seconds!
Looking for something similar, but a little more glamorous? Check out tomorrow’s “stepped up” version! Until next time…


Click Here To Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Wedding Sweet; Ink: VersaMark, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Designer Series Paper: Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold, Old Olive; Tools: Heat Tool, Sponge Dauber, Brayer, Color Spritzer Tool, Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker; Glitz and Glam: Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Satin Ribbon (Summer Mini), Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder

A Wedding Invitation for the PPA


Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week because it is Pals Paper Arts Challenge Day! This week our challenge is “Weddings”. We love weddings at Pals Paper Arts and we hope you do, too! Weddings are magical and inspirational…and nothing tastes better than wedding cake! My card today is a concept card created for a wonderful young woman who is anticipating an October wedding. Although she has already selected commercially designed invitations, she wanted 24 hand made cards for relatives and special friends, as well as programs covers. The Elegant Lines embossing folder and the sophisticated color combination of Crumb Cake and Early Espresso are right up her alley. Plus, she adored the little bouquet from the Wedding Sweet set, which has been embossed in gold. The inside will contain a vellum insert with the specifics and a gold-embossed Sweet Swirls border . Of course, I will be on pins and needles waiting for her to return from vacation so she can see it in person. This will be a starting point, and I am anticipating that we will make some changes. Luckily I will have Convention to keep my mind occupied while awaiting her response!!! Whether your creation has something old, something new, something borrowed or something blue as your inspiration…whether it is an invitation, congratulatory card, or a shower card, I am anxious to see what fabulous projects you have to share!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Do you have a buddy? An Embossing Buddy that is! Running this little powder-filled “pillow” across your paper prior to heat embossing removes static, and leaves your embossed image free of those annoying little speckles.
  • Formal or casual? When designing a formal card, select specific design elements to imply a more formal tone. Square corners, multilayer mats incorporating Brushed Gold card stock and gold embossing will help you achieve an air of formality.
  • So many colors…so many decisions! Neutral and Regal color palettes are always good choices for elegance. Pearls, as well as satin or taffeta ribbon, are the perfect embellishments!
  • Less is more! The Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder has such wonderful detail. Lots of extra embellishments are unnecessary!
Weddings are so special! I am thrilled to have the honor of designing cards for two brides this fall. The second wedding will be next summer, leaving me with more time to develop my concept card. I think that I am just as excited as the brides!
I hope that you enjoyed today’s card. Remember, I appreciate your comments. If you have a question about this card or any of the techniques that I use, don’t hesitate to email me. I love answering questions! Now skedaddle on over to the PPA site and take a look at the beautiful inspiration cards created by our Design Team. I will be awaiting your creations! Until next time…

Click Here for List of Retired Stamps for Sale (Prices Reduced)

Stamp Set: Wedding Sweet (115466); Ink: VersaMark (102283); Card Stock: Brushed Gold (102935), Very Vanilla (101650), Early Espresso (119686), Crumb Cake (120953); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119277), Heat Tool (100005), Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109129), Embossing Buddy (103083); Glitz and Glam: Early Espresso 5/8″ Satin Ribbon (119753), Basic Pearls (119247)

Happy Retirement and Peek-a-PPA-Boo


I have been so busy since my last post on Thursday. Over the weekend I attended the Creating Keepsake Scrapbooking Convention in Des Moines, where I learned a few new techniques which I will be pleased to share with you in the upcoming weeks. And I also put the finishing touches on my Dirty Dozen cards for this month, which goes live Thursday…the same day as our latest Pals Paper Arts challenge. My six cards for this month showcase several new Stampin‘ Up! sets, including Uncharted Territory, Wicked Cool, Fur-Ever Friends and Greeting Card Kids. So in case you have been wondering where all of my latest cards are, they will be right there waiting for you in the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club. (You can learn more about the Fan Club by clicking Here.) As for my PPA card, it is loaded with texture! I just love the new Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Plus, the new Basic Pearls are wonderful! Remember that challenges are great tools for helping us grow artistically. I hope that you will play @ the PPA this week. Who knows…you may be selected as a Pals Paper Artists Pick, just like the latest talented recipients of the PPA badge!

As I finish up today’s post, I would like to share another card from my first Dirty Dozen gallery, “All Creatures Great and Small”. How appropriate that this retirement card features the newly retired Close to Cocoa card stock! For an updated look, I would substitute Soft Suede or Crumb Cake. Either would look beautiful with More Mustard and Always Artichoke, which form the accent colors.

The Stampin‘ Schach Design Tips:

  • Have a plan! Mine was to simulate the look of a barn. To do this, I inked up the Woodgrain background stamp with Basic Brown and stamped it onto Close to Cocoa. Looking through the oval at the farm animals was to simulate looking through the knot-hole of the barn siding.

  • Bring out the texture! After dampening with a spritz of water, More Mustard card stock was zipped through the Big Shot with the “Distressed” Texturz Plate from Kit #4. (Dampening the paper slightly provides a crisper image.) Bring out the texture even more with a little Chocolate Chip ink!

  • Layer your labels! Both the Modern Label and Designer Label Punches were layered for interest.

  • Watercolor with Blender Pen and Inks! I just touch the tip of the Blender Pen directly to the corner of the selected stamp pad in order to load it with color. For these critters, I used Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Really Rust, Ruby Red, and Blush Blossom. Sahara Sand provides the shadowing.
This retirement card was especially made for a dear friend of mine, who also retired from teaching this year. Although the card has a distinct masculine feel, Joan grew up on a farm. I knew that she would appreciate the barn board siding and the farm animals, and her reaction when she received the card did not disappoint me. Happy retirement!
In closing today, don’t forget that your comments are important to me! I do read all of them, and respond to those I can. In fact, here are a few clarifications about my last card, Live with Passion for the PPA!: For Kim, who wanted to know if I cut down the oval sentiment by hand…I actually punched out two Basic Gray 2″ x 1-3/8″ Ovals, and adhered them behind the sentiment. For Terri, the edges of the snipped out flowers and leaves were distressed using Chocolate Chip ink and a Sponge Dauber. Remember, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…


Click Here to View my Retired Stamps for Sale

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7
Stamp Sets: Farm Life, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Woodgrain ; Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Very Vanilla
Inks: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand; Tools: Designer Label Punch, Modern Label Punch, Big Shot, Texturz Plate Kit #4 “Distressed”, Linen Thread, Vintage Brads, Color Spritzer Tool, Chocolate Chip Stampin‘ Write Marker, Sponge Dauber; Nestabilities Oval Die