You saw the sneak peek yesterday, so I hope that are are ready for the reveal of today’s Pals Paper Arts inspiration card. Today’s challenge is a sketch challenge, and I did take a few liberties with the sketch. But changing it up to meet the needs of your design is perfectly fine! Sketches are meant to be a guideline, not a blueprint set in stone. There are four new product peeks on this card, too. I selected the “Bread and Wine” vignette from Studio Sketches because I love to watercolor, while the sentiment and crown are from Artistic Etchings. Of course, I have a penchant for texture, so I just had to use the new Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. And if you look closely, you can catch a tiny glimpse of Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper. I hope that you enjoy today’s masculine card!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Caution: Embossing Ahead! When mixing embossed patterns, proceed with caution! Vintage Wallpaper is big and bold, so when pairing it with another embossing folder, select a subdued pattern. In this case, Square Lattice is a perfect masculine choice.
• Color me happy! Studio Sketches are made for watercoloring! I simply use Stampin’ Up!’s Blender Pens, Stampin’ Write Markers, and Classic Inks to achieve the watercolored look that I want. The soon-to-be-retired dynamic duo, Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa, transform the French Bread to a luscious loaf. Of course, the wine is Bravo Burgundy. A little Wild Wasabi and Cajun Spice for the bottles and you’re done.
• Masculine bling is a good thing! Hemp Twine displayed three ways (plain, with buttons, knotted) adds texture on the image mat while balancing the texture of the Embossing Folders.
• Don’t be a fool, use the tools! Any handyman or handywoman will agree that the right tools make the job easier. The same is true when you are trying to achieve the distressed look. For me, Sponge Daubers to ink the edges and the Color Spritzer Tool for “speckling” are a must.
• Pop it up! “Amour” was inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto Very Vanilla. After punching it out with the Small Oval Punch (1-3/8″ x 5/8″), I popped it onto the Large Oval Punch with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Because of the bulk of the Hemp Twine, the image mat was also popped up onto dimensionals.

The Stampin’ Up! Scoop:
The $99 Starter Kit
The Last Chance List

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

As always, I would love to give you a little peek at my Pals Paper Arts card which I designed for Thursday’s challenge. Challenges are one of the best ways to sharpen your paper crafting skills. Although the PPA Design Team showcases Stampin’ Up! products in our inspiration cards, we encourage everyone to participate and to use any brand of products they wish. Just to whet your appetite, and to make you come back for more, my card features a sneak peek of two of Stampin’ Up!’s newest sets. I hope that you will join us on Thursday! And be sure to check out this week’s Pals Paper Arts Artist Picks!

$99 Starter Kit is Still Available!

• Through June 30, Stampin’ Up! is offering a special $99 Mini Starter Kit. You will receive a $180 worth of product and business supplies, as well as FREE shipping.
• As a demonstrator, you can pre-order select items in June from the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog, and you will be able to take advantage of other pre-order times, too!
• Enjoy full Stampin’ Up! demonstrator discounts and benefits. This includes 30% off your first $150 product order (within 45 days of your joining date). With the release of the new catalog, what could be a better way to make quick work of your Wish List!
• Perfect for the hobby stamper!

To see what is included in the Mini Starter Kit, just Click Here!

I would love to have you as a member of my Stampin’ Up! team, The Schach Pack. I take a personal interest in each member of my group, helping them to develop both their artistic skills and their businesses. Here are just a few things my team is saying:

“Any time I have had questions, or just needed a creative boost, I have not only been able to read Ann’s blog, but have been able to call her and get answers to my questions. What better upline and mentor could a stamper have?”

“I am thrilled to be part of such a creatively inspired group and look forward to seeing where my dreams can take me as a demonstrator!”

“After toying with the idea of becoming a demonstrator for quite some time, and avidly checking out Ann’s blog over the past year, I phoned Ann for advice on what being a Stampin’ Up Associate entailed and how to start. I have never been more pleased to be a part of anything in my life!”

Email Me today, and we will set the process in motion, or simply visit this page to sign-up on-line! My recruiting password is stampinschach. Trust me…I have the new catalog in hand and it is filled with fantastic new items. Becoming a demonstrator gets you more bang for your buck, as you can take advantage of your demonstrator discount AND you can also receive 30% off your first order. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

I hope you enjoyed the tiny peek at my PPA card, and that you will join me Thursday for the Pals Paper Arts challenge! Just what do we have in store! Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!

Sometimes it is sad to say good-by to our old friends. I always thought of the Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper, which is being retired, as an old friend. It was my “go-to” paper for all of my fall cards and many of my masculine cards. In fact, I used it on this masculine card which was designed for my first Dirty Dozen gallery, “All Creatures Great and Small”. I entitled this card, “Coming Out of My Shell”, since it depicts the “Turtle” from Nature’s Nest doing exactly that! I had a great time watercoloring this little reptile, once again armed with my trusty Blender Pens and inks. I hope that you enjoy today’s card, and the subsequent revisiting of two cards made with this lovely Designer Series Paper, which is still available on The Last Chance List.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• Easy-peasy! Nothing is easier than watercoloring with Blender Pens and inks. I just load the tip of the Blender Pen with ink from the corner of my Classic Ink Pads. For this card, I used Basic Brown, Old Olive, Crushed Curry, and Always Artichoke inks. And for those little white highlights on the turtle’s shell, a White Signo Gel Pen did the trick. Tip: There are options for those inks which are retiring. I would use Early Espresso or Chocolate Chip in place of Basic Brown, and More Mustard for Crushed Curry.
• Customize your dies! Use only the section that you need. A few precise snips with my trusty Paper Snips converted the Lattice Bigz Die into the perfect embellishment that was needed for the right side of this card.
• Men deserve bling, too…albeit not so flashy! Simple Gold Brads add a touch of glitz without being too glam!

The classy “More Mustard Abstract” pattern used in today’s featured card was just one of my faves from the Autumn Traditions DSP. I also loved the “Always Artichoke Vines” and the colorful “Autumn Leaves”. They were stunning for autumn cards!

And the winner of this round of Stampin’ Schach Blog Candy is:

#17: Carol
Beautiful card! I really need to put some ink to that stamp.
That is some awesome blog candy!

Carol will have until Thursday, 3:00 PM CST to email me with her address! Congrats Carol!

Please let me know what you think about today’s masculine card by leaving me a comment. I do appreciate your comments and reading what you have to say. And of course, as always, if you ever have a comment about the cards that I create, or the techniques that I use, please do not hesitate to email me. Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Nature’s Nest (113826); Ink: Basic Brown (104315), Old Olive (102277), Crushed Curry (115659), Always Artichoke (105219); Paper: Chocolate Chip textured (108697—Earth Elements assorted), Chocolate Chip (102128), Olive Green textured (108697—Earth Elements assorted), Naturals Ivory (101849), Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper (115668); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Stampin’ Up! Lattice Bigz Die (115958), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Corner Rounder (109047), Paper Piercer (116631), Gold Brads (104337), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Blender Pens (102845), Paper Snips (103579), Signo Gel Pen (105021)