A Little Bit of Magic for the PPA

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means! It’s Pals Paper Arts day! Are you feeling like a sketch challenge? If so, you are in luck, because that is exactly what the Pals Paper Arts crew have up their collective sleeve. I worked my inspiration magic with the Summer Mini’s “A Little Bit of Magic” stamp set. Of course, I am a firm believer that you can never have too much texture, and the new Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder is the perfect way to achieve it. Before you leave to work a little magic of your own, let me conjure up a few design tips. But, wait! Let me get my magic wand…

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

  • Perform magic with texture! I zipped the Square Lattice folder through the Big Shot along with Very Vanilla and Perfect Plum card stocks. Three squares were then punched from textured Very Vanilla using the 1-1/4″ Square Punch, and layered onto Pale Plum. Opposite corners were rounded on the Perfect Plum, which was matted onto Sage Shadow.
  • Perform magic with inks and Blender Pens! Our sweet little fairy’s frock was tinted with Pale Plum, Olive Green, and Pretty in Pink, with just a touch of Perfect Plum. Sage Shadow, Pale Plum and Perfect Plum were used for her wings.
  • Perform magic with glitz and glam! Iridiscent Ice Emboss Powder adds the perfect shine to fairy wings, resulting in a look which is almost gossamer. Half-back pearls from the Pretties Kit further compliment the sentiment, while a rhinestone pried from a Clear Rhinestone Brad draws the eye to the tiny flower.
  • Perform magic with the little details! For an unexpected touch, the Pretty in Pink Satin Bow is adhered to a gold embossed Mini Vintage Tag from the Summer Mini. And, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter, applied with Tombow Adhesive, truly makes the Beautiful Wings Embosslits butterflies have beautiful wings!
I was thrilled when I received my copy of the Summer Mini, and this stamp set is one of the reasons. I think that the fairies fill a fanciful niche in the Stampin’ Up! arsenal. They are adorable!
Remember, I love and appreciate your comments! So, please let me know what you think of today’s card. And if you have any questions about the techniques that I use, please do not hesitate to email me! Or, just ask me in person at Convention 2010! Until next time…


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Stamp Set: A Little Bit of Magic (W 118613; C 120033—Summer Mini); Ink: Pale Plum (102732), Perfect Plum (101437), Old Olive (102277), Pretty in Pink (101301), Sage Shadow (102532), Summer Sun (100537), Basic Gray (109120); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Sage Shadow (101563), Pretty in Pink (100459), Pale Plum (101658), Perfect Plum (101889); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976—Summer Mini), Beautiful Wings Embosslits (118138—Occasions Mini), Tombow Adhesive (110755), Mini Vintage Tags (118763—Summer Mini), Corner Rounder (106047), Modern Label Punch (116630), Heat Tool (100005), Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109129), VersaMarker (100901); Glitz and Glam: Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter (102023), Iridescent Ice Emboss Powder (101930), Clear Rhinestone Brad (113144), Pretties Kit (109114), Pretty in Pink 5/8″ Satin Ribbon (117289)

PPA Peek-a-Boo


What a week this has been! Between this month’s Splitcoast Dirty Dozen gallery, which goes live Thursday, and a myriad of school and personal activities, which included a recital, my life has been so busy! I know that all of you have been in the same situation before…so many things to do and not enough time in which to do them. However, I have survived! I have seven cards in my April Splitcoast Fan Club gallery, just waiting to be revealed. I have created my Pals Paper Arts challenge card, using a new stamp set from the Summer Mini catalog. And I listened to my son perform Honneger’s “Intrada”.

The Sneak Peek
There is no doubt about it…I will miss the lighter shades of purple as Stampin’ Up! renovates its color collections. However, I have faith that they will definitely come up with substitutes for Pale Plum, Almost Amethyst, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac and Lavender Lace. I played with these colors, along with my Blender Pens, on this week’s Pals’ Challenge card. Of course, it’s easy to tell that I used the new Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder. I hope that you will find this card to be “magical”!

Convention Excitement
Of course, the excitement in the Stampin’ Up! world is revolving around registration for Convention 2010! This will mark my first Convention. I didn’t attend last year as I was new to stamping. Now that I am feeling a little more confident in my stamping skills, I can hardly wait to meet those of you who will be attending! So many of you are like family…I am sure that we will have fun. We will definitely need to share information as the time approaches.
Brady’s Recital
It was a mad rush out the door on the shirt-tails of my students, but I did make it to Western Illinois University’s Trumpet Studio recital Monday evening. Brady performed Honneger’s “Intrada”. The last time that I heard Brady perform a solo under performance conditions was when he auditioned for acceptance into the School of Music…and that was with my ear pressed to the audition room door nearly two years ago. I could not be more proud of how he has matured musically.
Obviously, there were things that did not get accomplished during this past week. Here it is April 13th, and I missed sending out my April 1st newsletter. I guess that a mid-month newsletter will be just fine. My house is in disarray…I am ever so messy when I create. And I have a Hostess Club for which to prepare. But, “tomorrow is another day”. I never did get a post written about the colors that are retiring and those that are returning, but now I have a different idea in mind about how to address that topic. Isn’t it funny how life just has a way of working itself out? Until next time…

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Flowers for the PPA


What could be better than flowers and candy? Why…flowers, candy, and the Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week’s theme is “Flowers” and we are offering blog candy, too! So before you head over to the PPA site to view the wonderful inspiration cards designed by my fellow design team members, let me just share a secret with you. Shhh…don’t tell anybody, but I love the new Elements of Style stamp set! The Baroque “Swirl” stamp in this set is perfect for creating a background, while letting the “Floral” image take center stage. An elegant color scheme of Basic Black and Very Vanilla, as well as a sumptuous Basic Black Satin Bow make this one classy card!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

  • An act of random stamping! The “Swirl” image, inked with Basic Black and stamped onto Very Vanilla, forms a wonderful background! The only thing that could possibly make it better is zipping it through the Big Shot along with the new Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder.

  • Ink-a-dink! Stampin’ Up! Inks and Blender Pens make quick work of water coloring the Floral image. I selected Regal Rose for the petals, Always Artichoke for the leaves, and So Saffron for the centers. Shading and definition were achieved by using Stampin’ Write Markers of the same hue.

  • Flirty and pretty! A trio of half-back Pearls from the Pretties Kit adds a flirtatious touch, while Basic Black 5/8″ Satin Ribbon adds a touch of “ooo-la-la”!
My Summer Mini picks definitely include Elements of Style and the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder. Over the next few weeks, I will share more of my favorites from the upcoming Summer Mini. Of course, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use, don’t hesitate to email me. I am always happy to chat about stamping! Of course, your comments are important to me, so please let me know what you think about today’s card! Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Set: Elements of Style (W 118611; C 120045—Summer Mini); Inks: Basic Black (101179), Regal Rose (105211), Always Artichoke (105219), So Saffron (105213), Sahara Sand (105208); Stampin’ Write Markers: Regal Rose (105108), Always Artichoke (105113); Card Stock: Basic Black (102851), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder (119976—Summer Mini), Blender Pens (102845), Paper Snips (103579); Glitz and Glam: Pretties Kit (109114), Basic Black 5/8″ Satin Ribbon (117285)