I will be the first to admit that I know very little about girls…I am the mother of a boy! So it was with trepidation that I agreed to design a card for “Schach Pack” member Amy Ryan’s “Mommy and Me” workshop this afternoon. First of all, I wasn’t quite certain what little girls in first through fourth grades would like or what they would be able to do. After all, I teach the “big kids”. However, I was delighted with what a big hit my Pony Party card was! At first, I was not going to post this card to my blog, but then I decided that maybe we could all benefit from what I learned from helping Amy at her workshop this afternoon. Let’s par-teh with the ponies!

The Stampin‘ Schach Tips:

• Take a tip from the Boy Scouts and be prepared! Before the workshop I stamped the Pony onto Whisper White card stock using Basic Black ink and matted it onto Melon Mambo. Since I didn’t want to lose any little fingers, I also pre-cut the Bermuda Bay and Whisper White panels.
• Kids of all ages love the Big Shot! Although I presented the option of not embossing the Whisper White horizontal layer, and instead stamping the little flowers and hearts and stars and rainbows that came with the Pony Party set, little girls know what’s classy at an early age! Every single one of them opted for Stampin‘ Up!’s Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder! Is this not cool?
• Blender Pen protocol! Stampin‘ Up!’s Watercolor Pencils are a big hit when coupled with Blender Pens! And it is never too early to train little stampers in the basics of Blender Pen use and care. We learned how to clean them and how to remember to keep them capped when not in use!
• Adhesives 101! We learned how to hold the SNAIL Adhesive at the proper angle and how to use Mini Glue Dots to adhere butterflies so you can raise their wings.
• Sandwiches are not just for eating! Every single stamper today embossed their own Perfect Polka Dots and Beautiful Wings Embosslits. Not a single one forgot the proper “sandwich”!
• Embrace originality and creativity! In shades of pink, purple, brown, and blue…there were ponies colored in every hue! Butterflies swarmed in various areas of the card, and not every pony was positioned like the sample. After all, isn’t a large part of the fun of card making, being able to put your own “stamp” on the card!

In addition, hostess Amy Ryan designed a birthday card for the young ladies to make using Stampin‘ Up!’s Big Bold Cupcake Sizzlits. Yep…there’s no doubt about it…stampers of all ages love the Big Shot! By the end of the afternoon, ponies and cupcakes decorated the room and Butter Brickle Bars were quickly snarfed up. After all, stamping does work up one’s appetite! And what did the mommies end up doing, you ask? They were in charge of the Scallop Trim Border Punch…and more than one colored their own Pretty Pony!

Amy is just one of my downline members who is doing what they love and sharing it with others. For more information on how you can become a member of my downline group, The Schach Pack, just click on “Join the Schach Pack”, located at the top of today’s post. I would love to mentor you as you begin your Stampin‘ Up! journey. As newest member Leslie Stone has stated, “From the moment that I decided to sign up as a demonstrator, Ann took the time to walk me through the process and helped me make decisions about what items to purchase that would help me hold my very first workshop. She is always more than willing to help me when I have questions about products and techniques. To me, this is what mentoring is about.”

Join me next time, when I will welcome talented Schach Pack Artist, Donette Barry as my Guest Stamper. Donette’s cards are simply stunning! I guarantee that you will be in for a treat. In the meantime, if you have any questions about today’s “Mommy and Me” card or the techniques that I use, don’t hesitate to email me. Until next time…

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Stamp Set: Pony Party (115217); Inks: Basic Black (101179); Card Stock: Whisper White (100730), Melon Mambo (115320), Bermuda Bay (115317); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder (117335—Occasions Mini), Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Wings Embosslits (118138—Occasions Mini), Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils (101879), Blender Pens (102845), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), SNAIL Adhesive (104332), Mini Glue Dots (103683)

For today’s Pals Paper Arts Challenge, based on an inspiration photo, I decided to just stay with the general idea of “Birds”. Sure…I thought about doing something fancy, like gold embossed birds. I thought about using one of my two stamps that have birds in cages (Chic Boutique and the Sale-a-bration set, Happy Moments). I even thought about using my Extra Large Two Step Bird Punch. However, in the end I selected a Hostess Level 2 Set which I have used very little, Wings of Friendship. After a Clean and Simple trend for the past few cards, I decided that I wanted to get a little “distressed” with today’s inspiration. So I pulled out my Sponge Daubers and Color Spritzer Tool, and set to work on my inspiration card, entitled “Distressed Bird for the PPA”. Have fun with today’s challenge!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• Larger stamped images require larger card bases! Since the central image on this card is rather large, I elected to use a 5-1/4″ square card base. At this size, it slips easily into Stampin’ Up!’s square envelopes!
• Little details add up for big impact! The paper piercing around the Night of Navy Scalloped Oval; the Jumbo Grommet through which the ribbon is laced; the textured Photo Corners created with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder all contribute to the design elements of this card. Yet, they are created in the wink of an eye!
• Think outside of the box! The Scalloped Trim Corner Punched pattern paper, peeking from underneath the Large Photo Corner adds a touch of whimsey. While the tiny Regal Rose flowers stamped with the Eastern Blooms set and then snipped out with Paper Snips, add a pop of color to the Always Artichoke branch.
• Get dirty! Sponge Daubers, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip inks are all it takes to add a vintage and distressed feel to any card. And never overlook the impact of the easy to use Color Spritzer Tool. For this card I used a Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker, and spritzed the Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper as well as the Very Vanilla card stock.
• Bitty Bows! Linen Thread bows are used to hold the ends of the Always Artichoke 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon together.

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7
Stamp Sets: Wings of Friendship (114308—Hostess Level 2), Eastern Blooms (111626); Inks: Close to Cocoa (103139), Chocolate Chip (100908); Stampin’ Write Markers: Close to Cocoa (100072), Regal Rose (105108), Always Artichoke (105116), Night of Navy (100069); Designer Series Paper: Bella Bleu (113974); Card Stock: Kraft (102125), Night of Navy (100867), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Stampin’ Up! Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder (117335), Large Oval Punch (107305), Scallop Oval Punch (114889), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Scallop Trim Corner Punch (118870), Photo Corners Punch (109042), Corner Rounder (109047), Paper Snips (103579), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Sponge Daubers (102892), Paper Piercer (); Glitz and Glam: Rich Regals Brads (106953), Antique Brass Jumbo Grommets (108431), Linen Thread (104199), Always Artichoke 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109035)