It’s Thursday! As you know, that means that it is time to play at PPA! Since this week’s challenge is “Anything But a Card”, I decided to share a trio of Valentine treat boxes that can be prepared in a snap. They all involve easy to use templates and Stampin’ Up!s delightful Sending Love Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

“Ruffled Heart”

• Template, template…who has the template? Mel, that’s who! I printed off this template from Mel Stampz and traced it onto Pretty in Pink card stock. Then I cut a second heart from the beautiful Sending Love Designer Series Paper. This formed the base on which to attach the ruffle.
• Fun and Feminine! Do you suffer from “ruffle-phobia”? I have the cure…a tutorial by Janine Tinklenberg, better known to all as “Jan Tink”. Her tutorial can be found HERE! To be honest, the ruffle would have been easier to create from lighter-weight pattern paper, but I wanted to use Pretty in Pink card stock. Just be aware that you may have to be a little rougher with your ruffling! Tip: Mini Glue Dots can help to keep those pesky pleats in place!
• Satin Sensation! Don’t you love the new Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon? It’s such a rich, yummy color, and just perfect for a traditional bow!
• Glitter optional! Several of the Sending Love patterns are pre-glittered, saving you time and resources. What could be faster and easier?

“Rectangular Box “

• Wowza! It doesn’t get any easier than this! Just cut out a 6-9/16″ wide by 7-1/16″ long rectangle, and cut and score as shown above. The score lines are at the following measurements: 13/16″, 2-3/4″, 3-11/16″, 5-11/16″.

• A simple sleeve created from Sending Love Designer Series Paper, trimmed with Very Vanilla Pinking Hearts, is all that is needed to decorate this Real Red beauty. Top it off with hearts and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and you are good to go!

“Lots of Hearts Carton”

• I {heart} the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit! And a miniature heart is as close as the Small Heart Punch, which will have you singin’ “You’ve gotta have hearts…lots and lots and lots of hearts!”
• Pop it up! This wonderful sentiment from With All My Heart is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. What a great way to add depth and dimension!
• Don’t let this template fool you! It is easier than it looks. Try it, you”ll like it!

As always, my Design Team Pals have prepared some delightful creations for you over at the Pals Paper Arts challenge site. Get ready to be impressed! All brands of products and all skill levels are welcome, so come play @ PPA! And remember, your comments are very important to me! I love reading them and answering your questions! So, please…won’t you share your thoughts with me today? Until next time…

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As some of you have noticed, I have been missing in action. It has definitely been a stressful week, marked by the end of first semester and stacks of tests to grade. As those of you who are teachers know, you are under the gun to get grades calculated and posted. It was also stressful since it was time for Brady, my son, to return to college after having spent a wonderful month-long break at home. I so thoroughly enjoyed my time with him, and I will miss him. And at this already stressful time, I received sad news about my Aunt Margie.

I was named after my Aunt Margaret, my father’s sister. At age 82, Aunt Margie has been placed in hospice care. Her kidneys have shut down and she has elected to receive no treatment. I was called and told that she may not last the week. So it was with a heavy heart that I visited her yesterday. It was hard to fight back the tears, knowing that this would probably be the last time, barring a miracle, that I would talk with her. We reminisced about family. We talked about Brady and how she always loved hearing Brady play the trumpet in church. She told me tell him she was proud of him. We talked about when I was a little girl and would stay at her house. We talked about watching “House Hunters” on HGTV, and the beautiful homes that she had seen. We talked about quilting. We talked about the little dog who was laying faithfully beside her. We talked about the trivial happenings of a normal day. And we talked about the inevitable. As I got up to leave, I held her hands in mine, and said, choking back the tears, “Bye, Aunt Margie. I’ll see you later this week. I love you!” One should always believe in miracles…

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. Sometimes sharing helps. I will be back on Thursday with my Pals Paper Arts challenge. Until next time…

It’s Thursday and that means that it’s time to play @ PPA. This week we are hosting an Inspiration Challenge. Mmmmmm! Chocolate! What could be better inspiration than that? As I looked at today’s inspiration photo, I saw red…literally. So I selected Real Red for my focal color for this quick and easy card. Whisper White mimics the candy wrapper, while the Dove symbolizes Dove Chocolates. Of course the Chocolate Chip cardstock is self-explanatory. Did you notice how the small Chocolate Chip Epoxy Brads represent the drizzle on the piece of chocolate? OK…maybe that IS carrying my inspiration a bit too far! Have fun with today’s challenge, and remember, as Forrest’s mamma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

• It’s all about the texture! First, textured Chocolate Chip and textured Real Red card stock form the background mats. Next, we have Whisper White which has been zipped through the Big Shot with the new Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder (one of my new favorites). Finally, a Real Red Scalloped Heart of Heart Embosslits completes the “texture-fest”!
• Oddly enough (pun intended), embellishments look best in “threes”! Three new Chocolate Chip Epoxy Brads fit perfectly above the sentiment…and I really did select them because they reminded me of the drizzle on top of the chocolate!
• ‘Tis the season! Sometimes out-of-season sets hold the answer to a design dilemma. This heart was aching for something to keep it company. Enter the “Love Dove” from my secret stash of stamps. Oh, all right…It’s just the Dove from Gifts of Christmas. Snipped out and popped up on a Stampin’ Dimensional, it provided the finishing touch that this quick and easy card needed.

I don’t know about you, but all of this card making has made me a wee bit famished. Let’s see, do I want M and M’s….or Snickers…or Peppermint Patties…or a Butterfinger…or Hugs…or Kisses…In the meantime, while I try to decide on a chocolate confection, let me know that you stopped by for a visit today. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about my “Dove Chocolate” card. Your comments are important to me and so are your questions. Please, do not hesitate to email me if you ever have a question about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use. Until next time…

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Stamp Sets: Gifts of Christmas (115372), Well Scripted (W 117072, C 118601); Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908), Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker (100071), Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker (100052); Paper: Real Red textured (108698—Bold Brights assorted), Chocolate Chip textured (108697—Earth Elements assorted), Whisper White (); Tools: Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402—Sale-A-Bration), Stampin’ Up! Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder (117335), Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits Die (117332—Occasions Mini), Lots of Tags Sizzlits (114508), Big Shot (113439), Sponge Dauber (102892), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430); Glitz and Glam: Chocolate Chip Sending Love Epoxy Brads (117272—Occasions Mini)