“The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave the lustre of midday to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer. “ Just like visions of sugarplums, this phrase from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas was dancing through my head. Featuring the Wandering Words stamp set, the sky of this card was sponged in Night of Navy and Bordering Blue, gradually fading toward the horizon in order to give the illusion of moonlight reflecting from the surface of snow. Dazzling Diamonds add further shimmer to this relatively simple-to-create card. Plus, did you notice the Brushed Silver border? It’s the new Scallop Trim Border Punch which will be available for purchase January 5th! Don’t you just love it? I know that it is going to be one of my favorites!

The Stampin‘ Schach Tips:

• Masks are not just for Halloween! The large Very Vanilla moon was created by punching a 1-3/4″ Circle from a sticky note. This was placed where I wanted the moon to be, and then the sponging began right over the top of it. When the sponging was complete, the mask was easily removed to reveal the moon.
• Dark to light, makes it right! In creating my sky, I began sponging with Night of Navy at the top of the card, switching to Bordering Blue about one-third of the way down. The color gradually fades away to just Very Vanilla card stock.
• Don’t be afraid of the water! After sponging color, dampen your sponge slightly and re-sponge. The result will be a subdued water-color effect.
• Use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to perfectly place Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen!
• “Stamp off ” to create the illusion of depth. The “Grove of Trees” image from Lovely as a Tree was inked in Night of Navy, stamped off onto scratch paper, and then stamped onto the sponged paper. The foreground trees were stamped normally.
• Dazzling Diamonds add shimmer and shine! I apply mine with Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive for a quick “bling” fix. Brushed Silver card stock adds even more shine, and pairs perfectly with the Night of Navy card stock to create a “frosty” feel!

It’s hard to believe that we are less than three weeks from Christmas! If you are like me, your calendar is filled to the brim! However, I hope that you have time to play in the Pals Paper Arts challenge. There is still time to participate in last week’s inspiration challenge, while this Thursday the Pals will unveil a color challenge and Blog Candy!

If you have any questions about the technique used in today’s card, or if you have any questions in general, please don’t hesitate to email me. And, please leave a comment to let me know what you think of today’s card. Your comments and questions are important to me! Until next time…

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Stamp Sets: Wandering Words (116507), Lovely as a Tree (115026); Ink: Night of Navy (102977), Bordering Blue (102265), Basic Black (101179); Paper: Night of Navy textured (108696—Rich Regals assorted), Brushed Silver (100712), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Sponges (101610), Tombow Adhesive (110755), Corner Rounder (109047), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402—SAB); 1-3/4″ Circle Punch (112004); Blitz and Bling: Dazzling Diamonds (102023)

It’s time for the Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week we are hosting an Inspiration Challenge featuring this sketch:

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:
(Today’s card is all about the little Victorian inspired details.)

• The Stampin’ Up Finial Press Embossing Folder screams “Victorian”! Brushed Gold card stock, as well as Always Artichoke, were embossed with this folder. To bring out the texture, the Always Artichoke piece was brayered with Encore Gold ink. To prevent smearing, it was treated with the Heat Tool.
• Create your own Victorian sparkle with a super-shimmery snowflake! A piece of Stampin’ Up! White Vellum was coated with VersaMark ink. Next, Gold Embossing Powder was mixed with Gold Fine Galaxy Glitter, and sprinkled onto the vellum. After tapping to remove the excess, it was heated with the Heat Tool. The Jumbo Snowflake Punch was then used to punch out the snowflake. A Clear Rhinestone Brad affixes it to the card.
• More razzle-dazzle is achieved by coating Always Artichoke “Little Leaves” with VersaMark and sprinkling with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. Once again this is heated. The leaves are then snipped off with Paper Snips and attached to a second set of non-embossed leaves to add texture.
• The St. Nick image is inked with Basic Brown, stamped onto Very Vanilla and lightly tinted with Blender Pens and inks. The edges are distressed with Gold Encore ink, and then embossed with Iridescent Ice. Sections of the image were then torn off, and the edges were distressed with Chocolate Chip ink.
• Enhance the vintage feel with Glassy Glaze Enamel! It accentuates the tinting of the Good Cheer image and the crackling adds to the antique look! For a tutorial on how to create cracked glass Click Here.
• A snippet of Rose Red 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon completes the look!

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Stamp Set: Good Cheer (115326); Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908), Encore Gold (101017), Creamy Caramel (103220), Close to Cocoa (103139), Rose Red (101778), Always Artichoke (105219), Whisper White (101731), Blush Blossom (102609), Pretty in Pink (101301), Bashful Blue (105209), VersaMark (102283); Paper: Very Vanilla (101650), Always Artichoke (105119), Brushed Gold (102935), White Vellum (101839); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Finial Press Embossing Folder (115963), Stampin’ Up! Little Leaves Sizzlit (114511), Jumbo Snowflake Punch (116628), Heat Tool (100005), Brayer (102395), Sponge Dauber (102892), Blender Pens (102845); Glitz and Glam: Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144), Rose Red 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (111366), Glassy Glaze Enamel (100477), Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder (101930), Fine Galaxy Stampin’ Glitter (114286), Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109129)

Welcome to the Christmas/Winter Holiday Hop! If you are arriving from Debbie Pierce’s Stampin’ Sunshine, I am Stop #13. If I am your first stop of the day, you are in for a real treat as you hop from blog to blog. Since the focus is on Winter, it seems logical to feature Snowmen and Snowflakes! One of my favorite winter icons is the snowman. I loved the old movie, “Frosty the Snowman”. I remembering crying when Frosty melted. However, these snowmen will not melt…unless they melt your heart. Welcome to my meadow, where I built not just one snowman, but two, using the Snow Buddies Hostess Level 2 Set. The second card which I will be featuring can be created in less than ten minutes, for last minute holiday card emergencies!

“In the Meadow Card”

This card is so much easier to create than one might think. All it takes is patience and a sharp pair of scissors. The inspiration for this card came from Splitcoast Sketch Challenge #256. Although it no longer resembles the sketch, it was indeed my initial starting point. I was cutting a mat for the horizontal piece, and ending up flipping it on top of my first piece. That’s when I thought “snowy hills”! So I promptly traced it onto Very Vanilla and formed my hills! The rest is history!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• The “hills” are distressed using Close to Cocoa ink and a Sponge Dauber. The “Real Red and Very Vanilla Dots” paper is from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin’ kit, and is just perfect for the country feel of this card.
• The “Tree” is from the dormant set, “Branch Out”, which is still available for purchase. Of course, Paper Snips were used to cut around the branches.
• Even a “country” card deserves its own special bling! What could be better than three buttons from the “Playground” collection threaded with Linen Thread? The buttons were adhered with their shiny “faces” down using Mini Glue Dots.
• The Modern Label Punch was used to prepare the sentiment. “Warm Winter Wishes” was inked with Chocolate Chip ink and stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock. The edges were ink distressed with Chocolate Chip. The Modern Label Punch was then used two more times, with Chocolate Chip and Real Red card stocks. The Chocolate Chip label was split vertically and adhered to the ends of the sentiment, while the Real Red label was cut horizontally, and adhered to the sides.

“Simply Schach Snowflake Card”

Need a quick last minute card? This one will surely do the trick! It can be created in less than ten minutes, and does not require any stamping. A little Champagne Mist, Brushed Gold card stock, and Circle Ice Brad add glitz and glimmer to this fun to create card!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• Prepare a 5-1/4″ x 5-1/4″ card base from textured Very Vanilla card stock. This size allows it to slide easily into a Medium Square Envelope! Spritz with a mixture of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol.
• Using the Big Shot and the Snowflake #2 die, create two snowflakes: one from Elegant Eggplant and one from Brushed Gold. Attach to the card base with a Circle Ice Brad.
• Cut a strip of Brushed Gold card stock and adhere to the bottom of the card.
• Using the Eyelet Border Punch, punch a border from Old Olive textured card stock and layer over the Brushed Gold so that you get a glimpse of gold.
• Add a snippet of Elegant Eggplant 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon.
• How easy is that?

Before heading out on the rest of the Hop, won’t you please leave me a comment and let me know what you think about today’s cards? I truly appreciate your comments, and your questions, too! And now for the next stop on your journey…Gina Shaw’s Cards by Gina.

Holiday Hopper Line-Up
1. Kris Kilcoyne (Kween Bee Kreations)
2. Carla Bazhenow(Carla’s Scraps)
3. Linda Callahan (Stampin‘ Seasons)
4. Melanie Collins(Oops a Daisy)
5. Mary Fish(Stampin‘ Pretty)
6. Tricia Gillam(Soul Stamper)
7. Jill Gregory(Stamping Heart)
8. Kim Lampone (Stamp, Scrap, Get Kreative)
9. Kalshelia Lloyd (Stampin‘ Fabulousity)
10. Regina Mangum (The Stampin‘ Bean)
11. Margaret Moody(Margaret Moody)
12. Debbie Pierce(Stampin‘ Sunshine)
13. Ann Schach (The Stampin‘ Schach)
14. Gina Shaw (Cards by Gina)
15. Lourdes Torres (Cozy Crafty Corner)

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Stamp Sets: Snow Buddies Hostess Level 2 Set (116505—Holiday Mini), The More the Merrier Hostess Level 3 (115322), Branch Out; Paper: Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin’ kit (115696), Real Red (102482), Chocolate Chip (102128), Very Vanilla (101650), Elegant Eggplant (105126), Brushed Gold (102935), Old Olive (100702); Ink: Chocolate Chip (100908); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Snowflake #2 die (113460), Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Modern Label Punch (116630), Paper Snips (103579); Glitz and Glam: Circle Ice Brad (109111), Elegant Eggplant 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109039), Playground Buttons (116313), Linen Thread (104199), Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806)