Yummy! Doesn’t this title sound like a scrumptious Thanksgiving dessert? Although it could be, it’s actually three of the four colors in today’s Our Creative Corner Color Challenge! Add Whisper White, and you have the quartet! Our Creative Corner is one of my favorite challenges, and sadly I have not been able to play for a few weeks. So this evening I sat down with one of my favorite Designer Series Papers, Autumn Meadows, and one of my favorite stamp sets, Autumn Splendor, and made this challenge a priority. Coupled with the latest Splitcoast Sketch, SC255, we have the recipe for yet another fall card. So relax, sit back, and have a slice of Close to Chocolate Pumpkin Pie. Unlike what many of us will be feasting on this Thanksgiving, it’s guaranteed to be calorie free! Enjoy!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• “Brayer, brayer in my hand, who’s the most creative in the land?” You will be, if you create your own custom background colors, like I did with this card. I simply zipped my Brayer over Pumpkin Pie ink and rolled it in all directions over Whisper White card stock. After a little kiss with the Color Spritzer Tool and the Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker, it was ready to serve as the background for the glorious oak leaf stamp from Autumn Splendor! Chocolate Chip ink and a Sponge Dauber completed the distressing of the edges.
• Make your cards “inkredible” by once again using your brayer! This time Chocolate Chip ink is used to highlight the embossed strip, which was created with the Finial Press Embossing Folder and the Big Shot.
• “ISP” those leaves! “Ink” them using Blender Pens and ink (Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, and a hint of Old Olive); “Snip” them out with super-pointy Paper Snips; and Pop them up on Stampin’ Dimensionals! The Stampin’ Dimensionals and triple matting add so much depth to this card.
• Details make the difference! Ink distressing the edges softens the vivid Pumpkin Pie card stock and lends a masculine feel to this card, while the Pumpkin Pie matting accentuates the brayered Pumpkin Pie panel to create a coordinated look.

I hope that you enjoyed your slice of pie! I definitely enjoyed making it for you! In fact, creating today’s card was therapy for me. All of this distressing helped me to de-stress! You see, my new laptop betrayed me a few days ago. Our relationship was only two months long, but during those glorious weeks, I grew to love him dearly. He “wowed” me with his lightening speed, and his 17″ screen was large and impressive. Just looking at his sleek and shiny case would cause my heart to beat faster. But alas…ours was to be a short relationship. I came home from work Thursday to find a “Dear Ann” message on a black screen. “No Bootable Device….Insert Boot Disk and Press Any Key” it said. But he didn’t have a boot disk. However, I was dedicated to this relationship, and tried every thing to work things out. Using another laptop, I tried six hours of “counseling” with a trained technician to no avail. But in the end, we just could not settle our differences. We will be entering a separation period Tuesday, as the Fed Ex man will be transporting him to the closest treatment facility. And unfortunately, he got my files in the deal! What he’s going to do with my lesson plans and photos, I’ll never know! But I do know, I hate him for what he has done to me and my files. I know..I know…hate is a strong word. Time will heal my wounds, and I will welcome him back home in a month. But I will never, ever trust him again. You can bet your bottom dollar that from here on out I will be backing up his every move!
Telling you my troubles has been quite cathartic, as was participating in these two challenges. And speaking of challenges, have you participated in this week’s Pals Paper Arts Challenge? If not, Mr. Linky will be open until Noon CST for your upload. Thanks for listening to my computer troubles. Because my laptop was new, I was remiss in backing up my files. Please learn from my mistake…I have! And please, leave me a comment about today’s card! I do appreciate them. They are a bright spot in my day! And please do not hesitate to email me if you have questions about any card that I create or technique that I use. Until next time…

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Stamp Set: Autumn Splendor; Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, More Mustard, Old Olive; Designer Series Paper: Autumn Meadows; Card Stock: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Really Rust, Whisper White; Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Up! Finial Press Embossing Folder, Paper Snips, Brayer, Blender Pens; Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals

I always look forward to Thursdays and the Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week we are hosting a sketch challenge designed by talented Pal, Margaret Moody. This sketch is definitely a classic. I knew the moment that I saw it that I wanted to incorporate a repeating motif in the center squares. Since I am already in the holiday spirit, I opted for snowflakes stamped from the Christmas Punch set paired with the beautiful Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper. On this cold, crisp Iowa morning, will you share a cup of Christmas Cocoa with me? Or would you prefer a cup of Christmas Punch?

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• Common design elements make your card look “pulled together”! The gold snowflakes on the Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper look as if they are encircled. Therefore, after stamping the “Snowflake” images from the Christmas Punch set, they were punched out using the 1″ Circle Punch. This was followed by layering them onto 1-1/4″ Circles punched from coordinating paper from the same collection.
• Burgundy and gold are traditionally elegant Christmas colors, and the perfect choice for a classic card. In this case, Bravo Burgundy pairs beautifully with the gold metallic touch on the Snowflake paper!
• Invest time into creating the little extras that will set your card apart from the rest! What better way to accent the sentiment than a tiny Bravo Burgundy heart punched with the Trio of Hearts Punch.
• Sometimes no bling is a good thing! Frequent visitors to The Stampin’ Schach know that I will “bling” anything! However, with this card, no bling was necessary. The understated country elegance of the rich burgundy and gold hues was perfect just the way it was!

Stamp Sets: Christmas Punch (115366—Hostess Level 2), Heard from the Heart (111644); Inks: Bravo Burgundy (105214); Designer Series Paper: Christmas Cocoa (116770—Holiday Mini); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Bravo Burgundy textured (108696—Rich Regals assorted); Tools: 1″ Circle Punch (109046), 1-1/4″ Circle Punch (104403), 1-1/4″ Square Punch (104400)