It’s Thursday, and that means that it is once again time to play at the Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week is a color challenge featuring Perfect Plum, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie.

Of course, feel free to throw in a little white or black, or in my case…Pale Plum! Hey…what fun is a challenge if you can’t mix it up a little? And I did indeed have fun in creating this Fall Bouquet card for you! The Pumpin Pie was the perfect splash of color to play off the Old Olive. It reminds me of the fall mums that are abundant this time of year. Of course, you know me…I had to “bling it”! How about a slice of Perfect Olive Pie before you head on over to see what my fellow Pals have created for you. And oh, we have a little surprise in store for you over at the PPA! Want to know what it is? The answer is at the end of this post!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• Feel like doing the “Two Step”? When two-step stamping, stamp the base color in a lighter shade and the accent color in a darker hue. For my bouquet, I paired Pumpkin Pie with Really Rust, Pale Plum with Perfect Plum, and Perfect Plum with Rich Razzleberry! (One large Perfect Plum blossom was stamped with Whisper White so that you can see the difference between stamping darker versus stamping lighter.)
• Be unique! Instead of assembling the bouquet on a Very Vanilla or Whisper White background, select a Designer Paper that coordinates with the card stock. In this case, a delightful small geometric pattern from the Cottage Wall collection serves as the perfect backdrop for Pumpkin and Plum.
• Dimensionals give dimension! The image mat, as well as selected flowers were popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. The flowers appear to “pop” right off of the card!
• Accentuate the positive! Decide on what will be the main color, and what will be your primary and secondary accent colors. I love Old Olive, and decided that I would use it as the main color. Because of its “wow” factor, Pumpkin Pie was selected as the primary accent color, and therefore was used for the Eyelet Border and ribbons, as well as flowers. Perfect Plum, became the secondary accent color, forming the card base and a few flowers. Because the card “cried” out for a little something else, Pale Plum was selected as a tertiary accent.
• It never hurts to “bling” a little! Three Circle Brads serve as the centers of the three larger blossoms.
• And of course, when you still need that little extra…texture, texture, texture! Old Olive looks absolutely stunning when zipped through the Big Shot with the Finial Press Embossing Folder! And three little Old Olive leaves, cut free-hand, crimped, and distressed, break up the color explosion!

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Stamp Set: Greenhouse Garden (113824); Designer Series Paper: Cottage Wall (115671), Cast-a-Spell (115677); Card Stock: Whisper White (100730), Perfect Plum (101889), Old Olive (100702); Inks: Pumpkin Pie (105216), Really Rust (102549), Perfect Plum (101437), Rich Razzleberry (115658), Pale Plum (102732), Whisper White (101731), Soft Suede (115657); Tools: Finial Press Embossing Folder (115963), Big Shot (113439), Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Crimper (101618), Paper Snips (103579), Sponge Dauber (102892); Embellishments: Pumpkin Pie 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109030), Dusty Durango Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115609), Circle Fire Brads (109110), Circle Ice Brads (109111), Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144)

Mondays mean that it is time for the Mojo Monday challenge. Strangely enough, I was able to get my sketch done…of all things…on Monday! Since it was a school night, and time was at a premium, I headed straight to a couple of tried and true friends…Gifts of the Earth and Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper. With my Big Shot to my left, and my Circle Scissors Plus to my right, I dove head-long into card making.

• When time is of the essence, don’t hesitate to reach for tried and true friends. In this case, I relied upon Always Artichoke, More Mustard and Really Rust to work magic with their earthy hues. What better choice for a stamp set entitled “Gifts of the Earth”?
• Embellishments do not always have to be flashy! Vintage Brads and Linen Thread serve their purpose as well as Circle Fire Brads and grosgrain ribbon!
• Texture adds depth and richness! I would find it difficult to design if I did not have my collection of Texturz Plates. The “Distressed” texture plate from Texture Plates Kit #4 is one of my favorites. The pattern is further enhanced with Soft Suede ink and a Sponge Dauber.
• Put your tools to good work! The Stamp-a-ma-jig is a must for image placement. I use it almost every time that I stamp! Another placement tool that I could not live without is the Template from the Mat Pack. I use it for placing brads and for paper piercing.

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Stamp Set: Gifts of the Earth; Designer Series Paper: Autumn Traditions; Card Stock: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Really Rust, Always Artichoke; Inks: Really Rust, Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Elegant Eggplant, Bordering Blue, Basic Brown; Tools: Big Shot, Texture Plates Kit #4, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat, Paper Piercer, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Blender Pens, Sponge Daubers; Embellishments: Linen Thread, Vintage Brads

I love Saturdays for a variety of reasons, one of them being the Our Creative Corner challenge. They are challenging us this week to find inspiration in the journals by Monique Duval. I drew my inspiration from the colors, selecting Perfect Plum, Really Rust, and Always Artichoke. Texture and distressing, as well as a double ribbon, highlight this “Really Perfect Artichoke” of a card!

• Finish with a flourish! When designing a card with only a sentiment, a flourish or two are smart ways to draw the eye to the focal point of the card. By using the Big Shot and the Swirls Scribbles Sizzlits Dies, flourishes are zipped out in seconds!
• Is your Designer Paper too vibrant? Tone it down with ink. In addition to using a Sponge Dauber, I “painted” Always Artichoke ink onto the Really Rust pattern paper. I simply squeezed the closed ink pad to pool the ink into the lid, and used my Aqua Painter for instant distressing!
• Here’s another “texture lecture”! Using the Big Shot and the Stampin’ Up! Perfect Details Texturz Plate, this Top Note goes from plain to “insane-ly” beautiful! The Perfect Plum shadow was made by punching out a second Top Note and cutting it in half. It was not distressed in order to enhance the Always Artichoke overlay.
• Always add a little extra! Double the “fab factor” with not one, but two, ribbons. Elegant Eggplant and Always Artichoke 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbons fit perfectly on the bottom of this layout.

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Stamp Set: Herb Expressions (113234); Designer Series Paper: Patterns Pack Designer Series Paper III (116234—Hostess Level 1); Card Stock: Always Artichoke (105243), Perfect Plum (101889), Really Rust (100661); Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908), Really Rust (102549), Always Artichoke (105219); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Top Note Die (113463), Perfect Details Texturz Plate (115962), Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit Die (113441), Sponge Dauber (102892), Aqua Painter (103954), Corner Rounder (109047); Embellishments: Elegant Eggplant 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109039), Always Artichoke 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon (109035)