Ten Minute Card

During my Hostess Club meeting last evening, I took on the 15 minute challenge… create a card in 15 minutes from conception to completion! Now you would have to know me to know that this would be a true challenge. After all, I love my layers and distressing. Plus, it is not uncommon for me to spend an hour or more on design, debating on what layout, colors, paper and stamps to use. Not only that…Paper Snips have become my newest best friend, as can be seen by the wreath cards I have been making of late.

However, it is good to take a break from cards that take hours to make and whip out a few that can be made in a matter of minutes! Not only did I come in under fifteen, I actually made it in ten! And you know what? It felt good. I was throwing caution to the wind. It was if I was cleansing my creative soul. Yes, there are things that I would change, like moving the snowflake a little more to the right and adding a sentiment. But by golly, I was under the gun as far as time! So here’s the deal: Try the 15 minute challenge! Design and create a card in under fifteen minutes. Be spontaneous! Let your creativity soar! And let me know what you come up with!

The Stampin‘ Schach Tips:

  • Petals-a-Plenty should be renamed “Texture-a-Plenty”! With simple cards or when time is a factor, the Big Shot and a Textured Impressions Folder can be the “Wow” factor that you are looking for!
  • “Color me dramatic!” Simple cards can become stunning with the right color combinations. Real Red and Whisper White are striking when paired together.
  • Bling it on! Just a single Circle Fire Brad can be all that’s needed to add the right amount of sparkle to KISS cards (Keep It Simple, Sweetie).
  • Give your card a “knockout punch”, such as the Whisper White snowflake punched with the Jumbo Snowflake Punch!
Blog Candy Winner: Wow! I knew that I made the right choice in celebrating you, my readers! Your many comments were definitely inspiring and certainly appreciated! The randomly selected comment was :
“The blog candy is wonderful!! Just like your blog. 🙂
I celebrate my family every single day. I have a fantastic husband and four wonderful children who’ve made us incredibly proud!”
And the lucky author of this comment is…June Renee’! Congratulations! Just email me your address, and your “candy” will be sent out Monday morning. I am so looking forward to my next Blog Candy giveaway! Stay tuned for when that will be! In the meantime, please continue to leave your comments. I do appreciate them. And remember, never hesitate to email me about the questions that you have about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use. (I have received many inquiries about my use of Blender Pens. I will be making a tutorial to help you with this technique.)
Important Announcement: The Washington, IL workshop on October 25th is filled. However, I am excited to let you know that I will be scheduling technique classes in the area, with dates to be arranged. More information will be forthcoming.
Well, gang, that’s it for this post! Don’t forget to participate in the Pals Paper Arts challenge. I love looking at what you have created and leaving you comments! Until next time…

Please Click Here to Order Your Stampin‘ Up! 24/7!
Card Stock: Whisper White (100730), Real Red (102482)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Standard Texturz Impressions Pad (114614), Standard Texturz Silicone Rubber (114615), Jumbo Snowflake Punch (116628), Petal-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder (116824—Holiday Mini)
Embellishments: Circle Fire Brads (109110), Mistletoe Ribbon Originals (116792)

Thankful for the PPA


It’s Thursday! And that means it’s time to play the Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week we are hosting a theme challenge: Gratitude and Thanks. Whether your project represents something (or someone) for which you are grateful, is a simple thank you note, or has a Thanksgiving motif, we encourage you to create with a spirit of gratitude and thanks. I opted to create a Thaksgiving card. Although I have used the Gifts of the Earth stamp set for several cards, I had never inked up the turkey image. The shape of the stamp seemed perfect for an oval, so I simply used the center of the Bigz Oval Frame Die and decorated the edges with leaves stamped from Lovely as a Tree. And if you do not recognize the sentiment, it is from the sweet little Gobble, Gobble turkey. How about it? Are you ready to talk turkey?

The Stampin‘ Schach Tips:

  • When planning on sending large square cards through the mail, prepare a 5-1/4″ x 5-1/4″ card base. It will fit perfectly into Stampin‘ Up!s Medium Square Envelopes. As for my card base, I selected Always Artichoke. It coordinates well with Really Rust, Dusty Durango, and Pumpkin Pie for exquisite fall cards!
  • Forget about diamonds…Paper Snips are a girl’s (and guy’s) best friend when it comes to snipping out intricate designs like these Oak Leaves from Lovely as a Tree. Sharp all the way to the tip, they were indispensable in the creating of this card.
  • Bling it “down” for Fall! As much as I love bling, my autumn cards are better served with Vintage Brads. And for perfect placement of them, I used the Template from the Mat Pack.
  • Distressing should not be distressing! I simply use a Sponge Dauber to apply the ink to the edges of the paper. It couldn’t be easier! For today’s card, Chocolate Chip was the color of choice. And what could be easier than using a Color Spritzer? If you do not have one, I would encourage you to add one to your next order. Paired with a Chocolate Chip Stampin‘ Write Marker, I used the Color Spritzer Tool to distress the background of the turkey image and the “Give Thanks” oval.
  • Never underestimate the power of a Blender Pen! I do all of my watercoloring with Blender Pens and ink. I simply “dab” the tip of my pen directly on the ink pad itself. If the color is too strong, I stroke the pen a few times on a piece of scratch paper. The colors that I used for the leaves included Really Rust and Old Olive. The veins of the leaves were enhanced with a Close to Cocoa Stampin‘ Write Marker. For the turkey, from Gifts of the Earth, I used Creamy Caramel, Basic Gray, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, and Close to Cocoa. The speckling was enhanced with a white Signo Gel Pen.
  • Dare to be different! I wanted my “Give Thanks” label to have a unique twist. So I inked the sentiment from the bottom of the adorable Gobble, Gobble turkey using my Chocolate Chip Stampin‘ Write Marker, stamped it onto Very Vanilla, and punched it out with the Small Oval Punch. After a little distressing, it was ready to adhere to this card’s “unique” factor…the label prepared from the Modern Label Punch. A label was punched from textured Really Rust, which was distressed, and a second was punched from Always Artichoke. This one was simply cut into two pieces and adhered to the Really Rust. Linen Thread was used to further enhance the look.
  • And if you are wondering about the random leaf in the upper right hand corner…it’s only there because I spent a rather large amount of time cutting these leaves out…and by-golly I was going to use it somewhere!!!
I have many things to be thankful for, including the fact that I am a member of the Pals Paper Arts design team. They are an awesome group of card makers, and their cards inspire me everyday. I can assure you that the other Pal Gals have designed their own delightful creations! So please leave me a comment, and then head on over to the PPA . I am so anxious to see what you create this week! And remember, I am always here to answer any questions you may have about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use. (P.S….Don’t forget about my Blog Candy!) Until next time…

Please Click Here to order Stampin‘ Up! 24/7!
Stamp Sets: Gifts of the Earth (116501—Holiday Mini), Gobble, Gobble (116535—Holiday Mini), As Lovely as a Tree (115026)
Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908), Really Rust (102549), Old Olive (102277), Sahara Sand (105208), Close to Cocoa (103139), Basic Gray (109120), Ruby Red (102259), Not Quite Navy (103008), Creamy Caramel (103220), White Signo Gel Pen (105021), Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker (100071)
Designer Series Paper: Autumn Traditions (115668), Autumn Meadows (116769—Holiday Mini)
Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Always Artichoke (105119), Really Rust textured (108697—Earth Elements assorted)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Bigz Die Scalloped Oval Frame (114521), Small Oval Punch (107304), Modern Label Punch (107590), Paper Snips (103579)
Embellishments: Vintage Brads (109109), Linen Thread (104199)

Color Challenge Trio of Ornaments


As hard as it may be to believe, I have never participated in a Splitcoast color challenge. However, I could not pass up today’s challenge to use Pretty in Pink, Going Gray, and Sage Shadow. As is the case with many of you, time is a precious commodity. And because I brought home a briefcase full of papers to grade, it was even more precious this evening. So I “CASED” one of my own cards, Trio of Ornaments. Of course, I switched out a few things in addition to the colors! Of note is the embossed background and the lack of ribbon. When it was all said and done, this color palette reminded me of the late 1950’s with gray skirts and pink poodles! It is certainly a non-traditional choice of colors for Christmas, but you know what…it is refreshing for a change!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

  • “Oh it don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that bling!” Holiday cards are the perfect choice for glittering, embossing and rhinestones. If time is of the essence, it does not get any quicker than adding rhinestone brads, such as the Circle Ice Brads and Clear Rhinestone Brads on this card.
  • Texture, texture, texture! The Petals-a-Plenty background was actually added after I had already matted Very Vanilla onto Going Gray and Sage Shadow. After laying the ornaments onto the “plain” Very Vanilla, it was just…too plain! So in a matter of minutes, I had zipped a second piece of Very Vanilla through the Big Shot with the Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder. In this case, it was a much better choice. Think of it like ice cream…why settle for plain vanilla?
  • “Three is not a crowd” when it comes to designing. Odd numbers are often a good choice to balance a design. Here we have three ornaments, three brads, three layers to the matting, and three focal colors. Think “odd”, not even!
Today I felt like being challenged. It was a starting point for my card. If you feel like being challenged, the newest Pals Paper Arts challenge will be unveiled Thursday. Check out my Inspiration Card in Thursday’s post!
Remember, it’s Blog Candy time here at The Stampin’ Schach. Leave me a comment and become eligible for my delicious blog candy! I will randomly select a winner from all comments left on my blog between September 27th and 6:00 PM CST on Friday, October 2nd. On Saturday, I will announce the winner. If you are selected, all you will need to do is email me your address. How easy is that? You just need to leave a comment on one of my posts, and you could win the following:
  • Over 50 6″ x 6″ sheets of retired Stampin‘ Up designer series paper
  • 10 yards of Certainly Celery ribbon from the 2009 Sale-a-bration Ribbon Bundle
  • An unmounted “Yummy” stamp set
  • Four brads from the retired Soho collection
  • Sixteen corduroy brads in “Grasshopper” and “Tink Pink” (non-SU!)
Stampin‘ Schach Deal of the Week: Do you love the Petals-A-Plenty folder as much as I do? Then do I have a limited time offer for you!
  • Place your $75 on-line order with me by 11:59 CST September 30th, and receive the Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder absolutely free! The product total must be $75 or more excluding shipping and sales tax. (Available US only.)
  • Next Email Me your shipping address.
  • Your free Petals-a-Plenty folder will arrive separately from your order in mid-October, in plenty of time to create your holiday cards!
  • Place an order of $150 or more, and receive a second Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for free. Choose from the following: Elegant Bouquet, Finial Press, and Manhattan Flower. (The same restrictions apply.)
Need a Holiday Mini catalog? Just send me your name and address and I will get yours in the mail the next business day!
If you have any questions about the techniques I used to make this card, don’t hesitate to email me. Until next time…

Please Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!

Stamp Set: Delightful Decorations (116517—Holiday Mini)
Inks: Sage Shadow (102532), Pretty in Pink (101301), Going Gray (103274)
Card Stock: Going Gray textured (108693—Neutrals assorted), Pretty in Pink (100459), Sage Shadow (101563), Very Vanilla (100730)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Ornament Punch (116794), Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder (116824—Holiday Mini), Standard Texturz Silicone Rubber (114615), Standard Texturz Impressions Pad (114614), Eyelet Border Punch (113692)
Embellishments: Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144), Circle Ice Brads (109111)