After a series of rather time intensive cards, I decided that it was time for another Simply Schach creation…this time with a masculine theme suitable for a teen boy! Masculine cards are always tough to create, at least for me, but the Night and Day Designer Series Paper from the Holiday Mini can make it a little easier! However, I still could not resist a touch of bling and a snippet of ribbon. This particular card will be rockin’ its way to Western Illinois University and into the mailbox of Brady Schach. In keeping with my blog candy theme of “Celebrate with Me”, we are celebrating Brady’s featured trumpet solo with WIU’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble this past weekend!

The Stampin’ Schach Tips:

• Details are always a critical aspect of any card’s design. A card can be simple to create but still have those special little somethings. In this case, rounded corners and three strategically placed black brads do the trick!
• Want an even more masculine card? Instead of ribbon, substitute a paper strip to hide the interface between the two patterns.
• Afraid to bling? Replace the Red Circle Fire Brad with a black brad.
• The actual design process itself often takes the most time in creating your cards. When in a pinch for time, select coordinating patterns from the same Designer Series Paper collection, and read the fine print to find out what colors coordinate with it. The end result will look professional and put together!
• When I design a card, I consider my purpose for making the card and who will be the recipient. Black and white cards almost always convey a more formal look. That was not the “personality” that I wanted for this card, so by selecting a stamp set with a playful font, it suddenly became less stuffy, and suitable for a young man!

• 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!)

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

Stamp Sets: FYI (114365), Friends Rock (113816)
Inks: Basic Black (101179)
Designer Series Paper: Night and Day (116768—Holiday Mini)
Card Stock: Basic Gray textured (108693—Holiday Mini), Whisper White (100730), Basic Black (102851)
Tools: Corner Rounder Punch (109047)
Embellishments: Vintage Brads (109109), Circle Fire Brads (109110), Basic Black ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon (115605)

Hooray! It’s Blog Candy time here at The Stampin‘ Schach, and I am inviting you to play a little game entitled….Celebrate with Me! I will randomly select a winner from all comments left on my blog between now 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!)

What am I celebrating, you ask? I have so many things to celebrate, but today I am celebrating YOU, my readers, who faithfully visit The Stampin‘ Schach and leave their words of encouragement. So…leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this candy, and what you have to celebrate!

• 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!

Until next time…

Well, I tried, but I just couldn’t do it! I tried to “leave the leaves” their monochromatic shades of brown. Up bright and early, and comfortably settled in my chair, with Missy the Boxer at my feet, my objective was to create a monochromatic card in order to satisfy the criteria for this week’s Our Creative Corner challenge. However, I just had to “pop” them out a little with my new “neutral”, Old Olive! Yep! Old Olive! My mind was saying, “Nooooooo!” but my heart was saying “Just a little Old Olive won’t hurt a thing, Ann. Go ahead…grab that Blender Pen and ink pad.” Oh, well, I started out with the right intentions. And after spending so much time on this one card, I was bound and determined to finish it! I’m sorry, OCC gals! I am declaring Old Olive to be a shade of brown…at least for today!

• When preparing a square card, always prepare your card base smaller than 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ in order to allow it to fit into the Stampin’ Up! Medium Square Envelopes. I cut mine at 5-1/4″ x 5-1/4″ and they fit perfectly!
• When using two different designer papers, a ribbon or strip of card stock can be used to cover the interface between the two papers. With this card, we see a snippet of Chocolate Chip 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon hiding the borders between two selections from Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper.
• For a rustic feel, the Color Spritzer paired with a Stampin’ Write Marker can be used to distress a background in a matter of seconds. Chocolate Chip was my color of choice!
• It’s all about the details! Why have square corners when you can use the Ticket Corner Punch and add Vintage Brads! Why stamp flat lifeless images when you can pop them up with Stampin’ Dimensionals?
• Carry out a theme! I wanted it to appear as if my wreath was mounted on a board. Mission accomplished by zipping a piece of Very Vanilla card stock through the Big Shot with one of my new favorites, the “Distressed” plate from the Textures Plates Kit #4.

• 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!