Are you ready for some fun? Mark your calendars for October 13th and our first Holiday Blog Hop. You will meet a group of talented Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators who are ready to show off our paper crafting skills. Focusing on the three approaching holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving/Fall and Christmas/Winter), we will provide inspiration using Stampin’ Up! products. Join us as we showcase all that Stampin’ Up! has to offer – from rubber stamps and designer paper to embellishments and more! Be sure to save these dates on your calendar for our hops. I’m sure that you won’t want to miss what we have planned!

• Halloween – October 13, 2009
• Thanksgiving/Fall – November 10, 2009
• Christmas/Winter – December 1, 2009

The Stampin’ Schach Special Deal

If you are a follower of my blog, you know how much I love to use Stampin’ Up!s Linen Thread! It is a staple in my design arsenal, especially for the fall cards that I love to make.

The above cards highlight two different applications of this versatile thread: Cross-stitching and dressing up a label. And there are many more! Use it to finishbuttons or wrap an image. And now, during my Linen Thread Promotion, you will have the opportunity to try it for free! Here are the details:

• Between now and October 23rd, just place an on-line order with me of $25.00 or more using my Shop Now button, and include the Linen Thread on your order.
• I will send you a check to cover the cost of the Linen Thread ($4.50) plus an extra 50 cents to cover shipping!
• Sorry, US orders only!

This is an excellent opportunity to try this product risk free. What could be easier?

Have you entered the Pals Paper Arts challenge yet? If not, please head on over to the PPA and link your card today! This week it is a wonderful color challenge of Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Perfect Plum. In case you missed my inspiration card, Fall Bouquet for the PPA, please check it out. It is a paper-snipper’s dream! Until next time…

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