This week’s Mojo Monday sketch was just begging for me to pull out the Serene Snowflakes set! Versatility is a key characteristic of any stamp set that I purchase, and I firmly believe that this set can be used throughout the year. I selected the beautiful Night and Day Designer Series Paper to compliment the swirls of the images, and punched it up with a splash of Real Red. After a week of KISS, CAS, and Simply Schach cards, it felt great to bejewel, beribbon, and distress this creation!

• Prepare a standard card base from textured Whisper White.
• Using the Circle Scissors Plus, cut two circles from Whisper White. My circles were 2-3/4″ and 1-7/8″ . The Real Red matting circles are 1/8″ larger. (Stampin’ Schach Tip: Do you have trouble with your Circle Scissors Plus slipping? Do what many other demonstrators have done…recycle the rubber left after mounting your stamp sets by adding additional “feet”! I cut and positioned mine where the thin black rubber pads were located. Plus, a little adhesive on the paper to hold it in place on the glass mat while you cut works wonders!)
• Ink the “Snowflake” images from Serene Snowflakes with Jet Black StazOn and stamp onto the Whisper White circles. Color selected sections of the snowflakes using a Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker. Ink distress the edges with Going Gray and a Sponge Dauber. Accentuate the centers of the snowflakes with Red Circle Fire Brads. A Filigree Brad adds further charm to the larger Snowflake.
• Select a darker coordinating pattern from Night and Day Designer Series Paper. Cut two strips (1″ and 1/2″) and mat onto Real Red. Add snippets of Real Red 5/8″ and 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbons. Adhere and position onto the “Floral” pattern from Night and Day Designer Series Paper. Layer this onto Real Red card stock and adhere to the card base.
• Position and adhere the circle images.
• For additional bling, add a Red Circle Fire Brad to the lower right hand corner.

Schach Design Tip of the Day: Although it looks as if this card is work intensive, surprisingly enough, it is not! An excellent sketch provided the foundation, and after that the design process was relatively easy. Notice how the Designer Paper mimics the circles, as well as the dots and swirls of the images. This pulls the entire card together!

A Big Thank You to the Mojo Gals! My “Mojo Crock of Apples” was selected as one of the winners in this month’s Mojo Madness. This is indeed an honor that I will treasure. There were so many wonderful cards entered this month, with an abundance of talent. This was truly a pleasant surprise. I would also like to congratulate the other winners. Your cards were amazing!

Ready for a challenge? Enter the Pals Paper Arts KISS Challenge. KISS is an acronym for Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Challenges are tons of fun, and great ways to jump start our creativity. I can hardly wait to see what you create this week!

Ready to book your fall or holiday workshops? If you reside in southeast Iowa or west-central Illinois, I would be happy to help you host a workshop. Click Here to see why you should host your workshops with me! Not within driving distance? Don’t despair. I will help you host a catalog workshop! If you need a FREE copy of the Holiday Mini Catalog, please email me, and I will drop one in the mail for you!

And finally, as today’s post comes to an end, I encourage you to leave me a comment or email me with your questions. I really do appreciate your comments, and I am more than willing to answer any questions that you may have about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use. Until next time…

Please Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!
Stamp Set: Serene Snowflakes (115438)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406)
Designer Series Paper: Night & Day (116768—Holiday Mini)
Card Stock: Real Red (102482), Whisper White (100730), Whisper White textured (108693—Neutrals assorted)
Tools: Circle Scissors Plus (112530), Glass Mat (112531), Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)
Embellishments: Circle Fire Brads (109110), Filigree Brads (112577), Real Red 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon (109052), Real Red ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon (109034)

Yippee Skippee! It’s time for this week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week we are blowing a KISS your way. KISS is an acronym for “Keep It Simple, Sweetie”. Lots of white space, minimal layers and minimal embellishments are hallmarks of this type of card! I must say that this truly was a challenge for me, as I am the queen of layering, distressing, and embellishing. However, I gave it my best shot and pulled out one of my favorite fall sets, Falling Leaves.

• Prepare a standard card base from Very Vanilla textured card stock.
• Cut a strip of Dusty Durango and layer onto the card.
• Ink up selected leaves from Falling Leaves and stamp onto Very Vanilla. I used the following inks: Dusty Durango, Elegant Eggplant, Crushed Curry, and Old Olive. Punch using the 1-1/4″ Square Punch. Adhere to the horizontal strip.
• Add a snippet of Old Olive 5/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon for a dash of color!

Welcome to a new feature at The Stampin’ Schach…a feature which I call “Simply Schach”. Each week I will be posting a card which will be fast and easy to create. You might say that it is my version of Clean and Simple, with a few more layers and a little bling now and then. These are cards that would be great to demonstrate at a workshop or make whenever time is of the essence! I hope that you enjoy the first card in this series, “Patterned Pines…The Simply Schach Way!”

• Create a standard card base from textured Very Vanilla. Use the Corner Rounder on the right hand side for visual interest.
• Ink the Patterned Pines “Trio of Trees” with Garden Green and stamp onto Very Vanilla.
• Add Red Circle Fire Brads to the top of each tree. Layer onto Real Red card stock.
• Select the “Green Galore Damask” pattern from the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper collection and punch the bottom edge with the Scallop Edge Punch. Layer onto the Real Red card stock.
• Add a snippet of Real Red 5/8″ Grosgrain Paper at the interface of the two papers.
• Add a Photo Corner punched from the “Green Galore Damask” into the upper left hand corner.
• Use the Corner Rounder on the right hand corners of the Real Red mat and adhere to the card base.
• Done!

Wasn’t that simple? What we have is a seasonal card with a country feel! (Stampin’ Schach Design Tip of the Day: Like this card, but not the colors? No problem. Just switch out the ink color and select coordinating designer paper and card stock!)

What does this week have in store for you? How about the Pals Paper Arts challenge on Thursday? My design team Pals are serving up some awesome inspiration cards for you! Be sure to join us. Subscribe today at Pals Paper Arts. And speaking of subscriptions, have you subscribed to “The Stampin’ Schach” yet? Please visit my right side bar to sign up.

As always, please leave a comment before you go. I will be anxious to read what you think about the new “Simply Schach” feature. And, if you have any questions, or if you need a copy of the Holiday Mini Catalog, please feel free to Email Me! Until next time…

Please Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7!
Stamp Set: Patterned Pines Hostess Level 1 set (116525)
Inks: Garden Green (102272)
Designer Series Pattern: Merry Moments (115672)
Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Real Red (102482)
Tools: Photo Corners Punch (109042), Scallop Edge Punch (112091)
Embellishments: Red Circle Fire Brads (109110), Real Red 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon (109052)