Skaters for Pals Paper Arts

It's Thursday, and time for our weekly Pals Paper Arts challenge! This week it's a celebrity color challenge...and our Celebrity Guest Designer is none other than Julee Tilman - artist, owner and designer of Verve stamps, and the original Mojo Maker! Mojo Monday began as a simple card contest on her blog one Sunday in May, 2007. For a journey back through papercraft history, be sure to visit the archives of Julee's blog, Poetic Artistry. The winners of these early challenges read like a who's who in today's stamping world! Although I am certainly not a "who's who-er", one of my proudest moments in stamping was being named one of the winners for Mojo 103. I saved the card, and never sent it!

Today's challenge is a yummy confection of Early Espresso, Regal Rose and Pear Pizzazz! It is the first card that I have designed using the Winter Post set, which I recently purchased. I hope you enjoy the sparkly snowflakes and pearls. As for the winner of the Basic Pearls, bear with me through the Stampin' Schach Design Tips! Enjoy!

The Stampin' Schach Design Tips:

• Triple the shine! How did the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Snowflakes get so sparkly? Three coats of Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, that's how! I brayered VersaMark ink on each of the snowflakes, and then heat embossed. I repeated this two more times, and finished each with a Pear Pizzazz Glimmer Brad. The uniquely colored snowflake in the middle was achieved by brayering Early Espresso ink over Regal Rose card stock, followed by a series of three heat embossings. (Hint: When heat embossing, I hold small pieces, such as these snowflakes, with tweezers. No scorched fingers this way!)

• Brayer a background! The lovely Regal Rose sky was simply brayered onto Very Vanilla card stock. This was then zipped through the Big Shot with the Scallop Oval Frame Bigz die. A Stamp-a-ma-jig was used to perfectly place the Early Espresso trees from Lovely as a Tree. A little Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz adds a frosty sheen to the scene! The photograph does not do the Smooch justice!


• Frame it! Early Espresso card stock was passed through the Big Shot, using the Scallop Oval Frame die once again. Basic Pearls accent the scallops.


• Snip, snip, "pop"! The "Skaters" from Winter Post were inked using Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, and Regal Rose Stampin' Write Markers and stamped on to Very Vanilla card stock. They were popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals after being snipped out with Paper Snips.


• A distressing situation! To tone down the lovely Pear Pizzazz Argyle pattern from Pawsitively Prints II Designer Series Paper, the edges were distressed with Soft Suede ink and a Sponge Dauber. A Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker and a Color Spritzer Tool add instant speckles. (Hint: Soft Suede provides a soft aged look. It is my choice of all of the "browns" for distressing.)

I was anxious to get your input on today's card, as it is a color combination that I would not typically use, and certainly not for a seasonal card such as this one. But I think it works. What do you think? Of course, Basic Pearls were used in abundance. I just love them, and I hope that Commenter #28: Diane-Rubber 'n Rafters will love them, too! And from the looks of her comment, I think she will:

Diane - Rubber 'n Rafters said...
Can't wait to see the whole card appear and then sit back to find out if my guess was even close. Usually I am NOT, but I love to guess anyway.

PEARLS???? Oh Ann.... be still my heart! Of all the prizes to win, those pearls are the best! How generous you are with blog candy. Thanks for a chance to win my favorite embellishment and THANKS for sharing.

Diane was the randomly selected winner of the Basic Pearls. So please, email your address within the next 48 hours, and I will get your Basic Pearls in the mail to you!

I had so much fun doing this, that in the spirit of the season, I have decided to have a little give-away each week of December...nothing huge, but fun anyway! Tune in next week to see what it will be!

So, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. And remember, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! And please, head over to Pals Paper Arts and check out the fabulous Design Team cards! Until next time...


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Stamp Sets: Winter Post (111780), Lovely As a Tree (115026); Ink: VersaMark (102283), Early Espresso (119670), Regal Rose (105211), Soft Suede (115657); Stampin' Write Markers: Early Espresso (119680), Pear Pizzazz (119801---Set of 5 In Colors), Regal Rose (105108); Designer Series Paper: Pawsitively Prints II (117396); Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz (119795), Regal Rose (105130), Early Espresso (119686), Very Vanilla (101650); Tools: Big Shot (113439), Frame, Oval Scallop Bigz Die (114521), Northern Frost Decorative Strip (120901---Holiday Mini), Decorative Strip Cutting Pads (113479), Decorative Strip Spacer Platform (113477), Paper Snips (103579), Brayer (102395), Sponge Dauber (102892), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Heat Tool (100005); Glitz and Glam: Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz (118772), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (101930), Basic Pearls (119247), In Color Glimmer Brads (121005---Holiday Mini)