I wanted my first card post to be from the Pals Paper Artschallenge. The designers at PPA are top notch, and it was a great way to get my feet wet.
This week's challenge was an Inspiration Challenge, based on this gorgeous picture:
Fall is my favorite season, and no one experiences the beautiful colors of Fall like we do here in Maine. This picture reminded me of our beautiful fall foliage, and I wanted to bring those colors to my card.
I started by folding a piece of 8.5 x 5.5 of Old Olive textured card stock into a 4.25 x 5.5 card, using the Bone Folder to make the crease crisp and exact. Using the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder and my Sizzix Big Shot machine (my FAVORITE tool, I must admit!!) I added a bit more texture to the front of the card. Continuing with my Big Shot, I used the Little Leaves Sizzlet to create a set of leaves out of textured Chocolate Chip and Really Rust card stock. Using the Large Oval Punch, I create 3 ovals of textured Pumpkin Pie card stock. I used Snail Adhesive on the back of one of the ovals, put the other two side by side, then centered the top oval over the two, creating a fun and easy pumpkin. I snipped the stem out of a little piece of textured Old Olive card stock, using the very handy Paper Snips. These little gems make cutting small areas a breeze, and are a must-have for any paper crafter.
I love the subtle look of same-color ink on same color-paper, and using Old Olive ink and card stock, I stamped the sentiment "Thanks" using a stamp from the Thank You Kindly stamp set. The large oval punch was just the right size to cut out the Thanks, and it settled nicely into a frame of textured Pumpkin Pie card stock cut with the Scallop Oval punch.
What a fun way to start my blog. I would love to have you join me each Thursday for the Pals Paper Arts Challenge. Let me know what you think.
Stamp Set: Thank You Kindly
Paper: Textured Old Olive, Textured Pumpkin Pie, Textured Really Rust, Textured Chocolate Chip
Ink: Old Olive Classic Ink
Tools: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Punch
Misc: Snail Adhesive









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I love your bright colors, Debbie! They look wonderful against the embossed background, too! Great job with the Inspiration Challenge! Love the blog design, too! So fun and bright! Congrats!
Posted by: Margaret Moody | 09/30/2009 at 12:48 AM
On behalf of the design team, thank you for playing @ PPA.
Join us for our next challenge on Thursday, October 1, 2009.
Posted by: Pals Paper Arts | 09/29/2009 at 09:29 AM
Fabulous submission for the PPA, Debbie!
I love your blog design, it's so fun.
Posted by: Kris Kilcoyne | 09/28/2009 at 11:18 AM