It's Thursday, and that means another Pals Paper Arts Challenge. This one's a Sketch Challenge from our talented Pal, Nicole Watt.

When I first saw this sketch, my first reaction was "texture". My card would have to have some sort of texture since there was potentially a large open space. The wide layers and the chunky flagged banner would have to make some sort of a statement.

• Into my Designer Series Paper cube I went and after some time, out came Epic Day. So here, the patterned paper does it all, and the silhouetted pattern creates the look of texture. I cut the paper keeping the two Basic Gray circles in mind. I wanted them to pop out over the chunky banner.

• My next card design question would be whether to have my card base in Crumb Cake or Basic Gray… either would work. I chose Crumb Cake simply because it had a ligher color saturation than Basic Gray and I wanted a lighter look.

• I worked a little texture into my design with my Stripes Embossing Folder on the Very Vanilla layer. The sketch layers are so wide that giving the first layer some texture adds a little dimension to the overall design. Love those stripes!

• Because my flagged banner is so bold, my sentiment had to be and "Smile" from the Happy Day stamp set was the perfect font and size. It's stamped with Basic Gray ink onto a cropped banner also from the Epic Day DSP.

• Some Very Vanilla Candy Dots anchor the flagged banner and for overall design balance, I used a large Very Vanilla button embellished with some Linen Thread.

Hope this one makes you smile!

Thanks for stopping by and do grab some card stock, ink, and your favorite stamp and link up with us. We'd love to see your creation.

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:  Card Stock – Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Epic Day DSP. Ink – Basic Gray. Stamp Set – Happy Day. Embellishments – Neutrals Candy Dots, Neutrals Designer Buttons and Linen Thread.

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