Falling for Falling Leaves

I love autumn! It is my favorite time of the year. The leaves changing their colors from green to the vivid hues of fall, foretelling what is yet to come! It is a season of bright, sunny days and crisp, cool nights. It’s Halloween and Thanksgiving! A time of “Trick or Treating” and turkeys! Today’s card evokes these memories for me, especially the beautiful colors of Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper. And if the paper alone does not provide enough of a “Wow” factor, did you notice Stampin‘ Up!s new Texture Cuts Wood Sheets? Enjoy some Falling Leaves which you will never need to rake!

  • Prepare a 4-3/4″ x 5-1/2″ card base from Always Artichoke, scored at the top. (Notice that this is not a standard card size.) Round the two bottom corners with the Corner Rounder.
  • Layer with the Multicolor Leaves” selection from Autumn Traditions. Once again, round the two lower corners.
  • Ink assorted leaf stamps from the Falling Leaves stamp set with Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke, and Dusty Durango onto Very Vanilla card stock. Punch out with the 1-1/4″ Square Punch, and pop onto 1-3/8″ Squares punched from Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, Crushed Curry, and Dusty Durango, using StampinDimensionals. These are then layered onto 1-1/2″ squares cut from the same four colors. (I matted as follows: Always Artichoke on Perfect Plum, Crushed Curry onto Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum onto Dusty Durango. The image color matches the bottom mat.)
  • Ink the “Happy Thanksgiving” circle with Soft Suede and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Punch using the 1-1/4″ Square Punch, and punch each corner with the Ticket Corner Punch. Mat onto Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry squares.
  • Arrange the images as shown in the photograph, and adhere to the Wood Sheet. Mat with Always Artichoke, and distress the edges with Soft Suede ink.
  • Add snippets of Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon to the card base. (Tip: Because the paper is already “busy”, I adhered the ribbon polka-dot side down.)
  • Position and adhere the image mat to the card base.
  • Ink the {Grateful} sentiment with Soft Suede and stamp onto Very Vanilla. Punch with the Window Punch and adhere to a Wood Sheet Modern Label. For a zip of color, punch a second Modern Label from Dusty Durango and snip off the ends. Adhere these ends to the Wooden Modern Label.
  • Two Vintage Brads and distressing with Soft Suede finish the sentiment, which is popped onto the card base with StampinDimensionals.
The use of punches makes this card less labor intensive than one might think. I was anxious to try out the Wood Sheets, and found them to add just the right touch! They are thin enough that you can easily trim them with a paper cutter, scissors or a hobby knife. Plus, they are punchable, too! I also found myself “falling” for Falling Leaves. How about you?
As always, I love reading your comments and emails. Please feel free to leave me a comment, or if you have questions about any card, please feel free to email me. Until next time…

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Stamp Set: Falling Leaves (115368)
Ink: Perfect Plum (101437), Always Artichoke (105219), Dusty Durango (115654), Soft Suede (115657)
Designer Series Paper: Autumn Traditions (115668), Texture Cuts Wood Sheets (116309)
Card Stock: Perfect Plum (101889), Dusty Durango (115321), Always Artichoke (105122), Crushed Curry (115319), Very Vanilla (101650)
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch (107214), 1-1/4” Square Punch (104400), 1-3/8” Square Punch (103375), Modern Label Punch (116630)
Embellishments: Dusty Durango ½” Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115609), Crushed Curry ½” Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115614), Vintage Brads (109109)

From My Greenhouse Garden

Today’s card began as my creation for this week’s Splitcoast Color Challenge (Lavender Lace, Barely Banana, Basic Gray, Basic Black, and White). But as it progressed, I added Pretty in Pink, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard, Dusty Durango, and Melon Mambo. So much for the color challenge! However, what I ended up with was a beautiful array of flowers cascading out from the card. Two-step stamping is a technique in which I rarely indulge, but this new set, Greenhouse Garden, may change my mind! Here is a bouquet of flowers for you:

  • Prepare a standard card base from Melon Mambo. Round the corners with a Corner Rounder.
  • Ink various floral background stamps from Greenhouse Garden with the following base colors and stamp onto Whisper White: Lavender Lace, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, and More Mustard. Ink the detail stamps in Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, and Dusty Durango. Stamp on the complimentary floral image, placing perfectly with the Stamp-a-ma-jig! Mat onto Lovely Lilac, followed by Basic Black. (Tip: Do add depth and dimension, some flowers were stamped directly on the Whisper White background, while other were stamped and cut out using paper snips. StampinDimensionals make selected flowers “pop” off the page, while overlapping images onto the outer mat gives the feeling that the flowers are cascading out of the image!)
  • Position and adhere to the card base.
  • Ink the “hello” sentiment from Chic Boutique with Basic Black and stamp onto Whisper White. Punch with the Large Oval Punch, and layer onto a Melon Mambo Oval Scallop. (Tip: I had a scrap flower image left over from my bouquet, so I just stamped “hello” on top of it. I love the coordinated look.) Pop onto the card with StampinDimensionals.
  • Add a snippet of Basic Black 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon which has been run through a Ribbon Slide from Hodgepodge Hardware.
  • As a finishing touch, add Micro Beads to the center of selected flowers!

Once again, I started with a challenge for inspiration and made it my own! The flowers are absolutely fun to make. This was a stamp set that I almost did not purchase because I am really not a floral person. However, I thought that I really should have at least one nice floral set. I am so glad that I bought it. I can see me inking it up quite often during the upcoming year.

Remember, your comments and emails are important to me. Stop in and say “Hello” or let me know what you think of today’s card! Until next time…

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Stamp Set: Greenhouse Garden (113824), Chic Boutique (113744)
Paper: Melon Mambo (115320), Basic Black (102851), Whisper White (100730), Lovely Lilac (100427)
Inks: Lavender Lace (101305), Rich Razzleberry (115658), Pretty in Pink (101301), Melon Mambo (115656), Barely Banana (101170), Crushed Curry (115659), More Mustard (103162), Dusty Durango (115654), Basic Black (101179)
Tools: Large Oval Punch (107305), Scallop Oval Punch (114889), Corner Rounder (109047), Paper Snips (103579)
Embellishments: Basic Black 1/4” Grosgrain Ribbon (109027), Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (111325), Micro Beads (104266)
Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive (110755)

Eiffel Mojo

I am an Art Nouveau fanatic! Therefore, it is no surprise that I fell in love with the Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper. Although I had just created a card using the Chic Boutique stamp set, I inked it up again for this Mojo Monday sketch. Enjoy a trip to the Eiffel Tower!

  • Prepare a standard card base from Sage Shadow card stock.
  • Layer with the “Gray Small Dot” selection from the Chic Nouveau Designer Series Paper collection.
  • Mat the “Sage Shadow Flowers and Flourishes” selection from Chic Nouveau onto Sage Shadow.
  • Ink the “Eiffel Tower” with Jet Black StazOn and stamp onto Whisper White. Mat onto Sage Shadow. Outline the tower with Sahara Sand Stampin‘ Write Marker. Color as illustrated with Bordering Blue and Crushed Curry Stampin‘ Write Markers.
  • Prepare the horizontal strip from Textured Basic Gray card stock and mat onto Sage Shadow. Adhere all of the elements as illustrated in the photograph. Finish with a snippet of Sage Shadow 1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon.
  • Ink the “Merci” sentiment with Sage Shadow and stamp onto Whisper White. Frame with a Raised Dots Oval Label Holder from the Silver Hodgepodge Hardware Collection. Attach to the card base.
  • Voila!
The Stampin’ Schach Tip of the Day: Sketch challenges are meant to serve as an inspiration. Do not be afraid to make them your own. The Eiffel Tower image that I wanted to use on this card was actually too long for the inspiration guidelines, where the image was to be tucked behind the horizontal strip. So, I just popped it on top!
Congratulations to Susan Ferrell. Susan is taking advantage of the Starter Kit Special, and will be joining me as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. Remember that I am presenting my new recruits with a set of In-Color Stampin’ Write Markers. For more information about becoming a demo, please click here.
For those of you who have been asking, Missy the Boxer had her first follow-up appointment today since her initial diagnosis. We have been placing drops in her right eye to help relieve the pressure which is building up because of the tumor. We had a good report from her doctor, and will continue all of her medications. Our next appointment is in ten days! Thanks for the support that you are giving Missy and her family. A special thank-you goes to Patti MacLeith for her card! Patti’s beautiful work can be found on her blog Papercrafts by Patti.


Order Your Stampin’ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: Chic Boutique (113744)
Designer Series Paper: Nouveau Chic (115670)
Card Stock: Sage Shadow (101563), Basic Gray Textured (108693), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn (101406), Sage Shadow (102532)
Embellishments: Sage Shadow ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon (111369), Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (111325)
Other: Sahara Sand Stampin’ Write Marker (105105), Bordering Blue Stampin’ Write Marker (100070), In-Color Stampin’ Write Markers (116329)