Soft Seedlings

In  my stamping class this week, we used the Soft Seedlings stamp set from the mini catalog.  I used Calypso Coral cardstock for the base, embossed the next layer with the Timeworn Type embossing folder and added a piece of the gold dotted papers from the last Sale-a-Bration.  

I colored stamped the leaf image using Calypso Coral ink and then added some Tangerine Tango ink with a sponge dauber on the outer leaf edges.  I cut it out and added it to my card.  I got the idea for this card from Angela Meiritz-Reid.  Both of the cards are from the same cardstock; it's just the photos that make it look different.

The next card idea is from Cheri Stojkovich.  She stamped the image onto vellum cardstock and then heat embossed it with clear powders.  I love how this came out.  The bottom layer is Powdered Pink that is embossed with the new Leaf Fall folder.  

Because of it's shiny gold on the edge, it's hard to get a good photo of it.  Here you can see the soft layer of the vellum on top of the pink layer.  The two layers are adhered only on the left side of the card to give the vellum a more free-standing look.  

I used Soft Suede ink pad for the image and added some Cherry Cobbler ink to the edges of the leaves with the sponge dauber.  When you heat up the image using the clear powder, it really brings the colors to life on this card.  Honestly, the photo does not do it justice.

This third card is made using white embossing powders on a shimmery piece of cardstock.  I then sponged some Calypso Coral onto the paper.  Then I wiped off the ink from the embossed image, leaving the white image to stand out better.  I added some brown speckles to the front to give it some dimension.  I love this idea from Diane Vander Gallen.  

The fall cards for this week's class were made using corals and tans.  I love how different the tones are on them and how they came out.  What about you - are you using some "different" colors on your fall cards this year?

 

I'm Fond of Autumn

Here is upstate NY we had a very hot summer with 25 days over 90 degrees, which is very unusual for us.  (Last year we had 4.)  But on the first day of fall, the weather changed dramastically and since then we have had very cool weather.  The leaves on one of my trees have already fallen and it definitely feels like autumn now.  

So this week I took out a new fall set called Fond of Autumn.  And I have to say that I loved it!  It has some nice fall images of leaves and acorns, but it also has a lot more to offer.  

I started with this Cajun Craze fall card with a side "door opening."   I used a sheet of the pumpkin paper from Gilded Autumn designer papers that we offered last year in the fall.  The image is colored in with Stamping Blends using the Crumb Cake for the leaves and cut out with the die cuts.  I love the soft colors for this card.  I added a vanilla circle for the Thank You saying.  I got the idea for this from Melissa Faust.  

Next up is a card using Pear Pizazz for the background.  I used the die cut from Hues of Happiness and tucked a sheet of designer paper behind the cut out for a subtle look.  The tag is from Designer Tags cut outs and looks great as the background behind the leaf cut out.  I colored in the leaves using watercolor pencils and added a slight water wash to them to blend in the colors.  My idea came from Debbie Henderson.

For this card, I used the birch folder to emboss some trees onto the circular cut out for the background.  I think the cut out is one from a wreath, but I'm not sure which one.  I embossed the Old Olive background piece with the Timber folder and put it onto a card base and envelope from the Sale-a-Bration Cards and Envelopes.  I wanted to keep the color scheme green and crumb cake.  This idea is from Mikaela Titheridge.  

Even though all three cards have a fall look, this stamp set can be used into Christmas and throughout the year.  It also has berries that can be used as holly berries and flowers that can be used all year.  I enjoyed using it.