Bare Branches

Hello Stampers!

Wow... how did it get to be Friday again already?  When I look at the calendar, I wonder what happened to October.  Of course I thought the same thing about September.  If only there was a way to slow things down!  Wasn't it summer just a few days ago? 

A glance out my stamp room window confirms that summer is long gone.  The birch trees are almost bare and this morning there was a little bird perched on one of the bare braches, which reminded me of this card that I made during the summer for one of my technique classes.  Although I showed this card at the class, we didn't actually make this one, so I'll describe the technique a bit so you can try it yourself. 

First, here's the card...

 The colors I used here are Cajun Craze for the card base, then So Saffron ( Stampin'Up!'s lightest yellow).  The flagged "ribbon" is Early Espresso which was run through the Big Shot with the new  woodgrain embossing folder ( page 33 of the Holiday catalog). The button is one of the new Naturals Designer Buttons ( page 176 of the Annual catalog).  They're not really wood, but they sure look like it! For the focal panel, I started with a piece of Glossy White card stock, ( page 160 of the annual catalog).  I used a brayer and brayered an even layer of So Saffron ink over the entire panel.  Next I stamped the branches and birds ( from the set Serene Silhouettes, page 75 of the Annual catalog) in Early Espresso ink.  I dried it with my heat gun so it wouldn't smear during the next step, which was to sponge on some Cajun Craze ink, being careful not to cover the whole panel.  I also edged the panel with Cajun Craze sponging, but if you want more of a sunrise or sunset look, sponge just about 2/3 of the panel, leaving 1/3 un-sponged. 

This would make a nice card for almost any occasion... a fall birthday, a Thanksgiving card, a thank-you note, a sympathy card, and I think it would work for a man as well as a woman.  Why not get out your stamps and try making a card like this?  I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy that more than just about anything else you have planned for today, unless you're jetting off to a tropical island for a vacation.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you'll have a wonderful Friday and an even more wonderful weekend.  I'll see you on Monday for another classic card!
Susan