I'm happy to say that we are getting some weather that is cooler than we've had for ages. We were able to open the house and turn off the a/c last night around 8:30 pm. That hasn't happened since I don't remember when!
With the children back in school, everyone back in their regular routines, and fall just around the corner, it's time to turn our thoughts toward making cards that feature beautiful fall images and colors. When I think of fall, I think of gorgeous fall leaves and pumpkins and I suspect that if asked, most people would name one or the other as the iconic image of fall in the Northern Hemisphere.
To celebrate the coming season of cooler days and pretty leaves I've got a leafy card for you today...
I love the colors traditionally used for fall leaves, such as Crushed Curry, a nice warm gold and Cajun Craze, a rusty orange, but I sometimes get tired of those very conventional colors and start thinking of other color combinations. For this card I used Fresh Fig card stock, ink, and ribbon and added in some Soft Suede and Old Olive leaves as well.
The stamp set I used is Vintage Leaves (# 138802, $26.00), a great set that's available on page 125 of the annual catalog. There's also a coordinating set of Framelits (#138283, $27.00) that you can find on page 213 of the annual catalog. So if you'd like to cut out some of the leaves and give them a 3-D look with some dimensionals (foam dots), you won't be forced to cut all of those little jagged edges by hand.
The ribbon is the new Finely Woven Ribbon in Fresh Fig (#144132, 7.00, p. 198 of the annual catalog). It's soft, very flexible, and easy to tie. I tied it into a loose knot on this card, which will allow the card to be easily mailed.
To give the card a bit more of a vintage look, I added some speckles in Sahara Sand using the speckles from the Touches of Texture stamp set (#143251, $33.00, p. 152 of the annual catalog).
If you have the set Gorgeous Grunge, there are some good speckles in that set as well, but Gorgeous Grunge is now discontinued.
The sentiment is from So Many Shells, (#143695, $26.00, p. 38 of the annual catalog), stamped in Early Espresso. Aside from the fabulous images of seashells, this set has some nice sentiments that are quite different. I bought this set as much for the sentiments as I did for the images. Then to add a little interest, I added a Very Vanilla panel on the inside of the card and stamped a few more leaves and speckles to give a little surprise when the card is opened.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy week to read my blog. If you have this stamp set, or another one featuring leaves, I hope I've inspired you to get it out and make a few cards for the fall season. With an appropriate sentiment added, this card could be a sympathy card, a thank you, a birthday card, or a thinking of you card. With a few cards like this tucked away, you'll be ready for any occasion... no last-minute run to the store for a card!
With so much devastation... fires, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes... we are forced to admit that much is beyond our control. And yet we can all work toward making the world a better place. Send a card with heartfelt love inside, share a smile with someone who needs a smile, offer a helping hand to a stranger, cook a good meal for your family, make a donation to disaster relief. Every positive act creates a ripple and that ripple goes on and on and may inspire others to act positively.
May the week ahead find you being grateful for all of the good in your life and remember... life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.
Stamp on!
Susan
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