Harvest Blessings--#tgifc289

This week's color challenge from TGIF Challenges is Garden Green, Merry Merlot, and Crushed Curry. Those colors remind me of Autumn and Christmas at the same time.  It was hard to decide which way to go.  Then I spent some time clomping through fallen leaves with Roxie.  Falling leaves it is!

My background was created on Fluid 100 watercolor paper (#149612).  I misted the entire piece with water, then dropped in Garden Green and Crushed Curry inks using a Water Painter (#151298).  Once this background was dry, I splattered Merry Merlot ink across the front.  After the splatters were dry, I stamped the large leaf from Gather Together stamp set (#150589) randomly on the background.  I stamped one leaf at a time in VersaMark (#102283), then coated it with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109129).  Once all the leaves were in place I heat embossed them using the Heat Tool (#129053).

The greeting is one of my Fall favorites from Country Home stamp set (#147678).  It was stamped on a 3/4" wide strip of Merry Merlot card stock and heat embossed in gold.  One end was punched with the Banners Pick a Punch (#153608).  A loose circle of gold trim from the Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack (#152475) was placed under the greeting piece. A Merry Merlot card stock layer and card base complete the card.

For more inspiration with this fun color combo, check out the entries over at TGIF Challenges here.

I am trying to talk my husband into not mowing over all the fallen leaves until after my grandson, Easton, visits during Thanksgiving.  He doesn't get to experience the fun of clomping through fallen leaves in Coastal South Carolina. I want to share one of my simple joys with him. 

Here's to simple joys!

--Sara Nell

Happy Harvest Blessings--#tgifc218

It's the monthly sketch challenges over at TGIF Challenges. It's a block sketch that I flip-flopped left to right for my card:

The designer series paper I used for the blocks is from the Gilded Autumn Specialty pack (#153520).  The maple leaf from the Gather Together stamp set (#150589) was stamped in VersaMark onto Cajun Craze card stock, heat embossed with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109129), and die cut using the coordinating Gathered Leaves dies (#150662).

 

The greeting is from Country Home stamp set (#147678).  It was stamped in Early Espresso and heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109130). The banner ends were punched with the new Banners Pick a Punch (#153610).

A layer of Cajun Craze card stock, a Mint Macaron card base and Mint Macaron 1/2" Basket Weave ribbon (#153553, ribbon combo pack) complete the card.

Head over to the TGIF Challenges Blog to see more great cards created with this sketch:

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell

Happy to My Day--#tgifc240

Today, I have a clean and simple card created for this week's TGIF Challenges inspiration challenge:  Autumn Leaves.

All of the leaves from our trees have dropped and I have a nice crunchy pile of leaves to enjoy as I walk Roxie around the yard (at least until Herb gets them chopped up).  When the leaf cover is high, Roxie takes several short hops over it to get around--so funny to watch.  Autumn leaves are definitely the happy in my day so when I saw this sentiment in the Country Home stamp set (#147678), I had to use it for my card!

I started with a card base of Very Vanilla thick card stock.  I stamped the sentiment in VersaMark and heat embossed it with Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder (#141636).  Next I stamped some scrap pieces of Terracotta Tile card stock with the speckle image in the Gather Together stamp set (#150589), using the Delicata Celestial Copper ink refill (#150708) and a piece of Stampin' Sponge.  I die cut the small maple leaves out of the stamped card stock using a Gathered Leaves die (#150662).  Copper Trim (#144179) finished the card.

You'll find plenty of leafy inspiration over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Hope you are having an awesome week!--Sara Nell

Gather Together--#tgifc236

It's color challenge week at TGIF Challenges!  This week we have a color combination that evokes the Fall leaves for me. Who am I kidding? Any color combination evokes Fall leaves for me this time of year!!! But these really are Fall leaf colors:  Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral and Early Espresso. My challenge was doing something a bit different with my leaves.

The Praiseworthy Prose stamp set (#149454) was sitting on my desk and I saw "family".  My Thanksgiving card came together quickly after that, using that definition and the Gather Together stamp set (#150589) and coordinating Gathered Leaves dies (#150662):

I die cut the three large leaves out of Whisper White card stock, then stamped the family definition in Early Espresso randomly on the leaves.  I sponged Pear Pizzaz and Calypso Coral inks over the definitions, then stamped the leaf outline image on each leaf using Pear Pizzazz ink.  I die cut the small maple leafs out of Pear Pizzazz ink.  The greeting from Gather Together stamp set was stamped in Early Espresso on Pear Pizzazz, heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109130) and die cut using a Stitched Nested Label die (#149638).  

The leaves were arranged over a piece of Crumb Cake card stock that was embossed with the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder (#149643).  A layer of Early Espresso card stock was added to the piece before adhering it to a Crumb Cake card base.  Linen Thread (#104199) and Happiness Blooms enamel dots finish the card.

Check out the other projects created with this color challenge over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here:

Have a happy, crisp Fall day today!

--Sara Nell

Leaves in Silver and Blues???--#tgifc233

This week's TGIF Challenges sketch challenge has a striped background.  I started my entry by going through all of my designer series paper to see what striped paper I had.  Turns out that I had several options.  I was, however, mostly drawn to the silver stripe in the Feels Like Frost specialty designer series paper pack (a "B" side to the beautiful photo-realistic papers).  I thought snowflakes and silver and blues!  Then I thought leaves--can you do leaves in silver and blues?  Why not!!!

The reason I changed to leaves was to show off these die cut and embossed leaves from the Gathered Leaves die set.  I love how they look when you sponge the dies with the Silver Delicata ink before placing them on the card stock and running them through the die cutting machine.  You get a metallic body with veins in the color of the underlying card stock--in this case Seaside Spray and Night of Navy. 

I stamped the larger leaf from the Gather Together stamp set in the Silver Delicata ink and then die cut it as a base for my greeting, also from the Gather together stamp set.  I stamped it in VersaMark and heat embossed it with Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder.  The greeting was die cut with a Stitched Shapes oval die.  I added a few Night of Navy rhinestones from the Holiday Rhinestones Basic Jewels pack and some Basic Rhinestones. 

Do you love this sketch?  See more sketch inspired cards at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Let me know what your think of these non-traditional leaf colors in the comments below.

--Sara Nell 

Embossed Leaves--#tgifc227

The TGIF Challenge this week is a product spotlight:  embossing powders.  I embossed leaves in the last challenge and I am embossing leaves in this one!  This time I used the leaves in the new Gather Together stamp set and the coordinating Gathered Leaves dies:

On this card, I used the Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder three different ways on my leaves:  1.)  I stamped the large leaf image from the stamp set in VersaMark, heat embossed it and die cut it. 2.)  The Mint Macaron leaf was die cut, the edges were dragged through the VersaMark ink pad and then heat embossed.  3.  The Pretty Peacock leaf was die cut with another leaf die in the die set, partially pressed into the VersaMark ink pad and then heat embossed.  For good measure, I embossed the greeting in copper on a Pretty Peacock banner created with the Banner Triple punch.

The background layer is from the Come to Gather designer series paper pack.  I embossed it with the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder to give it a bit of dimension.  It is hard to see in the photo, but looks nice in person!

I arranged my leaves over a Vellum card stock circle to give a break from the colorful plaid background paper.  My ribbon is a combination of Copper Trim and the Pretty Peacock trim I tore off a piece of Pretty Peacock scalloped linen ribbon. 

The final touch was three Cajun Craze rhinestones from the Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels pack.  You need this rhinestone pack--five different colors that coordinate with designer series paper packs in the Holiday Catalog! 

Want some inspiration for using embossing powders?  Head over to the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Glad you stopped by today!--Sara Nell