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

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