Autumn Welcoming Woods

 It's so funny sometimes.  Well, at least I think it is.  When a new annual catalog or mini catalog comes out, I always seem to gravitate to just a couple of sets that just call out to me and I have to get them.  Are you that way too?  The funny part I was talking about is that many times it takes me a month or more to wrap my head around those new sets that I love and decide what to do with them.  It seems the ones that I just like alot are easier to sit right down and stamp up some projects very quickly.  And the sets that I just love require more time and thought.  It seems sort of paradoxical and maybe you don't have that problem.  But I finally got my act together and got out the Welcoming Woods stamp set to do some creating.  I first made a fall card because that's what it is right now.  I was trying to re-create what was going on outside my windows, and maybe I managed to do that.  Let me know what you think.

I started with a base of Sahara Sand cardstock because it has been so gray outside.  I wanted to give it a look of an overcast day and I think I captured that look.  The Sahara Sand was cut to 11" x 4 1/4", scored at 5 1/2" & 4 1/2".  The extra score is made to turn this into a book binding fun fold.  The area between the folds is glued together with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.   

There are two pieces of Early Espresso cardstock cut - 4" x 4" square, and 4" x 3/4". The skinny piece is attached between the two score lines on the front.  The other piece is attached to the front area.

Next there is a piece of Sahara Sand cut to 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square.  This is where the stamping magic happens.  First I used Pool Party and a Blending Brush to unevenly blend on some color for the sky area behind the trees.  I took the color down about 3/4 of the way to the bottom of the cardstock piece making some parts lighter and some darker.  The birch tree trunks from the Welcoming Woods set were stamped in Early Espresso ink in the center.  Sahara Sand ink was used on the stamp that lays in the ground line between the trees.  I stamped this a couple times to anchor the trees.  Then the fun part comes.  I wanted to show leaves falling from the trees and also laying on the ground.  This set includes a stamp with 6 leaves scattered on it and that's where all these lovely fall leaves come from.  First I stamped Pumpkin Pie leaves a couple of times.  Then went back in using only three of the leaves on the stamp inked with Cajun Craze ink.  Changed up the color again and added Crushed Curry leaves the same way.  As a last accent, I inked only one of the leaves on the stamp with Old Olive ink and scattered a few of those around.  I can't believe how much this resembles our backyard at the moment.  (We do have a little red showing up lately since the temps have been dropping to the mid to low 30's at night though.)

This layer was attached with adhesive to a Pumpkin Pie layer cut at 3 7/8" x 3 7/8".  This was attached to the Early Espresso layer using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the same Welcoming Woods set.  It's stamped on a 1/2" strip of Very Vanilla cardstock using Pumpkin Pie ink.  The Banners Pick a Punch was used on the left edge only.  I added a 3/4" strip of the gold brushed metallic paper behind this.  These were attached flat to the card front using adhesive.  

The ribbon is the Fine Art Gold Ribbon to go nicely with the brushed gold paper.  It wraps around the 'binding' part of the card and is tied in a square knot. 
 

It still needed something else, so after checking in my bling stash, I found the Metallic Pearls and the gold ones were added to the sentiment.  I used two of them to look more like nailheads attaching the sentiment.

Thanks for joining me today.  Hope you've enjoyed our walk in the autumn woods to soak up the gorgeous fall colors.  Let's do this again.  But next time, we'll do a wintry woods look.  OK?  If you're planning on ordering soon, please use the current host code shown at the top right corner of the blog.  I truly appreciate your orders, and I love hearing from you too.  Be sure to leave a comment once in awhile so I know you've been lurking in the shadows of my blog.  Enjoy the gorgeous display of color God has painted throughout the landscape!

Happy creating and stamping,

Sharon