Nature's Sweetness Meets Changing Leaves

 Hello friends!  Hope you're enjoying your day.  We had rain again last night and more coming tonight and tomorrow.  So that means we have to enjoy the sunshine we have right now!  I really should get some errands taken care of while it's not raining!  But before I go out, I want to get this card posted.  I've had the Nature's Sweetness Designer Series Paper for a while.  My sister loves it so much I thought I needed to get it.  But I haven't gotten around to using it yet.  Then the other day while going through all my current DSP, I thought it would be a good day to use it for my next creation.  I wanted to use two of the prints for my card, but beyond that I had no plan.

I liked the look of Pecan Pie cardstock combined with these two prints.  A piece of Pecan Pie measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half for the card base.  Next a piece of the grid-style DSP print was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  A Blending Brush was used with Pecan Pie ink to give the edges a softer look.

In my stash of elements to use later, I had a circle frame cut from Pecan Pie cardstock that would make a nice frame for an image from the DSP.  The frame was made by using two sequential dies from the Stylish Shapes die set lined up to cut the frame.  I used a small piece of washi tape to hold the two dies in place for cutting.  This gives a stitched line close to both the inner and outer circle of the frame for added interest.  Then I ran into a problem.

The inner ring of the frame was a little too small for framing up the image I wanted to use.  After trying a couple of options, I used a larger circle die that is 3 1/2" in diameter to cut around the image.  This would give me a frame of DSP around the frame of cardstock.  

The main image that I was focused on was colored with Stampin' Blends.  Pods - Crumb Cake Light and Dark, Leaves - Old Olive Light and Lemon Lime Twist Dark

This circle of DSP was also edged with a Blending Brush and Pecan Pie ink just like the grid-style DSP layer.  This really tied the images and layers together.

Then I couldn't figure out how to finish it.  After struggling with multiple options and color accents, I finally put it aside for a day or two to give my brain a chance to rethink the whole idea.

I came back two days later and had a revelation.  I'd tried several different greens to add the finishing touch, but I hadn't tried the Wild Wheat color.  It was an interesting look - not a green I had used so far, but it blended well with the Pecan Pie color and all the gold accents from the DSP.  I was on a roll again.

I cut both a single and a double skeleton leaf that are from the Changing Leaves die set from the Wild Wheat cardstock.  There is also a solid leaf cluster in the Changing Leaves set that I cut out.  For some added interest, I used a berry sprig from the same set to cut out a Gold Foil stem.  This is cut into pieces to tuck around the leaves.  At this point, the DSP layer was getting a little flimsy, so a Basic White circle was cut to go behind it.  They're attached together with adhesive.  Then the circles are attached to the left side of the card using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped onto a 1/2" x 2" Basic White strip using Pecan Pie ink.  The right end was flagged with Paper Snips, then a Blending Brush with Pecan Pie ink provided contrast to the edges.  This was tucked in flat behind the edge of the circle using adhesive.

As another extra bit of gold on the card, a bow was made from the Gold and Silver Trim Combo Pack.  The leaves are arranged on the Pecan Pie frame and attached with adhesive.  The bow was added with Mini Glue Dots.

The final accent was another bit of gold bling.  The Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins have the perfect gold accent here.  It's sort of a matte looking gold so it's different than what has been used already, but a great contrast.  Love all those different touches of gold.

There you go, another card using the Changing Leaves Bunde that can be found in the Online Exclusive section of the Stampin' Up! store.  Make sure you visit this section often.  You can find some really gorgeous items there.   But if that's not your style, there are also many cute and whimsical items too.  Go check it out.

You don't want to miss out on my 50th Anniversary Celebration sale only for my customers.  For any $50 you spend with me, I'll send you a card you can use along with a current embellishment as a thank you.  You'll love what I pick out for you!  Please use the Host Code at the top of my blog post for your order.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon