Gorgeous Leaves Combo

 Hey there, so glad you stopped by.   Today I have two versions of the same card for you.  I have this problem of always making too many little pieces to go on a card and have them laying around waiting for me to do something with them.  Well, that's not going to happen today, because I made two cards to use up all the bits that were left over.   Smart, right?

Here are the both of them together.  I'm so into the idea of autumn coming and all the glorious leaves that put on a show for us to enjoy.  These cards highlight the colors of autumn at their finest.

Both cards started out the same with a card base of a half sheet of Crumb Cake cardstock, folded in half.  Each also has a layer of Soft Suede cardstock that is cut to 5" x 3 3/4".   Next is another layer of Crumb Cake cut at 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".  This layer has the stamping on it.

Stamping started with the Gorgeous leaves Bundle.  The larger speckle image was inked with Crumb Cake ink and stamped in a diagonal pattern from the bottom center up to the right top corner.  Over this was randomly stamped the smaller speckle image using Soft Suede ink.  Over on the left top corner, the 3 leaf stamp was inked, off-stamped, then stamped randomly to give just a light touch of pattern.   This layer was attached to the Soft Suede layer with adhesive.  Then attached to the folded Crumb Cake base using Dimensionals.

The first solid leaf image was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock using 2 inks.  First the stamp was inked on the one side with Crushed Curry ink and on the other side with Old Olive ink, then stamped.  The maple leaf was mostly inked with Pumpkin Pie ink, then Cajun Craze ink was added to the side.  Both leaves were die-cut using the coordinating dies from the Intricate Leaves Dies.  These were set aside and I moved along to the open-work leaf dies.  The large maple leaf and tall leaf were both die-cut from Cajun Craze cardstock.  Two of the little leaves were die-cut from Crushed Curry cardstock.  Then it was a matter of playing around to see which leaves went where.  They were attached to the card fronts using Glue Dots rolled up like croissants under the veining on the open leaves and the solid one too. 

The sentiment posed a bit of a problem.  I knew what I wanted it to say, but didn't have a stamp that really worked.  This is where omitting while stamping comes into play.  There is a wonderful set called Heartwarming Hugs that is all sentiments in a pretty scripty-style font.  One of them is:  & heartfelt wishes.  I just made sure that I didn't ink the "&" so I have just the words I wanted.   You can do this by very carefully inking, or place some scotch tape over the part you don't want, ink, then pull off the tape before stamping  Voila!

The sentiments were stamped on Very Vanilla strips using Soft Suede ink.  The strip was then die-cut with the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  The next up size of Stitched Rectangle was die-cut from Soft Suede cardstock.  The layers were attached together with adhesive.

The wording was kept to the right edge so there would be plenty of room on the left for wrapping some Linen Thread around it several times and knotting off.  After the sentiments were ready to go, they were attached over the leaves with Dimensionals to make them stand out.  That was it for these two cards except for the sentiment inside.  And as usual, I decided to leave it blank so I could write my own notes inside.

I love how the cards turned out quite neutral looking except for a splash of color on the side.  If you notice on the maple leaf cut-out, I left some of the die-cut little pieces in the leaf.  This reminded me on the way maple leaves start looking like skeleton leaves with part of the leaf still there and other parts gone.  Does it look weird to you?  I'm still trying to decide if that was a mistake to do or not.  Give me your opinion on this please!

Here we are with just a few more days left to take advantage of Sale-a-bration.  If you've been thinking about getting one more item from the batch of free items, you've got to hustle..  Remember for every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping) you can choose one of the free Sale-a-bration items.  And be sure to use the host code posted here.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Leave a comment if you would.  It makes me so happy to know you're out there reading about what I've been making lately.  

Blessings and hugs,

Sharon

Nature's Harvest Card

Hi there!  Glad you stopped by today.  I want to share a card idea with you that I think is just lovely.  My friend Ruth shared this idea with me and I fell in love with the soft colors used and how easy it really was to make this card.  You can always take the basics of this idea, change the colors and/or DSP, and come up with a card that looks nothing like this one. That's one of the real joys of making your own cards to share with family and friends - making small changes on an idea that totally changes the card into a really different look.

Since I like pastels, could there be a better card for me?  I don't think so.  This one's just about perfect.  I started with a card base of Very Vanilla cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  Next there is a layer of Very Vanilla cardstock cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  This was embossed with the Macrame 3D Embossing Folder.  I really like the texture of this embossing folder.  It's very deeply textured and gives a really nice look.  This was attached to the folded card base with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  This is my adhesive of choice whenever I have a deeply embossed layer that I don't want to pop up with Dimensionals.  The adhesive gets in the grooves and holds very securely.

The next layer is also Very Vanilla that was die-cut with the Scalloped Contours Dies using the 2nd largest size. This was set aside to get everything together and ready before attaching to the card.

The layer of DSP is cut from the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Paper.  This paper is Soft Succulent in color and has a mottled finish with what looks like writing all across it.  So pretty all by itself!  This was cut at 2 5/8" x 3 3/4".  It was then cut in thirds to make each piece 1 1/4" x 2 5/8".  These strips were spread out on the die-cut Vanilla piece to fit evenly inside the stitching lines.  They were attached with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

The silhouette daisy was die-cut from Very Vanilla cardstock using the Harvest Dies.  The die gives just a little bit of texture to the flower when it's cut as an added bonus.  To really add some bling to this very subtle card, I die-cut the 'wheat' looking stems from the Sale-a-bration Be Dazzling glitter paper.  I love the almost mirror-like larger glitter pieces on this paper.  It just makes it so striking!   Even though the stems were so skinny, I had no trouble cutting it very cleanly.   After determining the placement, it was attached to the layer using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  The Vanilla die-cut daisy was also attached with the Liquid Glue.

I chose to use the pretty Soft Succulent 3/8" Open Weave Ribbon on this card to blend with all the lovely pastel colors.  It was wrapped around and then tied in a knot near the bottom.  The whole layer was then attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

I chose not to add a sentiment at this time.  This is such a pretty card, I wasn't sure where I'd be wanting to use it, birthday, anniversary, even a sympathy card.  This way I can always add a sentiment to the front later, or choose not to use one at all and just write a note inside.  Definitely my style of card!  A big thank you Ruth for sharing this stunning card idea with me so I could share my version of it with all of you!

Just want to give a big thanks to all of you who have placed an order with me during the month of September.  There are only a few more shopping days left to take part in the Sale-a-bration sale!  I know we all love getting a bargain!  When you place a $50 order with me, you may choose one of the lovely Sale-a-bration items.  There are also some great items you can get free when your order is $100 or more.  Don't let the sale pass you by!

NOTE:  I just noticed today that the Be Dazzling glitter paper is already gone!  Boo Hoo!  It was my favorite!  But there's many great items left to choose from.  But hurry before more of them are also gone.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you like this simple but gorgeous card.  Try changing up the colors, or DSP, or die-cut images and see what you come up with.  Probably a masterpiece!

Happy creating!

Sharon

More with the Baby Wipe Technique

Hi y'all!  I had so much fun playing with the Baby Wipe Technique the other week.  I just wanted to do a little more with this technique and see what else I could come up with.  The leaves outside should soon start turning all those lovely shades of yellows, oranges, and reds.  I thought I'd get a head-start by making my own colorful fall leaves.  And the Baby Wipe Technique makes it so easy to get fabulous color on your stamped leaves.  I can't wait to look outside and see something that looks like this...

Aren't the colors on the leaves just fabulous?  I've always loved autumn and I can hardly wait for the real thing to appear outside.  At least I hope the leaves will change here like in Michigan.  Guess I really have to wait and see.

The card starts out with a base of Early Espresso cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", then scored and folded in half.  The layer of Designer Series Paper is from the pack - Beauty of the Earth.  All of the designs in this paper pack are truly works of art.  There isn't a single one that I don't like, and that makes it difficult to decide which one to use.  This print has modern-looking branches with multiple leaves in many fall colors.  It's a great place to start on this fall card.

There is a layer of Early Espresso cardstock cut with the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.  Then the next smaller die cuts out a layer of Basic White cardstock.  This is what we do all our colorful stamping on.  First make a palette of 3-4 baby wipes folded in 3rds or 4ths depending on the size of the wipes.  I put this in an empty stamp box so the ink doesn't go everywhere, but can be easily washed out.  I used these re-inkers:  Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, and Rich Razzleberry.  Drops of the re-inkers were placed in an area a bit larger than the maple leaf I planned to use.  Each color had at least 5 drops placed randomly next to each other.  Then the stamping begins!  The maple leaf and the tiny three leaf cluster are from the Gorgeous Leaves stamp set.  When inking the stamp, keep inking in the same area, don't wander all over the pad.  This way the ink colors stay fairly crisp even after multiple inkings.  If the ink colors are real intense, clean the stamp before inking in another area so as not to muddy all the colors together.   After the maple leaf was stamped 3 times, I changed up and used the cluster of three leaves to fill in the open areas on the rectangle.

At this point, the stamped rectangle was attached to the Early Espresso layer using adhesive.  Then this was all layered onto the card base using Dimensionals.  I liked the look of it off to the right side for this card.  

It needed a cute fall sentiment and the perfect one was in the Banner Year stamp set.  It fits right in with my move to the south!  This was also stamped using the baby wipe palette we used for the leaves.  After inking the stamp, it was stamped on a 3/4" wide strip of Basic White cardstock.  The Triple Banner Punch was used on each end of the strip to make a banner.  This was layered onto the card with adhesive on the right side, and a Dimensional on the left side to raise it up level.

The card needed some bling to make it pop a just little more.  After trying and discarding of lots of rhinestones, linen thread, ribbon etc, it was decided that the Sequins for Everything would work nicely.  I added two of the brown ones and four of the golden-orangey/yellow ones.

The last part was the inside of the card.  There is a layer of Basic White cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  This has one maple leaf stamped in the corner to match the front.  I've left the inside blank to accommodate one of the many notes I send out.  But this could make a cute birthday card or of course a Thanksgiving card.

If you haven't given this technique a try (or it's been years since you did), why not try it out?  It's definitely fun, and no two cards ever really look the same.  Just remember to wash your hands when you get ink on them!  Sometimes it does get just a little bit messy.  But there's nothing wrong with inky fingers.  It shows what you've been doing!     *big grin!*

Thanks for stopping by again.  Hope you're inspired to give this technique a try.  And fall leaves are a wonderful way to try it!

Here's the code for September orders if you are placing one.  I truly appreciate my customers.  Thank you in advance for any order you may place.

Reminder:  Sale-a-bration ends September 30th.  Be sure to get your order in as soon as possible.  There are still many items available for you to choose from.  I'm sure you'll find something to love in the selections.  Please call me if you have questions or have trouble placing your order.  I'm here to help!

Happy stamping!

Sharon

Nature's Harvest with Blending Brushes

Hi there!  Happy Sunday to you.  Hope you've been able to spend time in worship today.  It's the perfect way to start off your week with your focus trained back on God's grace again.  Always need the reminder and always a blessing.      Today I want to share a card I made a couple of weeks ago to share with friends in Michigan.  It makes use of the awesome Blending Brushes that I really adore to do all the soft coloring!  So it's a win-win for me-pastel looks and so easy to make!

I can't get over how much I like the look of the colors softly blended on the die-cut images.  It always surprises me when I get something this wonderful just by blending ink onto cardstock and then die-cutting an image!  It's just like magic to me!

This card started with a strip of Very Vanilla cardstock, Bumblebee and Pumpkin Pie inks, and a Blending Brush.  I was just playing around with the colors adding in splotches all over, but not covering in totally.  I added in some Old Olive splotches to stay with sort of harvest-type colors, but it just wasn't right yet.  I added some Blackberry Bliss smudges in the last open areas to finish it.  I still wasn't sure what I would do with it.  

I had planned on using the Gorgeous Leaves stamps and Dies for making a card, but the colors just didn't seem bold enough for that. In fact, it looked pretty boring.  Then I remembered the Harvest Dies and thought I'd try die-cutting some of those shapes to see how they looked.  I had just read an article about putting packing tape (!) over the blended colors to make them shiny and brighter, so I had to try that too.  Oh my goodness!  It's so pretty!

Can you really see how gorgeous those blended colors are together?  Now that the 'pretties' were made, it was time to figure out a card that would showcase them.  I figured I'd use Blackberry Bliss cardstock to match the ink, but found that the Rich Razzleberry cardstock blended much nicer with the flowers.  So that's the card base, cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4".  The next layer is Old Olive cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  This was die-cut in the center with the Stitched Rectangle Dies to make a 1" frame around the center opening.  At this point, it was embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder that is retired.  I liked the look of just a little extra texture it gives the finished card.

It needed a little more brightness to it, so a Stitched So Sweetly scalloped rectangle was cut from Very Vanilla cardstock, then a Stitched Rectangle Die slightly larger than the last one was used to cut a skinny frame of Vanilla to layer onto the card.  

Before putting the pieces together, I die-cut one of the long skinny stems from Early Espresso cardstock to give the flower bundle a little more fullness.  The look of them together was too dark, so I tried a branch from the same die set cut from the Sale-a-bration free Be Dazzling glitter paper.  This was the perfect bit to brighten the whole card up!  This glitter paper is made with larger pieces of glitter so you have an almost mirror effect going on.  Quite striking!

Working with the two frames that weren't attached yet, the pieces were put together in a pleasing look and attached behind the Very  Vanilla frame on the bottom, but overlapped on the top and sides.  After the pieces were all attached, the Very Vanilla frame was attached to the Old Olive frame using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  This was all attached to the card front using the Liquid Glue also. 

The inside of the card has a layer of Old Olive with another layer of Very Vanilla  on top of that.   At this time there are no sentiments either on the front or the inside of the card.  Since it looks quite generic,  I can add a sentiment to fit the occasion when I'm ready to use it.

Just wanted to add one more picture to show you the detain that is embossed in the image when you die-cut it.  It's very subtle, but just adds an extra touch of specialness when it's finished!  To me this card not only has visual appeal with the mix of fall colors and the stitching and die-cuts, but it has 'touch' appeal too.  I find myself touching the different textures, from the embossed Old Olive layer, to the embossing on the flower and the almost 'grittiness' of the glitter paper.  I love to pick up a card and not just see but feel all the different textures.  That makes it a real win in my estimation..

Ok, that's it for this post.  I added a few extra pictures this time around.  I hope they give you a real feel for this card.

If you're ordering yet in September, please use the Host Code shown here.  I really appreciate your order.  It's been a real blessing having you still order from me even though I've moved away.  I'm so grateful for the internet and phones so we can still be in touch.  

Reminder:  Sale-a-bration only runs through the end of September!  Time is running out for taking advantage of earning free items!

Hope you're enjoying this slightly cooler weather as we slide a little closer to fall.  I'm curious to find out how fall in South Carolina compares to the fabulous and colorful fall days in Michigan!

Make sure you find some time to relax and be creative.  It's really a good way to rejuvenate your spirit and make yourself happy.

Many Hugs,

Sharon

Baby Wipe Technique with Pumpkins

 Hi!  Yes, it's been awhile since I've made a post.  Hope you haven't given up on me yet.  The trip up to Michigan was wonderful, but the trip back home was certainly another story.  Heather's vehicle had the transmission go out halfway home and we sat on the side of the road for a good long while.  But God is good and brought a couple of terrific police officers and a very caring and helpful tow-truck driver to help us out by towing her car and get us to a car rental place.  So instead of a 10 1/2 hour trip home, it ended up being very close to 15 hours.  Very long day for sure!  But that's over and done with and I need to get back to sharing stamping ideas with all of you.  So...

Figured I'd start out with something thankful, since I have so much to be thankful for right now.  This is a pretty normal looking card made with the Pretty Pumpkins stamp set and the matching Detailed Pumpkins Dies Bundle.  The stamp set is a great mix of line-art and more solid design pumpkins and three sentiments in a lovely "scripty" font.  It's great for Thanksgiving, but really can be used nicely all through the fall months.  

I started with a card base of Crumb Cake cardstock.  The next layer is a pretty blue print from the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Paper that's in the July-December Mini Catalog. This pack of DSP is really nice and almost neutral, even though it does have lots of soft color.    Love this blue print against the fall colors as a contrast.

The next layer is Very Vanilla cardstock.  The sentiment was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink to match the DSP before the piece was embossed with the Timber 3D Embossing Folder.  I used a Blending Brush with crumb Cake ink to add a little color to the edges of this.  Then it was attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

The pumpkins and vining leaves were all stamped on So Saffron cardstock using the Baby Wipe Technique.  What's that, you ask?  It's a fun technique that uses folded baby wipes and drops of re-inkers to form your ink pad, then you stamp just the same as usual.  Only instead of getting just one color of ink, you get a whole rainbow of partially blended colors you've chosen.  Truly gorgeous!  For this card I used Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive re-inkers.   I put several drops of each color on the folded baby wipe in an area just a little bigger than the pumpkin.  I stamped two pumpkins and five of the vines because I wasn't sure how many of each I would need for the card.  Each of them were die-cut with the matching dies.  Then it was time to play around with the items to see what I wanted on the front of the card.  I ended up using just one pumpkin and one vine and attached them with Dimensionals.

The inside was a little different from a normal card too.  I cut a piece of the same DSP to 5" x 8", scored at 3 1/4", 4", and 4 3/4".  This was folded into a W shape and attached on the right side with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  Holding the DSP closed, add Liquid Glue to the other side and fold the entire card closed.  When you open it, you have the little inverted  fold to attach the sentiment and extra items.  I chose to add two more of the vines to the one side and the sentiment to the other.  The sentiment from the same Pretty Pumpkins set was also stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock with Misty Moonlight ink just like the front.  I'm not sure what this style of card is called.  The inside sort of flip-flaps over itself to show off the images or whatever you add to them.  It's just a fun little surprise when you open the card.  Hope this makes someone happy!

Here's the host code to use if you're placing an order this month.  It's greatly appreciated.

Remember that Sale-a-bration will be over at the end of September - that's less than 2 weeks away!  Make sure you place any orders asap before the Sale-a-bration free items are sold out.  They will not be back-ordered.  When they're gone, that's it!  And I don 't want you missing out on something you have your heart set on. 

There are also a number of items in the July-December Mini Catalog that are on back-order, but still available to order.  The deliveries are not coming in to Stampin'Up! on a timely basis, so there are some problems in getting orders filled.  Please be patient. Stampin'Up! is doing the very best it can under the circumstances.  Thank you so much for your understanding!  I surely do love my Stampin'Up! customers!  You really are the very best!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'll be trying my hardest to get more postings done asap.

Many hugs,

Sharon

Mr. Sassy Cat is Back!

Hi!  For some reason, this very sassy cat keeps telling me it's time to play with him.  So here we are back again with another Halloween card.  Some of you might remember that I totally loved the Arrange A Wreath bundle that we had before.  I miss using it so much!  When I saw the Seasonal Swirls Dies in the July-December 2021 Mini Catalog, I knew this would be one I had to have.  Now that I have it in my hot little hands, it's time to get it out and use it again.  So this is a mix of Clever Cats stamps, Seasonal Swirls Die, and the Playful Alphabet Dies (haven't used those in awhile) to make this fun card.

Isn't this guy just the coolest cat around?  He's hanging around hiding among the leaves on this wreath so he can jump out and say boo!

I started with a card base of Cinnamon Cider because it's such a nice, warm fall color.  Then I wanted the look of a wood door to hang the wreath on, and this wood print from the In Good Taste Designer Series Paper worked nicely.  It is cut at 5 1/4" x 4" and attached to the Cinnamon Cider card base using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

Then it was time to play with Mr. Sassy Cat.  He was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  I used the Stamparatus for this to make sure his fur was nice and black.  After stamping, I fussy cut him out.  Then he sat at the table with me and helped me decide on the colors of the leaves for his hiding place in the wreath.

We cut two wreaths - one from Cinnamon Cider cardstock to match the card base and the second one from Pear Pizzazz to give it more green.  Then he wanted leaves cut from Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Bumblebee, and Cajun Craze cardstock.  Mr. Sassy Cat said it needed more pop so I tried some leaves cut from the Be Dazzling paper that's one of the free items offered during Sale-a-bration.  I liked it, but he said he didn't.   He wanted the Black Glitter Paper instead.  Guess I was out-voted on this one.  He says these have a more subtle look and are more spooky too.  Hmmm.

The wreaths were attached with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue, first the Pear Pizzazz wreath and then the Cinnamon Cider one turned a bit and layered on over it.   Then I had to tuck Mr. Sassy Cat in the wreath so I knew where to place all the leaves.  They were mostly attached with Mini Glue Dots for ease.  After the wreath looked about right to me, I had a few leaves left over and thought they might be used inside the card.   But I decided I liked the look of them falling down from the wreath into a little pile at the bottom of the card.

The BOO! was cut from the same Black Glitter Paper in the Mini Catalog using the Playful Alphabet Dies.  Before cutting, I added some of the Adhesive Paper to the back of the Glitter Paper so it was very easy to die-cut, peel off the backing, and stick those little letters down.

The last part to the card was the inside.  I wanted to use the broom, but Mr. Sassy Cat said cats don't ride brooms.  I talked him into it anyway.  I had a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock already cut to size and the little divots punched out the corners (have no idea what I originally used to do that!).  I stamped the sentiment and broom with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  It just wasn't enough, so I added some color to the edges with the Blending Brushes and Bumblebee and a little Pumpkin Pie ink.  Still needed a little something more.  Hmmm.   Mr. Sassy Cat suggested that I stamp his little friend, Kitty, peeking up from the edge of the card.  And that was juuust right.  So that's how Mr. Sassy Cat and I made this card.  Hope you like it!  If not, blame it all on him!  It was all his fault.  Now that I've played with him again, maybe he'll give me a little peace and quiet and I can go on to create with other stamps too.  We'll see how soon he insists on playing again!

Hope you're enjoying the Labor Day holiday.  Don't forget to get your order in before Sale-a-bration is over at the end of September.  Time's flying!  Please use the host code shown to the left here.  I truly appreciate your business!  Don't these warm and vibrant leaf colors inspire you?  I'll have to try incorporating this idea somehow in a future card idea.

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me.  I love to hear from you so leave me a comment, or just text me.  Or of course, you can always call too!!!  Miss you! 

Happy stamping with many hugs,

Sharon

Summer Forest Scenery Card

Hi, glad you're back today.  I've been looking out my windows and seeing lots of trees and plants in many various colors and shades of green and it reminded me of the gorgeous Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper.  So this is just a quick card to share some of that wonderful greenery with you in the form of a card.  I think you can get a real good idea of what I enjoy looking at everyday when you look at this card.

Can you just see the multitude of colors on these leaves?  Just like outside, but these have a slightly darker fall-ish look to them.  One of the very first stamp and die bundles I purchased when the 2021-2022 Annual Catalog came out last May was the great Inspired Thoughts Bundle. For this card I'm not using the stamps, but the die set has a really awesome row of trees with bare branches and several different leafy-greenery tree leaves.  Then to coordinate with these dies is the Beauty of Friendship Bundle with more trees and leaves to create with.  Again truly gorgeous.  Then when you add in the Beauty of the Earth designer Series Paper.  It's all an absolute Wow!  All these items work so well together it's so easy to use a little of this and a bit of that and bring it all together.

The card starts with a base of neutral Crumb Cake cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  Next I cut a layer of Evening Evergreen cardstock cut at 5 1/4" x 4", but didn't attach it.  This is what I would build my card on and then layer to the card front when it was all trimmed up and ready.

Across the lower part of the card, I wanted a row of trees from the Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper.  One of the prints is just row after row of trees, so I cut off one of the rows to fit the card front.  The strip ended up being 1 1/4" wide by 5 1/4" long.  This was attached with adhesive.

I wanted to use the row of trees die, but knew most of it wouldn't fit.  Using the Inspiring Canopy dies, I only cut the 2 trees on the right end from Early Espresso cardstock.  This way I could place where needed and trim off any extra.  I also die-cut the leaves from one of the prints that matched the strip on the bottom part of the card.  This die has such wonderful texture to it that nothing else was needed to make it beautiful.  Both the trees and the leaves were attached to the card front using Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.

Next up is the sentiment.  The Beauty of Friendship Bundle has six sentiment stamps and two label dies to match.  I chose to use the 'Thinking of You' stamp and coordinating die.  I can always use more of these type of cards!  The label was cut from Basic White cardstock and the sentiment was stamped with the Evening Evergreen ink.  The end of the label was tucked under the leaves on the tree and attached with adhesive. 

The card front we've been building was now attached to the folded Crumb Cake base.  I used adhesive to keep it flatter.  (The Post Office is getting rich from all the extra postage I've been paying on those 'bulky' cards I've been sending!) 

The card needed something else, but I wasn't crazy about rhinestones or sequins.  Then tried adding Twine and ribbon, but nothing was fitting with what I wanted.  After thinking on it awhile, I remembered that the Beautiful Trees dies had two bird dies.  Yes!  To keep it subtle, I decided to cut them from Crumb Cake cardstock.  They didn't have eyes, so I just used a Basic Black marker to color in an eye for each of them.  They were attached to the card front with Dimensionals.  There you have it.  I just love it when the Designer Paper seems to do all the work for you.  This is a perfect card for a gentleman who's not into all that frou-frou stuff!  Or any of those nature lovers out there!

Here it is a new month, so of course there's a new host code for the month.  If you're planning on ordering any of the items you see me use here or anything else in the current catalogs, please use the host code shown here.  I'd be much obliged if you did.  And don't forget you still have almost the whole month of September left to cash in on the Sale-a-bration goodies offered.  They'll be available until September 30th unless they are sold out sooner.   

Thank you to all my wonderful friends who are still hanging out here with me.  As I write this I'm in Michigan for the week.  Hopefully I'll be seeing many of you in the next few days.  I can't express how much I miss seeing you all on a regular basis, having fun, and stamping together.  This blog is the closest I can come to that right now.  That's why I love it when you leave me a comment so I know you're out there!  Take care and keep on stamping and creating!

Hugs,

Sharon