I have wanted to make a card with fall leaves for a LONG time, and decided that I would try and come up with some leaves using the glorious colors of fall that I love so much for my good friend's recent birthday. He is someone who notices new techniques or anything different that I try on my cards, so it is a lot of fun creating a card for him. Unfortunately I ran out of time, so I couldn't do a whole lot with the inside of the card and the envelope... After making this one card, I made more fall leaves, so I hope to get caught up on some thank you notes I want to send and even have a few cards on hand (that would be a new experience for me! .
My first attempt at creating these leaves didn't work out, I was stumped with the shaping of them, and then the coloring didn't work as well. With the flowers I have made fairly recently, I shaped the flowers first and then colored/painted/glittered/crackled. But this didn't work so well for the leaves. My second attempt at these produced the leaves you see in this card. I started with painting the leaves, and found they could be easily slightly shaped when they were wet. I tried to use a variety of types in the 4 leaves on this card, using different paints and products listed below.
The trellis die is a Tim Holtz Alterations die, I really love these and have a few of them. I used Sookwang tape on the top and bottom of the cardboard. I simply use household cardboard--from cases of pop, kleenix boxes, whatever, and used the cardboard side--MUCH more economical, and I have a more sturdy die-cut than I would if I used plain card-stock. This was not my idea, I heard it on a Scrapbooking Made Simple tutorial on YouTube, I thought it was a very inspired idea!!! The glitter is from Elizabeth Crafts micro-glitter. Normally I would not use glitter on a masculine card, and tried another die-cut in green, but the dark and bright, sparkly green seemed to ground the leaves much better, so I went with it. I think an evolved male can handle just a bit of velvety glitter, after all it's not a sparkly pink with iridescent colors flashing!
I used some older Marvy Urchida leaf punches, I think they are maple, beech, and oak. Just what I had on hand. Was planning to use something else, but liked the larger leaves since they were the focal point.
The Happy Birthday greeting is a Spellbinders die. It was my goal to make it look like it was almost floating, so I carefully glued using a pin and some glue on the letters in the middle of each word. I love these dies and hope to find more, loved the texture it added to this simple fall card.
I planned to use several layers of cardstock with some other colors, but somehow that took away from the leaves, so instead I took a sheet of almost tone on tone leaves from the PTI Fall Prints & Patterns paper pack. I love that this is 8" by 8", lots of space and room to play with. I wanted some texture, but didn't want to totally obliterate the beautiful leaves on this DP, so I took a Darice stripes EF and carefully embossed it. Just a hint, when you use a new Darice EF, it's sometimes a good idea to gently sand the edges. The first time I ran the EF through, it cut through this paper and this is not thin paper at all. Lesson learned! It also cut right through my envelope flap... I was in a hurry, so I just left the envelope quite plain and simply pasted a maple leaf on the envelope front.
Inside the card is simply another leaf with a crackle finish and my hand-written note to my good friend, whose friendship I appreciate very much. He has always been a good friend, but he really showed great support in May when he stayed with me in Emerg at the hospital when I had a severe kidney stone attack, and found out that a huge one was blocking my kidney and that I would require emergency surgery. No one could have done a better job of being there and showing caring support. You really know who your friends are when you're very ill and that person insists on staying and seeing you through a very difficult time!!!
I'm editing this to add to my very first challenge ever, it took some time for me to get the info, so I went ahead and posted the card--now I have the information for the Twisted Sisters Challenge of a fall leaves card, TSC1002. I hope I've done this correctly. Hoping to do a lot more in challenges, I know I will learn and grow and will appreciate getting to know more of the SCS members this way too.
Thank you so much for stopping to take a look at my card. When you leave a comment, it absolutely makes my day!!!
I have learned so much from all of you at SCS, it is a pleasure to be a part of this wonderful community of giving, caring artists, and I hope that I can give back even a portion of what you give to me in encouragement, support, and in all that I learn from seeing all of your amazing cards.
Have a great day!
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015 GMT Views: 2279
Favorited:6
Registered: June 4, 2009 Location: Deatsville, Alabama Posts: 83925
Sun, Jul 10, 2016 @ 3:45 AM
Love the sparkle on the leaves - looks like dew in the sunshine. Great colors too. You so need to do more challenges and post more cards - I can tell I would love your style!
------------------------------ Nancy Williams - Hope your day is Spirit-filled and ink-filled (in that order)!DRS Designs-DT, Punchkateerforever, Dirty Dozen Alumni
Registered: May 18, 2011 Location: Hillsborough, NC Posts: 243
Sun, Jul 29, 2018 @ 4:26 PM
Wow, those leaves! They're amazing! I sometimes have to try things a couple times (or more) - but I usually learn something along the way and even get better results that I thought I should now and then!