Autumn Card Sets

Happy autumn! I am so happy to have snagged some of these gorgeous stamps and dies from The Greetery. I created a set of 4 autumn themed cards using three different stamp sets: Budding Beauties, Bottled Up, and Bountiful Wreath.

It's important with these beautiful layering stamps to use a stamping tool to help you position everything perfectly. I LOVE using my MISTI and can't imagine stamping without it!

All of these stamp sets require a lot of layer building, so they aren't exactly what you'd call "quick and easy" cards. However, the impact of the final stamp is gorgeous and definitely worthwhile! 

This first card uses brighter bottles with more traditionally colored autumn flowers. All of these images use a large variety of Hero Arts Shadow Inks, which in my opinion are simply the best inks for layering images! 

Pink bottle and berries stamped using Hero Arts inks in pink.

Yellow bottle and yellow berries stamped using Hero Arts inks in yellow.

Leaves stamped using Hero Arts inks in greens.

All images die cut using my Sizzix Big Shot machine

All images stamped using my MISTI... the MISTI is a must-have when stamping layered images!

This card incorporates some simple watercoloring in the background. I also used an old brick patterned embossing folder to add details. For the watercolor I used a mix of Distress Ink in Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade. 

I really love how the bright green bottle pops against the black cardstock, so I kept the background very simple. I splattered Color Shine White in the background, then grounded the bottle by swiping my Liquitex White paint pen on the bottom. The berries on these flowers use Hero Arts Ink in light blues and purples.

Saving my favorite for last! I really love the blue tones and the simple background.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful autumn season!

You'll Float Too

We all know about the amazing things that come along with the autumn season... crisp air, perfect weather, falling leaves, boot and scarf season, my birthday, pumpkin spice (if you're into that)... but to me the autumn season means NEW SCARY MOVIES! I recently saw "It: Chapter Two" and it goes without saying it was as creepy and nightmare inducing as the first chapter, and of course as the original. 

When you see a movie like "It" it consumes your mind. It consumed me when I watched it in my grandmother's TV den in rural Iowa in 1990 (why she let me watch it, I still don't know), haunted my childhood, and now I'm lucky enough to be haunted by the remake.

"They all float down here. When you're here with us, you'll float too!" - Pennywise

So of course I had to make an "It" themed Halloween card.

I even gave the owl Deadlights in his eyes. Poor sweet owl soul. He'll be haunted forever. Or at least another 27 years 😉

I was encouraged to make this card for the brand new Hello Bluebird instagram challenge. The theme was "spooky night" and the only rule is that you can only use Hello Bluebird stamps/dies.

The stamps used are Hello Bluebird "Fall Friends" and "Moose and Friends". I also used the matching dies, which I cut with my Sizzix Big Shot. All of the stamped images were colored with Copic Markers, especially in the E, YR, an R color sets.

The background of the sky was created with Distress Inks Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, and Dusty Concord which I blended with an ink blending tool. The ground was colored with Distress Inks Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap, and Brushed Corduroy. I tried to recreate the vibe of Deadlights by splattering water on top of the Distress Inks.

The sentiment was created with stickers I found in the Target One Spot about three years ago. Yay for hoarding craft supplies and yay for Target!