THANKFUL

Well, the weather has been getting considerably colder, the skies gloomier, the shutdowns stricter, and everyone's moods sadder. Me included. I needed something to pick up my spirits and found just the thing in the mail....my order from Technique Junkies arrived! Like an early Christmas! Check out this haul!

I'll admit that I was almost overwhelmed because I couldn't decide which ones to play with first! But since I decided I needed to focus on something positive, I chose the Always Thankful (SD1048) and Fall Leaves (S864) stamps to create a Thanksgiving card. 

I wanted to do something special with the leaves...I could just picture it in my head. But I was totally stumped for a layout. Card sketches to the rescue! They always jump-start my creativity! I selected this one: 

Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch PCC378

I liked that the fall leaves would be a major focal point of this card, but I really wanted the sentiment to be highlight too. So this sketch totally fit the bill. Would you like to see the card now? Here it is:

To create this card, I began with an ivory A2 card base. On another piece of ivory cardstock, I stamped the leaves using Versamark ink. I then heat embossed with a gold glitter embossing powder. Believe me, that was pretty all on it's own, but since I wanted some rich fall colors, I grabbed some Distress Oxide Inks in Wild Honey, Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed and Fired Brick and added color to various areas with an Ink Blending Brush.  Once I was satisfied with the blending, I added droplets of Shimmering Bliss in Just Squeezed and Golden Olivine. With a soft cloth, I gently wiped the top of the card to remove any of the ink from the embossed outlines. Then, to really bring the color to the wow factor, I sprayed the entire panel with Imperial Yellow Shimmering Bliss. Wowza! What a gorgeous addition! Just look at the shimmer!!! (It's so hard to capture it's actual beauty with a photo!)

I selected some colored cardstocks that coordinated with the inked image and cut a panel for the top of the card three squares for the diagonal accents. I adhered those to the card base and added a scrap strip of gold foil cardstock. I trimmed down the stamped background piece and attached that to the card as well. 

For the sentiment, I stamped it using Memento Espresso Ink onto ivory cardstock and cut it out with an oval die. I added a little color to the edge using Memento Potter's Clay. That piece was then added to the card front using foam tape for a little dimension. 

I have to admit, using card sketches takes so much guesswork out of trying to figure out a card. It leaves your mind free to get creative with each element rather than trying to figure out the whole layout. And I am in love with how this card turned out! I haven't added anything to the inside yet since I always personalize it for the recipient.

Hope you found a little cheery brightness with my post today. Spending some time in my craft area was just what I needed! BTW, if you like any of the Technique Junkies products, you can save 10% by adding my code at checkout. 

Thanks for spending time with me today!

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!