Hello, my friends! It's been a while, hasn't it? It seems everyone has moved onto Instagram, and blogging has fallen out of favor. I'm still an Instagram holdout, and am probably missing all the fun there.
I have been doing a little making when I get a chance or inclination, just not producing a finished product. This is the first card (or anything crafty) I've actually completed since my last post. Time for fun is sparse these days and along with that comes a huge lack of creative juice. Fall is a favorite time for making, and I'm inspired by the beauty of nature.
One of my friends is very fond of the fall season, just as I am, so I decided to make her a card. I had to pull out the old stuff, as new craft stash has taken a financial back seat. But no worries! The background is stamped in various Distress inks on watercolor paper using Nature's Wonder--my go-to fall favorite. I blended the color with a water brush to bring the leaves to life (or end of life as the case may be). I could sit and color these leaves all day long (and in fact I did--I've got plenty of these panels ready to go!). I blended the panel with Hickory Smoke, splashed with water and dried.
I tortured myself trying to thread my sewing machine and eventually got some stitching done on the background and on the little panel stamped with my greeting. Love these sumac leaves (Skeleton Leaves) cut from Kraft Metallic in Copper and subtly colored with archival inks and Distress crayons. Heated with my heat gun to bake in the color, with the added bonus of the leaves curling under the heat.
For contrast, I backed the stamped Bold Sayings panel with a kraft 3D embossed panel (Intertwine) touched with Antique Linen paint and rubbed with Ground Espresso ink pads-- regular Distress and archival.
So good to get something done and share it here no matter how simple. This card is on it's way to a special friend. And it fits right in with the current challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog--Celebrate Friendship! Hello to all my friends there, too! Sara Emily
Other challenges I'd like to play along with:
good to see you back on your blog. instagram is okay but I can't pin from it. blogs are much better. love your leaves. thanks as always for sharing and the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSara!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo SWEET to see you making and posting! I’ve missed you & popped onto this page a few times over the past month- wondering where you ran away to, lol!
I’m gonna send up some prayers for you; sounds like you could use a break. (In these days; everyone falls into the “need prayer” category and indeed we do need HIM so much more than ever!
This fall card is gonna be a true treasure for your friend; those TH leaves are so crunchy-looking on top of the pillowy softness of the sewn panel. I too, fight my sewing machine- every single use. Grr! I bought it brand new but the tension, from day 1- has always been snappy & downright mean to me. I pull more caught thread than sew in an hour, so I rarely use it on my papercrafts. I bought an old one for the e Florida home last winter ($25) and -go figure- it sees like a dream! I really am inspired by your card to get my machine out & give that pillowy look a go. And get out the TH Skeleton Leaves die out also. THANX for the inspiration!!
So GOOD to “hear” from you, and to see your make shared with us over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!!!