The first fall cards

It seems that as soon as the calendar hit September 1, our weather took a turn toward fall. Although we technically still have a couple weeks left of summer, the mornings and evenings this week have definitely been cooler, and I love it. So in honor of my favorite season, I'm going to share my first two fall cards of the year.

I actually created both of these cards a couple of months ago, when the heat and humidity were in full force, so I could submit them to a stamping and scrapbooking magazine. Unfortunately, they weren't chosen for publication. But on the plus side, that means I can finally share them here.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Florals Sunflower K6288 (Hero Arts), Mini Strips - Harvest (Taylored Expressions), Woven Plaid Background (Concord & 9th)
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); colored pencils - PC 901 Blue Indigo, PC 945 Sienna Brown, PC 946 Dark Brown, PC 1034 Goldenrod (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Wood Frame Nested Frame Cuts Infinity Dies (Hero Arts), Mini Strips Die (Taylored Expressions), Vintage Photo Distress Stickes (Ranger), jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), 4mm Clear Droplets (Pretty Pink Posh), foam mounting tape (3M), 1/4" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), Gamsol (Gamblin), paper blending stumps (unknown)

I love the combination of colors and textures on this card. I started by stamping the Woven Plaid Background on a Night of Navy card base using Night of Navy ink. Then I stamped the sunflower image on white card stock also using Night of Navy ink. I colored the sunflower with colored pencils -- I used a dark blue pencil for the shadows -- and blended with Gamsol. Then I cut out the sunflower - by hand! (I actually forgot I had done that until I was trying to figure out why I hadn't included a sunflower die on my supply list. This stamp doesn't have a die!) I decided the flower needed a little more oomph, so I coated the middle of the flower with Vintage Photo Distress Stickles. It adds a great texture and a nice subtle sparkle, if that makes sense.

I struggled with the rest of the card layout for a while before I finally settled on the finished design. To keep with the rustic feel, I cut a wood frame from Crumb Cake card stock. I tied a bow of jute twine around the right side of the frame and then adhered it to the card base.

For the sentiment, I stamped the Mini Strips - Harvest stamp on white card stock using Night of Navy ink, then die cut the strips and chose two that fit with my card. I tucked the right edge of the strips under the right side of the frame, just below the bow, and glued them down. (I can't remember for sure, but I may have adhered the strips to the back of the frame before gluing down the frame.)

I used foam tape to add the sunflower near the upper left corner, positioning it so it overlapped the frame. For a final little embellishment, I added three clear droplets to the card.

Supplies:
Paper: Solar White 110-lb card stock (Neenah), cold-press watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: Gansai Tambi watercolor paint - 42 Aureolin, 44 Yellow Ochre, 46 Burnt Sienna, 47 Raw Umber Deep, 53 Sap Green, 62 Turquoise Blue, 90 Gold (Kuretake)
Accessories: Sitting Pretty, Sitting Pretty Fall Accessories, Sitting Pretty Spring Accessories dies (Taylored Expressions); jute twine (May Arts Ribbon); Simply Scored SCoring Tool (Stampin' Up!); 1/4" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal); foam mounting tape (3M); Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute Glitter)

I absolutely love, love this card, so I have to admit that it stung a bit to know it wasn't chosen for the magazine. I'm not sure that I'll be able to give this one away - I may have to get a little frame for it!

I started by die cutting all the little pieces from watercolor paper, painting them, and then setting them aside to dry. I think my favorite pieces are the blue jars and the sky behind the window frame - I love that it looks like there are hints of clouds in the sky. To make the sky, I just did a light blue wash on a scrap of watercolor paper and glued the frame on top. Then I just trimmed right around the frame. For the Harvest sign, I painted the base of the sign rust and the letters gold. Then after I glued the sign to the card base, I just glued the letters back inside the openings.

For the card base, I wanted something clean so it wouldn't detract from the little painted pieces. But the flat white card base was a little too plain, so I used a scoring board to make score lines 1/8" apart all across the card to look like beadboard. Then I used a bit of the gold watercolor paint to add a bit of gold splatter on the card base. Then I adhered all the pieces to the card base, using tiny pieces of foam tape for the shelf and the larger blue jar to add a little dimension.

There you have it - my first two fall cards for the season. I made a few more yesterday, and I'll be working on Halloween cards soon. But I still have plenty of flowery, summery cards left to share, too. (Honestly, I make those kinds of cards all year long.) Thanks for stopping by!