Lots of leaves

When I think of leaves, I often picture the colorful reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn leaves. They're just so stunning! But I have to remind myself sometimes that leaves don't need to be limited to fall cards. Here are several cards featuring leaves that would be perfect for a variety of occasions and any time of the year.

Supplies:
Paper: Solar White 110-lb card stock (Neenah); Crumb cake, textured Old Olive card stock (Stampin' Up!); On the Bright Side 6" x 6" paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Hanging Planter Thinlits dies (Sizzix), Bold Hello die (Simon Says Stamp), Stitched Shapes and Layering Squares dies (Stampin' Up!), Thanks die (Taylored Expressions), Regals and Neutrals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I wish we could have more houseplants in our home. I'm not always the greatest at tending to them, but I love the color and life they add. But right now we don't really have a good place to keep them -- and the cats like to chomp them and/or dig in the dirt. Sooo, yeah. But these card stock houseplants are no problem! I had fun arranging the die cuts in the left-hand card to create a little scene, and for the right card I just used one potted plant as a focal point for a simple thank-you card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper (DSP) Stack, Shimmer Detailed Laser-Cut Specialty Paper
Accessories: Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), linen thread, Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

This card was so easy to make. I just layered a piece of photo-style DSP onto a card base, added the dandelion over lay (which is shimmery, although you can't tell in the photo), and embellished with a few sequins and linen thread. I think the hardest part of this card was carefully cutting out the overlay, which came on a 12" x 12" sheet with other laser-cut images. But I think the end result was worth it!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Sweet Essentials
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive card sstock
Ink: Old Olive, Shaded Spruce
Accessories: Jute twine (May Arts Ribbon), Halloween Night enamel dots, Nested Banners dies (Simon Says Stamp), foam tape (3M)

This card gives me a strong 1970s vibe, but it's another pretty easy one. I used one silhouette leaf image and stamped it all over a piece of white card stock with two different green inks. I layered that on an Old Olive card base and added a sentiment banner in the middle of the card with some twine looped behind it. There are also some Old Olive enamel dots on the card, but they blend in really well with the stamps and are very hard to see.

Supplies:
Stamps: Very Versatile (Stampin' Up!), From the Vault Aged Shadow (Hero Arts)
Paper: Fresh Fig, Very Vanilla card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Fresh Fig (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Botanical Beauty die (The Stamp Market), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I'm not sure why, but I often seem drawn to shades of purple for sympathy-type cards. For this card I used Fresh Fig for the card base and die-cut branch. I created a neutral background with Crumb Cake ink and a shadow stamp. To add some texture and coordinate with the aged style of the background stamp, I ran my bone folder along the edges of the Very Vanilla layer.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Rooted in Nature
Paper: Sweet Sugarplum card stock, gold foil sheets
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Rich Razzleberry, Art Philosophy Metallic Accents paint (Prima)
Accessories: Nature's Roots dies, Rich Razzleberry velvet ribbon, Share What You Love Artisan Pearls, Dimensionals

Here's another purple-y leaf card design, although these aren't necessarily sympathy cards. Actually, I think I stamped birthday sentiments inside these cards, but they would work for many occasions. I wish the lighting in this photo was better (I took it outside last summer in the sun, so it's too bright), so you could see how pretty the gold die-cut leaves and gold splatter on the background look with the two shades of purple. The velvet ribbon adds a fun element of texture.

On a personal note, this has been a challenging and scary week for the U.S. I never thought I would see an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. And the fact that people sworn to uphold the Constitution and work for the good of America played a role in it, whether directly or indirectly, is maddening. I just don't understand what people are thinking or doing any more. It makes absolutely no sense. I am definitely looking forward to the presidential inauguration next week, but I'm also anxious about more violence happening around the country until then (and after? Who knows anymore). I hope that once we have a new administration in place we can begin to make progress in social justice, environmental policy, etc. There is so much work that we need to do.

Thanks for stopping by today. Wishing you peace!