Autumn is Coming. Let's Wear Plaid!

Do you love the crispness of an Autumn Night?  Do you look forward to getting back into those cozy fall plaids that we start wearing as Autumn draws near?

Today I've created a card that gives the sensation of a crisp Autumn Night through the use of a crisp and clean color palette in the plaids of Autumn that we love.   

This card is a simple Fun Fold.  I have no idea what the official name of this fold is.  I tried to find a name out there on line, but couldn't find one. So, I'm just going to call it a Dual Flap Fun Fold.   I don't want it to feel left-out because it doesn't have it's own name!   If someone knows the official name, please leave a comment so then we will all know!

What I do know, is that once I figured out what size I wanted the narrow left flap and the right square flap to be, this fun fold was really quick and easy to make!  Guess what that means.  If you want to create the card, you can make one in no time at all!  Just click on over to the Free Tutorial for all the dimensions and the steps to make the card.  The difficult work has already been done for you!

There is also minimal stamping on this card.  All you need to do is grab your Cut & Emboss Machine and zip the basic white square through it with the largest leaf die and your focal point is nearly complete.  Add the Crushed Curry Plaid DSP behind the cut out, adhere it to the right flap and add a few embellishments and a sentiment and you'll be finished.

I intentionally kept the inside of the card very clean and simple.  Since the front sentiment is simply saying "hello", I did not want to include a sentiment on the inside.  This allows the greatest flexibility for future use.  I just stamped a small Crushed Curry leaf from the Love of Leaves Stamp set on the inside -- being sure to locate it so it is not visible when the narrow left flap is closed.

I hope you enjoyed the Love of Leaves cards this week.  If you missed any you can easily pop back over to those posts by using the following links:

Mystery Solved

A Unique Z-Fold in Bloom

If you have any questions or I can be of help with any of your stamping needs, please leave a comment or contact me through the contact me tab above.

Below is a complete product list for today's card.

Product List

Love Of Leaves Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [158245]	Stitched Leaves Dies [153567]	Tasteful Labels Dies [152886]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045]	Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131199]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Pattern Party 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Host Designer Series Paper [155426]	Regals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) Designer Series Paper [155227]	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [147087]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]
Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack [152466]	Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots [156506]	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]

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Hope is our Anchor

As we have been reminded over the last couple of weeks, our world, our country and our own hearts need to hang on to reasons for HOPE!

I love this sentiment from the Sailing Home stamp set that says, "Let HOPE be your ANCHOR through the storms of LIFE".  I do believe that hope is what keeps us going during difficult days, and hope comes in different forms for each of us.  For some, hope comes through prayer and our faith.  For others it may come in the form of a a phone call from a special friend.  And yes, hope can also come in the form of a special card that arrives in our mailbox.

The scene on this card reminds me of what the water and the sky often look like after a storm has passed.  The water is still a little dark and moody, but calm, and the sky is clearing with hints of pink, purple and blue.  I didn't make the card with that goal, but sometimes things just work out.

I kept the card fairly simple starting with a Basic White front panel embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  This is my go-to embossing folder when I feel like a card just needs a little something.

The black and white background from Pattern Party Designer Series Paper was cut with a die from the Ornate Layers Dies and added to the embossed panel on the front of the card.   

To create the sky I created a mask punched with a scalloped oval punch to give just the hint of a couple of faint clouds.  You'll have to look close to see them as I wanted them to be very faint.  The water was blended with Pool Party and Pacific Point ink.  I did use a retired stamp from By the Dock stamp set to create a few ripples, but these could just as easily have been made with a marker.  The ripples were highlighted a bit with a white glitter gel pen which was also used to highlight the water line.

The completed scene was then matted to Pacific Point card stock.  The sailboat was stamped with Black Stazon on basic white.  The boat was colored with a Pacific Point marker, and the front sail was lightly tinted with a Blender Pen and Pacific Point ink.  After coloring, the sailboat was die cut with a coordinating die from the Smooth Sailing dies.  Next, a black/silver striped ribbon was wrapped around the scene and tied in a bow.  The assembly was then adhered to the card base with dimensionals.  All that remained was tucking a silver heat embossed and die cut anchor under the bow and adding the sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped with Black Memento ink, and after die cutting the sentiment with another die from the Smooth Sailing dies the edges were sponged lightly with Pacific Point.

For the inside I stamped another sailboat and colored it as I did for the one on the card front.  I adhered the completed Basic White card to a Pacific Point mat and then to the inside of the card base.  If desired, I can always add a sentiment later when I have a specific purpose for the card or alternatively, there is plenty of room for a handwritten note to someone that needs a little encouragement.

If you would like more dimensional cutting details and step-by-step directions to recreate this card, a free tutorial can be accessed by using this link.

 

Below is a list of current products used to create this card.

Product List

Sailing Home Cling Stamp Set [149457]	Smooth Sailing Dies [149576]	Ornate Layers Dies [152726]	Double Oval Punch [154242]	Tasteful Textile 3 D Embossing Folder [152718]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Pacific Point 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [111350]	Pattern Party 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Host Designer Series Paper [155426]	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [147100]
Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Pad [147103]	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105]	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad [147098]	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [147107]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [101406]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Brights Stampin' Write Markers [147157]	Sponge Daubers [133773]	Blender Pens [102845]
Metallics Embossing Powders [155555]	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053]

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