CottageCutz: Autumn Blessings

Hi, Lois here with an autumn card today. Yesterday one of the challenges on Splitcoaststampers was entitled "Textures of Fall." I was inspired by that challenge to make my CottageCutz card for today. It combines all kinds of textures and texture techniques -- embossing, layering, sponging.

I started my card with the Pine Cone Branch die. Originally, I was going to cut it from white cardstock and color the various elements; but I decided that I wanted a bit more "texture." So I cut it from both green and tan cardstock. I thought that building up the pine sprigs (the green onto the tan) would give some more depth to them.

I then sponged Ranger Pine Needle ink onto the green die-cut and Vintage Photo ink on the tan one.

Then I cut the pine sprigs off the green die cut and glued them to the tan one . . .

. . . and added the additional pinecones and pine sprigs.

Once the tedious part was complete, I cut my cardstock.

Dark Gold - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"

Cream - 4" x 5 1/4"

Scrap of Dark Gold large enough for the focal panel

I have a Darice embossing folder of fall foliage. I took some Ranger Distress ink (Dried Marigold, Fired Brick, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo) and rubbed various parts of the embossing folder.

When I embossed the cream cardstock, the ink gave the embossing some nice fall coloring, and then I cut the focal panel with the largest Rounded Rectangle die.

I constructed my card base, using Scor-Tape to hold down the embossed panel and large foam pop dots to add the rectangle. I had stamped the word "Autumn" in the Pine Needle ink at the lower right-hand corner of the dark gold panel and die-cut the word "blessings" using one of the Expressions Plus dies.