Control Freaks Blog Hop - Gratitude

Welcome to the Control Freaks Blog Hop for October. This month, our theme is “Gratitude.” What a perfect theme! In these crazy times, it’s nice to sit back and think about all the things we are truly grateful for … for me, it’s family and friends.

Whether you just came from Cindy Elam’s inspiring project, or you’re starting here, be sure to continue on through the rest of the blog hop by clicking the button at the bottom of this post!

I decided to try something a little different. I pulled out the “new to me” Coming Home stamp set from the August-December Mini Catalog. It’s meant to be a holiday set, but I decided to switched things up and create an an Autumn theme card by adding trees with Fall colors.

To create the trees, I stamped the leafless Winter tree stamp with Memento ink and then used Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blends Markers to draw the tree tops, full of Fall Colors. I started by drawing a background with Daffodil Delight, then I used the tip of the nib end of the various markers to add small dots for detailed leaves. Afterwards, I cut out each tree by hand.

#153500 Coming Home Photopolymer Stamp Set – $18.00 USD

I also colored the houses with the Stampin’ Blends Markers (see colors in the Product List.) I like to start with the dark marker to outline the shadows and then go over the same area with the light marker to re-activate the ink and blend into the lighter areas. Then, I use the Color Lifter to add highlights to areas, such as the windows.

My card is a slimline design measuring 9″ wide and 4-1/4″ high, sized to fit in a standard legal envelope. For the background, I used a sheet of Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper for the sky. (This paper is on sale during October for 10% off!) Then, I sponged Pool Party ink around the edges for added depth.

I cut the “grass” out of Pear Pizzazz Cardstock using the Home Together Dies. Because my card is so long, the die cut did not fit across the entire layer. So, I simply ran the layer through the die cutting machine twice, moving the die and continuing the cut. I hid the area where I pieced together the die behind a house. Once cut, I also added sponging to the grass layer.

Finally, I added a sentiment from the So Sentimental stamp set and some pretty Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

Click the button below to continue on through the Control Freaks Blog Hop for more inspirational “gratitude” projects. Next up is the super talented Bree Renwick!