Paper Seedlings: WITH MUCH LOVE

It's October in Wisconsin. And we are being treated to a wonderful colorful exhibit! Some of the trees around here, especially the maples, almost look like columns of fire. The intensity literally takes your breath away!

With the beautiful autumn colors in full force, I thought I would share with you a card I made incorporating the varying colors we are experiencing right now..

I have been weaning myself away from politics (it is literally driving me crazy!) and have been focusing more on creative videos and blog posts instead. Occasionally I will come across something that really inspires me.

Thus, I wanted to try using Post-It notes to screen off a strip of a black and white Designer Series Paper and color it in that way. Normally I do all that fussy coloring with Stampin' Blends, which I adore doing. This way, however, is ever so much quicker, and results in a stunning strip of color in an otherwise black and white space.

Using my Blending Brushes with Calypso Coral at the top, gradually blending in to Crushed Curry, and finally, Pear Pizzazz, is the process I used..

In the photo below,

you can see the sticky notes in place with the blending of the inks done.

But then, when the Post-It Notes are slowly peeled away,

the eyes are treated to a striking stripe of autumn colors.

I found a flower and leaf stamp that sort of echoed the look of the flowers in my DSP and stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Using Stampin' Blends in Light Old Olive and Light Calypso Coral, I colored it in, then fussy cut it.

I cut a simple white circle using dies from the Beautiful Shapes dies on page 169. In Calypso Coral, I stamped a lovely sentiment from the Through It Together stamp set (page 69, Annual Catalog) towards the bottom of the circle.

Using Stampin' Dimensionals, I added the flower to the top of the circle, then used more Stampin' Dimensionals to place the flowery circle partially covering the blended in stripe.

Two Basic Rhinestones in Pear Pizzazz completed the focal point and also added a bit of bling.

I added this completed piece to a Crushed Curry card base.

How are the autumn colors in your neck of the woods? Do you experience a change in the seasons? I always think it's so sad when this happens because the trees had worked so hard in spring to produce all those lovely leaves, only to have them survive just a handful of months.