So Grateful for these beautiful Soft Seedlings

As I promised, this card is a direct result of the inspiration from the Cottage Wreath card that I CAS’d from Amy Koenders a few days ago!

Now that I have transitioned to autumn, I keep repeating those beautiful leaf images from the Stampin’ Up! Soft Seedlings on so many of the cards that I am creating!  This one is no exception.  And true to my change-averse nature, this image is a leaf colored by the earliest fall chill.

This is the one that will be a note of thanks to my friend, who is always supportive of my craziest ideas!

It’s an easy set of cutting instructions – and much of the design is the same as the last card.  So why publish this one, you may ask.

Because it is important for all of us to remember that creating begets more creating.  The last card reminded me of how much I love the colored leaves – and now the Gingham DSP as well.  Your mind seems to open to other options as you work and even copy someone else’s design.  Then boom:  your own original!  Voila!

Here are the card cuts that I used for this card:

The stamping portion of the card is easy:  I used So Saffron ink daubed with a tiny bit of Pumpkin Pie ink for the leaves.  I also used Soft Suede to daub on the stem portion of the stamp.  The DistInktive design that Stampin’ Up! uses lets the image create a 3-dimensional effect on the first press.  It’s genius!

Layering color on the image with daubers is also genius in that it creates a beautifully shaded image.  Great tools…great outcome.

While I was playing with ink, I also stamped the leaf image for the inside panel.  Remember to position it just a bit higher up so that the strip of Gingham Cottage DSP does not hide the leaf too much.

I did have to fussy cut the leaves as there is no die for the Soft Seedling stamp set.  (But who cares!!  Lol…just more episodes of whatever I’m binge-watching!)

I assembled the leaves and the smaller Basic White front panel, after embossing it with the Bricks and Mortar 3D embossing folder to create texture.  Please note that the white panel is glued to the Gingham Cottage DSP mat closer to the top so that the sentiment panel will fit nicely at the bottom.

I wanted more of the Gingham Cottage DSP to show on this card than the last wreath cards.  Now that I have fallen in love with it, I want it to be seen!

There is a little bling on this card and even a bow, which is SOOOOO not my thing!  However, the Brushed Metallic Dots are perfect, and I liked Linen Thread bow with long tails.  I also popped the sentiment panel up with Stampin’ Dimensionals to add a bit more texture as well.

The cool thing about this card is that you can do the entire design with just Stampin’ Up! Soft Seedlings stamps and the Gingham Cottage DSP.  As it happened, I used the Stitched Rectangle Dies to cut out the sentiment – but you can easily create a plain rectangle for that panel.

Be sure to dress up the envelope too for that extra added touch that most store-bought cards do not have!

I decided to enter this card into the Tic Tac Toe Challenge #188.  I have chosen to go with the easy column:  Thankful Sentiment/Free/Any Color – but there may be something else as the week goes on…

I love these challenges and find a lot of inspiration here too! 

I have assembled the list of supplies that I used for this card.  But please note that you can substitute colors and other items as well.  Please let me know if I can help in any way – or if you are in need of a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  It would be a pleasure to help you find your creative self with these great products!