Happy anniversary

Ranger:  Distress oxides (Tumbled Glass); Distress inks (Tumbled Glass, Old Paper); heavy duty mixed media cardstock; Distress collage medium-crazing; Jet Black archival ink

Stamp Zia: oriental bamboo chop

watercolor pencils; Molotow Grafx Art Masking Liquid; blue cardstock; EKSuccess border punch; stained coffee filter

Let's celebrate the autumnal equinox!

Fall, my favorite time of year!  I love the colors, sights, smells and sounds...golden yellows, harvest oranges, brick reds, olive greens...picturesque trees, the crackling of leaves as you shuffle through them, shouts from the football game...I think you get the idea.

Here's a card I created using some stamps that haven't seen light of day for a long, long time...Stamp Zia.  I believe she's no longer in business but I have taken some classes from her...she certainly loves big, bold and color!

I stamped the text block using Watermark Resist ink (Ranger) on Bazzill's 'Gold Coins' card stock.  On watercolor paper I stamped the leaf chop with embossing ink.  Tarnished Gold Embossing Powder was sprinkled over it; heat set.  I love this...not gold, not bronze...just pretty!

Personally I like to wet my paper before picking up some smeared distress inks with a brush and dotting it where I want.  I like to let the water do the work for me.  Before each layer gets too dry I add a 2nd and 3rd color...one is never enough!  I  used 18 distress inks...3 for each leaf and the background!  That's probably a record for me!  A band of satin ribbon completes the card.

Using the same leaf chop I stamped the envelope corner in Tree Branch archival ink and then again on scrap paper.  From the scrap paper I cut out the leaf shown to create a mask.  Using the same colors as leaf on the card I colored my leaf.  Heat set.  I love using MicroGlaze on my envelopes to protect my art.  This way I can use waterbased ink if I choose.

I'm off to the local apple orchard...I'm ready to make the first apple pie of the season!  Can you smell cinnamon in the air?