Welcome to the Inkin’ Krew October blog hop! Our very talented team is doing a blog hop featuring Stampin’ Up! products. This month we are all creating projects with a “Giving Thanks” theme. I am featuring the Earthen Textures stamp set bundle for my card. I am excited to join the Inkin’ Krew for my first ever Blog Hop.
Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. After the 100 degree summer days here in northeast Texas I welcome cooler evenings and a cooler start to the days. We’re still getting highs of 90+ during the day, but as I write this it’s about 61° outside. Can you say windows W-I-D-E open with slippers and a hoodie on LOL. Luscious.
Let’s get to the fun stuff. Here’s my card using the Earthen Textures bundle and the Earthen Elegance designer series paper (Copper Clay, Gray Granite, Misty Moonlight, Moody Mauve, Pebbled Path, Pecan Pie, Pretty Peacock).
When I started making my card, I folded the Copper Clay card base in half at the score line and burnished the edge with my bone folder. I assumed that everyone did it that way because that’s how I was taught. During a World Card Making Day event, I found out that not everyone folds before creating. Who knew??
I like to heat emboss, and I really enjoy the look of it, but it’s not something I do often enough. I love seeing the heated powder turn to shiny goodness. I learned the hard way that you really need to use the embossing buddy, so don’t forget it. After swiping my top right quarter with the embossing buddy, I stamped the Earthen Textures “Thank you” stamp (don’t you LOVE the font for this sentiment??) in the upper right of the gray granite layer. I held the Gray Granite cardstock over the Embossing Pal (the tray from the Embossing Additions Tool Kit) and sprinkled the metallic copper embossing powder over the Versamark to cover it well. I shook off the excess into the embossing pal and then sprinkled embossing powder again. I’m not sure why I sprinkle twice, but I do. The embossing pal does a great job catching my extras so I can put it back into the container for later use.
I clean up all the embossing powder items (or at least put the powder back in the jar and seal the jar) before I turn on my heat tool or I’ll likely have a big mess. I love how effective the Stampin’ Up! heat tool is for embossing. Back in the day I had a not so great one and boy was I happy when I upgraded to the Stampin’ Up tool. I let the heating tool to warm up for 30 seconds or so on “high”. I use the tip several inches from the stamped and embossed sentiment and wait for the magic! Once it melts, I moved to the next section until the entire sentiment was melted.
I know there are two groups of glue users – those that do, and those that do so only reluctantly. I am team multipurpose liquid glue and not a Stampin’ Seal fan – to each her own right? Soooo, I used liquid glue to adhere the Earthen Elegance DSP long nested die cut to the front of the card. I put the DSP top edge about 1/3 up from the bottom of the gray granite layer. The die is about 1/16″ short on both edges, so it will not line up exactly with the edge of the gray granite layer.
I die cut the tall vase from Pebbled Path cardstock and used the mini cut and emboss machine to emboss the vase with the textured die. I really love the textured die as I feel like it gives the vase a “used” look. I used liquid glue to adhere the Pebbled Path Tartan Foiled vase handle to the vase. There’s a point at which the vase is as wide as the handle and that’s where I adhered it.
I really enjoy tone on tone stamping, so I stamped the short Earthen Textures vase on Copper Clay cardstock with Copper Clay ink, then cut the vase out with the Earthen Textures small vase die. Like with the tall vase, I adhere the Tartan Foil Copper Clay handle at the top edge of the small vase with liquid glue. The vase handles extended past the top and sides of the small vase and that was fine with me.
Now, don’t get too excited, but I used Stampin’ Seal! I put a little on the back of the vases and then added a tall palm the same color as the vase and two twigs of the other color. Then, I went back to my bestie multipurpose liquid glue and adhered the tall vase to the left side of the card and the shorter one next to and overlapping the tall one.
I use bunches of stampin’ dimensionals on most cards. I recently learned to cut them in half and how awesome is that – double the dimensionals to use! I used plenty of dimensionals on the back of the Gray Granite layer to pop it up and adhered to the Copper Clay card base. I finished off the front of my card with three of the stunning adhesive-backed speckled dots in Copper Clay – I think they are so pretty.
I used Misty Moonlight to stamp the Earthen Textures pampas grass, stamping off once before stamping on the bottom right corner of the very vanilla inside layer. I then stamped “With Gratitude” in Misty Moonlight towards the top.
I adhered a 2-1/4 x 6 piece of Earthen Elegance DSP to the flap of the envelope. On the front bottom left corner of the envelope, I stamped the pampas grass in full strength Copper Clay and two of the twigs using Pebbled Path. I stamped off once on my scrap paper, then stamped the top twig and then the bottom twig.
For me, the joy of card making includes the joy of sending my card to someone to brighten their day. It’s so rare to get anything beautiful and handwritten in the mail. I hope you share the joy and mail your card soon.
Product ListAlright, on with the hop! Click on the Next Blog button to move forward to Ann Louise Fodgaard’s project or click the Previous Blog button to move back to see the project that Karen Ksenzakovic created.
If you get lost along the way, here are the participants for the hop:
- Tara Carpenter
- Akiko Sudano
- Carol Buckalew
- Mary Deatherage
- Karen Ksenzakovic
- Nel Thames – you are here
- Ann Louise Fodgaard
- Karen Finkle
- Amy Koenders
Host Code
May 1 – May 31: Host Code: KGRFRDQK
If you do not already have a demonstrator, I’d be honored to be your Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.
Use my host code when you order $50 (before tax and shipping) or greater and receive five (5) handmade cards and a variety of 6″ x 6″ double sided Designer Series Paper (a $20 value) FREE from me. You will also receive the monthly online tutorial. The May tutorial features the Adventurous Sky Bundle.
***Make sure that you can see my name, Nel Thames, on the final checkout page listed as your Demonstrator when you order so that you know that you’re ordering with me and you’ll get my rewards! If you forget to add the host code I am not able to add it for you due to privacy reasons. You can call Stampin’ Up! and requested that it be added. Thank you for understanding.
This card is Jesse supervised and approved.
Beautiful card, like the simplisity and clean look.
Thank you, Ann Louise.
Absolutely gorgeous, Nel! I love this bundle and you’ve used it perfectly! And – welcome to the hop – so glad that you’re here! 🙂
Thanks so much Mary. I’m excited to be hoppin’ with y’all.
Welcome to the blog hop Nel! I used to do the hops, then got busy and quit doing it, though sometimes I wish I still hopped with the team.
Beautiful card! Love the gray granite and copper clay. I see Jesse making an appearance. I used to have a Yorkie (inherited from my daughter when she married a man with a dog and she had a job that took her away from home for a LONG day..too long for Lizzy).
Keep up with the lovely cards.
Thank you for your comments, Julie. Jesse was pleased to be included – he thinks he’s the star of the show to be honest.
Nel, welcome to the Amy’s Inkin’ Krew Blog Hop! So happy that you joined us! Your card is absolutely lovely! I really enjoyed reading your blog post, too! My favorite time of year is Fall also…just love it. 🙂
Thanks, Carol. I’m glad to be a part of the Hop.
So pretty Nel! Great layering and perfect colors, love the clean design! 🙂
Thanks Amy 🙂
Such a beautiful card Nel 🙂 Love the colors and adorable supervisor
Thank you, Karen.
Beautiful card! Love your colors – so elegant! 😊