“The falling leaves
Drift by the window
The autumn leaves
Of red and gold…
Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I’ll hear
Old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves
Start to fall”
–Johnny Mercer, 1949
This is one of my favorite jazz standards, resonant and haunting, especially when vocals accompany the melody. I particularly love Chet Baker’s swinging, more upbeat version…have a listen while you read on.
The curtain is falling fast on this current challenge, Lovely Leaves, over at Curtain Call.
Here is their inspiration photo:
I had one heck of a time with the first card I created. What resulted will seem fairly simple enough; however, it took quite the process to get there. I ultimately found myself working in a sketch over at Cardabilities, so this first creation fused both challenges.
I began with my focal point– that was the easy part! It was the background design that kept morphing. I definitely was not experiencing flow with this card. It’s not quite what I envisioned, nor does it pack the color punch I was aiming for, but I am somewhat satisfied with the result.
Coloring the Leaves
For both of my cards, I used Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Peacock, and Marmalade to color a sheet of watercolor paper, after which I ran through numerous Impression Obsession leaf dies. I also feature the sweet Hero Arts bird.
I turned to Prima for the lovely resin frame, wood leaf, and turquoise flower.
In all my paper confusion, I found a scrap that had some dictionary entries on it, and I noticed the word ‘autumn’. It was likely the happiest moment in putting this card together, as an empty frame on the card was leaving me a bit empty!
I stamped my sentiment on some woodgrain paper and layered it numerous times onto scrap paper to give it more of a wooden sign effect.
Before I layered my banners, cut from MFT dies, I decided the top needed some visual interest, but nothing to overwhelm the focal point. Given the time this card took, and my being prone to error throughout the process, I didn’t really have it in me to sew along the top, and I wanted a really clean feel anyway.
So I die cut the holes using a PTI die, then threaded through some hemp twine.
The inside and back are finished off with a strip of Crate Paper’s DIY Shop adhesive paper. The green paper and the woodgrain are also from DIY Shop.
Card #2: Lots of layers
Pieces of this card were strewn about for days, only finally coalescing today. I didn’t even think I would pull a second card together, but I needed a break from work, and figured playing with some paper would be a good escape.
I wanted more of a bright, neon pop with this card. I maintained the grey of the inspiration photo in the background using both Grout Grey from MFT and Rock Candy from Bazzill, which has that wonderful nubby texture.
The Grout Grey layer was stamped with Grout Grey ink using an Amuse Studio background stamp, the dictionary definition of ‘extraordinary’.
I used another background stamp from Hero Arts for my first panel. I wanted some texture in this card, so I used watercolor paper with my Fresh Ink in Mustard.
The wooden clock from Prima was an after-thought that seemed to pull the focal elements together.
I love how the color and sentiment of the Basic Grey plastic embellishment from Grand Bazaar fit within the overall scheme of the card.
The resin flower is also from Grand Bazaar. I added my die-cut Penny Black sprigs for some interest, but went with clear vellum as to not overwhelm the bold focal point.
The inside and back are finished off with some floral and fauna washi.
Prior to making these cards, I found the first leaf drop of the season last week. He lay there lonely on the sidewalk, so I scooped him up and brought him home. A bit crunchy now, but still beautiful!
That’s it for me this evening! Thanks for stopping by. And make sure to check out the gorgeous leaf creations at Curtain Call. They really are show-stopping!
Pinned & Penned 