Autumn Style

Good morning, friends! Are you ready for Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink August countdown? Today is the first group post and we're sharing a look at the new Brushed Off stamps. I'm head over heels for this set! It's such a wonderful way to add artistic flair to your projects while maintaining a little control and keeping the painty mess to a minimum. I'm still getting my sea legs when it comes to some of the more paint-based techniques that have become popular recently, so Brushed Off strikes a great balance for me. Let's get to it!

I began my first card thinking about beautiful autumn leaves. I paired Brushed Off with the Leaf Silhouettes dies to create delicate "painted" foliage.

I started by die cutting the leaves from Rustic White cardstock. Then, I stamped several of the images in the set in random patterns using Terra Cotta Tile, Canyon Clay, Harvest Gold, and Summer Sunrise inks. Next, I coated the surface of each leaf with a clear Wink Of Stella pen to add shimmer and blend the colors together a bit.

I adhered the base of the leaves to a Classic Kraft card base that I'd stamped with an image from Modern Wood Mats and a sentiment from Pumpkin Patch, curving them outward slightly. I finished with a handmade Terra Cotta Tile Button that I'd embellished with a Rustic Cream Button Twine bow. I love the simplicity. It really allows the multicolored leaves to pop.

My next card uses the Brushed Off stamps as a stylized sky backdrop.

I began by stamping the largest Brushed Off image onto a white card base with Aqua Mist ink. It almost looks like the sky is falling, doesn't it? I kind of love that. Then, I layered it with a die cut panel that I'd stamped with this month's Keep It Simple: Home sentiment.

I tucked the Simply Chartreuse Branching Out shape into the circular opening, fluffing out some of the leaves and keeping a few tucked. I die cut, stamped, and colored one of the bird houses from Little Bitty Bird Additions and added it to the branch with a piece of waxed cord.

Inside the card, I stamped a Tucked In: New Home sentiment, embellishing it with another of the Brushed Off images. I like that the brushstroke image carries the design to the inside a little bit, rather than leaving the sentiment nekkid.

I have another Scribbled Sentiments card to share with you today, too! This one's a valentine.

I began by die cutting the Cover Plate: Hearts shape from white cardstock. I stamped the Scribbled Sentiments images in the solid space and layered it onto a piece of new patterned paper (more on this later) using foam tape.

I embellished with a handful of pinky-red enamel dots. Quick and easy!

My final card today is all about Haunted Headstones and the coordinating Sentiments set.

I began by creating hills from Simply Chartreuse cardstock using the In The Meadow and Sentiment Splits dies. I heat embossed my sentiment on the front panel with white powder and then added texture to each hill with an Ombre Builders strip. I mounted the hills to a mini card base with strips of coaster board. I didn't want as much height as foam tape would offer, so the coaster board was a perfect alternative.

Next, I die cut three of the tombstones from Haunted Headstones and stamped them with the coordinating headstone images. Then, I added the "old-age" epitaphs from Haunted Headstones Sentiments using Versafine Onyx Black (it doesn't bleed and that's a good thing for the tiny type in this set).

Obviously these sentiments wouldn't be ideal for everyone, but some folks may get a giggle (I can think of a few people that would love these). Know your audience. I attached the headstones to the card front with more coaster board and embellished with tiny flower clusters from Bitty Bouquets and Garden Variety II. The little pops of color keep the card from looking too bland.

That's it for me today! Make sure to check in with Nichole, Amy, Ashley, Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Laurie, Maile, and Melissa for more of today's group post. Erin also has more of her new Chicken Scratch patterned paper, so you won't want to miss that. I'll see you again tomorrow. Have a great day!

Recipes:
Happy Thanksgiving Card
Stamps: Brushed Off (available August 15th), Pumpkin Patch (available August 15th), Modern Wood Mats - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Rustic White, Terra Cotta Tile - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Terra Cotta Tile, Canyon Clay, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Leaf Silhouettes Die (available August 15th), Button Up Die, Coaster Board, Rustic Cream Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; Wink Of Stella Pen

Happy New Home Card
Stamps: Brushed Off (available August 15th), Keep It Simple: Home (available August 15th), Tucked In: New Home (available August 15th), Little Bitty Bird Additions - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Tuxedo Black - Memento
Other: Branching Out Die (available August 15th), Little Bitty Bird Additions Die - Papertrey Ink; White Cord - May Arts; Copic Markers; Foam Tape - Scotch

XOXO Valentine Card

Stamps: Scribbled Sentiments (available August 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Twig Wreath Patterned Paper - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Sweet Blush, True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Cover Plate: Hearts Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Enamel Dots - Studio Calico

Over The Hill Graveyard Card

Stamps: Haunted Headstones (available August 15th), Haunted Headstones Sentiments (available August 15th), Bitty Bouquets, Garden Variety II, Ombre Builders - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Canyon Clay, Terra Cotta Tile, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse - Papertrey Ink; Onyx Black - Versafine; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Haunted Headstones Die (available August 15th), Coaster Board, In The Meadow Die, Sentiment Splits: Curve Vertical Die - Papertrey Ink; White Embossing Powder - Filigree