Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Papertrey Ink October 2016 Blog Hop


Welcome to the Papertrey Ink October 2016 Blog Hop!  Nichole always has such a way of finding inspirational images for us and this month is no exception.  It's also a great way to celebrate the arrival of Fall.

Today also happens to be the 20th anniversary of mine and hubby's Catholic Church Wedding.  We have been married for 32+ years, but we didn't have a Catholic Church wedding until 1996.  It was a big deal at the time and I even had a real wedding dress although I skipped the train and the veil.  It was wonderful and lots of our family and a few close friends were there with us.  We even had a small cake and punch reception at our home afterward and one of my Sisters-In-Law had a small wedding cake made complete with a Robbie & Rachel Topper (Cherished Teddies).

I love fall weather.  Give me days filled with sunshine and 70 degrees and I am a very happy girl. I don't need a coat or jacket but a cup of hot tea, hot chocolate or a Mocha Latte tastes really good!  It's my practice session for the coming Winter season.

All of the different colors and textures in our inspiration image are so warm and cozy feeling and that was the main thing I wanted to portray with my design.  I started my card by doing ink blending on a piece of Canson #140 Watercolor Paper in Orange Zest and Pure Poppy.  By using the watercolor paper, it allows me to be able to spritz the paper generously and really blend those two colors out.  I used Tattered Angels Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist and set it aside to dry while I made a top folding card base from Dark Chocolate Cardstock.  That particular shimmer mist is no longer made but I am planning to try this one by Tsukineko once mine is all gone.  I still have a couple of bottles of Iridescent Gold left.

I love the old hymnal in the inspiration image and I tried to incorporate Sheet Music or Music Notes in some way to my background, but then it just competed with the beautiful plaid paper so ultimately I removed it.  I have a sheet music embossing folder, some sheet music patterned paper and even some sheet music background stamps.  I actually tried all three but I love the plaid paper and it just gave cleaner design lines for my project.

I cut the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die out of my Gold Foiled Plaid Paper.  I love this paper and I used a leftover piece for this card but I only have 3 sheets of this left and I've had it for at least 10 years which means I can't get more.  Sigh.... I had to use it for this card though because it popped right into my head as soon as I saw the Inspiration Image.

Once my watercolor paper was completely dry, I cut it using my Little B Hearts Dies.  The outside die cuts while the inside die just leaves the criss-cross impression all the way around. I have other heart dies but these are the ones I reach for over and over again.  There are six different sizes included in the set including one that is quite a bit larger than this and could be used on a 5 x 7 card.


After treating my die cut heart with my powder tool, I stamped the sentiment from Give Thanks in Versamark and heat set it with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  I also stamped the Acorns from the same set and heat embossed them as well.  To help define the edges of those elements, I went around the heart with Pure Poppy and Dark Chocolate for the Acorns. Additionally I stamped and heat embossed the wheat from the Paper Clippings: So Thankful For You Stamp Set in gold embossing powder on some of the scraps left from the ink blending.  The wheat always makes me think of home which always make me feel warm and cozy!

I was born in Missouri, but I was raised in Kansas and my husband was born in Kansas and grew up there. Winter Wheat accounts for 70 to 80 percent of total production in the U.S., with the largest amounts produced in Kansas (10.8 million tons) and North Dakota (9.8 million tons). To me, the image of wheat is synonymous with Kansas and in Western Kansas in particular, there are miles and miles of interstate highways that run along side the wheat fields. No matter what time of year it is, it's a sight that always evokes a feeling of being home. My husband's family has been farming in Kansas for over 100 years and his brother still farms there, so we feel very connected to the land there.

When assembling my card, I die cut another heart from Fun Foam just one size down to put behind the front one so it would be nice and stable for mailing. When you use foam tape, the paper can get bent up between the pieces so I like to use the fun foam for something this large.  I attached the acorns with a couple of foam squares.

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for this week is "Autumn", so I'll be entering this card over on their Challenge Blog as well.  Be sure to stop over at both places and check out all the fabulous entries!

20 comments:

  1. Rich and wonderful, Vikki! Happy Anniversary too! Loved your sweet bio on the 2 of you, and the gorgeous pic of the wheat filled plain! Hugs!

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  2. Happy Anniversary. Beautiful card!

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  3. God bless you on your Anniversary Vikki! Loved reading your blog this morning! Anywhere near the church of Father Emil Kapaun ( such a beautiful man) ?
    Ok on to your gorgeous card I am not even far into the hop but if it were up to me I would call it the winner! So stunning !

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    1. You are so sweet, Marybeth! The priest who married us was in Topeka, Kansas and he is now at the church a half a block from my mom in Kansas City, Kansas.

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  4. Gorgeous card Vicki! I love your plaid background and all the gold on the card...just lovely! I had always used the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist too and was so bummed to not be able to find it anymore, but was turned on to something called Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Imagine Crafts and almost like it better than the Tattered Angel. (SSS carries it) And happy anniversary too!! :0)

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    1. I am planning to try the Sheer Gold Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko (Imagine Crafts) when I start to get low on the Tattered Angels. I have two full bottles left. Shimmer Spritzes are my very favorite accessory. I already use the Sparkle Sheer Spray by them. I'm glad to know my instincts were right about the gold. *Ü*

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  5. what a beautiful take on the inspiration photo!! you definitely captured the warmth and richness of the photo... gorgeous card!!

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  6. Happy anniversary and what a beautiful card to celebrate it with. I can see why you love that paper!

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  7. Such a gorgeous card Vicki. Love the plaid and gold and the colors are just so rich. Happy Anniversary.

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  8. Hope you have a wonderful anniversary celebration. Congratulations! And your card is so warm and colorful.

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  9. What a wonderful post and equally beautiful card! That paper really is gorgeous and I love how you've used it. The colors on this are so warm and heartfelt. Happy, happy anniversary!!

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  10. Very pretty take on the inspiration photo!

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  11. Beautiful! Love the gold embossing.

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  12. This is amazing! One of my favorites!

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  13. Lovely! That background paper is worth hoarding!

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  14. This is such a sweet card Vicki! Well done. :)

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  15. Vicki, this is simply beautiful. I love the pretty paper & the fabulous heart. (Hearts always catch my eye.) Beautifully designed.

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  16. Congratulations! Beautiful card--love how you used the inspiration! I'm sad that TA mist is discontinued--still have a little & by the way--the Tsukineko spray is what I used on my Blog Hop card. I plan to use that empty bottle to mix gold perfect pearls with water.

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  17. Gorgeous card!! I love the gold embossing.

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