A-Corny Thank You for Global Design Project

Texture in design is the theme of my next Technique Night classes and I wanted a card that showed different ways of creating texture. I also thought that while I was at it, I might as well enter a couple of card challenges as well. I used the RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) theme over at the Global Design Project blog which is near and dear to my heart:

I'm planning on using my Thankful card as an appreciation card for my pastors at church this month since October is Pastor Appreciation Month. There aren't many jobs as tough or as thankless as being a pastor. I'm sure it is rewarding as well, but the fact that 57% say they would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go attests to that fact! So I can't think of a group that could benefit as much from a little appreciation!

Then I popped on over to The Paper Players to have a look at their sketch this week, which forms the layout for this card:

I used a set from last year called A-corny Thank You for three reasons: It's a fall set; it has a lot of different textures represented in the images; and because it's a thank you set, it's great for an RAK challenge!

• I'm using a colour palette I don't think I've ever used before: Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Cajun Craze and Gold. It just kind of evolved as I put the card together. I don't think I would have ever purposely chosen those colours. But now that I have, I really like them.
• Texture:  The Hardwood background stamp, the Brick Wall Embossing folder, the shiny gold of the doily and the sparkly gold of the glimmer paper on the acorn, the stamped texture from the Timeless Texture stamps on the Brick Wall background and the designs on the acorns, and finally, the vertical differences using Dimensionals, all create different kinds of texture.
• The A-corny Thank You set coordinates with the Acorn Builder Punch which helped create the uniform acorn shapes on this card. I did have to fussy cut the Thankful banner however, because the Itty Bitty Banners framelits that coordinated with it are now retired.

Just a reminder about the awesome special offers that Stampin' Up! is making to help you celebrate World Card Making Day! But these are only available until Wednesday, October 5th, so don't miss out!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.

Product List

Acorny Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set [139718]	Hardwood Wood-Mount Stamp Set [133032]	Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp Set [133035]
Timeless Textures Wood-Mount Stamp Set [140514]	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517]	Gold Glimmer Paper [133719]
Metallic Foil Doilies [138392]	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686]	Calypso Coral 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122925]
Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121043]	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [126965]
Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [126983]	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [126978]	Acorn Builder Punch [139681]
Brick Wall Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [138288]	Big Shot [143263]	Paper Snips Scissors [103579]
Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Glue Dots [103683]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

Happy Birthday Everyone for As You See It Challenges

 I seem to be doing a lot of beachy cards these days, especially for As You See It Challenges. This week the challenge is a colour swatch and these colours just represent the beach to me. Or maybe it's just because we've been having unseasonably warm temperatures lately. I've never had to put on the air conditioning in April before, but that's what I did yesterday, it was so toasty. Anyway, it definitely feels like beach weather, so that's where this card is coming from. Here's the As You See It Challenge banner for this week:

I love those soft colours and they do look perfect for a nursery, but all I could see was wood, sand, water, reeds and shore birds. Naturally, I dug out Wetlands stamp set, which I'm happy to say, will be sticking around for another year, and the Hardwood background stamp. I needed a sentiment and decided on Happy Birthday Everyone, as it would be just the right size. Happy Birthday Everyone is a Hostess set which means it will retire at the end of May. If you really like this one, you're going to either have to host a workshop, my house or yours, join my stamp club with your host month in May (I do have a May opening, by the way), or spend $200 to get Stampin' Rewards.

• I stamped the reeds first in Soft Suede, then added the birds with the same ink. I stamped the sentiment in Soft Sky ink and then sponged a little of the same around the birds' feet as water.
• The Hardwood background stamp can be tricky to stamp and get a good, straight and complete image. Here's a couple of tricks: First, line up your paper squarely on the grid paper and when you stamp, line up the edge of your block with one of the lines on the grid paper a little lower than the paper. Add extra pressure in the middle of the stamp to get full coverage.  Second, instead ink up the Hardwood stamp and lay it on your working surface rubber side up. Place your paper where you want it and then cover with scrap paper and roll evenly over the surface with a brayer, or your hands. Then remove the cardstock and you should have a good image.
• The little snippet of trim in the top left corner is Natural Chevron Ribbon which will be retiring at the end of May as well, and this will also be the last month for the Silver Basic Metal buttons, one of which adorns this card.

So that's it! I wish I could show you the new catalogue, but as soon as I get to preorder in May and receive my first shipment, I will definitely start to highlight some of the many new products! Keep watching here for them!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.

Product List

Wetlands Wood Stamp Set [126695]	Wetlands Clear Stamp Set [126697]	Hardwood Wood-Mount Stamp Set [133032]	Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp Set [133035]	Happy Birthday, Everyone Wood-Mount Stamp Set [139171]
Happy Birthday, Everyone Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139958]	Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115318]	Soft Sky 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131203]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [126978]
Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad [131181]	Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon [132982]	Silver Basic Metal Buttons [133319]	Brayer [102395]	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]
Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Glue Dots [103683]