Surprise!

Greetings from beautiful Utah! I just thought I'd pop in when you didn't expect me and surprise you with a card I snuck in before I left town (I know, I know... I was supposed to be taking a stamping break. But I just can't stay away!).

I really like how this one turned out - and I learned a couple of cool techniques quite by accident. Let me share them with you! First of all, the acorns, in all their neat colors, are embossed. I started by using the markers to color the rubber on the stamp. I did the acorn crown in either Chocolate Chip or Close to Cocoa, and the acorn nut in either More Mustard or Really Rust. Then I "rocked" the stamp into the Chocolate Chip or Close to Cocoa (they're different) to give the edges a shaded look. "Rocking" means to hold the inked stamp at an angle over a darker color ink and with a rotating motion, let just the edges of the image touch the pad. Cool, huh? Well, then I decided that I wanted them embossed, so I tried rocking them into Chocolate Chip CRAFT ink with horrible results. So I brought out my never-been-used Versamark PEN and just colored over the entire acorn, powdered it, and then heat set it. Beautiful!! Worked perfectly and I'm so excited about the possibilities this opens up! Folks, for those of you who do not have a lot of Craft ink pads, invest in the Versamark pen. You can fake it a long way!

The second trick I learned has to do with those gorgeous leaves that make up the background. I knew what I wanted - multicolored leaves that remind me of Autumn. I started by rocking the leaf stamps into two different colors of classic ink. That worked really well, but I wanted it to be more subtle for the background. Then I got the bright idea of inking them in Versamark and then rocking them into the same color ink as the paper - More Mustard. My heart skipped a beat with the first one I stamped! It was beautiful and just what I was looking for! They have a somewhat transparent look to them which is ideal for a background. I'm certain someone else has done this before, but it's brand new to me, and maybe you too!

So there you go... some surprise tricks to hold you over until I return! I hope you enjoy it - let me know!

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Autumn Fest, Holidays & Wishes
Cardstock: More Mustard, Naturals Ivory, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip (craft & classic), Close to Cocoa, More Mustard, Really Rust, Versamark (pad & pen)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Paper Piercer & mat, Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon, Stamping Sponges