Autumn Memory

Handcoloured vellum leaves decorate this sympathy card in a simple design.

Challenge

Less Is More: Vellum or Acetate

Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Autumn

Try It On Tuesday: Handmade By You

Creative With Stamps: Sentiment

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Putting It Together

When I saw this week's challenge for Less Is More was vellum, it started the gears turning in my head. It lead, though, to two projects which were neither cards nor simple *laugh*: Autumn Masque and Pumpkin Light. Working on those reminded me how much I love vellum and how lovely it is with Distress Ink, how the translucence of the vellum and the ink play well together, and how shape-able it is for leaves.

I stared with a small panel of vellum suitable for the dies I would be using. I tapped on various browns, oranges, yellows, and reds of Distress Ink abstractly: Barn Door, Aged Mahogany, Ripe Persimmon,  Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Marmalade Spice, Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, and Rusty Hing.

I spritzed the panel with water to make the ink movable...

...then used a brush to blend the ink. Vellum loves to curl up when it's wet.

I used a heat tool to dry the vellum. The vellum flattens nicely as it dries, but still with a bit of crinkliness.

I added in a bit more colour, tapping the mini pads on the coloured vellum and blending it in with a wet brush: adding Carved Pumpkin, Wild Honey, and Pine Needles.

I die cut the vellum into 2 leaves fresh in their fallness.

For more depth, I added smudges of Ground Esspresso, to the edges. I also added some copper Perfect Pearls for a bit of shine (doesn't show as much in the pictures but does in person).

I used a bone folder and a scrap of fun foam to score veining from the back of the leaf.

I used the ball of a clay shaper to curl the edges of the leaves.

And, finished vellum leaves.

When I started making the card, I hadn't intended to make a sympathy card, but this was the sentiment that sang to me when the leaves were done. I stamped the sentiment in Mememto Potters Clay to play off the colours in the leaves.

I attached the leaves with two Glue Dots on each so they could retain their own dimension.