Yesterday was a little scary weather-wise with a torrential downpour as I was driving home. Thankfully it only lasted about 10 minutes but it was enough to break the oppressive heat we’ve had. This was followed by a series of thunderstorms, punctuated by a gorgeous sunset which I neglected to photograph! I’m enjoying these late summer days knowing it won’t be long before the change of season begins. This morning it’s much fresher and I was inspired to create this thank you card using the Fond Of Autumn Stamp Set.

AUTUMN COORDINATION

I began this card with the largest image in the set and using Early Espresso ink I stamped it onto a piece of Thick Basic White Card. Then from the coordinating Autumn Bouquet Dies I chose the large open die with a few connecting pieces running across it. After lining up the die with the stamped image I then ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. The die not only cut around the image but also divided it into FOUR pieces! All I needed was the flower section and I set the other three pieces aside to use on future projects.

For a better explanation of how the three largest dies in the Autumn Bouquet Dies work I filmed this short video for you.

Before starting to colour I decided I should stamp some additional coordinating images for my project. So from the Fond Of Autumn Stamp Set I chose the single flower and stamped it onto the flap of a Basic White Medium Envelope. Then I stamped the flower in the centre (near the top) of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card.

All the complicated steps were done, and now I just needed to colour in the images using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. For the flower petals I used light and dark Daffodil Delight. On the leaves I used light and dark Mint Macaron and Soft Succulent. Then I finished off with light Night Of Navy on the berries and dotted around the centres of the flowers.

QUICK FINISH

I’d already decided that I wanted my card to look light and fresh and so I cut a 3-3/4″ x 5″ piece of Basic White Card for the background. Then from the Fond Of Autumn Stamp Set I chose the “thank you” sentiment. After resting the die-cut flowers in the centre of the white layer I stamped the sentiment beside it with Early Espresso ink. Then I took the flowers away while I completed the next step.

For my mat layer I opted for Mint Macaron Card and cut a piece 3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″. Next, using liquid glue I mounted the sentiment layer on top before permanently attaching the flower piece with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Finally I added a few Rustic Metallic Adhesive-backed Dots around the flower.

All I needed now was a card base and for that I chose Thick Basic White Card. After using my Paper Trimmer to cut and score the card, I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Using more Stampin’ Dimensionals I attached the assembled layers to the front of the card base. Then with liquid glue I fixed the remaining decorated Basic White layer to the inside. With that my card was complete.

I love the clean and fresh feel of my first project using the Fond Of Autumn Stamp Set and coordinating Autumn Bouquet Dies. Of course I still have the other parts of that large image to play with, as well as the complete image die-cut as a single piece. What do you think about dies that offer different options for the same stamped image? Please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Fond Of Autumn Stamp Set and coordinating Autumn Bouquet Dies using a single ‘bundle’ item number. Buying the two products together as a bundle saved me 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included a link to the Fond Of Autumn bundle in case you want to compare these options.