Autumn Colours And A Squirrel

No change here. It’s hot and muggy and typically I’m thinking about cooler weather. Fall isn’t far away and a change of decor will be needed in my dining room. So out go the bright flowers and in come the more muted neutral tones of autumn. That means I need to create napkin rings using the Nuts About Squirrels Stamp Set. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it…

NAPKIN RING

I began by making the ring part of my napkin ring. First I cut a 2″ x 5″ piece of Pale Papaya Card, rolled it onto a ring, and secured the ends together using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). This liquid glue is really strong once it’s dry but until then I held the ring together with clothes pins.

Next I cut a 1-5/8″ x 5″ piece of Old Olive Card. Using liquid glue I attached the card to the Pale Papaya ring and used the clothes pins once more while I continued.

For the top layer of the ring I chose the Pale Papaya gingham pattern from the Pansy Petals 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. I cut this strip 1-1/2″ x 5″ and glued that over the Old Olive layer on the napkin ring. Then with the clothes pins temporarily holding everything together I set to work on the decoration.

SQUIRREL AND LEAVES

For my squirrel I started with Sahara Sand Card. Using Cajun Craze ink I stamped the outline image from the Nuts About Squirrels Stamp Set. Then I stamped the solid image inside the outline. The photopolymer stamp set makes this two-step stamping technique really easy to do.

Next I thought that the squirrel would look lost by himself so I took the small oak leaf and separate leaf vein stamps from the set. Using Old Olive ink I stamped three solid leaves onto a scrap of Pale Papaya Card. Then I stamped the leaf veins onto the leaves.

Now came the fiddly part, using Paper Snips to cut out the squirrel and the leaves. It wasn’t as difficult as you might think and I was soon ready to attach the pieces to the napkin ring.

First (with the join at the back) I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach the squirrel to the napkin ring. Then with a little liquid glue at the base of each leaf I tucked them in around his head. And with that my project was complete.

You have to admit this squirrel is cute, and it won’t take me long to make a few more napkin rings to complete the set. So I think I’ll make another cut of coffee and get started.

For another project using the Nuts About Squirrels Stamp Set see my earlier blog post Squirrels – another addition to my menagerie.