Faith

Here is a card I made for my sister to let her know how grateful I am for her.  She has had many health issues in the last several years, and she has fought them with her faith in God. My frequent cards to her remind her that her life if precious to me. I included the simple sentiment "Faith" (Serendipity Stamps/Archival Jet Black ink)on the front to remind her to keep the faith. I kept it simple due to the busy nature of the background.

I started with water color paper base which I swiped with texture paste in a thin skim coat, covering the entire surface. I spritzed the dry paper with Dylusions orange ink spray. I patted TCW's forest stencil with Forest Moss and Gathered Twigs Distress Mini inks and spritzed lightly with water. I placed the dried spritzed watercolor paper face down on the inked stencil and rolled  it with  my brayer to transfer the forest image.  I  loaded a sweet tiny leaves and an acorn stamp by Flonzcraft with Distress inks and markers and Gelatos (misted with water) and randomly stamped the image all over the background. I could never make this background again if I tried. I love it, and it reminds me of the birch forest behind our childhood home.

The leaves were  die cut with Tim's Movers and Shapers Leaves  (Freshly ordered from the Funkie Junkie!) from paper which I used to mop up excess stain puddled on craft sheet from another project. I spritzed  them with Tattered Angels leather and Perfect Pearl mist gold. I swiped Vintage Photo stain on edges.  When dry, I  creased the leaves between my fingers and swiped the raised areas with Vintage Photo ink to make veins The orange leaf is dry embossed (Tim's Thankful Texture Fade) dry wall tape layered with various sprays and inks left over from my Thanksgiving banner for my Guest Designer project. It was creased and inked the same as the other two. I used rolled paper toweling under the leaves to pop them up as well as dimension glue dots so they would stay popped up going through the mail. (Here's a trick I've picked up: pass your filled envelope through slot in your Fiskars straight edge cutting tool.  If it fits you only need one postage stamp.)

I think the texture really shows up in the following photo.

I hope you like it! Please stop by on Halloween evening.  I hope to have some photos of my completed Halloween yard display for you!  Weather is not cooperating today-raining! Thank you for all your much loved comments!  I read and appreciate everyone of them, and always try to visit you, as well!

 I would like to enter this in the following wonderful challenges:

Frilly and Funkie "A Grateful Welcome" Sorry no invitations here!  We won't be hosting Thanksgiving dinner!  Already made my centerpiece! So chose to make a thank you card.

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #18 "Layer It" I've layered texture paste, ink, Gelatos,  and sprays on my background and then layered on some leaves!

Inspiration Journal "In Disguise" (Plain Jane sketch paper is disguised as leaves)

Country View Challenges "Sparkle and Shine" I hope you can see the sparkle of the gold Gelatos on the background and the Gold PP spray mist on the leaves.

The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog October Challenge "Memories" My memory invoked by this is the woods behind our childhood home--I'm hoping my sister gets it!