Leaf-tastic

Hi everyone! This week we have another great challenge for you at Simon Says Stamp and Show and beautiful DT samples, don't miss them. The challenge is 'leaf-tastic' so anything you can think of relating to leaves, perfect for the season.

I love autumn with its rich colours and made a mini book for some of my favourite autumn photos, using the Sizzix Eileen Hull ScoreBoards Album die for the cover, and a lot of leaves.

This is the front cover. I used one of my favourite quotes, printed it on my computer and placed it in the little bookplate that is part of the album die.

To make the covers, I first painted a piece of white sticky back canvas with watered down orange paint. I mixed the paint using Claudine Hellmuth's Alterable Orange, Adirondack Sunset Orange and Terra Cotta, to get the shade that I wanted. If the paint is too dark you can rinse the canvas a bit under a tap. When it was dry I covered mat board with the sticky-back canvas, adding a thin layer of multi-medium to make sure it would stick firmly. I glued a piece of kraft cardstock to the other side of the mat board. Then the covers were die cut.

The covers were stamped with the new Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Autumn Blueprint stamps, as well as a crackle texture stamp from the Classics set #7, using Archival Ink Jet Black. I also stamped them with a bubble stamp from theMixed Media set, using gold paint dabber. The dabber was used along the edges of the covers too. Finally, it was all misted with Biscotti Perfect Pearls.

The spine was done in the same way as the covers, but I painted it with a watered down mix of Lettuce paint dabber instead. When dry it was stamped with another of the Mixed Media stamps, using Olive Archival Ink. Gold dabber was swept along the edges. The die both cuts and scores, making assembly very easy. This is the back cover of the mini book.

The spine has a pretty scalloped border on the front. Love the feel the canvas gives to the covers.

The book plate was die cut from a scrap piece of mat board, which was first covered with Core'dinations Distress paper (I think Walnut Stain). Love the little acorns from the Autumn Gatherings die.

Now to the leaves. I cut three leaves from grungeboard, using the Tattered Leaves die. They were painted green and then covered in about 4 layers of clear UTEE. You don't need to reapply embossing fluid between the layers, just add a new layer when the previous one is still melted. Be careful as it gets very hot. Then I added several different colours of embossing powders into the UTEE (gold, red, copper, verdigris). Finally, I stamped leaves from the Mini Blueprints set into the hot UTEE. Ink the stamp with Versamark first since that makes it release easier from the UTEE. I forgot to take a  photo of the leaves before attaching them to the album, I hope you can see the detail well enough here.

On this leaf I used one of the texture stamps from the Classics #7 set instead.

I made three pinecones from kraft core and Vintage Photo Core'dinations paper, using the Tattered Pinecone die. A lot of leaves and branches were cut from kraft core paper, using the Autumn Gatherings, Bird & Butterflies and Branch Tree dies. They were sanded before I removed them from the surrounding cardstock (much easier than to sand each one individually), inked and then coated with Distress Stickles Antique Linen, which gives them a warm shine. The branches, leaves and pinecones were layered on the front cover.

On the inside, I used more stamps and the left over leaves. I love autumn with all the colours, the clear and sharp light, and all the beautiful trees.

The album is perfect for 4 x 6 photos, you just need to trim them a little bit to fit.

Most of the inside pages are covered with a photo, but I left some for stamping and leaves, decorating them very simply.

More photos.

I had to add some birds too.

And finally, the great acorn stamp from the Autumn Blueprints set. The little leaf with the vein comes from the Bird & Butterflies Sizzlits. Cut the leaf out in two shades of green and put the vein from the one into the other for a great two-toned effect. 

I hope you will join us this week and show us your leaf creations. As always, one random participant will win the generous $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamps.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz Autumn Blueprint, Mixed Media, Classics #1, Classics #3, Classics #7, Mini Ornates, Mini Blueprints; Hero Arts Decorative Flourish Tree K5538,
Dies: Sizzix: Eileen Hull ScoreBoards Album die, Tattered Pinecone Bigz, Tattered Leaves Bigz, Autumn Gatherings Sizzlits, Branch Tree, Birds & Butterflies Sizzlits
Ink: Distress Ink: Vintage Photo, Frayed Burlap; Archival Ink Jet Black, Olive; Versamark
Paint: Ranger Adirondack paint dabber: Sunset Orange, Terra Cotta, Lettuce, Gold; Claudine Hellmuth Studio paint Altered Orange
Embossing powders: Ranger clear UTEE, Copper, Gold; Tsukineko Verdigris, Red
Stickles: Distress Stickles Antique Linen
Mist: Biscotti Perfect Pearls
Surfaces: Claudine Hellmuth white sticky back canvas; Core'dinations Tim Holtz kraft core cardstock, Distress color core; Tim Holtz Idea-ology grungeboard; mat board; kraft cardstock