Fall Back in Time......to Thanksgiving!

Here is Skippyjon taking a much needed rest from his misadventures next to his "Uncle" Othello.  It's sweet how often one of our big neutered males will take on the role of "uncle" to a half-grown kitten.  Skippy teases Othello mercilessly, but Othello kind of likes the little squirt, nonetheless.

Hi, Friends.....
 
Yes, I know it is winter and that autumn is past, but there is a reason I made a fall card. Sadly, the gals over at Always Use Rubber (formerly Twofers) are closing up their challenge blog and I wanted to get in on their very last challenge with the theme of Summer &/or Fall, which is a nod to the peeps living in the southern hemisphere. So.......out came my unused autumn-themed backgrounds that I still had on hand and I made a Thanksgiving card for next year.  Yay!

I found a pretty double-embossed background I liked a lot.  I went ahead and put it on a maroon mat and then decided to try something different. (I should have done this next step before I matted, but it worked fine this way, too.) I laid one of the stencils from the Artistcellar - TEXTures 2 Series 4-stencil set over the top and sponged on some Distress Ink in Walnut Stain.

Then I angled the same stencil over the background and sponged again using Distress Ink in Fired Brick. I hadn't ever tried doing this on my backgrounds before, but I like the effect. I think these colors give my background a smoky, fiery depth.

Here's my card:


Other supplies used:
BRAND NEW Lawn Fawn - Large Stitched Rectangles die set (How did hubby know that all those things I ordered online for him to give to me for Christmas were just what I wanted????!!!  lol...)
Darice - Fall Leaf Background embossing folder
Gold embossing powder
Inky Antics - Script Sentiments #1 stamp set
Versafine ink in Maroon
Crinkly Ribbon from Karen at Little Scrap Pieces

Since some of you might be unfamiliar with my double-embossing technique, I am including this close-up so you can see the detail. It also shows the gleam of the gold embossing powder better than the full shot above.

On this particular one, I sponged Distress Inks over the surface of my Fall Leaf embossing folder and misted lightly with water.  Then I ran a piece of Core'dinations heavy duty white cardstock inside the folder through my Big Shot. The paper not only gets embossed, but also gets a watercolor effect from the inks.  After it was completely dry, I lightly brayered Versamark ink over the raised pattern and heat-embossed with gold powder. I did this step 2 or 3 times to get a nice build-up of gold on my pattern for that chunky texture that reminds me of heavy vintage jewelry. LOVE!!!

(NOTE: I have lots of different kinds of gold embossing powder. My favorite for double embossing is a mix that I made of several varieties that is a bit chunky to make a rougher almost beaded texture....not at all good for embossing sentiments, for example, but perfect for this! Each brand and grade gives a different look.)

Hope you enjoyed my card! It was fun going back in time to fall and revisiting those blazing colors!!! Quite different from this current scene outside my craft room window:

A big thank you to Jane, Zoe, and Christi over at Always Use Rubber for all the work they have put in to their fun challenges. I am really going to miss your creative themes and sweet comments!! I wish you much rest, relaxation, and fun crafting times in the future.

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by! I appreciate your comments so very much!!! Have a lovely day.

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Always Use Rubber Challenge #6 - Summer &/or Fall (must stamp)
2. Simon Says Stamp December Work-it-Wednesday - Use a New Product (I used my new LF stitched rectangle die set.) 
3. Die Cut Divas December Challenge - Layers or Layer It
4. Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #323 - Anything Goes
5. HeARTful Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes
6. The Paper Girls Challenge #118 - Anything Goes
7. Cards in Envy - Celebrate the Season (cards only) (Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season, so I hope this card qualifies!)
8. DL.Art December Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
9. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge #34 - Anything Goes
10. Crafty Creations Challenge #331 - Any Holiday (I chose Thanksgiving.)
11. Inspiration Destination Challenge #118 - Anything Goes
12. Fashionable Stamping Challenge #118 - Anything Goes
13. DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #195 - Anything Goes