Autumn Lovely Leaves

Today is my Birthday!  Happy Birthday to me!  Kent and I will be celebrating tonight at our local Not Your Average Joe's restaurant with a free entree and dessert that I received for my birthday because we signed up to receive e-mail promotions from them. So every year I get a free birthday dinner! I've also received several lovely cards from some stamping friends - Thank You Anne, Evelyn, Vicki, Michelle, Sue and BJ!  It's so fun to find home made cards in my mailbox.

So moving on to my card - I used dark chocolate craft metal from Add a Little Dazzle for the leaves, cutting them with Stitched Leaves dies from Lawn Fawn.  I dabbed Distress Paints on them and dried them with a heat tool.  For the embossed panel - I first inked the inside back panel of the embossing folder by rubbing my Old Paper Distress Ink over it - then I put the card stock panel inside, closed the folder and ran it through my Vagabond.  See how the ink colors the background but not the raised design?! 

I just love how the Distress Paints look dabbed onto the metal leaves - my favorite is the mix of Fired Brick and Rusty Hinge on the maple leaf below.

My card was inspired by these challenges:

Curtain Call - Lovely Leaves

Mixed Media Card Challenge - autumn colors with the option of using Metal or Leaves. 

The ePlay Challenge -  Fall
 
Inspiration Emporium - Fall is in the air.

Words 2 scrap by - To Everything there is a season -  mine would be fall!

And not only is today my birthday - but it's also the beginning of the weekend - whoo hoo!!  Have a good one everyone!

Paper:  Soft Stone - PTI
Ink:  Ranger Distress Old Paper
Accessories:  Ranger Distress Paints - Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick; Embossing folder - Thankful Background and Borders Set - Tim Holtz/Alterations, Dark Chocolate Craft Metal - Add a Little Dazzle, Stitched Leaves Dies - Lawn Fawn,  home made enamel dots made from Perler beads, Glue N Seal - Ranger, Foam dots.