It's Autumn!...

Hello peeps!

How are we all?  Well I hope! :)

I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but it's definitely turned to Autumn here in England!  Brr!  I'd forgotten what it was like to wear jumpers and a pair of slippers!  There are a few good things about Autumn though, one of which is the Design Team Call going on over at the Paper Mill Direct blog.

For as long as I can remember, I have bought Paper Mill Direct card over all others.  I used to love going into their shops, picking up my box to fill with as many different colours as I could lay my hands on! (and that would fit in the box!)  It was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for paper addicts!  Brilliant!  I was so upset when they had to close down their shops, however, I could still get my fix online...and that I do!!

So, imagine how excited I was to see that they're after a new member for their Design Team!!?  ;)  I would love to be a part of it so I'm going to give it a go :)

The theme for the entries is 'Autumn'...see where I was going now?!  I LOVE autumnal colours, they're so warm and comforting...but I'll be honest in admitting I rarely use them, they're not my 'go-to' colours so this was a great challenge for pushing me out of my comfort zone if nothing else :)

Here is my card based on the theme...

For my card I used, of course, Paper Mill Direct card!  The colours I used were...Ruby Red, Bright Red, Citrus Orange, Primrose Yellow (which I haven't seen on the website for a while but I LOVE this colour!) and of course, White.  The quality of this card is second to none.  It's heavy enough to do the job, and the colours are so vibrant...can you tell I'm a fan?!  ;)

For the leaves, I used Verve - A Cut Above Elegant Leaves die and clear embossed them.  I then fanned them out so they looked like a pile (a TIDY pile!) of Autumnal leaves.  Even the ribbon has an apt name - it's 'Pumpkin' seam binding from Crafty Ribbons.  I scrunched it up and spritzed it with water and then dipped it in some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to break up the solid colour and add a bit of interest.  It actually reminded me of the colour of leaves when they've fallen into a muddy puddle!  ....Maybe my imagination is working overtime...?  

I also had the opportunity to use my new embossing powder from WOW! for the sentiment which is called 'Halloween' and it is a black embossing powder with a copper/orange glitter in and looks FAB!

The sketch originally was based on this Retro Sketches layout...it ended up being a loose interpretation I have to admit but it provided a great jumping off point!

So there you go...I think I've rambled enough now, I don't want to bore you all!  I'm off to link my little post up to the DT challenge on Paper Mill Direct's blog and I'm going to wait with my fingers crossed!  :)  If you fancy joining in too, get yourself over there!

Thank you for stopping by guys!  ;)

Supplies
Card:     Paper Mill Direct - White, Ruby Red, Bright Red, Citrus Orange, Primrose
Stamps: Verve - Wishful Elegance, Bloom & Grow
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium; Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Antique Linen
Other:    Verve - A Cut Above Die Elegant Leaves; WOW! - Halloween embossing glitter; Crafty Ribbons -
             Pumpkin seam binding