Walking Along the Trail with Rooted in Nature | #NIC010

During my walks along the bike trail behind our property this summer, I noticed some early signs of cooler days ahead.  A friend of ours has always told to watch for the signs of weather ahead in the leaves... so I had to take a picture of what I saw.

Don't you just want to reach out and run your hand across the weather-beaten wood and the leaves that are changing colors... mostly due to stress, I believe as we had had a dry spell and then it seemed to rain for days... so the weather had been hot, cooler and now it was hot and humid again.  It was July 29th and we were right in the "Dog Days of Summer" but it looked like fall!  Nothing like nature trying to help you cool down, right?

But stop for a minute... doesn't this picture just want you go and pull out your Big Shot?!?  Well, I did... almost two months later!  ;)

This card was created for the tenth challenge in the Nature's INKspirations Challenges group on Facebook.  We would love for you to join us, if you haven't already!  Lots of texture was recreated thanks to some items that I happened to just have on hand... the Pinewood Planks Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder was perfect for the wood planks... and thankfully the Rooted in Nature stamp set had the perfect leaf with a matching die!

The baby wipe technique was used to add color the leaves... (yes, the Aqua Painter kept wanting to touch the leaves to bring out more color, but it was banned to another room).  The detailing of the stamp was gorgeous and was able to speak loud and clear through the vibrant summer colors.

The pinewood planks were sponged with Soft Suede for the weathered look.  While the leaves were  folded, curved and wadded up in all sorts of directions to create the "touch me" feel that was reflected through the camera lens that hot, humid, sunny morning.  The back side of the leaves were colored from the baby wipe.

The Queen Anne's Lace that was peeking between the boards was created by stamping in Whisper White ink several times to create some dimension.

The inside sentiment simply states how I feel about the recipient of this card!  And stamped leaf was a continuation of the leaves from the front.

I hope that today's card has inspired you to not only create and share a card with someone today, but to also share a bit more of yourself when sending your cards... cards aren't just for signing, they're lines of communication that can be read any time after opening when someone wants to smile again.  Keep sharing the love!

Have a blessed day!

YOU CAN MAKE THIS CARD, TOO!

I would love to be your Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator and Creative Coach!  Please click here to purchase any of the following supplies so you can create the card featured in today's blog post.

CARD RECIPE:

Stamps:  Rooted in Nature, Pretty Vases
Ink:  Soft Suede, Whisper White 
Paper:  Gray Granite, Garden Green, Whisper White cardstocks
Other:  Nature's Roots Framelits; Pinewood Planks DTIEF; Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Ink Refill; Garden Green Classic Stampin' Ink Refill; Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Ink Refill; Granny Apple Green Classic Stampin' Ink Refill; Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Ink Refill; Sponge Daubers; Stampin' Trimmer; Paper Snips; Clear Block B; Clear Block C; Clear Block H; Bone Folder; Stampin' Dimensionals; Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Simply Shammy

• Click here to Shop with Me in the comfort of your own home 24/7.
• Shop the Clearance Rack here.
• Would you like to earn FREE Stampin' Up! Products?!?  Join my Nature's INK Points Reward Program - just for my online customers!  This is also where you can see how the monthly Host Code works!
• SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter to get all the latest news and updates on what's happening and, do not worry, you can UNSUBSCRIBE from it at any time - no questions asked!  
• Follow my blog with Bloglovin