It's Definitely Autumn

Happy Thanksgiving, or perhaps Columbus Day, or Indigenous People's Day... or just happy weekend! In my hemisphere, it is most definitely fall, and there are a slew of challenges to celebrate that. Personally, I don't really celebrate autumn, mostly because it is the lead up to winter, NOT my favourite. But it's hard to fight the weather (as opposed to climate, but that's an entirely different story) so autumn it is. I needed a couple of thank you cards, and went with the whole seasonal thing. 
My first card was inspired by the current CAS Watercolour Challenge, Simon Says Stamp Monday Fall/Autumn Challenge and the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge. 

I started this by painting a piece of watercolour paper with yellows, greens, oranges and reds. Once it was dry, I die cut a bunch of maple leaves from it, and also die cut four from the cream panel so I could inlay them. After stamping and embossing the sentiment, I layered the panel on a brown mat and adhered it to a cream card base. 

My second card is inspired by Shopping Our Stash's It's Pumpkin Spice Season challenge and STAMPlorations' Anything Goes stencil challenge.

I started by masking a narrow strip on a white panel and blending some antique linen distress ink in the open space. Then I used an Autumn Falling stencil, but only the smaller leaves in it. Of course as I blended the individual leaves with distress inks, I managed one or two smudges. So I added a few more flecks with a very fine paint brush just to make them look like they belonged. :D I added a stamped and embossed sentiment and adhered it to the card base. 

Whatever the rest of your weekend brings, enjoy! 

Supplies: (1st card) Stampin' Up very vanilla & Bazzill Basics brown cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Hero Arts thank you stamp, Memento Luxe espresso truffle ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, Paper Smooches Leaves 1 & MFT blueprints 29 stitched rectangle dies; (2nd card) Neenah white cardstock, Clearly Besotted Sweet Little Sentiments stamp,  Memento Luxe espresso truffle & antique linen, squeezed lemonade, carved pumpkin, barn door & gathered twigs distress inks, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, ARTplorations Autumn Falling stencil, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die