Gratitude (CQC109)

Hi all! I am in **LOVE** with these gorgeous rich tones for colourQ this week! Don't you love them, too? Here is my card, which I had so MUCH FUN making! :) I really felt like my Mojo came to visit for this card!! :)

Here's the fabulously RICH palette for this week:

I love this Island Indigo shade and haven't used it much... The layout of the card came from last week's sketch at The Paper Players. I'm **embarrassed** to admit that I didn't follow that blog before.... and then there were some FABULOUS cards in the colourQ Gallery last week, all that used this awesome sketch. Check it!:

So, that was the jumping off point for this card. I loved that banner trailing down the side, so I had to make one :) 

I started off with the dry-embossed background in the houndstooth pattern. I used the Cherry Cobbler red for that main panel, and then I brayered and sponged the Soft Suede ink over the top. I matted that piece with a Soft Suede mat, and mounted both pieces onto a Island Indigo card base. For that strip with the sentiment, I heat embossed that "gratitude" stamp in white EP on an Island Indigo strip, and matted in with a Pumpkin Pie strip. Both pieces were distressed with one of those razor distresser thingys. 

Then I started on my banner. I cut a white strip to size, and then stamped it in the challenge colors with these stamps, which I often go-to for background stamping like this. When I was going through the box that holds my dies and embossing folders, looking for the houndstooth folder, I had spied this tree die which I hadn't used in ages and is just so very cute! :) So I decided I would layer the tree on top of the banner, and use buttons for the "leaves." 

I pulled buttons from all different containers and jars looking for just the right combo of colors and sizes/shapes. I didn't have any buttons in the Island Indigo color, so I used some clear buttons I have that have coordinating punches so you can back the buttons with paper or cardstock. I used glue dots to stick down my buttons after playing with the arrangement of them a bit. The final touch was two clear heart-shaped buttons under the sentiment that I stitched into place with orange baker's twine. Believe me, it was no easy feat stitching through 5 layers of cardstock! Even though I pierced the holes first, there's just no making 5 layers of cardstock and glue dots an easy match for a needle and twine! LOL! 

Well, that is all for me today! I hope you will come play these luscious colors over at colourQ this week! I'd love to see what you come up with! :)

hugs! Noelle

supply list: stamps: Inkadinkado & Autumn Leaves; embossing folder: Cuttlebug; tree die: My Favorite Things; buttons: Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!, reclaimed buttons; mini punches to cover buttons in paper: Stampin' Up!/EK Success; white embossing powder and heat gun; VersaMark inkpad; solid cardstock and ink in challenge colors: Stampin' Up! orange bakers twine: Jillibean Soup; square punch (for "tail" of banner): EK Success; edge distresser

DUST IT OFF!: That gratitude stamp is really REALLY old! From the same old set I pulled these stamps for the Halloween treat bags from last week! :)