Happy Thanksgiving Card

I recently got the entire set of Tim Holtz’s Distress Markers from my good friend Janine who runs Alleystamp. I am a big comparison shopper and I do tons of research before I make a large purchase and her prices are fantastic, but it is her superior customer service that always brings me back to Alleystamp again & again. And if she doesn’t have exactly what you want she will get it for you and it doesn’t take weeks and weeks for you to get your stuff (and if for some reason it is going to take a while, Janine lets you decide what you’d like to do).  Anyway, I am in LOVE with these markers and have been playing with them like crazy.

One of the most recent cards I made using them is a Thanksgiving card for my Mom.  Since we landed in Colorado we have an interesting Thanksgiving dinner - we always get a few Papa Murphy’s pizzas the day before and feast on fresh baked pizza for our Thanksgiving meal!  Mom doesn’t have to cook at all (well, the oven does), the clean-up is super easy and everyone likes what there is to eat!  Talk about a win/win situation!  Since we cook the pizza at Mom’s, it is only polite to bring her something and, along with the pizza, this card will fit the bill. My Mom is legally blind due to glaucoma and luckily does have some limited sight left so she does best with cards that are clean and simple.  This is how I made her Happy Thanksgiving card:

To make the card you’ll need:

• Card base of kraft cardstock
• Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
• Wendy Vecchi’s Archival Ink in Orange Blossom
• Watercolor paper
• Twine bow (I handmade a bunch of these a while ago out of some twine I saved from when I bought my Dollar Tree Skeletons)
• Pumpkin from Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints 5 set, CMS170
• Nellie’s Multi Frame, MFD010
• Happy Thanksgiving stamp from a very old Hero Arts set (the set has four seasonal greetings in it)
• Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Brushed Corduroy, Mustard Seed, Pumice Stone and Mowed Lawn
• Watercolor Brush (I didn't have Tim Holtz's brush yet so I used an old dried out blender pen from Stampin' Up! - I just dipped it in the water for a smidge and colored)

First, I stamped the pumpkin with the Jet Black ink on the watercolor paper.  Then I outlined the pumpkin with the Distress Markers in the pumpkin colors (I’m sorry, I didn’t write down the exact order of when I used each color) and watercolor brushed them.  I colored the stem and the leaf with the Brushed Corduroy and the little stem squiggle with Mowed Lawn. Watercolor brush them as well.  Then I took the Pumice Stone and outlined the side of the pumpkin that has the leaf for a bit of dimension (I learned this trick from one of the many YouTube video’s I watched on using the Distress Markers – if you have these and are just using them to color I highly recommend watching some videos – you will be AMAZED at what these babies can do & how they coordinate with all the Distress Products – OK Ranger, how about making some Distress Markers to match Wendy’s colors?) I did not watercolor the Pumice Stone as I was afraid I'd ruin the whole pumpkin. As my pumpkin was drying I took my Happy Thanksgiving stamp and stamped it using Wendy Vecchi’s Orange Blossom, cut it out, edged it with the same ink and pop-dotted it to the inside of the card.  Then I took my pumpkin, found the Nellie die that fit it best and die cut it.  After I glued it to my card front, the finishing touch was attaching my twine bow.  The card was quick, fun and I think it looks very seasonal (even though we just had our first snow yesterday) and I know my Mom will love it.

The outside of the card

And the inside - the picture does NOT do the color justice 

I also apologize about how crooked it is - I had already filled out the card & sealed it in the envelope when I sat down to work on the pictures or I would have taken another.  Live & learn!

Here’s hoping you & yours have a fabulous holiday, be safe and blessings to you all!

I would like to enter my Thanksgiving card in the following challenges:
The Kraft Journal - So Thankful
Twisted Tuesday Challenge - Fall/Autumn, Thankful 
Use it Tuesday - Anything Goes (I have had the Happy Thanksgiving stamp in my stash for at least 10 years and this is the first time I have used it)
Craft-Dee BowZ - Anything with a Handmade Bow
Cuttlebug Mania - Thank You for Thanksgiving
LEJ Designs - Buttons, Bows or Beads 
Crafty Cardmakers - CAS