Autumn with Art Philosophy Blog Hop

Welcome to our Autumn Art Philosophy Blog Hop!  Each month we are showcasing our amazing Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge which can be purchased exclusively through a Close to My Heart Independent Consultant (like ME!)
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It's the time of year where leaves are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, the days are shorter, and the holidays are quickly approaching. This month we will be featuring projects with an Autumn theme made using the Art  Philosophy Cricut cartridge!

If you just happened to come to this blog, you should start at the beginning at Lucy's blog - Love 2 Create.  If you came here from Stephanie at The Quilted Scrapper, then you're in the right place!

I love this time of year and have two Autumn themed cards that I want to show you that feature one of the most popular symbols of Autumn -- leaves and acorns.  Each of them utilizes the Harvest Happiness My Acrylix Stamp Set in conjunction with the Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge by Close to My Heart.  The first card is inspired by a fellow consultant who recently lost her battle with cancer.  She was an active member of one of our Facebook groups, and a wonderfully talented and encouraging woman named Maureen.  I used her inspiration as a tribute to her since I did not know her other than seeing and commenting on her work she posted up to share with us.  I wish there was a blog to direct you to, but she did not have one yet.  Here is Maureen's original card:

Now, here is my take on her beautiful card.  The idea to stitch the baker's twine through the holes in the wreath was just the perfect touch.  This wreath shape is found on page 31 of the handbook for Art Philosophy (AP.) The leaves are found on pages 56 and the acorn is on page 36.   The cricut cuts them out the exact size you need to stamp the image on perfectly.  I realized when making this card that I need a "leafy" embossing folder.  I would have loved to give that background some texture.

The next project I made is actually a set of cards with a fall theme.  I used the same stamps and cuts as the card above, but switched out the ink color on some of the leaves to give them a whole new look. 

 My favorite part of these cards is the background paper.  I stamped it myself using an adorable geometric stamp from the Love Life My Acrylix Stamp Set.  This one was made for stamping a pattern onto your project and nests into itself each time you stamp it.  I used a technique that I had never tried before too.  I chose three autumn color re-inkers, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, and Ruby.  Then I placed a baby wipe on the inside of my old stamp cleaner and randomly dropped the three colors onto it to create my own stamp pad to use!  Here is what it looked like...

Pretty messy business!  But the results are fabulous!  Sooooo worth it.  Here is a link to a great video to demonstrate this amazingly easy stamping technique.  Just look at all the colors you end up stamping all at once...

These tags I attached were already cut out with the Art Philosophy cartridge and waiting in my scrap cuts drawer.  Yes, I have a recycle drawer full of scrap cuts that didn't make it into a project yet--don't judge!  ;)  I always check to see if there is something I can use in there when I start a project.  Unfortunately, it means I have no clue what kind of paper it is or the size of the cut.

I wanted these cards to coordinate, but not match exactly, so I changed up the Harvest Baker's Twine colors I used and added different sentiments.  The last one I left without a sentiment for true versatility.  :)

I also added a different leaf to this one from page 34 of the AP handbook.  I love these leaf stamps because I don't need to cut out a thing by hand--the Art Philosophy Cartridge does all the work with my Cricut machine!

Do you have a cricut machine?


The next stop on your trail of falling leaves is Jennifer Kramer at 4 Hearts Scrapbooking.

Here's the entire blog hop lineup in case you "fall" off the path:

Lucy ~ Love 2 Create
Darla ~ Caution: Crafting is Contagious!!!
Diana ~ Diana's Free Moments
Stephanie ~ The Quilted Scrapper
Amie Kiger ~ Mimi, Myself, and I  (you are here!)
Jennifer Kramer ~ 4 Hearts Scrapbooking (your next stop!)
Rebecca ~ Stamp and Scrap Studio
Kindred Hearts ~ It Makes Total Cents
Theodora Stacey ~ Celebrate Crafts
Arlene ~ Arlene's Creative Space
Amanda Cortez ~ Scraps of Love
Priscilla ~ Priscilla's Paperie
Ginger ~ Ginger's Creative Cottage
Michelle ~ My Flights of Fancy