Sneak Peek: A Year of Leaves and Fruitful Harvest

The set giveaway is closed, see the winner HERE!

A year after releasing "A Year of Flowers" for Gina K Designs, I am thrilled to bring you "A Year of Leaves", a nature set filled with greetings and images that will take you through the entire year, year after year, no matter the occasion! The changing seasons will allow you to color this festival of leaves in Spring and Fall combinations you will love. (Try adding them to your "A Year of Flowers" images, for stunning greenery or spectacular seasonal bouquets!)

The card above uses the new Gina K Pure Luxury Pumpkin Spice and Green Apple Cardstocks. The greeting is stamped on Summer Sun and the leaves are colored with Copics.


Leaves symbolize beauty, life, growth, change, and ultimately, death. We all have times we need to celebrate or recognize each of these themes with a card to a loved one, and you'll be able to do them all, (even masculine cards!) with this ONE set.



Now, I didn't think a a set of leaves would be complete without a hungry little caterpillar! I have always been fascinated with them, even before I was old enough to truly appreciate the miracle I held in my hand: the humblest of creatures transforms into one of the most magnificent in all creation. Here is a leaf scape made from one leaf image, masked and colored with Copics and the popped up caterpillar. I masked some diagonals and sponged to create some sunlight pouring down on this scene and added the first half of this wonderful Richard Bach quote (included in the set):

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world....

to reveal "... the Master calls a butterfly." (It gets me weepy every time I read it!)

I made the inside a pop up card using Gina K's "Take Flight" butterfly to hover over the sentiment and another pattern along the bottom (butterflies!) from the same Basic Grey Ambrosia pack I used on the card front. Card base is the new Gina K Pure Luxury Moonlit Fog CS, a fabulous, elegant neutral. This story of the caterpillar and this sentiment of change is such wonderful reassurance when a door is closing, be it a job, relationship, opportunity, losing a loved one; it's a gentle reminder that the story is not over and God is calling us to become butterflies...

Would you like to win "A Year of Leaves"? Please leave (ha! get it? "leave"?!) a comment below telling me your ideas for the leaf set, I will randomly select a winner and announce it here on Thursday before the big party! :)

Before you leave (there I go again!) one more peek! This next sample uses Asela's new "Fruitful Harvest", my favorite image from it being these grapes. (Do you know, I came this close to adding some grapes to my "A Charmed Life" set I released in March, but opted to give you more quotes and charms at the time... well, now we have some grapes to go with my glass!! Hip hip hurray!) Don't they create a beautiful focal point here? A match made in rubber heaven!

Images (and quote, also from "A Charmed Life") are stamped onto Gina K Pure Luxury White (edges sponged with Antique Linen Distressing ink), I distressed the edges and matted onto Pure Luxury Black Onyx and Soft Sand, added some ribbon and a real charm, which was fun to bring attention to the stamped leaf charm I added to the stem. I really look forward to using both these sets for my fall and holiday cards, very seasonal and festive!

To create dimension and have the grapes show through the glass:

1. Stamp the glass.
2. Stamp the grapes separately.

3.Without re-inking the grapes, stamp them AGAIN over the glass image.

4. Cut out both and color, coloring the grapes paler on the glass.
5. Adhere with pop dots to card, lining up the grapes on the glass with the grapes behind it.

For more inspiration with the stamps previewed today, visit Gina's blog, as well as Asela Hopkins, the illustrator of Fruitful Harvest.
For even more projects with tonight's two stamp sets, these Senior Design Team Members are participating in previews today: Carolyn, Cindy, Donna, Emily, Erika, Kurtis, Jessica, Lee, Lynn, and Theresa as well as our CenterStage Spotlight Design Team members: Denise Kelemen and Geri Utterback

Our Release Party will be held once again over on SCS starting at 7pm CST on Thursday, August 27th. There will be contests, challenges, lots of chatter as well as a ton more samples shared by the Senior Design team members and our CenterStage Spotlight team too! You won't want to miss it!