Fall cards with wax crayon background paper

 On one of my groups we are being challenged to use wax in our creations so I dug out this crayon background paper from my stash and cut out some leaves using the Tattered Leaves die (TH).  This paper is created using wax crayons, white cardstock and a griddle - totally fun and you probably have everything you need to get started in your stash of supplies!!  I would highly recommend giving it a try.  Click - here to see how I used textured wall paper instead of cardstock.
With my leaves cut I decided to make a card with each leaf - four cards. I needed a fall pop up card for a swap on AFTCM so I set about finding an interesting pop up technique.  I found this surprise pop up card on Splitcoast Stampers.  I loosely followed the tutorial changing up whatever I needed to make it work with what I had.

 This is my first pop up card.  I wanted a bit of definition on my leaves so I used a stylus to emboss some veins on the top side. They did not show as much as I liked so I added a bit of colour using a brown Sharpie.  Any place that was too dark or defined I just used a bit of alcohol to remove what I did not want.  Cool!!  I wanted the leaves to pop so I cut black ones, layered them below my waxed ones, tied gold cord on the stem and used 3D foam tape between the leaves to create dimension.  Next, I cut a rectangle of gold cardstock and altered it with alcohol inks (plum and green) using some felt on a little block.  I cut a dark purple layer to put under the gold and glued these three elements together to create my main accents.  I created some background paper using a skeleton leaf (SeeD) on marigold cardstock using my Kaliedacolour stamp pad - Creole Spice and then added some solid leaves using a foam die cut of the same Tattered Leaves leaf using the same stamp pad.

 I trimmed the background paper to a quarter sheet, cut the pop up mechanism in it and stitched it to my card front using my sewing machine.  I stamped my greeting on the card front below the flap and embossed it in gold embossing powder.  Next, I created the pull up tab to activate the pop up.  I used  a strip of cardstock which I glued to the bottom section of the pop up layer then put it through the little slot (SU) I punched in the decorative paper.  I added a little circle punchie, punched a hole and added some coordinating fiber.  I glued my layered leaf accent to the mechanism and pulled on the little end.  Slowly the greeting on the card front is revealed and the beautiful accent rises and ends up being perpendicular to the card front.  As a final touch, I doodled a gold border on my main element using a gold gel pen.
It took a while to figure out what size everything needed to be but I am really happy with how it all worked out.

While I was at it I decided to create another one!!  Pretty close to the same card using different colours and changed up the doodling on the main element a bit.  I think I will be sending this one for the card exchange at my stamping group.   The second one took so much less time than the first one.
Really happy with how these worked out!! It is fun to challenge myself with trying new techniques and creating the pieces I need to make the cards really unique.

 
So I encourage you to challenge yourself to try something new - a new to you fold, a new background technique, to ink those stamps you bought last month, etc.

Therese