Autumn -------------waiting for that cool weather

I don't know about you but out west here it has been hot hot hot!  We are so waiting for Autumn or Fall temperatures to get here.  Yesterday was 104 the hottest day ever recorded this late in the year here in Tucson Arizona.    So I made this card to send to someone just to say don't worry Autumn will come,  which was the challenge this week at the Cuttlebug Challenge to make a card to send to someone just because.  Tomorrow Saturday 10/2 is World Cardmaking Day   so you may want to check it out and join in the fun.

I also posted this card on the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge  where you had to make a card using fall colors and have something stamped on it.
The center three strips are stamped with three different Fall colors (Pumpkin, Dark Purple and Brown) and heat embossed.  The strips edges were distressed using my Tim Holtz distressing tool, I love this thing!  I also distressed the cream strips where the leaves are stamped, the 3 strips are pop dotted so they stand out a little. Although you can't really see it the three colored strips in the middle and the top cream colored strip are embossed with my Cuttlebug using Textile folder.  The background paper is actually a green glitter paper that is from a My Mind's Eye Fall stack.  The "Autumn" at the top was cut using Cricut Stretch Your Imagination cartridge, this is one of my all time favorite cartridges.  You can't really tell but at the right end of the word Autumn is two small leaves and an acorn, used some glitter pens to highlight them and then put Glossy Accents on the acorn. 
Hope this card gives everyone hope that Autumn will come!

Smiles & Laughter...................you've got a friend

Every month I participate in a challenge on the Cricut Message board using Prisma (or something similar) and Odorless Mineral Spirits, this is one of my favorite  techniques for coloring images.    It was also such a perfect image for the The Cuttlebug Challenge this week as you were to make a card that made you happy, using one of your favorite techniques and send it to a friend "just because".   I have my BFF that I don't get to see a lot so I will send her this card.

So the images on the left side of the card I colored using the MCPT, then I added Stickles to the center of the flowers, I also added Glossy Accents right on top of the Stickles before it dried so it gave the centers a sparkly dimensional center. 
I mounted the image on a pink piece of paper and then pop dotted it to the card, I added some small pink circle stickers to the corners.  I added a bow I tied (this one I did LOL) from sheer pink ribbons, there is also a strip of the ribbon across the entire card but you can't see it in the picture.  The background plaid paper is from DCWV Flower Shower stack. 
Here is a close up of the flowers and you can see that strip of ribbon.

 AND....................I did the inside I will write a personal note in here for my friend, hope she doesn't visit my blog and see her surprise! 

I know this card has Spring colors in it but I loved the way it looked with the plaid paper colors.  Not that I want Spring to come back, we are all waiting for our FALL weather to show up, we are still in the 100s here in Arizona and breaking records, please Mother Nature let up on us, LOL 
I hope you like my card, let me know what you think.