Cottage Cutz Fall Release - In the Forest

I'm so happy to say that I've been invited to join the CottageCutz design team.   This is my first blog post as part of the team . . . and just in time for their new Fall Release, In the Forest.  I have a friend whose daughter is just in love with squirrels, and I was thinking of her during the entire time I was making this card.  Isn't that squirrel just the cutest thing peeking out from behind the log?

For this card I used:

*  Chocolate card base 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half
*  Cream cardstock 5 1/4" x 4 " (embossed)
*  Chocolate cardstock 4 1/2" x 3 1/2"
*  Cream cardstock -- cut with largest CottageCutz Double-stitched Rectangle die
*  Gray, green, brown cardstock
*  Distress ink - Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain, Tumbled Glass
*  Copic markers - Black, Pink
*  White gel pen
*  Sponge applicators
*  Embossing folder
*  Narrow washi tape
*  Double-sided adhesive sheet
*  CottageCutz dies - Forest Peekers - Moose & Squirrel, Tree Stump & Log for Peekers, Grass with Cattails, Double-stitched Rectangles

Cut all the images with the dies.

You'll notice that I cut the leaves on a small scrap of green cardstock which I had backed with a piece of double-sided adhesive sheet.  Those leaves are quite small, and I thought it would be easier to finally adhere them to the card if they had the adhesive cut at the same time.  Next time I may cut all the pieces from cardstock backed with an adhesive sheet.   When I cut the grass pieces, I wanted the cattails on only one of the pieces, so I trimmed back the second die-cut to remove the cattails.

Sponge some ink onto the die-cut pieces to give them some dimension.

After I sponged the squirrel pieces with the dark gray ink, I used a white gel pen to color the inside of his ears.  After the ink had dried, I went over the white with some pink marker.  The eyes and nose were colored with the black marker.

Three of the base pieces were cut with a paper trimmer.  The fourth, smallest piece was cut using the largest Double-stitched Rectangle die.

Emboss the larger cream panel.  Run a narrow strip of washi tape around the edges of the die-cut panel, covering the stitched lines.  Then sponge the grass and sky around the edges.

Remove the washi tape and assemble the card.  I ran many of the die-cut pieces through a Xyron machine; and, as noted above, next time I may cut all the pieces from a piece of cardstock that has been backed with an adhesive strip.  Stamp the sentiment in the upper right-hand corner.

Completed card.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you will come back again.  I have all kinds of ideas on how to use these marvelous dies from CottageCutz!

Dies used on this card: