Inspired by a Morning Stroll

Hi everyone!  Can you believe it is May already?!  Time sure flies when you're havin' fun!  

We've already had a few days in the 90's so we've had to move our walks earlier and earlier to avoid the heat and humidity.  We try to stay in the shade and sometimes that means taking the "common area" walking paths through our neighborhood which takes us by several retention ponds.  Even though they are man-made, they're still quite peaceful and it's nice to take a pause to gaze at the plants, birds, fish and other wildlife that gather there.  Thankfully we haven't seen any snakes or gators!   

Those morning walks inspired this clean and simple masculine birthday card using our Autumn Silhouettes stamp set.  The designer paper I chose includes the colors of sand/water/sky and the stamps portray a familiar waterside plant.  I kept the layout and the embellishments simple and natural.  I used a bolder brown and a faint, shimmery copper to stamp the cattails, adding splashes of tea dye and faded jeans distress inks to draw the colors of the background into the foreground.  

Here's a peek at the inside.  This sentiment is from our He Lives stamp set.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Autumn Silhouettes
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - He Lives (celebrate sentiment)
• Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Tag Collection
• Craft Consortium Retro Summer 6x6
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Espresso Truffle
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Celestial Copper
• May Arts Baker's Twine - 110 Yard Spool - Kraft
• distress inks for spattering

A grass carp (?) that is larger/longer than my forearm!