A “leafing” card for a dear colleague

Sorry You’re “Leafing” 🙁

I hate it when people at work leave, especially those who I really like. Last week we “lost” a dear colleague who was a joy to work with and to just see around the office. Unfortunately he was a contractor, and we don’t currently have enough work to justify keeping him, which is a real shame. So I made him a “leafing” card to let him know that he will be missed.

Now, obviously this card is a play on words, using leafing in place of leaving; I just couldn’t resist it! Sadly, I didn’t have an appropriate sentiment to add to the front of the card, but I did use the leafing statement in my handwritten message! I got a bunch of the others to sign the card as well, and I think Krys was pleased we’d made the effort. I’m not quite sure what he thought of the card as he opened it when I was not there, but I hope he liked it.

I stamped some nice leaves on the envelope:

And on the back (apologies, having added this to the post, it appears to be a bit out of focus!):

I was struggling a bit for an appropriate masculine card idea, so I popped onto Pinterest to search for masculine leaving cards, and the first few images which popped up were very autumnal with leaves and browns and oranges, etc. Which led me to a leafing card! It was the perfect opportunity to crack open the Vintage Leaves stamps and Leaflet framelits from my stash, and get making. The wooden elements are from last year’s catalogue, but I thought they tied in beautifully. You could easily substitute these with the Into The Woods elements instead.

I laid out the card before I thought about sticking everything down, and I’d cut a few additional leaves which it turned out I didn’t use, so I still have those to use on another project. I used the Naturals Ivory cardstock for the base card and Very Vanilla for the stamped and die cut elements. They tone together nicely. I am gradually using up my “stock” of the Naturals cardstock (I had a pack of White and a pack of Ivory) and I will be quite sad when it is all gone, as it is ideal for card bases like this one. The embossing folder gives a lovely finish to the card and provides the perfect base for the leaves and wooden elements. It is also a beautifully quick effect to create, and one which you can ink up and get creative with, or just leave simple as I have done here. I inked the “cup” of the acorn element, but other than that these elements are plain and simple, just like the man himself (not complicated and overrated!).

Let me know what you think of this autumnal card. Autumn has definitely hit in this area, there are wet leaves *everywhere*, the days are dark and cold and damp, and winter is on its way. This card captures the good side of autumn, I think. It would be great for an autumnal occasion, not just a leafing card for a friend at work.

Have a fabulous weekend, and on Tuesday I will have a thank you card idea for you. The new weekly deals were launched yesterday including the Flower Medallion punch which coordinates with the Flurry of Wishes stamp set. I am considering investing in that one at £12… Check them out. Also, until Monday the host rewards promotion is still live, so if you and some friends have some purchases that you would like to make, now is the time to do it if the overall order will be in excess of £200.

Enjoy! And don’t forget about the magic of digital cameras, which allow us to create a design and photograph the layout we want before we destroy it to stick it all down!:

And then take a final photo to share on a blog:

Sorry, I am leafing now and hoping it isn’t raining so I get home in the dry! 😉