Leaves Are Falling All Around

I love this time of year - the leaves are turning beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange and copper brown. The shops are starting to sell Halloween and Bonfire Night goodies such as Parkin and Treacle Toffee. I have come down with a bad cold and temperature so am feeling rough.  I lose my mojo when I'm under par but managed to finish this card before I succumbed completely.  My colouring has gone like a two year old and I keep going over the lines! 

I am entering the Lili Of The Valley  No. 68 Challenge - Autumn - which entails using one of their stamps. As I only have three and they are all Christmassy, I have adapted one to look Autumny.  Not sure if it worked? 

 I am also entering the Sir Stampalot Challenge as it is Autumn Breezes, Buttons and Bows. The card depicts an autumn breeze and has a button with a delicate bow.   

Pocket Full of Posies  have a Challenge for Autumn Leaves. It does say in the rules that you have to have something floral on your card. The Happy Birthday Banner has a flower on? but not sure if that counts but will try. Last but not least Creative Stamp Friends has a Challenge for Orange Brown so I think it qualifies for that. 

 I have coloured the girl's hair gold - I know it seems strange but it just looked really nice.  I made an Easel Card which is only the second I've ever done. I struggle a bit with decorating them and think I need to be more inventive. 

I love looking at all the entries into the Challenges; they are amazing and so many different takes on one theme.  Anyway, I'm off to dose myself, meanwhile here is the card recipe:-

Recipe 

Square Easel Card

Milton Paper Stack: Orange with white daisies and Thinking Of You Paper

Lili of the Valley Stamp: "Dropping the Shopping"

Mounts: Earth Tones Glitter Paper (Handy Hippo) - Brown

Brown recycled Card (Handy Hippo)

Die Cuts from stock coloured to match and mounted

Leaf Banner: ClipArt leaves copid and pasted together

Orange Button (raided from my mum's button stash)

Gold string from stash

Two amber gems

Colouring

(Promarkers by shade and Copics by no.)

Face and legs: Vanilla and Copic R20

Hair: Gold Sakura Gel Pen

Fur Hat, Mitts, Boots Trim: Shale

Scarf: Coral, Black spots highlighted with gold

Coat: Tan

Dog: Tan, Shale for button nose

Bag: Burnt Orange, Gold Sakura Gel Pen, 

Girl's parcel: Pear Green, Shale

Dog's Parcel: Coral and Burnt Orange with Pear Green Bow.

Scarf: Tan, Black and gold spots

Challenges: 

Lili Of The Valley  Challenge 68 - Autumn

Sir Stampalot - Autumn Breezes, Button(s) and Bow(s)

Pocket Full of Posies - Challenge 8 - Autumn Leaves

Creative Stamp Friends - Challenge 9 - Orange Brown

Sharing Moments:

I came across this recipe for 100 year old Parkin - just follow the recipe and then leave for a hundred years! (only joking). The recipe is actually from October 1907 and it states that back then it sold for eight old pence a pound! I wonder how much that would be in today's money?  Amazing stuff.

I also came across this when scanning some old 35mm slides from the '60s.  It's a shame my head has been cut off but look at that grin - it's bigger than the swedes!