Perched In A Tree Catalog Case

I Love Those Diecut Leaves!

I have been gone all week visiting my son Greg and his dog Roux, who live 5 hours southwest of me in Maine. We spent 3 days at a cabin in the woods that we rented. It did rain most of the time we were there, but we had fun anyway. We played cribbage, visited a few restaurants and pubs and even went bowling.

We had plans and attempted to hike Angel Falls near Rangeley Maine, which is where we were staying. Because it rained so much a few days prior, it was too treacherous to try to cross the stream once we got there. We tried. We hiked to different areas of the stream trying to find a way around, and it was a no-go. The hike brings you through a stream with no bridge and you are required to cross the stream multiple times to reach the falls. The water from multiple days of rain was just too high and fast so we couldn’t make it all the way up. There always seemed to be one rock missing to step on to complete crossing. We did not want to take a chance on getting hurt since we were in an area with no cell service. Angel Falls has a 90-foot drop so imagine what that would have looked like. I’ve seen photos but seeing it in person would have been awesome.

I did snap a few photos for the portion of the hike that we were able to make it to. Once we arrived where it was unsafe, I couldn’t risk taking my phone out to take more photos so here are a few that I took before it got uncrossable:

I forget to mention that my son Greg is a hiker. He and his dog Roux actually attempted to hike the Appalachian Trail starting in Georgia to Maine back in 2020, but covid hit two weeks in and he had to come home. This would have taken them about six months to complete. He hikes a lot and because I took a mini vacation with my daughter and granddaughters back in July, I made him pick where he wanted to go for our mini vacation. Rangeley Maine it was!

The following day, we were able to visit Smalls Falls which was gorgeous. The hike starts at a rest area that is maintained by our Maine Department of Transportation. It’s a very short hike and we were even able to wear our sandals to get to the falls. We had a little bit of height to conquer as we climbed through roots, branches, trees and water to get to the falls but the trail was well traveled:

The remainder of our mini vacation was spent at Bear Mountain Inn where Greg works. He showed me around Bridgton Maine and I had the most beautiful room as you can see in the first three photos. I would highly recommend the Bear Mountain Inn. The breakfast was wonderful as well.

The 2nd set of photos are some of the hardscapes my son created for this business. Greg is very artistic and a perfectionist when it comes to his work. I took so many photos of his work and all of the details of the inn. I added a few for you to show you his work.

Bear Mountain Inn also has a trail in the wooded area surrounding their whole property. It’s about 1/2 of a mile long and I usually walked it twice to equal a mile, with Roux while Greg was working. The walk leads to the lake where weddings are performed. That’s the large area you see in the photos above that Greg built specifically for the wedding ceremonies. The inn also has an old barn that was converted into a wedding venue. Again, this is a gorgeous place.

It’s a little bit of a challenge for me to venture out without my hubby Dave because we used to do everything together. I know he would want me to at least try, and I’m trying. I had a really good time with my son but I miss Dave so much and his company. It gets a little easier each day but it’s something I can’t explain if you’ve never lost a spouse. Baby steps.

Now let’s get back to my card. I thought it was perfect timing to case this card from our catalog since I was out in nature a lot this past week:

I used Soft Succulent Cardstock and Brushed Metallic Cardstock for my pretty leaves. The dies for each size actually presses into the paper to emboss the veins. Such great details.

Card Products:

• Stamps: Perched In A Tree
• Inks: Gray Granite, VersaMark
• Cardstock: Thick Basic White, Basic White, Soft Succulent, Crumb Cake, Brushed Metallic
• Tools & Accessories: Aspen Trees Dies, Soft Succulent Satin Shimmer Ribbon, Champagne Rhinestone Jewels, Sponge Dauber, Heat Tool, Essentials Embossing Powder, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Card Recipe:

• Card Base: Thick Basic White Cardstock 11″ x 4-1/4″. Score and fold at 5-1/2″.
• Layer #2: Pool Party Cardstock 5-1/8″ x 3-7/8″. Glue to card base.
• Layer #3: Basic White Cardstock 5-1/4″ x 4″. Follow these steps:
  • Cut with the tree scenery die, centered
  • Use a Sponge Dauber and Gray Granite Ink to add ink to the edges of the trees
  • Glue to card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals and Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Ribbon: Cut a piece of ribbon to measure 4-1/8″ long. Cut the right end at an angle with Paper Snips. Glue to card front about 1-1/4″ from the bottom and even with layer #2 on the left.
• Sentiment: Stamp the sentiment using VersaMark Ink on a piece of Crumb Cake Cardstock that measures 3″ x 1″. Sprinkle white embossing powder and melt the powder with the Heat Tool. Glue layered over the ribbon using Stampin’ Dimensionals.
• Leaves: Cut one each of the leaves using the dies with Soft Succulent Cardstock and Brushed Metallic Cardstock. Glue tucked under the sentiment as shown on the card.
• Bling: Add Champagne Rhinestone Jewels to the background.