Right as Rain - Cardmaking and Scrapbooking with Jean Manis

Fall Scene Card

Hello! This fall-themed card came together using a variety of die sets from my collection. Most were from Lawn Fawn, along with a fence die from Taylored Expressions. The house, fence, grassy foreground, and falling leaves create a little seasonal vignette that is an ode to fall.

I enjoyed looking through my collection of scene-building dies. They are an important part of my supplies and have great play value. Combining pieces from different sets lets you create new scenes. You do not need to buy anything specifically for the project. I also used the process as a chance to organize my cardstock better and pay attention to which cardstock I enjoy working with most. For me, projects like this are as much about exploring what I already have as they are about making the finished card.

With October here, I’m thinking about creating a mix of Halloween and fall cards.

Lawn Fawn Dies: Build-A-House, Build-A-House Beach Add-On, Build-A-House Spring Add-On, Leafy Tree Backdrop, Stitched Cloud Backdrop; Penny Black 51-657 Wildwood die set (birds); Taylored Expressions Picket Fence Border die; Sunny Studio Stamps Picket Fence Border die set (grass die)

Penny Black | Joyful Fall

Hello! Penny Black’s new Joyful Fall stamp set, released this month, includes four girl images, and I chose one of them for this fall card. It was just the thing for a low-energy, low-bandwidth day. Die cutting often involves lots of decisions and product choices, but with this image, I could sit down, watercolor first, and worry about the card design afterward.

Once the painting was finished, I framed it with a Penny Black die set and added texture with woodgrain cardstock and a stamped knit cable background (now-retired MFT Knitted Sweater background stamp). I stamped the background panel while writing this post. The overall card size is 4 1/2″ square.

Affiliate links are used when available at no extra cost to you.
Penny Black 31-264 Joyful Fall stamp set Scrapbook.com | Simon Says Stamp

Penny Black 52-068 Joyful Fall cutout die Scrapbook.com | Simon Says Stamp
Penny Black 51-816 All in One Hex/Octagon die Scrapbook.com | Simon Says Stamp

Die-cut Autumn Scene

Hello! I created this fall-themed card with a variety of dies from Penny Black and Hello Bluebird. The focal point was cut with the Penny Black 51-275 Winter Lantern die set. The leaves and pumpkins were cut with dies in the Penny Black 51-360 Pumpkins & Leaves and Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame 3 sets. All of the dies, while released years ago, are available on their respective sites. Lanterns feel especially fitting for the autumnal equinox, as we start welcoming the warm glow of candlelight!

I cut the elements from solid cardstock (which gave me a chance to continue organizing my cardstock) and used the Penny Black All-In-One Oval frame to draw the eye to the lanterns.

The “Thinking of You” sentiment (Positivity) has its own coordinating die, which makes placement easy.

Affiliate links are used when available at no extra cost to you.

Penny Black | Autumn Boots

Hello! One of my resolutions this year is to craft more seasonally and to watercolor more often. I’m trying to be intentional about both, using the seasons as a reason to reach for stamps and supplies I already own and giving myself more opportunities to practice watercoloring. This fall card brought those two goals together.

Today, I am sharing a fall-themed watercolored card. For this card, I used the Penny Black Autumn Boots stamp (introduced a few years ago). I stamped the image with Archival Watering Can ink and watercolored it with Tombow markers and Distress inks. After the image dried, I used an A2-size die to cut it. Next, I stamped the image onto masking paper, fussy-cut the masking paper, and covered the image with the mask before adding ink for the ground and sky. The detailed design made the masking more challenging than I expected, and the background was only partly successful. To complete the sky, I added ink with my paintbrush.

The process reminded me that I should first watercolor the background before I watercolor the image.

For the sentiment, I used a newer Penny Black stamp set with a coordinating die, which made adding the sentiment stress-free.

Affiliate links are used when available at no extra cost to you.

A Cozy Fall Card Reimagined

Hello! I revisited a card I made last year, which was created with the Hero Arts Cozy Critters set (offered as a club kit in September 2025). The set is also available at Spellbinders. Since making the original card, I’ve added new supplies to my collection, giving me an opportunity to mix things up and create a different version of the same cozy scene. I replaced the original animal included in the club kit with two critters from the Spellbinders Trailside Trio set. The result is a cozy fall scene with a slightly different personality.

I also used several Taylored Expressions embossing folders (now retired) that I rediscovered while organizing my folders. The Beadboard folder was used for the card background, and the pillows were dry-embossed with the Cable Knit folder. The texture adds interest without competing with the die-cut scene. For the color palette, I chose seasonal shades that give the card a cozy, tucked-in-for-the-season feeling.

I like revisiting a card design this way. Rather than starting from scratch, I can change the focal images, sentiment, textures, or colors and create something that feels new. It is also a good reminder that reorganizing craft supplies can lead to ideas as well as a more functional craft space.

Affiliate links are used when available at no extra cost to you.