Fall - Right as Rain

Fall & Halloween Cards: Autumn Inspiration

Hello fall! Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is a little bit of fall in the air and the days have grown shorter. To embrace the season in my cardmaking, I am revisiting fall-themed cards (including Halloween) in my blog archive, from the warm hues of harvest and cozy comforts of sweater weather to the playful spookiness of Halloween. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post.

Embrace the cozy weather with a card featuring a novelty sweater and a knitted pattern background.

Send a warm greeting with a card that captures the beauty of fall.

Celebrate the harvest season with cards showcasing pumpkins piled high in a rustic cart.

Bring a whimsical touch to Halloween on a card featuring a gnome dressed as a wizard cruising in a sporty car.

Haunted houses never go out of style, as seen on this card featuring an abandoned house with bats, ghosts, and a glowing full moon.

Observations As I look at the cards, I see that I used dry-embossed backgrounds or woodgrain elements on the fall cards for texture. Additionally, the color orange appeared on all of the cards. I did not include any Thanksgiving cards in this roundup; although I have made a few over the years, it is not an occasion for which I regularly make cards.

I hope this roundup sparks your imagination to create your own fall-themed cards. What are some of your favorite products with this theme? Do you have products on your “to buy” list with this theme?

Sunny Studio Stamps | Truckload of Pumpkins

Hello! Today I am sharing a fall-themed card featuring the delightful Sunny Studio Stamps Truckloads of Love stamp set, with coordinating dies. Envisioning a visit to the pumpkin patch, I created a pumpkin-picking scene with the set’s pickup truck, pumpkins, and two of the cute critters.

To begin, dry-emboss an A2-size panel of rust cardstock (I used SU Cajun Craze) with the Buffalo Plaid embossing folder. Add to card base. You can read more about dry-embossed card backgrounds HERE.
Stamp Truckloads of Love pickup, pumpkins (twice), and two of the critters with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the images with watercoloring mediums of choice (I used mini Distress Inks). Once dry, cut the images with the dies in the coordinating set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
Cut scallop mat from white cardstock with the Mini Mat and Tag 3 set.
Stamp sentiment on white cardstock and add Distress Oxide Inks to sky and road (using vellum to mask while applying the inks). I created the sentiment on my computer as I wanted to specifically reference a pumpkin field.
Trim inked sentiment panel to fit inside the Mini Mat and Tag 3 scallop mat. Add inked panel to mat.
Adhere truck, pumpkins, and critters. Add assembly to card base.

Scarecrow Sweater: Papercrafted Fall Fashion

Hello! Today, I am showcasing Elizabeth Craft Designs products – the Sweater Season and Scarecrow die sets and Autumn Words stamp set – on a fall-themed card. I don’t own a fall novelty sweater, however, I can always craft one from paper!

To begin, dry-emboss a Persimmon cardstock panel, measuring 4 1/2″ square with cable folder (I used Cable Knit from Taylored Expressions). Attach to card base.
Cut sweater with dies in the Sweater Season set. Dry-emboss sweater body with SU Subtle folder (now retired). Alternatively, cut the sweater from textured cardstock. Add neckline, bottom hem, and cuffs, cut from white cardstock, to the sweater. Cut circles with a small circle die and add to sweater body for adornment.
Die-cut pieces for the Scarecrow head and hat from colored cardstock. Assemble. To create the mouth on the scarecrow, I cut a piece of cardstock with a 1/2-inch circle die. I used the negative portion to draw the mouth using a Faber Castell Pitt artist pen size XS pen. (I am writing this specifically so I will remember for next time.) Add assembled scarecrow face, with crow, to sweater front.
Stamp Autumn Words sentiment in black on to white cardstock and cut with the smallest die in the Small Stitched Rectangle Stackables set.
Add sentiment and assembled sweater to card front.

Previously, I used the Scarecrow die set on a fall-themed card HERE and the Sweater Season die set on a Christmas-themed card HERE.

Newton’s Nook Designs | Fall Harvest Take Two

Hello! Today I am sharing two more cards created with the Newton’s Nook Designs Fall Harvest stamp set. I previously shared cards with this stamp and coordinating die set HERE. This time, I am using stenciled pumpkin backgrounds rather than patterned paper ones, applying ink through a stencil on to coordinating cardstock for a tone-on-tone background. You can read my post about creating stenciled backgrounds for cards HERE.

To create the focal images, stamp the Fall Harvest images with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the images with watercoloring mediums of choice. Once dry, cut the images with the dies in the coordinating set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)
To create the card backgrounds, apply ink through the Pumpkin Patch stencil. For the background with the dog, I used Dried Marigold ink on SU Pumpkin cardstock, and on the other background with the cat, I used Wild Honey ink on SU More Mustard cardstock. Trim panels to A2-size and attach to card bases. (Next time, I will cut the cardstock to A2 size before applying ink through the stencil. The stencil pattern is 5 1/2″ square.)
Glimmer foil the sentiment in the Autumn Greetings set with Copper foil on white cardstock (I used Taylored Expressions Sugar Cube, as it is not stark white). Cut panel with a 2 3/4″ die in the Everlasting Circles set. Cut another circle from vellum with a 3″ die in the same set.
Assemble the focal images, add the images to the circle mats, and adhere to the card fronts.

Spellbinders | Yay for Autumn

Hello! Today, I am sharing another fall-/Halloween-themed card featuring the Spellbinders September Large Die of the Month set – “Boo-licious Fall Cupcake.” I previously shared a card created with this die set HERE. For this take, I created a background of pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and acorns, cut with dies in the set, and a focal image of a ghost in a witch’s hat.

Dry-emboss a 5″ x 7″ Snowdrift cardstock panel with the It’s My Party Too folder and add to a card base.
With the Large Die of the Month set, cut the pumpkins, gourds, leaves, and acorns from Teal Topaz, Rainforest, Purple Mist, Royal Amethyst, and Persimmon cardstock. Assemble as necessary and add to card base with foam adhesive.
Cut the ghost, witch’s hat, band, and sign from Snowdrift, Onyx, and Rainforest cardstock. Assemble and add to an oval cut with a die in the Essential Stylish Ovals set from vellum. Add foam adhesive to back of assembly and adhere to card front.
Embellish with white dots in the Dimensional Black & White Enamel Dots set.

Take advantage of the Spellbinders Fall Warehouse Sale that runs now through September 21!