Right as Rain - Cardmaking and Scrapbooking with Jean Manis

Newton’s Nook Designs | Fall Harvest

Hello! As the leaves turn golden and the air cools, I find myself embracing the charm of the fall season. Today, I am showcasing the Newton’s Nook Designs Fall Harvest stamp set on two friendship cards of the same design.

To create the focal images, stamp the Fall Harvest images with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the image with watercoloring medium 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, cut PhotoPlay Fall Plaids papers (now discontinued) and add to A2-size card bases.

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 die in the Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables set and attach to card base.

Assemble the focal images and add to the cards with dot and foam adhesive.

Spellbinders | Nature’s Hike Bouquet Card

“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.” — Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost

Hello sweater weather! Step into the beauty of fall with the September Spellbinders Small Die of the Month – “Hiking Through the Meadows.” With this unique die set, craft a pair of hiking boots that hold a vibrant bouquet.

Color Specialty Cardstock with a variety of Distress Oxide inks.
With the Spellbinders Small Die of the Month set, cut the boots, leaves, and flowers from the ink-colored cardstock; assemble as required. When assembling the boots, make sure that the top portion is open enough for the elements. Cut the “Yay Fall” sign with dies in the Large Die of the Month set. I shared a card created with the Large Die of the Month set in this post.
Add elements to an A2-sized card base covered with patterned paper from the Cozy Autumn pack.

What’s your favorite fall quote? Is it a reflection on the changing leaves, the crisp air, or the cozy moments?

Spellbinders | Boo-licious Cupcake Greetings

Get ready to be charmed by a non-spooky Halloween card featuring the Spellbinders September Large Die of the Month set – “Boo-licious Fall Cupcake.” With a color palette of pinks and teals, this card brings a playful twist to the Halloween spirit. Read on to discover how to create the card.

Dry-emboss a 4 x 5 1/4 inches Waterfall cardstock panel with the It’s My Party Too folder and add to a card base covered with canvas-textured white cardstock.
With the Large Die of the Month set, cut the cupcake base and frosting from Pink Sand, Snowdrift, and Dune cardstock; assemble.
Add cupcake to the card base.
Cut the elements – ghost, witch’s hat, sign, bats, acorn, pumpkin, gourd, and leaves – from Snowdrift, Onyx, Dahlia, Pink Sand, and Teal Topaz cardstock. Assemble as required. Add items to card.
Embellish with Two-Tone Teal enamel dots.

Do you prefer spooky or cute when it comes to Halloween?

Exploring Card Background Options

In the world of handmade card crafting, each element – be it a focal image, a sentiment, or the background – plays a unique role. Among these components, the card background often acts as a silent player, setting the stage for your focal image and sentiment to shine. In this post, I will discuss paper-based background choices, including white and colored cardstock, color blocking, woodgrain textures, and patterned paper. Once I started writing this post, I realized the vastness of the topic. In a future post, I plan to write about additional background options such as dry-embossing, cover plates, and mixed media options. Throughout this post, I’ll be illustrating the background options with cards from my blog archive. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post.

Let’s start with the background that is readily available, affordable, and pairs with any theme – white cardstock. As I look back on my first cards, the majority were created on white cardstock, and I still choose a white cardstock background for my Clean and Simple (CAS) cards. Classic and versatile, white cardstock allows focal elements to stand out.

Available in a wide range of options at a reasonable cost, a colored cardstock background can contribute significantly to the overall impact of the card. Furthermore, a smooth-textured, colored background allows heat-embossed sentiments to stand out. Colored cardstock is a perfect choice for adding color and complementing a theme.

Woodgrain cardstock adds a touch of natural charm and warmth to handmade cards. Its textured appearance works particularly well when aiming for a rustic, nature-inspired, or vintage aesthetic. However, woodgrain cardstock comes with certain limitations, notably its relatively restricted color options.

Color blocking adds energy and visual interest to a card background. It’s a versatile technique that works for a wide range of themes. However, it requires precise cutting and thoughtful color selection to achieve its full potential.

Patterned paper offers a quick and convenient way to add character to your card backgrounds. With a diverse array of designs readily available, you can effortlessly introduce themes, colors, and styles that work with your project. While looking for examples of patterned paper backgrounds for this post, I realized that my fondness for patterned paper has endured. Of course, patterned paper may not always align perfectly with every theme you have in mind.

Additionally, patterned paper can be covered with vellum to quiet the pattern and/or make a sentiment more legible.

To conclude, I have covered background options for handmade cards from the clean simplicity of white cardstock to the variety of patterned paper. In a future post, or two, I will explore additional cardmaking background options. Of the background options I discussed, which one are you most likely to choose?

Sunny Studio Stamps | Snow One Like You

Hello! It is hard to resist a winter scene with a snowman. In this post, I am sharing two cards, both showcasing the delightful stamp set Snow One Like You from Sunny Studio Stamps. On one, I used the Lawn Fawn Say Cheese, Again Polaroid-style frame, and on the other, I used the Sunny Studio Stamps Mini Mat & Tag 3 set to create a mat for my scene. In this post, I discussed the use of frames and mats in cardmaking.

To create the background, cover an A2-size card base with patterned paper.

To create the focal image, stamp Snow One Like You with Versafine on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper and heat set. Color the image with watercoloring medium of choice. Once dry, cut the images with the coordinating die set. (Check out my “Resources for Watercoloring Stamped Images” HERE.)

Use one of the hill dies in the Slimline Nature Borders set to create the snowbank.

Cut the frame with the Lawn Fawn Say Cheese, Again frame. Add snowbank and patterned paper behind the frame, trimming as needed. Cut sentiment with the Art Impressions Journal Letter die set from white glitter foam. Adhere the letters to the frame, attach the frame assembly to the background, and add the focal image to the card with foam adhesive.

Alternatively, cut a mat with the Sunny Studio Stamps Mini Mat & Tag 3 die set. Use a rectangle die to cut the sky from patterned paper and to trim the snowbank. Add the sentiment, cut with the Art Impressions Journal Letter die set from white glitter foam, to the snowbank. Add the assembly to the card background and the focal image to the card with foam adhesive.

Below are sketches of the two designs.