Penny Black - Right as Rain

Fall Card Made with What I Already Have

Hello! As you may have read in my recent posts, I’ve been trying to approach cardmaking a little differently. Instead of looking for something new to make, I’m looking at what I already have with fresh eyes. I’m also trying to craft for the season I’m in. Right now, that means pulling out the autumn stamps, dies, and cardstock I already own and letting them inspire me. This card is a good example. The formula includes a stamped background, a dry-embossed panel, an oval mat, and a focal watering-can image.

As I organize my supplies, I’m pulling fall stamps and dies forward in their storage boxes, so I see and use them. The shift is helping me rediscover supplies I already own rather than automatically adding something new to the collection. It also ties into some of my recent thoughts about cardmaking mojo.

Supply List
Penny Black 51-766 Watering Can, 51-754 Pumpkin Parade,
51-360 Pumpkins & Leaves, 51-653 Autumn Décor dies
Spellbinders Fancy Edge Ovals dies
MFT tag die
Penny Black 65-012 Allover Stitches embossing folder
Taylored Expressions Buffalo Plaid background stamp
Hero Arts Message Strips stamp set
Taylored Expressions Toffee cardstock; Lawn Fawn Vanilla Malt cardstock; Bazzill Candy Corn cardstock; Bristol colored with Distress Oxide inks
VersaFine ink; Archival Potting Soil ink
May Arts twine

You can see that I used quite a few different supplies to make this card. But before you decide you need something new, take a look at what you already own. When I went through my blog posts, searching by keyword, I discovered that I have four different sets of medium-sized watering-can dies. Four! Clearly, I have enough watering cans.

What about you? What background stamp do you already own? An oval die? An embossing folder? A few seasonal images or embellishments that could change the look of a familiar design?

Sometimes, when you look at a finished card, you don’t immediately see everything that went into it. The background stamp, embossing folder, die-cut shape, or small supporting elements can be easy to overlook. That’s part of why I’m trying to look at my supplies differently and craft with what I already have.

Penny Black | Thanks a Bunch

Hello! This card features one of the Penny Black Flower of the Month offerings, Dainty Daisies and Hand-Picked. A tag on the pitcher includes the “Thanks a Bunch” sentiment. I stamped and watercolored the floral elements and the pitcher. Once dry, I cut them with their coordinating die sets (Dainty Daisies cut-out and Hand-Picked cut-out). The elements were placed on a tone-on-tone background (Enlightened) cut with a shaped die (Graceful Stackers) to give the design extra interest without competing with the flowers. The result is a simple, fresh card that feels like a little bouquet of gratitude.

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Penny Black | Die-Cut Flowers

Hello! My first idea for this friendship and/or encouragement card, created with Penny Black supplies, was to watercolor the die cuts, inspired by Jill Foster’s beautiful watercoloring techniques. But I wasn’t happy with how my flowers were turning out, so I went back to one of my trusted techniques: die-cutting the five-petal flowers (Company of Flowers) and foliage (Ascending) and coloring them with Distress Oxide Inks.

I tucked the floral/foliage elements into the All-In-One Oval frame opening, which was backed with an inked and dry-embossed background (Encircle folder). The “Start This Day with a Smile” sentiment (Positivity) has its own coordinating die, which makes placement easy.

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Penny Black Petals | Polaroid Frame

Hello! I’m continuing my adventure through Penny Black’s Petals stamp set with a third card, this time giving another sweet image a Polaroid-style frame (Penny Black 51-057 Polaroid die set). The sentiment (30-562 Golden Dance stamp set) is stamped directly onto the frame, with patterned paper tucked behind it and the watercolored girl popped up on the front for added dimension. A dry-embossed background (Penny Black Texture embossing folder) adds another layer of subtle texture. It’s been fun rediscovering the joy of using an entire stamp set and seeing how each image can inspire a different design.

You can see my other cards with the stamp set HERE and HERE.

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Circle Frame | Penny Black Petals

Hello! After enjoying my first card with Penny Black’s new Petals stamp set from the A Lovely Smile release, I wanted to play with another image from the collection. I experimented with a different frame design, this time creating a circle window to highlight the image. A sweet tag sentiment and a few thoughtful details completed the card while keeping the focus on the watercoloring.

You can see my first card with the Petals set HERE.

- To begin, stamp the Petals image onto watercolor paper and color it with the medium of your choice. Once dry, cut with the coordinating die.
- Stamp the Happy Snippets sentiment and cut with a tag die (I used one from My Favorite Things).
- Cut white cardstock (Bazzill Marshmallow) with the square die measuring 4-1/2″ square in the Penny Black 51-422 Stitched Square & Circles die set.
- Use a circle die in the 51-551 Stitched Circles set to cut a circle from the square.
- Stamp Script (similar cling stamp) onto blue cardstock (Spellbinders Malibu) with blue ink for a tone-on-tone background. Trim to fit behind the frame. Cut a sheet of vellum to put in front of the script background.
- Use a circle in the 51-422 Stitched Square & Circles die set to cut an inner mat from the same blue cardstock for the assembly.
- Assemble the frame and background pieces and attach to a card base.
- Add the focal image and sentiment with foam adhesive.

Early in my cardmaking journey, I would often devour an entire stamp set, inking up every image and finding a way to use each one. It’s fun to return to that feeling again with Penny Black’s Petals stamp set and let each image inspire a different card design.

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