Spellbinders - 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?

Spellbinders | Colorful Expressions Blooms

Hello! Today, I am sharing a “hello” card created with Spellbinders August 2024 Large Die of the Month Kit “Colorful Expressions Blooms.” The design features an arrangement of die-cut flowers and greenery paired with a sentiment created with the August 2024 Small Die of the Month Kit – “Colorful Expressions Sentiments.”

Cut Sea Glass cardstock with largest die in the 5 x 7 Matting Basics A set and dry-emboss with the Tiny Dots folder. Attach to a 5″ x 7″ Brushed Gold card base.
With the Large Die of the Month Kit set, cut elements from a variety of cardstock colors. Assemble as required. Add elements to card background, trimming overlap as necessary.
Cut sentiment with dies in the Small Die of the Month Kit set and add to card front with foam adhesive.

Spellbinders | Wish Big

Hello! Looking for the Spellbinders blog hop post? Head HERE.

Make a birthday extra special with this whimsical monster-themed card, perfect for celebrating a 5th birthday! Paired with a cheerful “wish big” sentiment, this card is sure to bring smiles and joy. The die-cut sentiment was created with the Spellbinders August 2024 Small Die of the Month kit – “Colorful Expressions Sentiments.”

I paired the die-cut sentiment with previously released products to showcase the set’s versatility. Whether you’re crafting for your own child or a friend’s, this card is a delightful way to mark a milestone with a touch of playful charm.

Spellbinders | Purr-fect Birthday Card

Hello! I am sharing a birthday card created with products in the Bibi’s Cats and Pugs Collection at Spellbinders. Celebrate in style with this whimsical card featuring a cat wearing glasses adorned with birthday candles. Previously, I shared three Christmas cards created with the collection in this post. As I mention on the Spellbinders blog, before cutting, I recommend printing out the die set parts image from the product page. This allows you to make notes and identify parts as you go through the set.

- Create a 5″ x 7″ card base and cover with patterned paper.
- Cut the cat and accessories with dies in the Big Cat and Cats and Pugs Accessories sets. I used patterned paper that coordinated with the card background for the cat’s scarf.
- Stamp the sentiment with stamps in the Cats and Pugs Sentiments set (I used a navy pigment ink). Use a die in the Cats and Pugs Accessories set to cut the sentiment words and add to the glasses.

Mindful Christmas Card Prep

Hello! As July comes to a close, it’s a great time to prepare for Christmas card making. Stores are beginning to stock new products for holiday crafting. In fact, Spellbinders already has released a number of holiday products with more to come. Just as I did last year in this post, I am evaluating the supplies I already own and identifying any gaps. In this post, I explore Christmas-themed products including BetterPress sentiment plates, focal item dies, background options, and specialty cardstock. Spellbinders is running a sale on past Christmas products.

Focal Item Dies: Which holiday-themed dies are you drawn to craft with – reindeer, Christmas trees, gnomes, snowmen? Santa is a perennial favorite, and there are many Santa die sets available. Click on the image to be taken to the original post with additional details.

Simon’s Snow Globes Collection includes a base set and several add-ons. I have used the Snowman Scene several times. Click on the image to be taken to the original post with additional details.

Backgrounds: Snowflake embossing folders – Sparkling Snow 3D and Flurry of Snowflakes 3D – add seasonal texture. The Starshine Background is a terrific way to create a subtly textured card base for the holidays and beyond.

Sentiments: Having purchased a BetterPress, I have been using the Merry and Bright sentiment set and plan to purchase additional holiday press plates. The Red Geranium Archival Ink works well for the holidays. Click on the image to be taken to the original post with additional details.

Specialty Cardstock: Glitter cardstock enhances holiday projects by adding festive and eye-catching sparkle. The Spring Tones and Jewel Tones packs include a variety of colors. Cardstock in metal-inspired colors and finishes can add a sophisticated and luxurious touch to holiday cards. The Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold packages include sheets of glitter metallic, matte metallic, brushed metallic, mirror metallic, and pearl metallic, which pair well with traditional holiday colors like red and green.