It seems the fall gives us one of the best color palettes of the year. As the weather cools down the colors warm up, and I love utilizing the fall palette, and the theme in my cards.
Today, I have a few easy tips to help you create a handful of fantastic fall cards, without taking all day to do it. So, let’s get started!
Supplies
This is where the first easy tip comes in. Get yourself (or utilize one you may already have in your stash!) a fall-themed cardstock pack. For me, I utilized Gina K’s Autumn Rainbow card stock collection, made exclusively for Simon Says Stamp.
By using a cardstock pack you can take the guesswork out of which colors work together. For my cards I utilized Cherry Red, Tomato Soup, Honey Mustard, Fresh Asparagus and Dark Chocolate.
Now, we are onto the next tip – select a simple die cut collection. I chose My Favorite Things Fab Foliage Die-namics. Basic die cuts are fantastic in that the color selection really determines their style in a project, because of this, the Fab Foliage set of dies is perfect!
I also selected a couple die cuts for my sentiments. Hugs and Thinking of You, both from Honey Bee Stamps, were exactly what I was looking for. Both sets come with an outline die, whereas, Hugs actually comes with two.
Card Design
First, I trimmed my cardstock into workable panels. In other words, I cut each 8 1/2” x 11” cardstock sheet in half both lengthwise and widthwise. Next, I die cut a set of leaves from each color of cardstock.
This gave me a great starting point for card design. I began my layouts by placing a card panel, then laying die cuts. I played around with different concepts and ideas, moving things around until I came up with four card panels.
Looking at card panels individually, I determined how I wanted to mat, which sentiment to use, and which colors for each would look best.
For the Hugs die, I wanted to use the sentiment as a single layer, dual layer and triple layer – just so I could illustrate to you how versatile this set is. Take a look at the final cards (at bottom of post) to see the differences.
I utilized my go-to dimensions for matting: Top Layer 4 3/4” x 3 1/2”, Bottom Layer 5 1/8” x 3 7/8”.
Making it Permanent
Only after layering everything for all cards did I begin to actually glue things together. Gina K Connect Glue is great for all the detailed die cuts and sentiments. This glue dries clear, and matte, so it’s very forgiving.
Placing sentiments can be a bit tricky, so I have another tip for you. Use the sentiment background as your guide and place any easy portions of the sentiment first. Below, I adhered ‘of’ first, as it was small and easy to place. This helps me see the spacing a little easier for the balance of the sentiment.
Next, glue longer portions in pieces. For ‘Thinking’, I placed glue on only the first section of the die cut then placed it onto the background. Only after adhering did I add glue to the next section. By breaking down the larger sentiment into sizable portions I was able to get it lined up accurately.
Some 3D Foam Squares came in handy on a couple of the sentiments. The extra dimension helped the sentiments pop even better.
Finishing Touches
Studio Katia Autumn Fusion sequins finished off these cards. I love this sequin pack – it’s a great collection of multiple sequin sizes ranging in colors including gold, bronze and chocolate brown.
I’m so happy with how these cards turned out. They are a great collection to give as a gift as well. Using cardstock packs is a great help if you struggle with color theory, or just don’t want to deal with it.
Basic and/or simple die cuts are great to utilize for cards like these as well. Your color palette determines their merit in the design, rather than their shape.
Do you have a favorite cardstock pack? One that gives you endless inspiration and is easy to use? How about a die cut set that you find yourself utilizing throughout the year?
Hope you are enjoying the fall weather, wherever you are. I’m enjoying things finally cooling down in the southern US. Winter is around the corner, and I’m not quite ready for that – here’s to hoping the fall weather sticks around for a bit.
