Fall Scene Building Card

There’s something special about creating a handmade card that feels like a little scene captured in paper. Hey there, Judy here. For this fall-inspired card, I used CutCardStock cardstock to build a colorful autumn landscape filled with sunflowers, falling leaves, a rustic fence, and a bundled-up girl enjoying a crisp fall day.

The key to this card is scene building—combining individual die-cut elements, layered cardstock, and simple inking techniques to create depth and dimension.

Creating the Background

Start with a piece of Cougar White Smooth Cardstock for the card front. Create a soft blue sky-to-green grass background using ink blending. The gradual transition helps establish the outdoor setting while keeping the colors bright and cheerful.

Die Cutting

Die cut each of the elements for your scene. Mine are cut with the Sunflowers & Showers Die Set from Spellbinders. But, take a look at your collection of dies and see what you have on hand. Chances are you have many dies that would make a great scene.

Cardstock:
Lessebo Amazon Dark Teal, Brick Orange, Blossom Pink
Pop Tone Hot Fudge, DCS Dolphin Gray
DCS Canvas Textured Rubber Ducky Yellow, Galax Olive Green
DCS Pearlized Textured Green Curry & Strawberry Cream Pink
Cougar White Smooth, DCS Black

Add some inking to the die cuts. Assemble.

Building the Scene

Cut a 5 x 6 1/2 inch card base from Pop Tone Hot Fudge cardstock.

Begin layering the scene on the background from the back forward starting with a picket fence. The fence stretches across the lower portion of the card. Cut the fence pieces from DCS Dolphin Gray cardstock and add subtle shading to create a weathered wood appearance.

Adhere the background panel to the card base.

For the upper portion of the card, add clouds and a large tree branch extending into the scene. Attach several colorful autumn leaves to the branches. The leaves are cut from Brick Orange, Rubber Ducky Yellow and Galax Olive Green.

Next add sunflowers cut from DCS Canvas Textured Rubber Ducky Yellow cardstock. The centers are cut from Hot Fudge layered onto DCS Black . The green stems and leaves cut from DCS Pearlized Textured Green Curry help bring the flowers to life and add a wonderful pop of color against the blue sky.

Scatter autumn leaves throughout the scene to give the impression that they are gently falling.

Adding the Focal Character

The focal point of the card is the little girl bundled up for a cool autumn day. Cut pieces for her face and hair with Blossom Pink, Strawberry Cream Pink and Hot Fudge. Her coat, scarf and boots are cut from Amazon Dark Teal, Hot Fudge and Strawberry Cream Pink.

Placing her in front of the fence and beneath the falling leaves helps tie all of the individual elements together and makes the card feel like one cohesive scene.

Adding a few leaves around her feet to reinforce the fall theme and give the bottom of the card some additional dimension.

Complete the design by adding the “Just for You“ sentiment, cut from Hot Fudge to the clouds on the top left.

I love how the combination of CutCardStock cardstock, layered die cuts, ink blending, and scene building transforms simple paper pieces into a little autumn story. This technique is also a great way to use a variety of cardstock colors while creating a card with plenty of depth and visual interest.

Tips for Scene-Building Cards

• Work from the background forward. Add sky and landscape elements first, then build toward your focal image.
• Use different shades of cardstock to add dimension to layered pieces.
• Overlap elements slightly to make the scene feel more natural.
• Don’t forget the small details. Scattered leaves can make a big difference in bringing an autumn scene together.
• Use foam adhesive selectively to pop up important elements and create additional depth.

For more inspiration join us over on the CutCardStock Facebook Page and the Facebook Group Creating with CutCardStock.