3 Cards using the Painted Pumpkins Bundle

One card idea doesn’t have to mean one card! These 3 Cards using the Painted Pumpkins Bundle show how you can start with a quick and simple fall card, then add a little more color, texture, and detail depending on how much time you have and what you feel like doing.

That’s the whole idea behind Step It Up Stamping. You don’t have to make the fanciest card in the room. You can start simple and stop there, or keep playing and see where the same supplies take you. And the Painted Pumpkins Bundle gives us plenty of ways to play!

The Painted Pumpkins Bundle includes the Painted Pumpkins Stamp Set, Painted Pumpkins Dies, and Painted Pumpkins Decorative Masks. That gives you quite a few choices from one bundle. You can simply stamp the pumpkins, add color, cut out individual images, layer them together, or use the masks when you want to add even more texture.

For these three cards, I started with the same basic fall feeling and then gradually added more detail. You’ll see Mosaic Garden Designer Series Paper throughout the progression, along with those wonderful pumpkin images. As the cards step up, we bring in Stampin’ Blends, die-cut pumpkins, additional layers, texture, and a few special details.

The result is three cards that clearly belong together, but each one has a different personality. That’s something I really like about working this way. You don’t need three completely different ideas. You can take one idea and ask yourself, “What could I add next?”

Old Olive, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Cajun Craze give these cards a softer take on traditional fall colors. Old Olive provides that earthy green foundation and works beautifully with the Mosaic Garden Designer Series Paper. Cajun Craze brings in the deeper, rusty color we expect in autumn. Then Crisp Cantaloupe lightens everything up.

Instead of making the cards feel dark or heavy, that softer peachy color gives the pumpkins and layers some freshness. It’s still warm enough to feel like fall, but it makes the whole combination a little more unexpected. That’s why I especially like this color combination if you love fall cards but are ready for something besides the usual orange, brown, and gold.

As the cards progress, I used the Painted Pumpkins Dies to cut out the pumpkins and Stylish Shapes Dies for the circles. And when I wanted that extra special finishing touch, I brought in the Sweetly Sentimental Bundle with the Hot Foil System and Copper Foil for the sentiment. You can learn more about the Hot Foil System here.

I won’t go into all those techniques here because that’s exactly what the Step It Up Stamping tutorial is for. But I love seeing how each addition changes the card. You can stop when the card feels finished to you.

Maybe today you’re a Busy Bee who wants to stamp a cute card and get it done. Another day you might want to color and add a few layers. And sometimes you’re in the mood to pull out all the toys and play!

None of those choices makes one card “better” than another.
The best card is the one you enjoy making and actually send.

Supplies You’ll Need

These are the basic supplies you’ll need for each of the 3 cards. You can find the complete detailed supply list at the bottom of this post.

COMPLETE SUPPLY LIST: