Nearly all of us have certain things that bring us immeasurable joy.
For me – and many the world over – one of the greatest and most meaningful of these fall time.
After waiting with patience and mounting excitement for nine whole months, autumn – sweet, enchantingly glorious autumn – has officially returned.
Today is the Fall Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The rebirth of fall, whose conception began with the first stirrings of spring several months prior.
Autumn will remain in place this year until Tuesday December 21, 2021. At which point, the Winter Solstice will overtake fall once again.
Many witches, Wiccans and Pagans who celebrate the sacred sabbat of Mabon chose to do so on the inaugural day of fall.
This is a camp I fall into myself and I take immense pleasure in observing the second of three fall harvest sabbats each year (the other two being Lammas at the beginning of August and Samhain at the end of October).
Most people who know me are aware of the fact that I live for fall. 🥰 It is my seasonal soul mate, the chapter of the year in which I feel most like my truest self, and the point on the calendar that I personally view as the start of my year (after all, Samhain is not called the witch’s New Year for nothing!).
Fall sparks something utterly magickal in me. It soothes and uplifts, excites and thrills.
I honestly could not fathom a world without the jewel tones, warm spice aromas, and myriad sights, sounds, tastes and other gifts of autumn.
From today straight on until fall takes its final breath for another year, my heart and face alike will wear a smile so wide it will dwarf that of even the largest jack-o-lantern. 🎃
In the beloved children’s book Anne of Green Gables, Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote, “I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers.”
This sentiment is one that most fans of fall time enthusiastically agree with – and which the majority of us who adore this time of the year extends to autumn as a whole.
I am immeasurably grateful to live in a world with fall, and it was a recent reflection on this point that spurs me to create the “Thankful & Blessed” ink blended fall forest sunset scene card that stars in this post.
Thankful & and blessed ink blended fall forest sunset scene card
There is a deeply meaningful element of gratitude inherent to the harvest season, which even in the high-tech world of the 21st century still, thankfully, plays a vital role in helping to feed and nourish the world’s legions of inhabitants.
While the origins are fairly different and the Canadian version is not based on the happenings of Plymouth Rock or the early American pilgrims, much like the only other country that we share a border with, Canada observes its own Thanksgiving.
This beautiful celebration of the fall harvest, togetherness, gratitude, and autumn’s many blessings transpires each year on the second Monday in October.
As such, this year Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on Monday October 11th.
(Fun side fact, the latest possible date that Canadian Thanksgiving can happen on is October 14th, which just happens to my and Tony’s wedding anniversary. This means that every few years we get to celebrate Thanksgiving and our anniversary on the very same day, adding all the more joy to both of these important events.)
The harvest season sabbats of Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain, as well as both Thanksgiving and Halloween are massive influences on my paper crafting – and life in general – the whole year through.
They guided my creative process as I designed the card at the heart of this post.
This elegant fall sunset forest scene card would make for an excellent Thanksgiving Day greeting, It also works terrifically for the fall sabbats, as a thank you greeting, or if, as needed, you changed the sentiment up, as a birthday, sympathy, get well, retirement, anniversary card, thinking of you or just because card.
If the woodland silhouette scene stamp here looks familiar, it’s because I blogged about a different card (Relax and Unwind Forest Scene Summertime Card) that I made using the same image last year.
I love, love, love the look of stamped, stencilled, die cut, etc silhouette images against ink blended backgrounds and had been itching to use that particular stamp on a fall card ever since I made the aforementioned greeting with it in 2020.
For the colour palette of this greeting, I wanted to retain some of the vibrancy of early to mid-autumn and marry it with the rich, beautiful earth tones of the harvest season.
Inky forest green, warm shades of flax and orange, cocoa brown, gleaming gold, and subtle pops of dusky blue combined to do just that – along, of course, with the multi-coloured ink blended sky.
Fall sunsets come in as many – if not more – varieties as the crispy, crunchy leaves that embody this captivating time of the year.
This one is rendered Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink. It was inspired by many (gorgeous!) autumn sunsets that I’ve witnessed firsthand over the years here in the interior of British Columbia.
Deer are a prevalent feature of life around these parts. Some traverse our property (and town as a whole) the whole year through and I’ve had the memorable pleasure of seeing scenes similar to the one depicted here in person on numerous occasions.
Such happenings are something that I am tremendously thankful for.
The stamped and ink blended central panel is the star of the show on this card, but a charming fall leaf print paper (which appears on two different layers here) coupled with intricately die cut cardstock layers, and a smattering of festive embellishments catch the eye as well.
Together these elements team up to deliver a serene, richly autumnal greeting that expresses so much of what I adore about fall.
If you are keen to make a fall forest sunset scene card or your own or simply wish to know more about the creative process of how I constructed this harvest season greeting, read on for a supply list and detailed instructions.
Products used to make this elegant handmade autumn card
-Forest (or pine) green, reddish-orange, and dark/cocoa brown cardstock
-White cardstock (such as Neehah Classic Crest 110 LB Smooth Solar White Paper) that holds up well when ink blending)
-Gold metallic cardstock
-Fall leaf print papers (one design was used for layering, a second to fussy cut the fall foliage and berry images from) – Spiced Pumpkin 12 x 12-inch paper pad from Craftsmart (Michael’s brand)
-Notched corner stitched edge nested die set
-Small stitched edge nested circle die set
-Elegant heart edge design die
-Woodland deer scene stamp (unbranded free gift with purchase from an online seller; you can find similar looking stamps for sale online here and here)
-Dark brown ink – Acorn Archival Ink from Ranger (this is the ink that you will stamp the woodland deer scene with, so you want it to be a richly pigment, long-lasting ink)
-Dark brown ink – Dew Drop Rich Cocoa Ink from Memento
-Ranger Distress Oxide Ink in the following colours (all used for the ink blended sky): Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Chipped Sapphire, Worn Lipstick, Victorian Velvet, Hickory Smoke, Fossilized Amber, Tattered Rose, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, and Carved Pumpkin
-“Thankful & Blessed” sentiment sticker – Celebrate Autumn Element Stickers from Echo Park
-Small orange paper roses
-Earthy gold coloured “sugared” faux berry springs (these hail from AliExpress; craft and dollar stores, as well Etsy, eBay, and as some party supply retailers are also great places to check for this type of product)
-Flax/light gold coloured seam binding – Trophy Gold Seam Binding from Hug Snug
-Natural toned burlap – Burlap Mat Stack from DCWV
-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers
-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)
How to make a thankful & and blessed ink blended fall forest sunset scene card
Begin by making a side-fold card base from dark/cocoa brown cardstock. Top this with a piece of gold metallic cardstock slightly smaller than your card base. Then top that piece of cardstock with a slightly smaller piece of Craftsmart fall leaf print paper.
Die cut three of the same shaped pieces using the ornate decorative edge die – one each from pine/forest green, dark/cocoa brown, and gold metallic cardstock, respectively.
Adhere a piece of DCWV burlap vertically on your card base. Then layer the three ornate layers you just die cut in the following order: pine/forest green (arranged horizontally), dark/cocoa brown (vertically), and gold metallic (also vertically).
Top the gold metallic layer with a horizontal layer of DCWV burlap.
Using the notched corner stitched edge nesting set, die cut one piece each from reddish-orange cardstock, the same Craftsmart leaf print paper used already, dark/cocoa brown cardstock, gold metallic cardstock (create a border shaped piece with this layer), and a white cardstock that holds up well when ink blending.
Layer and adhere the layers you just die cut, save for the last two layers (they’ll be added once you’ve stamped and inked your woodland sunset scene).
Stamp the forest deer scene in Acorn Archival Ink. Allow to dry, then ink blend a fall sunset scene using Tim Holtz Distress Ink (or other suitable ink of your choosing).
Allow this panel to dry, as needed, then top it with the gold border layer that you die cut. Adhere the stamped panel to the middle of your card front.
Fussy cut some fall leaves and berries from Craftsmart paper.
Die cut three different sizes of small stitched edge circles, one each from pine/forest green, dark/cocoa brown, and gold metallic cardstock.
Adhere these layers together and top with the “Thankful & Blessed” sentiment sticker.
Create a multi-loop bow from the flax/gold coloured seam binding (optionally, you can crinkle and dry your seam binding, if so desired, to give your bow even more of a shabby chic look).
Arrange and adhere bow, “sugared” berry stems, fussy cut leaves and berries, and small orange paper roses on the lower left-hand side of the card. Top with the layered sentiment circle.
And there you have it, one charmingly pretty and very seasonally appropriate ink blended fall sunset scene card to keep and enjoy for yourself or to give away to someone special. Whatever your heart desires.
Welcome fall!
If I could throw autumn a ticker-tape parade to celebrate its triumphant return, I gladly would.
Objectively though, Mother Nature does a marvellous job herself on that front care of the sublimely lovely fall leaves she sends tumbling to the ground throughout the season.
Both literally and proverbially, I roll out the welcome mat for fall time and adore the fact that I’m doing so in unison with countless other fans of this gorgeous chapter of the year.
Last year was, weather-wise, one of the briefest autumns I’ve ever experienced.
It began, fittingly, right around Mabon, only to come to a screeching halt about a month later, when snowy winter weather made an extra early appearance.
While a few hearty trees held onto their fall foliage a bit longer after the snow started, for all intents, autumn’s outdoor aesthetic was over by early November.
This, as you might imagine, made for quite the lengthy winter (we got our final snowfall on April 10th of this year).
It is anyone’s guess – especially after the scorching hot summer with its record-breaking temperatures – that we just experienced as to how long fall will hold out here this year.
Naturally, I’m keeping my fingers, toes, and cozy knit scarf ends all crossed for a generous sized autumn.
They’re rarer than hen’s teeth around these parts, but I have experienced the occasional fall that lingers until late November or even early December before. Suffice it to say, those were extra awesome years as a result! 🥰
As with so much in life, only time will tell as to how long this autumn will grace us with its beguiling presence.
No matter the length of its visit, I will lap up every moment and make the very best of my favourite season. For it truly is one of the things in life that bring me the most joy.
I have a bevy of fall-related content (including plenty of new craft projects) coming down the pipeline over the course of this season. All of which I hope you’ll enjoy and find informative, inspiring, or just plain fun – as the case may be.
I encourage you to embrace fall with all your heart as well and to celebrate this enchantingly special season in whatever ways bring you the most bliss.
Wishing you each the safest, sweetest, and most splendidly wonderful autumn possible, dear friends!
And, of course, for my friends south of the equator, may you have an equally fantastic springtime + Ostara celebration!
What are you most looking forward to about this fall (or spring)? Do you experience gorgeous autumn sunsets in your area? 🍂🧡🍂
Your card is a work of art, I would be using it as a fall decoration! Fall is the most beautiful season. The butterfly die I used was from Gina Marie designs, she has lovely items at good prices, if you want me to die cut you a few e-mail me your address, I don’t mind sending to Canada.
You are exceedingly kind and wonderfully supportive, dear Donna. Thank you very much for your blush-inducingly sweet compliments.
Had I kept this festive greeting, I would definitely have displayed it as part of our seasonal decor. Instead, it was mailed off to a cherished friend in the States who I hope will enjoy it – and, who knows, perhaps opt to display it as part of their own decor.
You’re so sweet! Thank you very much for your immensely kind offer to send me some die cuts made with that gorgeous butterfly die. I would be elated to receive some. My email address is autumnzenithwitch@gmail.com – please feel free to drop me a line anytime (and be sure to let me know what I could send you in exchange as a heartfelt token of my appreciation).
Big hugs,
🖤 Autumn
Absolutely amazing and stunning design! I love all of the luscious die cut layers and that blended background is beautifully done! Al the way down to the burlap, seam binding and pretty details, this is a delight for the Fall Season!! Thanks for sharing!
*Blush!* Aww, thank you so much, Vicki! You are awesomely kind and supportive.
I madly adored making this card and enjoyed displaying it in my craft room for a wee while before posting it out to the dear soul that I created it for.
Had I not made it with a specific recipient in mind, I would have been very tempted to add it to my ever-growing selection of “me made” paper crafting projects that I use in our home decor (both seasonal and year-round).
Heartfelt thanks again, my sweet friend. Wishing you a cozy, safe, fun-filled and abundantly blessed October.
🖤 Autumn
Yes, I know you love Fall. I agree it is a magical season. Your card is beautiful. I love the deer! The colours you used are perfect for this season.
It really is a magnificently magical/magickal season, sweet Ivana. How right you are!
We are fully entrenched in autumn here at the moment – though the temps are already whispering promises of winter’s impending return. I’m savouring and delighting in every possible moment – including getting in nature walks whenever my health and other circumstances will permit.
I hope that this season is smiling warmly on you and bringing no shortae of joyful experiences your way. 🎃
🖤 Autumn
A stunning fall card in beautiful autumnal colours,love the deer panel and beautiful layers.
You are wonderfully kind, Meg. Thank you very much for your thoroughly lovely comment.
I really enjoyed making this immensely autumnal greeting and hope that it will bring added festive cheer to the (fellow fall adoring) friend that I mailed it off to earlier this season.
Wishing you a cozy, fun-filled, and truly lovely season!
🖤 Autumn
I love thecskyline behind the scene. It has such a luminous quality. Almost like it was lit from behind. Just stunning. Love Dawn x
That is such an awesome impressive to receive from this festive fall time greeting. Thank you very much for sharing it with me, sweet Dawn.
I hope that your season is off to a cracking start and that plenty of gorgeous fall time colours and happenings are filling your days. 🍂
🖤 Autumn
Fall is also my favorite time of the year and I wish it could somehow last longer. Your card is nothing short of magnificent with all those layers, the burlap, flowers, and deer! I just love how you put this all together with that pretty scene and all those wonderful embellishments. It definitely has a “wow” factor for me, so take a bow! Thanks too for all those thoughtful and warm comments you left on my blog. I’m grateful that you took the time to stop by. Wishing you happiness in this wonderful season of fall!
Thank you mightly, dear Carol. I echo your wishes to no end.
Fall is often exceedingly short-lived around these Canadian parts. For example, last year we started getting snow in mid-October and continued to do until something like the 10th of April.
That, as you’d imagine, makes for a rather brief autumn, yet the brevity of the season only helps to ensure that I strive to embrace every magical moment of it all the more.
You’re very welcome for my visits to your lovely site. I follow you/it via Bloglovin’ and try my best to catch up + comment on the blogs I follow multiple times throughout the month, so you’re apt to see comments from me come in bunches (or as one online friend described it several years ago, “waves”). I really enjoy your inspiring paper crafts and am delighted that the web led our paths to cross.
Big hugs & the happiest of wishes for a resplendent fall coming your way!
🖤 Autumn
A gorgeous card Autumn, a wonderful woodland scene and lots of beautiful die cut details. I like the texture you have created with the burlap and ribbon and all of the super layers, most of all though, the lovely Fall colours.
Pauline – Crafting with Cotnob
x
You are blush-inducingly kind, dear Pauline. Thank you so much!
Burland is one of my favourite materials to use in paper crafting and I’m always looking for fun ways to weave it into a project.
I hope that your October is going beautifully and that you have a cozy, fantastic last leg of the year’s tenth month. 🎃
🖤 Autumn
That card is absolutely exquisite, Autumn! Your passion for all things Autumnal clearly shines through in each of its delicate and carefully chosen layers! xxx
Your deeply kind and encouraging words hug my heart like the warmest bursts of fall time sunshine. Thank you immensely, my beautiful friend.
I hope that you and Jos are savouring a relaxing, wonderful autumn. (We’re in the heart of the season here and delighting in each crisp, cool, enchantingly lovely moment.)
Oodles of hugs,
🖤 Autumn
Oh, wow! Your card is stunning! I just love all the layers and details! I love the colors you used. I could look at this over and over. The layered dies are stunning. Just everything about this is special! I LOVE fall here. We get to say goodbye to the long hot summer. We don’t see bright colors for quite some time but we get beautiful blue skies. My husband and I will go camping and that is also something to look forward to!
*Blush!* Thank you so much for your immensely kind words about this festive fall time make.
How awesome that you and your DH are able to go camping this fall. I’ll gleefully camp all year round, but am especially fond of doing so during the fall and mid to late spring weeks. I hope that you two have a fun-filled, super safe, and entirely enjoyable time in nature.
Big hugs & joyful October wishes,
🖤 Autumn
What a stunning card Autumn! I love the ink blending and the beautiful stamp you used! Gorgeous details and layering as always, this is a work of art for sure! Enjoy your weekend.
Tammy x
Thank you so much, sweet Tammy. You’re always so awesomely supportive of my work and I want you to know just how much it means to me.
I adore this stamp (which reminds me big time of many woodland scenes I’ve witnessed throughout my life here in Canada) and highly doubt this will be the last project I share that features it.
I hope that your fall is off to a splendid start and that an abundance of cozy, beautiful seasonal joys are filling your days.
🖤 Autumn
Gorgeous card Autumn, I love true deer scene. Fantastic color combo and perfect plethora of layers.
You are exceedingly kind, dear Alicia. Thank you very much for your awesomely supportive words about this festive fall make.
May you have a relaxing, joy-filled, and unendingly enchanting October!
🖤 Autumn
So pretty I think the colours of this season have to be the best, great stamp and gorgeous detailed card. xx
Thank you deeply, lovely Annie. I concur entirely regarding fall’s incredible colour palette. It is a perpetual favourite of mine that finds its way into many areas of my life, from fashion to home to decor to, naturally, paper crafting.
Many hugs & the sweetest of October wishes coming your way.
🖤 Autumn
J adore this card. The colours are so beautiful. Love the layers of interest and textures you create on your cards.
That is such a supportive, wonderfully kind comment, Anesha. Thank you very much, sweet lady!
Generally speaking, it’s a safe bet that most of my projects will house multiple layers. As much as I admire and draw tons of inspiration from single layered creations or those with just a small number of layers, I often feel like my projects are as good as naked without multiple layers and embellishments (something that, perhaps not surprisingly, tends to extend to my daily outfits as well).
Many thanks again! I hope that your October is going splendidly!
🖤 Autumn
Absolutely stunning! The color combinations and textures on it are lovely and so encompassing of the season!
You are sincerely making me blush, sweet Inky. Thank you very much for your tremendously kind words. 🧡
This card was a delight to put together and I hope that it brings my recipient as much joy as I had created it.
Scores of hugs & the very happiest of spooky season wishes!
🖤 Autumn
What a truly amazing card. I love all the detail, thanks too for the explanation on how you made it. Autumn is indeed a wonderful time but it also heralds the start of winter, which is a time that I struggle with. As I live in the east and am an early riser (I go for a walk every morning) I enjoy watching the sun rise, it can be truly spectacular. In the summer even I am not early enough to see it and in the afternoon I am usually staying cosy inside xx
You are tremendously kind, dear Hilary. Thank you deeply for your wonderfully sweet and supportive words.
My pleasure! I know that that not all of my readers are going to rush out and try to duplicate my projects, but for those who might be keen to do so or simply to pick up some paper crafting tips from my creative process, for several months now I’ve made sure to share detailed how-to instructions with most of my project posts here.
Your early morning walks sound resplendently lovely. I am a dyed-in-the-wool night owl and am sometimes up late enough that I can get in an early AM jaunt myself before grabbing a few winks. And, at other times, I fight my internal clock, set an alarm, and start the day extra early with a walk. Annie (our dog) and I took one as the sun rose on the Fall Equinox this year and it was a tranquil, gorgeous, spiritually meaningful experience that I won’t soon forgot.
May fall bless and keep you well, and deliver a bevy of festive seasonal joys your way around the clock.
🖤 Autumn
Ooh, autumn, how we adore you and have longed for you. The colours have finally started to change here in Denmark, and our autumn is also very short-lived, so I always promise to enjoy it as much as possible. I indulge in my autumn decor, jools and nailart – I know it is over before the blink of an eye. As you might have seen on my IG we celebrated autumn, son, his girlfriend and Jesper (our best friend, whom we have adopted). Son’s idea and I immediately thought it was a fantastic idea. We lit a bonfire, drank pumpkin spice gin tonics, made potato soup, roasted bread over the fire for our soup, and dessert was toasted marshmallows and hot cocoa with mini marshmallows. We sat most of the night talking and listening to son’s playlist, while the bonfire slowly died. It was GLORIOUS, and I hope we have started a new tradition. ♥ Wishing you a lovely day, dear. 🙂
Thank you very much for your fantastic comment, sweet Sanne. Living in a country where, as a general rule, fall is exceedingly short-lived as well, I can sincerely relate.
I adored hearing about your awesome autumn – complete with one of my very favourite sweet treats of all time (toasted marshmallows). Good friends and beloved family, scrumptious seasonal eats, and time spent outdoors are my idea of fall time heaven as well.
I second your hope that you’ve planted the seeds of a new annual tradition and wish you many more incredible, meaningful, and unforgettably happy experiences this season. 🧡
Tons of hugs & joyful countdown-to-Halloween wishes!
🖤 Autumn
And now I forgot to mention that I LOVE your beautiful shadow card and all the different textures and colours used – but you know I love everything from your hand. ♥
Your supportive kindness never fails to touch my heart and bring a hearty flush to my checks, dear Sanne. Thank you so much!!!
🖤 Autumn
This was my favourite card ever I think – and that’s saying a lot! I hope you had a lovely soul mate date with mabon! You do make every holiday lovely!
That is incredibly high praise and such a supportive, meaningful thing to be told, sweet soul. Thank you abundantly!
I truly appreciate your kindness and hope that this fall is being every bit as lovely to you as you always are here to me and my project shares.
Big hugs & the very happiest of October wishes coming your way,
🖤 Autumn
I knew this season was going to have you all giddy and smiling ear to ear. What an striking card depicting the richly coloured autumn sky. Beautiful ink blending. The dimension, texture and details are amazing as always.
Hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous and your Halloween twice as much!
😊 You know me well, dear Trina, and that touches my heart abundantly.
Thank you very much for your splendidly kind words and festive wishes as well. Our Thanksgiving was ultra low-key this year, with the day that nature itself provided taking the lead role (which I do not mind in the slightest).
Just ten days to go now until All Hallows’ Eve returns and I can scarcely continue my glee + excitement. I’ve got some more festive posts to share here in the next few days and can hardly wait to keep celebrating this awesomely fun season with my dear online friends. 🎃
Oodles of hugs & the very happiest of Halloween wishes,
🖤 Autumn
So beautiful, love all the colours and those papers. It really is the best time of year. Emmax
Absolutely!!! Each season has its own unique charms and endearing properties, but none tops fall in my books.
All the more reason why I’m presently floating on cloud nine as proper autumn weather (aka, not early season snow, as we experienced last year) is still going strong here. It is filling my heart with an immeasurable amount of joy.
Huge hugs & the warmest of wishes for a fun-filled, gorgeous tail end of October.
🖤 Autumn
Once again you have outdone yourself on constructing such an exquisite card.
And, I was thrilled beyond words to be the lucky/blessed recipient of this beautifully unique artwork!! It embodies all that I love about this season and the magical forest and deer that surround our home.
Your talent continues to amaze me.
Thank you again, Autumn, for making my Fall Season even more special.
Warm hugs,
Debi
My cherished friend, you are wholeheartedly welcome. Thank you and your gorgeous corner of the world for helping to inspire the creation of this project. 🍂🦌🍂
And a huge thanks as well for your heart-touching compliments. It means a tremendous amount to me to be able to share some of the paper crafting projects I make with you and look forward to hopefully zipping many more your ways in the years to come.
It’s sunny here for the first time in several days and the golden light is making nature’s fall palette gleam and glisten all the more. I thought of you upon seeing this gorgeous day and hope that our own November is still filled with the sights, colours, and happenings that help to endure this season so dearly to our hearts.
Warmest hugs & happiest wishes for a beautiful, blessing-filled second half of fall.
🖤 Autumn