4 Color Blocking Techniques for Easy Fall Cardmaking

I love when a cardmaking idea looks completely different simply because I change the way I arrange my cardstock. That was the inspiration behind these four fall cards. For this project, I wanted to take a traditional autumn theme and give it a brighter, more playful feel, so I reached for a combination of Pop Tone cardstock colors from CutCardStock rather than sticking with the usual collection of deep oranges and browns. The result is four cards that use the same stamped imagery but feel different because of the way the color blocks are arranged.

4 Color Blocking Techniques for Easy Fall Cardmaking

The real star of these cards is not a complicated technique. It is the relationship between the colors and the stamped background. I used Pop Tone Banana Split, Orange Fizz, Pink Lemonade, and Gum Drop Green, with Hot Fudge providing a grounding dark accent. I chose these colors because they have enough contrast to make each section of the design noticeable, but they still work together as a cohesive fall palette. This is an important design lesson with color blocking: you do not necessarily need traditional colors to communicate a season. Sometimes it is more effective to choose colors that suggest the feeling you want instead of simply copying the colors you see in nature.

Why Color Blocking Works So Well

One reason I enjoy color blocking for handmade cards is that it gives patterned or stamped backgrounds a little more structure. The Acorn Almanac Background Stamp Set adds a lot of detail to these cards, including leaves, acorns, text, and linework. If I had simply stamped that image onto a solid piece of cardstock, the result would have been pretty, but the color-blocked backgrounds give the stamped image additional visual interest. The same image crosses from one color into another, creating little changes in contrast throughout the design. That is something you can easily try with supplies you already own. A background stamp, large floral stamp, geometric stamp, or even a repeated small image can work beautifully with this approach.

I also intentionally kept the focal point consistent across all four cards. The white sentiment panel provides a visual resting place among all those colorful sections, while the Hot Fudge mat adds definition and helps the sentiment stand out. This is one of my favorite tricks when working with a bold background: if the background is doing a lot of the work, simplify the focal point. You do not need to add more and more embellishments to make the card feel finished. Sometimes a strong layer and a little dimension are all you need.

Making the Design Work With Your Stash

You certainly do not need these exact CutCardStock colors to recreate the idea. Look through your scraps and choose three or four colors with noticeably different values. For example, try a light yellow, medium green, orange, and deep brown. If you prefer a more traditional fall card, substitute burgundy or rust for the pink. Want something softer? Try cream, sage, peach, and kraft. The important thing is to create enough contrast that each color block can be seen clearly. This is also a great way to use leftover cardstock because you can cut strips and small blocks from scraps rather than starting with full sheets.

Another thing I would encourage you to experiment with is the arrangement itself. The four cards shown here use different color-blocking layouts, but you could create even more variations by changing the width of your strips, using diagonal sections, alternating horizontal and vertical blocks, or creating an intentionally uneven arrangement. This makes color blocking a particularly useful technique when you want to make a set of cards that coordinate without looking like duplicates. And if you are newer to cardmaking, it is a simple way to start thinking about balance, contrast, and composition without having to learn a complicated new stamping technique.

A Simple Design Idea With Lots of Possibilities

The Cougar White Smooth CardStock also plays an important role in these cards. I used the 80 lb cardstock for the stamped panels and sentiment because it provides a smooth surface for stamping, while the 110 lb Cougar White Smooth CardStock gives the card bases the sturdiness I like. Small choices like these can make a handmade card feel more polished, even when the design itself is fairly simple. I finished the cards with a few white gel pen highlights and gold accents, but those details are completely optional. You could leave them off, add a few enamel dots, use gems from your stash, or simply let the stamped image and color blocking be the focus.

What I really like about this project is that it demonstrates how one design concept can give you four completely different cards. You do not always need a new stamp set or an entirely new cardmaking technique to create something fresh. Sometimes the best place to start is with the supplies already sitting on your desk and a willingness to arrange them differently. If you try these 4 Color Blocking Techniques for Easy Fall Cardmaking, I hope you will experiment with your own color combinations and layouts. I would love to know which color combination you would choose for your version, so leave me a comment and tell me what you would try!

Thanks for dropping by today I hope that you found a little spark of creative inspiration with my project today. Wondering what I used in this project? Everything is linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails in the Materials Used section, or in the text below. Compensated affiliate links used when possible.

Supplies Used

Here you will find the list of supplies that I used to create today's card. All supplies are linked to supply sources below. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Happy Crafting,

Rick Adkins

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