Happy Wednesday Friends – today we have a treat for you with not one but THREE gorgeous examples of how to use background stamps or extra WOW on your cards!. Our Designer Annie is using some of our new August Release Layered Stamps as well as new backgrounds to jazz up today’s projects, and you just have to see these!
Background stamps are a great way to create subtle patterns that won’t compete with your focal image (the reason many of us have stacks of paper pads that go unused is because most of the patterns are too busy!). Today Annie has created three autumn cards using tone-on-tone backgrounds that play perfectly with our pretty new stamps.
AUTUMN SPRIGS CARD
This first way she is sharing how to use background stamps is clean and simple so she wanted to be sure her background didn’t compete with those bright autumn sprigs. Using kraft cardstock as a warmer neutral for autumn cards is always a fun option, but it can also look dull, so a background stamp can spruce it up. She chose this pretty script pattern that made a great impression.
- Start by stamping the Sloped Script Background Stamp in Mocha Ink onto a piece of kraft cardstock. Die cut the panel with the largest die from the Nested Deckle Rectangle Die Set for a vintage letter look.
- Stamp the sentiment from the Autumn Harvest stamp set onto red cardstock using Versamark Ink, cover it in white embossing powder, and melt it with a heat tool. Trim the cardstock above and below the sentiment to form a long strip.
- Position the sentiment strip where you would like on the background panel and nestle the same Nested Deckle Rectangle Die over top, lining it up with the original cut on the background panel. Run the sentiment strip through your die cutting machine with the die to create a strip that aligns perfectly with the background border.
- Stamp the large layered sprig from the Autumn Harvest stamp set onto white cardstock using Custard, Apricot, Crimson, and Pecan inks. Repeat with the second largest sprig image.
- Trim out the images with a pair of scissors, leaving a small white border.
- Adhere the stamped background panel to a side-folding A2-sized white card base using foam adhesive. Pop the sentiment strip up on top of the panel with more foam adhesive, ensuring the border pattern is aligned.
- Add the two autumn sprigs on the left side with more foam adhesive for tons of dimension.
We love how much color you can pack in those tiny little sprigs! This card would be perfect to let any pumpkin spice lovers on your card list know that you’re thinking about them.
ROCK WALL VINE CARD
Pinks and purples for fall? We say yes, especially when you pair them with warmer neutrals like cream and warm grey! For the next sample of how to use background stampsd, Annie thought it would be fun to play with the look of vines on an old rock wall and love how it turned out.
- Trim a piece of grey cardstock to 4″ x 5.25″ and stamp the Rock Wall Background image onto it using Silver ink. Add a sentiment using black ink in the lower right corner. (Sneak peek alert – this sentiment is from a new greetings stamp set being released soon!)
- Trim a piece of cream cardstock to 4″x 5.25″. Die cut the bottom half off using the scalloped border die from the Borders #1 Die Set.
- Stamp the six different flowers from the Bloomin Vine stamp set onto white cardstock using Color Fuse Set #5 and Color Fuse Set #6. For the purple flowers, I actually double-stamped each layer using my MISTI, first in a pink shade and then in the same “level” of purple shade, to create an even warmer purple bloom.
- Stamp the leaf layers using Silver and Hearth inks from Color Fuse Set #12.
- Cut all of the images out using the coordinating dies.
- Adhere the grey background panel onto a top-folding A2-sized card base created out of cream cardstock with foam adhesive.
- Pop the cream scalloped die-cut up on top of the card base using more foam adhesive.
- Arrange the blooms along the edge of the upper panel and secure down, alternating using tape runner and foam adhesive for lots of layers and dimension.
- Tuck the leaves behind the flowers and adhere down with liquid glue.
WELCOME AUTUMN SLIMLINE CARD
With the introduction of our new Slimline dies, we found many people wondering if A2 backgrounds could still be used on them. Annie tested it out and it is possible…it just takes a little bit of planning! Slimline window dies are the perfect way to hide a little over-stamped edge or a break in the design, giving you a new method of how to use background stamps no matter the size!
- Trim a piece of aqua cardstock to 3″ x 8″ and stamp the Vine Silhouette Background Stamp over the panel twice in Whisper Ink. Here you can see where the two impressions overlap just a bit in the center…but she positioned the impressions so that the overlap would line up with one of the borders from her die-cut.
- Die cut white cardstock using the Slimline OPC Wavy Die.
- Stamped the large and small flowers from the Autumn Fire stamp set (I LOVE this stamp set!) using Color Fuse Set #1, Color Fuse Set #2, Color Fuse Set #4, and Color Fuse Set #6. She played with lots of different color combinations to get a few she liked…her favorite orange blooms use the colors in the top row in the photo (Citrus, Apricot, Crimson, and Orchid) while my favorite yellow blooms use the colors in the bottom row (Custard, Autumn, Amaretto, and Pumpkin).
- Stamp all three of the leaf images using Fern and Juniper inks.
- Cut the images out using the coordinating dies.
- Mat the stamped aqua background panel with a teal piece of cardstock and adhere down to a slimline-sized white card base using tape runner.
- Adhere the white slimline wavy window die-cut on top with foam adhesive.
- Arrange flowers and leaves on the card front and adhere down with liquid glue or foam adhesive for lots of dimension.
- Stamp the sentiment from the Splatter Leaves Stamp Set onto teal cardstock in Versamark Ink, cover it in white embossing powder, and melt it with a heat tool.
- Die cut the sentiment out using the smallest die from the Inside Scallop Nested Dies, tuck it between some of the blooms, and adhere it down with foam adhesive.
SUPPLIES USED:

We don’t know about you, but we are super impressed with today’s cards. This bright autumn card trio gave us some great ideas for how to use background stamps to create elegant cards. Be sure to check us out on Instagram or visit our Facebook Fan Group for tons of inspiration!