Autumn Charm with Squirrel & Pumpkins By Jyoti Adhkari
There’s something so charming about creating fall cards with warm colors, playful critters, and lots of layered details. Today I’m sharing a card featuring two dies from the Poppystamps 2026 Holiday Cheer Release – the Nordic Acorn Squirrel and Pumpkin Patch dies. I combined them with a decorative gold frame and a softly blended background to create a little autumn scene filled with pumpkins.
A Soft Autumn Background
I started with a soft ink-blended panel for the background, blending a pale blue at the top into a warm creamy beige toward the bottom. I love how these unexpected softer colors keep the card feeling light while still working beautifully with the traditional oranges and browns of the fall elements. A few subtle splatters add just enough texture without distracting from the die cuts.
Framing the Scene
To give the design a more polished look, I added a decorative rectangular frame cut from gold metallic cardstock. Instead of filling the entire card front with pumpkins, I tucked most of the Pumpkin Patch die cuts along the bottom inside the frame. I used several shades of orange, golden yellow, cream, and soft blue-gray, layering some of the pumpkins in front of others to create depth.
The Sweet Nordic Acorn Squirrel
The Nordic Acorn Squirrel is definitely the star of this card. I die cut the different layers from warm rust, cream, and rich brown cardstock and assembled all those beautiful Nordic details. I placed the squirrel slightly outside the gold frame at the lower right, which gives the design a fun dimensional look and makes it feel as though the squirrel is stepping right out of the little pumpkin scene. Of course, I had to include the tiny acorn in its paws!
Finishing the Card
For the sentiment, I added a large “Happy Fall” in dark brown near the top of the blended background. I also tucked a few delicate leafy die cuts behind the pumpkins to soften the transition between the background and foreground. With the gold frame, layered pumpkins, and oversized squirrel extending beyond the scene, there is plenty of dimension while the overall design still feels clean and balanced.
I really enjoyed combining the Nordic Acorn Squirrel and Pumpkin Patch dies on this card. They work so naturally together, and changing the colors of the pumpkins makes it easy to create a completely different autumn look each time. I especially love how the squirrel sitting outside the frame adds that little unexpected detail that makes this card feel extra playful.
Hugs,
Jyoti
