November Inspiration Challenge – Brilliant Autumn Leaves
Hello, Altenew friends! It’s November, and time for another Inspiration Challenge! I’ve been saving this photo in my Favorites File for a long time, since we started spending more time in Minnesota where the autumn leaves are abundant and brilliantly colored! I was so happy to be slotted in for the November Inspiration Challenge, and I know last month was also autumn-leaf focused, so I hope you won’t mind another take on a similar theme!
We don’t generally tend to think of fall leaves in such stunning hues of purple and pink, yet here we are! I have not edited the photo in any way, except to nudge the exposure slider up a little, making the image brighter.
To make this card, I began by embossing an A2 panel of watercolor paper with the Areca Palm 3D embossing folder. Then I chose paint colors from the Artist’s 24 and 36 Pan paint palettes to match the colors in the photo. I will confess to adding some extra colors for balance – a design liberty that I’m giving you permission to take as well! My reason for embossing before painting, rather than the other way around, was to provide peaks and valleys for the paint to pool in, in order to dry a little darker in some of the low spots.
While the embossed panel dried, I die cut a couple of leaf shapes from the Leaf Mix Dies and Tropical Leaf Mix Dies sets, from white cardstock, then ink blending in a light-to-dark fashion. Using the Mighty Alphabet Dies set, I also die cut three layers each of the letters spelling YOU, then stacked and adhered them together.
I stamped a coordinating sentiment with the Sentiment Strips II stamp set, using Obsidian Pigment Ink and heat setting with clear embossing powder. I went back to the colorful card panel and added some splatters with black paint and white gouache, let that dry, trimmed the panel slightly smaller than A2, then adhered everything to a folded card base, including a few white enamel dots.
Thank you so much for your interest! I hope I’ve given you some inspiration to create a beautiful, jewel-toned card or other project! Have a wonderful day!
- Altenew products should be the focus, but other companies’ products can be used.
- Make sure to use our challenge image above in your blog post.
- Include a link back to the ALTENEW INSPIRATION CHALLENGE POST.
- When uploading your project, make sure you link your entry post, not your entire blog.
- You may enter as many times as you wish!
- Challenge ends on November 30th, 2021, at 11:55 PM EDT.
After the challenge ends, FOUR WINNERS will be selected. Each will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at www.altenew.com.

Winners will be announced on 12/10/2021.
WAIT – there’s more!
If you use #AltenewChallenge when you share your challenge entry on social media, you are instantly entered into a raffle to win a $15 gift certificate to our online store!

Feel free to use the banner above and let everyone know that you are participating in our Inspiration Challenge!
Please click on the blue button below to link your challenge entries. We cannot wait to see where this month’s inspiration takes you!
Good luck, and happy crafting!







