Getting Crafty with the October A Colorful Life Designs Stencil Release!

 Welcome back to the blog!

I am so excited to share my latest projects featuring the amazing NEW October stencil release from A Colorful Life Designs. Stencils are easily one of the most versatile tools in any cardmaker’s stash, but it’s easy to get stuck in a routine of flat, single-color ink blending. For this release, I wanted to challenge myself to create five distinct holiday designs, showcasing different ways to bring stencil patterns to life.

Whether you love classic traditional reds and greens, icy modern navy tones, or soft contemporary palettes, there is something in this lineup for you!

Shop the Release

Ready to add these must-have stencils to your collection? You can find the entire October release and many more over at the shop. Be sure to use code DEEPAFAN10 to save on your order!

(click the image below👇🏽)

See the Cards in Motion

Want to see these cards up close? Be sure to check out my latest Reel to see these cards up close, catch the sparkle, and see the texture in motion!

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October Collection Highlights

I picked five stencils from this versatile release to create a diverse set of holiday cards. Here is how I brought each stencil to life:

1. Textured Icy Pines

For the first card, I decided to focus heavily on texture rather than flat ink. I started with deep navy cardstock and treated it with anti-static powder—the most important first step whenever you're doing detailed heat embossing! Once the cardstock was ready, I aligned the Mid Century Christmas Tree 6x6 stencil and applied a clear embossing ink through it.

Here’s where the magic happened: instead of a single color, I used a custom mix of different embossing powders to create a cool, variegated "icy pines" look. I layered a blend of different blues, aquas, and perhaps a silver or white glitter powder, letting them fall organically across the trees, and then heat set it for a gorgeous, raised finish with tons of depth. To perfectly complement the textured design, I wrapped some silvery-white bakers' twine around the side, tying it in a bow, and added the cool, script-and-block "a wonderful life" sentiment along the bottom.

Stencil Featured: Mid Century Christmas Tree 6x6

2. Traditional Torn Red & Green

I wanted to showcase a clever way to use a traditional holly and ribbon stencil. This card uses a creative layering and tearing technique. I stenciled the background pattern (red and green) on beige paper, and embossed it on another piece of green cardstock. Then I tore the green stenciled panel and layered it over the beige panel. A gold glitter embossed sentiment box finishes off this playful, classic design.

Stencil Featured: Outline Mistletoe 6x6

3. Sparkling Teal Wreath

This card screams sophisticated holiday sparkle, and it was so much fun to create using selective embossing techniques! Instead of traditional ink blending, I decided to build the entire design using my embossing pen and different powders on a piece of rich black cardstock. This allowed me to "hand-paint" the wreath detail precisely where I wanted it to achieve maximum texture and dimension.

I started by using an embossing pen through the wreath and bow stencil, selectively applying the clear ink to different sections. For the evergreen foliage, I poured a vibrant, sparkling teal/green glitter embossing powder over the inked branches and heat set it, giving the boughs incredible, raised texture. I then went back with my embossing pen and applied ink only to the detailed bow and ribbon sections, heat embossing them with a rich gold powder for a perfect, gilded contrast. To make the entire background "pop," I added some playful gold splatter across the black panel. I heat embossed the beautiful cursive sentiment with gold powder to match and added a sprinkle of small white pearls and rich red gems throughout the wreath for extra festive interest and dimensional detail. Finally, I rounded out the top and bottom corners for a soft, elegant finish.

Stencil Featured: Outline Wreath 6x6

4. Modern Bauble Ombre

I love a clean, modern holiday card. This design is built around the dangling bauble and star stencil. I stenciled the abstract foliage swirls in green at the top and the baubles in a vertical ombre blend from blue to aqua. I added some gold stickles glitter glue to the stars and some crystal stickles to the baubles for shine. A subtle sentiment in a sentiment banner at the bottom completes this tranquil design along with tsome red gems up throughout the foliage. Not to mention that red strip of cardstock adds an element of elegance!

Stencil Featured: Outline Christmas Swag 6x6

5. Contemporary Pink Peep-Through

Finally, I wanted to create a softer, more contemporary holiday look. I began by stenciling a soft pink repeating tree pattern across a clean white card panel. To add depth, I die-cut a triangle window and layered frosted vellum behind it. This allows you to see the stenciled soft pink repeating trees behind the vellum and peeps through the christmas tree triangle. A single gold die-cut modern star accents the top, and a stacked "Season's Greetings" sentiment banner finishes off this fresh and modern Christmas card.

Stencil Featured: Homespun Christmas Trees 6x6

What I love most about this specific stencil release is the incredible balance. We have structured geometric grids and modern repeating patterns that look great on an ombre background, but also playful traditional holiday imagery and artistic foliage clusters. It’s a collection that invites you to experiment—try them with glitter paste, simple ink blending, layering, masking, or even basic heat embossing to see how many different looks you can achieve.

I had a blast bringing these five diverse holiday cards to life using the October collection! Which look is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Be sure to check out the Reel to see all the dimension and shine in motion, and grab your favorite stencils from the new release.

Happy Crafting!