In Search of a Fall Stamp Set

Hey, ya'll! I know I said I was going to post yesterday, but I ended up getting a burst of energy to cook instead of stamp, so you had to wait one more day! Fall always puts me in the mood for soup, so I made split pea, cheesy potato, and a stew sort of dish called calico beans. Froze a bunch and had some of the potato for dinner last night. Yes--I can cook a real meal even though I'm working! Okay, on to the card for the day.

I have a workshop coming up next Friday, and I want to make 2 kinds of cards--one that celebrates the spirit of autumn, my favorite season, and one that gets my guests thinking about sleigh bells (they're beginning to ring--are you listenin'?). I already have the Christmas card, but I do not own a distinctively fall set. I'm not sure why I didn't choose to buy one, but now that many are posting adorable cards featuring pumpkins, I'm yearning for one. Look here, here, and here to see what I mean!

I want to make full use what I have, and avoid spending money I don't, so I set out tonight to make my Doodle This set work for fall. How do you think I did? I really like sunflowers, and the main flower image was just begging to be pressed into service. (Thanks to Sharon Harnist at PaperFections for the inspiration.)

I inked the image using my Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker and stamped it on Whisper White. Then I re-inked it, eyeballed one petal between two others and stamped again. Voila!! I applied More Mustard with an Aquapainter and cut it out. Then I popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals on Bashful Blue card stock to mimic the sky. Still, it needed something, so I added the Chocolate Chip mat. Lastly, I stamped the swirly stem-like image on Wild Wasabi, using the same ink.

Then came the dilemma: what to use as a base. I don't have any More Mustard card stock laying around, and it seemed wrong on Chocolate Chip or Bashful Blue--not autumnal enough. So I went with Whisper White. That looked too stark, so I streaked it with More Mustard by rubbing the pad surface lightly across the card stock numerous times. I'm not sure about this part of the card. What do you think? Should I streak it again with Chocolate Chip so I have a two-tone background? What else does this need? I'd love your feedback!