Week 3 Challenge: Find Your Balance

This week leads directly into the autumn equinox on September 22, 2026, at 8:05 p.m. EDT in New York, when daylight and darkness come close to equal. That makes “Find Your Balance” an especially meaningful theme for reflecting on harmony, change, and finding steadiness as one season gives way to another. I carried that idea into my card by hanging three individually colored leaves from one copper line and balancing the precise letterpress images with a loose, flowing background.

Creating the Letterpress Leaves

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I selected three leaves from the Spellbinders Tropical Leaves BetterPress Plates (which is discontinued but my absolute favorite) and pressed them onto Spellbinders Bisque BetterPress Cotton Card Panels using Bark BetterPress Ink, Mulberry BetterPress Ink, and Cosmic Sky BetterPress Ink. I then cut the leaves with the coordinating Tropical Leaves dies.

Creating the Distress Spray Background

For the background, I sprayed Villainous Potion Distress Spray Stain, Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain, and Uncharted Mariner Distress Spray Stain onto a panel of Neenah 80 lb cardstock. I left plenty of white space so the rich colors would remain dramatic without overwhelming the leaves.

Hanging the Leaves

Next, I punched two holes with the We R Makers Crop-A-Dile hole punch and eyelet setter and added black eyelets from Amazon. I threaded copper twine from Amazon through the eyelets and arranged the three leaves along the twine to make them appear suspended in balance.

Finishing the Sentiment

To finish the card, I created the sentiment “Find Your Balance” with my Silhouette cutting machine and a copper Silhouette pen. The copper lettering coordinates with the twine and completes the design with a simple metallic touch.

Finally I trimmed the panel quarter inch smaller from length and width and mounted it on a black card base that is A2 size.

I hope this card inspires you to explore the theme “Find Your Balance” in your own creative way. I would love for you to participate in this week’s challenge! If you create a card or another project inspired by this design, please share it on social media and tag me so I can see and celebrate your beautiful creation.

Supplies Used

• Spellbinders Tropical Leaves BetterPress Plates and coordinating dies
• Spellbinders Betterpress system
• Spellbinders Bisque BetterPress Cotton Card Panels
• Bark, Mulberry, and Cosmic Sky BetterPress Inks
• Neenah 80 lb cardstock
• Villainous Potion, Gathered Twigs, and Uncharted Mariner Distress Spray Stains
• Copper twine and black eyelets from Amazon
• We R Makers Crop-A-Dile hole punch and eyelet setter
• Silhouette cutting machine and copper Silhouette pen

Affiliate links are used

Save Betterpress System Shop at: SB | SC | AM	Save Die-cutting Machine Shop at: SB | SC | AM | SSS	Save Neenah 80lb Cardstock Shop at: AM
Save Bisque Cotton Card Panel Shop at: SB	Save tropical leaves betterpress plate and die Shop at: AM	Save Unchartered Mariner ink spray Shop at: SC | AM | SSS
Save Gathered twigs Ink Spray Shop at: SC | AM | SSS	Save Villianous Potion Ink Spray Shop at: SC | AM | SSS	Save We r Memory Keeper Hole punch Shop at: SC | AM | SSS
Save Betterpress Ink Shop at: SB