Encouragement Card - Layered Lighthouse Scene | CutCardStock

Encouragement cards are a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day, and this layered lighthouse scene is full of sunshine, dimension, and cheerful details! With shading, layering, and thoughtful placement, cardstock alone can create a bold and uplifting design.

Hi Carrianne here! I’m excited to walk you through each step so you can recreate this card and send a little light to someone special.

Supplies & Materials

CutCardStock Cardstock Used:

Dolphin Gray

Crest Solar White

Red Hot

Surf Cardstock

Yellow Jacket

Gumdrop Green

Other Supplies:

La-La Land Crafts (Dies): June 2025 Kit of the Month, Cloud and Grass Border and Snowbanks (water) Dies

Distress inks: Tumbled Glass (sky), shading die elements

Copic Markers: (C0) for clouds and lighthouse highlights

Adhesives: glue, foam tape for dimension

Altenew for sentiment 

Step 1: Die Cut All Elements

Before we start assembling the card, it’s helpful to cut all the pieces from CutCardStock first. Laying them out lets you see the colors and plan where everything will go.

All die cuts on colored cardstock, ready for shading and assembly.

Step 2: Add Shading to Grass and Sun

Next, we add shading to the grass and sun. This step brings dimension to flat cardstock and gives your card a more realistic and lively appearance.

Shading adds depth and dimension to the grass and sun, enhancing the overall scene.

Step 3: Shade the Lighthouse

Now it’s time to add shading to the lighthouse. Red highlights help define the structure and make it the focal point of the card.

Red shading enhances the lighthouse, making it stand out on the panel.

Step 4: Clouds and Lighthouse Highlights

Once the lighthouse is shaded, we move to the clouds and small details. Light shading on clouds and marker highlights on the lighthouse add subtle depth without overpowering the scene.

Clouds are lightly shaded and the lighthouse details are enhanced with a marker for extra dimension.

Step 5: Blend the Sky Panel

WiWith the pieces prepared, we create the sky. Using Tumbled Glass distress ink, blend from the top down to leave a soft, daytime sky that will serve as the perfect backdrop.

Tumbled Glass ink blended on the panel creates a soft, bright sky for the scene.

Step 6: Add Water and Adjust Sun

At this point, I decided to make a small design change. Originally, I planned to use two layers of grass, but as the scene came together, it felt a bit heavy at the bottom. Instead, I removed one grass layer and added DCS Surf cardstock using a snowbanks die to represent water. This simple change lightened the design and felt more natural for a lighthouse scene. I also swapped the large sun for a smaller one, cutting it from DCS Yellow Jacket again, to give the sky more breathing room.

After reassessing the design, I removed one grass layer and added a blue water layer instead. I also replaced the large sun with a smaller one to keep the scene balanced.

Step 7: Test the Layout Before Adhering 

Before adhering any of the main elements, I used tweezers to temporarily place the lighthouse on the panel. This allowed me to arrange the clouds and sun around it and make sure the sky felt open and balanced before committing with adhesive.

Using tweezers to test the placement of the lighthouse while arranging the clouds and sun.

Step 8: Adhere the Scene

Once the layout was finalized, all of the elements were adhered to the panel. The small cloud was glued directly to the background, while the larger cloud was popped up with foam tape so the sun could peek out from behind it. The lighthouse was secured with a small piece of foam tape near the top for subtle dimension, and a tiny seagull was added as a finishing touch.

To complete the card, I stamped the sentiment directly onto the panel in the open space to the right of the lighthouse. The finished panel was then adhered to a DCS Dolphin Gray card base, which frames the scene and helps the colors stand out.

At this point, the scene is fully assembled, so I snapped an angled photo to show the dimension and layering.

Taking a closer look really shows how all the pieces come together and the subtle details that make the card special.

Close-up view of the finished card, showcasing the shading, texture, and subtle dimension.

Thanks so much for following along! I hope this lighthouse card inspires you to create your own layered encouragement designs. If you give this card a try, I’d love to hear about it — leave a comment below and share your thoughts or tips!

—Carrianne