This rustic thank you card is a great example of how one beautiful die can do most of the work. The large leaf sprig from the Nature's Symphony Dies makes such a statement all on its own that I kept the rest of the design fairly simple.
I especially love the warm, earthy look of the leaves against the Very Vanilla and weathered wood background.
Rustic Thank You Card With Lots of Leafy Layers
I cut the large leaf sprig a couple times from Crumb Cake and Pecan Pie cardstock. Then I sponged Pecan Pie ink around the outside edges of the leaves.
That little bit of shading made quite a difference. It gives the leaves more variation and helps bring out all those pretty die-cut details.
I arranged the sprigs somewhat randomly over a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I wasn't trying to make everything perfectly symmetrical, I just played with the pieces until I liked the way the branches and leaves overlapped.
Before adding them I used the hatched detail die from the Nature's Symphony Dies in two opposite corners of the Very Vanilla panel. It's a subtle detail, but it adds some interesting texture behind the leaves.
And yes, I sponged the edges of this layer, too. In fact, I sponged just about every edge on this card with Pecan Pie ink! It helps tie all the layers together and adds to that warm, slightly weathered look.
The Very Vanilla panel was then layered onto a slightly larger piece of Pecan Pie cardstock.
Stretching That Pretty Designer Paper
For the background I chose one of the wood patterns from the Country Woods Designer Series Paper. There are so many different wood looks in this collection that it's easy to find one to complement all kinds of projects.
Here's a little paper-saving trick I used, too.
Because the center of the Country Woods paper would be mostly covered by the layers on top I cut it out before assembling the card. Why hide all that perfectly good designer paper?
Now I have that piece tucked away to use on another card. It's a simple way to stretch your craft supplies a little further, especially with a versatile paper you know you'll use again.
During August Country Woods is also one of the select Stampin' Up! paper collections included in the 15% off paper sale. As of this writing it's unavailable, but it's expected to be back in stock this week.
The greeting comes from the coordinating Nature's Symphony Stamp Set. I stamped “Thank You” in Pecan Pie ink on a strip of Very Vanilla cardstock, cut a flag into one end, and sponged around the edges. A few Stampin' Dimensionals underneath give the sentiment just enough lift from the leafy background.
Note: You can pick up both the stamps and dies in the Nature's Symphony Bundle and save 10%.
I think this rustic thank you card would be especially nice when you want something warm and natural without lots of embellishments. And you could easily change the sentiment to turn the same basic design into a birthday, thinking-of-you, or masculine card.
If you have some Country Woods paper tucked away here's another idea for using it. Take a look at my elegant handmade Christmas card featuring a completely different pattern from the collection.
