Have you ever wanted to create your own beautiful leaves for your card making or scrapbook layouts? Check out this blog post where Emily walks you through 2 techniques to make a ton of super fun leaves, perfect for when you are in a crafting rut!

DIY Paper Leaves

Nov 22, 2024

Fall has arrived & Thanksgiving is around the corner & I thought I'd share a fun video of how to make some really pretty paper leaves. There are a couple of different ways you can do this & I always find a technique like this not only therapeutic, but also productive! You can still create something with no pressure of completing a project, and in the meantime, you'll always have these embellishments you can use in a future card or scrapbook layout, making those projects less stressful. Okay, done babbling now. Let's dig into it!

Below is my full process video sharing all my techniques! Enjoy!

Emboss-resist is a fun technique that truly never gets old. But what is it? Emboss-resist refers to using embossing powder (typically white) with a stamped image on white paper. Then when you use ink over it, the image will show through & it creates a really neat effect.

If you are new to embossing powder, check out my blog post HERE that goes into a ton of detail explaining all the ways you can use it, including that emboss resist technique!

I also have a fun short video HERE showing how I used this technique with a gold embossing powder. Check out my leaf below where I used the gold embossing powder!

I do believe the more "traditional" way to use the emboss-resist technique is with a white-on-white effect. I actually did most of these leaves with watercolor paper! I then used my inks to watercolor over the embossed stamped images in order to create a beautiful effect. See below the light colors of the white watercolor embossed leaf.

This next picture is sharing the emboss-resist technique on plain white cardstock & ink blending! Check out the difference in tone & color between these two.

The last technique I used was just stamping some black ink onto both the watercolor paper & plain cardstock for ink blending. Here I used Catherine Pooler's Midnight ink because it is permanent. You'll want to be sure if you are doing this technique, (especially with watercolor), choose a permanent ink so it doesn't bleed.

From here, I just die cut out my leaves using the coordinating die set I had in my stash. You can also fussy cut, which just means cutting your image out using scissors if you don't have die cuts for this part! Check out the front of this card I created using one of our Card Sketches from the Creative Hearts Club! I used the leaves here & have plenty leftover to create another super fun project (or two!).

Be sure to click on the picture above or you can click HERE to see more information on our Creative Hearts Club, where you get monthly Card Sketches & even full process videos from me, as well as plenty of other perks (free stuff!).

I hope you try this technique out! It's a ton of fun & great for when you are feeling in a creative rut. Hoping everyone has a nice weekend & week leading up to Thanksgiving! Remember to take some time for yourself.

With Heart,

Emily

Disclosure: Compensated affiliate links may be used above at no cost to you. I only show you products from companies that I believe in and purchase from personally. Thank you for supporting me so that I can continue to bring you lots of fun crafting content!