Green Cat: Written in Wood

When it comes to cards for couples - like engagement card for example, I like to keep it simple. I feel it needs to appeal to both man and a woman. And in this case I wanted to go for something romantic in a less conventional way. So here it is - written in wood. Like initials carved in a trunk of a tree to stay.

I used kraft cardstock for the base and the panel. I used some yellow, orange and light brown ink for some colour variation. I couldn't decide whether I should use background die or embossing folder for the woodgrain effect. So I did both and compared the overall look. I went with the die in the end, but here are pictures of both.

I used Lil'inker Designs Stitched Woodgrain cover die. It's such a cute die and it was perfect for the card - did you notice the little heart in the pattern? I then die cut a heart shape and positioned it over cream card with the names of the couple printed. I mounted the panel on a craft foam for some dimension.

For the sentiment I used Mini Shadowed Sentiments by Sue Wilson. I used gold mirror cardstock for the shadow and cream for the sentiment. However the gold looked a bit too shiny and new for the rustic design I was going for and I wanted to make it look a bit tarnished. I used Antique Paste by Pentart which is a brilliant medium and can be used in many ways. If anything needs to look vintage, shabby chic or rustic - Antique Paste is your guy. I just rubbed some all over the die cut with a bit of sponge paying particular attention to the edges and let it dry. It muted the shine and gave it an antique gold effect. Depending on what it is applied with it can also leave some marks - like scratches or rust effect.

Here's a close up of the finished sentiment. I should've taken a picture before I used the Antique Paste but I didn't think of it at the time.