Realistic Leaves Anyone Can Create!

Y’all probably know that fall is my favorite season of the year. Pumpkins, amazing weather, beautiful skies, harvest, apple picking, and yummy things to eat…you just can’t beat it. If you’re in the mood for some autumn card projects, you’ll have to try the ideas I’m sharing today for creating realistic looking leaves. Keep in mind however, that you can create leaves for all seasons of the year, and these ideas would be perfect for cards for men, thinking of you, and other occasions as well. Let’s get started!

Click to see ideas for realistic leaves that anyone can create with tools you already have in your collection! Use leaves year round on your card projects!

Realistic Leaves Anyone Can Create Video

Watch along here to see how to create gorgeous paper leaves!

Featured Stamps & Dies

To create the leaves on today’s cards, I used a stamp and die bundle called Stampin Up Gathering Moments. This set makes it really easy to create the leaves I’m showing today. Keep in mind if you don’t have a set like this in your collection, you can also trace real leaves and cut them out, or print some photos from the computer and use them as a template.

Techniques For Creating Realistic Leaves

Let’s take a look at the cards I created and the techniques I used on them.

Golden Beauty

Creating the leaves on this card was extremely simple. I cut them from Brushed Gold Foil paper using the Gathering Moments die set, laid them onto my Stampin Pierce Mat, and used a bone folder to ‘draw’ the leaf veins.

Rustic Autumn Leaves

For this card, I started by cutting the leaves from a designer paper print in the Autumn Toile designer paper pack. Keep in mind that using designer paper is a great way to get a multi-colored background for your leaves. Next I pierced holes in the leaves using two methods – using the die included in the die set, but I also showed how to pierce them by hand with a Take Your Pick tool and Stampin Pierce Mat. Next I crumpled up the leaves, flattened them back out, and used a Blending Brush to apply ink for a rustic effect.

Classic Leaves For Any Occasion

I cut these leaves from Crumb Cake cardstock, then used the leaf stamps from the Gathering Moments set to stamp on top with Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, and Mossy Meadow inks. I drew the veins with a Stampin Write Marker, then did the crumpling technique. Just imagine the possibilities to create leaves like this when using different combinations of ink colors!