Create an Autumn Kyoto Scene Card with Alex Syberia Designs Scenic Kyoto Press + Foil Plates

Hello crafty friends!

Today I’m sharing a card that combines a beautiful scenic image with some rich autumn colour, using the Scenic Kyoto Press + Foil Plates from Alex Syberia Designs.

I absolutely love scenic products like this because so much of the design work is already there for you. The gorgeous Japanese architecture, bridge, mountains and surrounding landscape create a complete little scene, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to make it your own through colour.

For this card, I went for an autumnal palette with golden orange trees, soft purple mountains and touches of deep plum. I then pulled that plum into the card base and embossed background to frame the scene and really make those warmer colours stand out.

Why you’ll love the Scenic Kyoto Press + Foil Plates

Card Inspiration – Autumn in Kyoto Thank You Card

For my card, I wanted the Scenic Kyoto image to remain the obvious focal point, so I kept the rest of the design relatively simple. Rather than using the complete rectangular scene, I die cut the finished image into a large circle. I love how this crops the artwork and gives the impression that you’re looking through a window onto the landscape.

I paired it with a rich plum card base and added an embossed panel in a coordinating shade. The texture adds interest behind the scene without competing with all that lovely detail.

A little natural twine helps to break up the more polished elements of the design, while gold sequins bring in just enough sparkle and work beautifully with those golden autumn trees.

To recreate the card:

1. Create an A6 top-folding card base from deep plum cardstock.
2. Cut a coordinating plum cardstock panel slightly smaller than the card front and emboss it with a detailed embossing folder to add texture.
3. Adhere the embossed panel towards the right-hand side of the card front, leaving a visible border around the outside.
4. Use the Alex Syberia Designs Scenic Kyoto Press + Foil Plates to create the scenic image on white cardstock.
5. Colour the scene, using warm golden yellow and orange tones for the autumn foliage. Add soft purples to the distant mountains, muted pinks and browns to the building and bridge, and blue tones to the water.
6. Die cut the finished scene using a large circle die, positioning the die to capture the temple, bridge and surrounding landscape.
7. Wrap natural twine vertically around the card front before securing the ends on the reverse.
8. Adhere the circular Scenic Kyoto panel over the embossed background using foam adhesive to give it some extra dimension.
9. Add another length of twine around the upper portion of the card and tie it into a loose bow.
10. Add a die-cut “thank you” sentiment towards the lower-right of the scenic panel, using foam adhesive where needed to keep it level.
11. Finish with a scattering of gold sequins across the design for a little extra shine.

I really like the combination of the soft, almost peaceful landscape with the deeper plum background. Cropping the scene into a circle also gives the plate a completely different look and is a great way to get more mileage from a larger scenic design.

Shop the supplies

If you fancy recreating this card or putting your own spin on the Scenic Kyoto design, I’ve linked the main supplies used below. Shopping through my affiliate links costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission from your purchase, which helps support my crafting and allows me to keep sharing projects like this.