Staining wood

[psycat.livejournal.com]

Hello, long-time lurker/first-time poster.
I have a question about putting some color on a piece of wood. I have a thin, lightweight, and very pale wooden heart cut-out. It's about 8 inches long and probably made from balsa. I want to put a rather complicated picture in the center, using ink or wood-burning, colored pencil & possibly acrylic paint. The problem is, the design will leave a lot of bare wood showing. It's just so white, I don't think that would go well with the picture I have in mind. I don't want to paint it a solid color and the woodstains I do have are just too dark.
Do you think that soaking it in tea or coffee would be a good idea? I don't want a lot of color, just something to get rid of the brightness & add a bit of 'depth' to the wood.
Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!