DIY Mother’s Day Bouquet Card

Designer: Marcia Izabel Marchiori

YouTube: MarciaBel Vlog  

Instagram: @marciabel

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Hello there! I love how Mother's Day coincides with the blooming of Spring around here, providing endless inspiration for crafting the perfect DIY project to celebrate this special occasion.
Today, you'll discover how to create a simple yet stunning bouquet-shaped card that's perfect for Mother's Day. Just like a fresh-cut bouquet from the market, we'll be adding a newspaper wrapping to ours!

What’s more, this card is incredibly versatile, making it suitable for any special occasion that comes your way! I'm confident your mom will adore this heartfelt creation, especially since it's entirely handmade. Plus, it adds a charming touch when nestled on top of a gift package, serving as both a card and a delightful decoration.

Let's get started!

Tools & Supplies Needed 

• OLFA CM-9x12-01/YEL Double-Sided Self-Healing Cutting Mat
• OLFA 5-Inch SCS-4 Precision Appliqué Scissors
• OLFA QR-6x24 6" X 24" Frosted Acrylic Ruler
• OLFA AK-5 Designer Graphic Art Knife With 30 Replacement Blades
• Cardstock, letter size (any color you’d like, suitable to handwriting) or Kraft Paper
• Newspaper scraps (you'll need at least a 6-inch square for each card)
• Watercolor paper, letter-size
• For Flowers:
  Option 1: Watercolor Paint (assorted colors), Black Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pen (or similar archival quality ink pen) and brush;
  Option 2: Posca Markers (assorted colors)
• Ribbon, Washi Tape, Bakers Twine, mini clothespins, or anything similar for extra embellishment
• Pencil and eraser
• Therm O Web Zots Clear Adhesive Dots, Hot Glue Gun
• Thermo O Web HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive (Interface, 6-inch square for each card)) OR double-sided adhesive tape
• If using interface, iron and ironing mat
• Optional: Mechanical Embosser with Tape / Label Maker

Instructions:

1. Make the base of your card by first ironing the interface onto the back of the newspaper or magazine sheet, following the Therm O Web instructions for the best results.

2. Adhere the cardstock (or kraft paper) and newspaper together.

Note: For the steps above, if you prefer not to use the interfacing method, you can always adhere the newspaper and cardstock together using double-sided adhesive tape. I prefer the interface method for adhering these papers together, as it provides a seamless finish, but both methods work just fine.

3. Using OLFA AK-5 art knife and ruler, trim the paper to a 6-inch square.

Here's what you have so far, I made one 6-inch square with Kraft paper and another version with white cardstock:

4. Now, with the help of OLFA mat measure guides and a pencil, choose a corner of the square and mark the midpoint (3 inches) of its two adjacent lines (any corner, cardstock/kraft paper side):

5. Using the tapered base side of the OLFA AK-5 handle, score a line from the point you just traced to the point of the opposite corner, then fold both sides. Set aside.

6. To make the flowers, first grab the watercolor paper and, with a pencil, doodle various shapes of circles, flowers, and leaves, proportional to the size of the bouquet you just made, aiming for flowers up to 1-inch in diameter. Experiment with making different flower shapes, there are endless combinations! Here are a couple of suggestions:

7. Lightly erase the pencil marks, then start coloring your flowers either with watercolor paint, black fineliner pen or Posca markers.

8. Once all the flowers and leaves are painted and dried, hand-cut each flower shape using OLFA precision appliqué NOTE: Leave a white margin around each piece, as shown below.

Also, here’s a set of flowers created with Posca markers and watercolor painting, for your reference:

9. Once you have your flowers and leaves arranged the way you’d like, adhere each one onto the top of your bouquet. For this step, I like to use a combination of hot glue, Therm O Web plain adhesive dots and 3D dots to give a 3D effect to the bouquet. But you have the option of using only hot glue gun as well.

10. Optional: Make a tag for your bouquet. Begin by cutting out a 2 x 1-inch rectangle from the watercolor paper (I love its texture) or Kraft paper, using OLFA ruler and AK-5 art knife. Then, with a mechanical embosser (or label maker), write your favorite short message (mine is “with love”), or handwrite your own message. Adhere everything together and attach it behind the bow you just made with glue, adhesive tape, or a mini wooden clothespin.

11. Write your message inside the card. Then, using a ribbon or baker's twine, wrap up the bouquet, finishing with a bow. And voilà! Your beautiful card is ready to spread love!

I hope you have a very special day, and don’t forget to tag me @marciabel  and @OLFA_craft in your finished card, we would love to see your creation!
Happy Mother’s Day!

Marcia