Make your own Inspiration Cards

Nature provides for your Inspiration Cards. Flowers in spring and summer, leaves in the fall and seed pods in the winter.They are all waiting outside for you.

1. Collect leaves or flowers of varying colors, sizes and shapes.
2. Bring them indoors making sure the are clean and dry. (a little moist is ok, but not wet)
3. Find a large book or piece of cardboard.(a phone book works great )
4.Carefully place your items flat on a page, making sure they don't overlap. Use as many pages as you need. you may want to line the pages with paper towels or tissue paper to keep the ink from transferring when there is a lot of moisture in your leaves and flowers.
Caution: If you use corrugated cardboard be sure to provide sufficient paper between it and your items or they may come out with lines on them.
5. This is the hardest part of step one: Leave them alone for at LEAST 3 days. Then you can check to see if they are completely dry.

Once your leaves and flowers are COMPLETELY dry gather the following items:
1. A strong glue that will dry clear and not leave it's imprint on your paper. All these work: elmer's glue, Decoupage, and a hot glue gun.
2. Your favorite card stock, scrapbook paper, or construction paper. For a professional look use card stock. The picture above uses one paper for the card and another for behind the leaves and flowers. Remember that you want the leaves and flowers to be the star of the show, so limit the boldness of their background.
3. Scissors, craft knife, other cutting tool.
4. Your dried items.


Now the fun begins. Relax, pull up a chair and allow yourself to play. It's time to feed your spirit.

Inspiration Cards Step Three

1. Cut the heaviest paper to the size and shape you want the card to be.( 8inches x 5 1/2 inches is the size of half a piece of 8x11 inch card stock)
2. Cut your background paper slightly smaller than your card when folded. Don't glue anything yet.
3. Place your flowers and leaves on the background paper. Move them around and try different looks. Will your card be vertical or horizontal? You will need to know this before gluing. You don't have to use all of the flower or leaf--cut some pieces off if you want to.
4. Once you are happy with an arrangement, you are ready to start gluing. One method is to carefully remove the flower or leaf that is on the bottom. Carefully apply glue to the back and reposition it on the paper. Proceed with the next lowest item and do the same. If you would rather dump your arrangement onto the table and then begin to glue, you can. Just remember to glue the flowers and leaves that will be closest to the page first. (The finished card above you demonstrates gluing the red leaf first, followed by the tan one, and finally the green leaf) Allow it to dry completely.
5.Glue your background page to the face of the card. Place it face down on a clean surface with something heavy on it. That will help the two pages to fuse together.
6. Once it is dry you can apply decoupage over the top of it, or send the card as it is.

I hope you have fun with Inspiration Cards. Your friends and family will love them.

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