Greeting Card Project: Sixteen Leaves

What you need

• card stock - white - 8½" x 5½" folded in half to make a 4¼" x 5½" card blank
• card stock - white - small scrap
• card stock - red - small scrap
• card stock - yellow - small scrap
• card stock - light blue parchment - 4" x 4"
• graph paper - 1/4" ruled
• leaf paper punch
• glue and glue stick
• tape
• craft knife and metal ruler
• awl or needle
• tweezers

How to do it

Step 1a

Cut a piece of the 1/4" ruled graph paper to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", making sure that your cuts are on the lines. (This assures that the windows you are going to cut in the card front are centered.) Use a pencil to make a dot at the corner of each of the 16 windows. The windows will each be 1/2" square, and start 1/2" from the top of the card. The distance from the sides of the card to the start of the windows will be 3/4".

Step 1b

Open the card inside face-down and tape the graph paper to the card front. (You can buy removable tape but depending on the paper, it doesn't always remove without taking some of the paper with it. My advice is regardless of the type of tape, pat it on your clothes a few times before using it. The lint from your clothing will prevent the tape from damaging the paper when you remove it. Always test on a scrap piece of the paper/card stock you intend to use first to make sure.)

Step 1c

Using the awl or needle, pierce through the graph paper and card front at each of the 64 dots.

Step 2

Using the metal ruler and craft knife, cut out the 16 windows, using the holes as guides.

Step 3a

On the back of the card front, measure down 4" from the top and make a light pencil mark.

Step 3b

Using the glue stick, coat the area around and between the windows down to the pencil mark.

Step 3c

Apply the light blue parchment as shown in step 3c.

Step 4

From the white card stock scrap, use the leaf punch to punch out 13 leaves. Using the red and yellow card, punch out 2 red leaves and one yellow leaf.

Step 5

Squeeze out a dab of glue on to a scrap of paper. Pick up a leaf with the tweezers, dip a toothpick into the glue, and apply the glue to the back of the leaf. Still using the tweezers, place each leaf according to the picture at the top of this page.

Return to Greeting Cards Resource Home.