HOW TO MAKE FLORAL CARDS using flower dies | Card making Tutorial 2025 | handmade DIY greeting cards

Hi everyone it's Lucy here and today I'm sharing so many different ways to use flower dies in your card making. I'll be using dies from Scrap Diva Designs a small business run by the ever so lovely Erica Fields in the US and this is my first time trying out their dies and I'll be chatting more about the company as I create but for now let's get started. And I'm starting by die cutting the flowers and leaves from white cardstock and I love that the Sakura die set cuts out so many at once 12 in total three different sizes and they all cut beautifully and I'll use a pokey tool or a die release tool to pop them out easily. And next I'll add some color I'm lightly inking the centers with Distress Oxide in Victorian Velvet using an ink brush and I'm not the greatest at inking but you really don't need to be for this technique it's such an easy way to add a soft touch of color and once they're layered on top of each other they look fantastic and we'll do that shortly. And then to show a different look I'll switch to a domed sponge and ink just the ends of the petals. I don't usually re-ink my sponge as it's better to have a lighter amount of ink it blends much more smoothly this way and plus the petals don't all have to be identical in color. And you can always go back over them with more ink if needed. And for the leaves I want a more natural effect so I'll ink them unevenly using Peeled Paint Distress Oxide ink and this gives them a more organic hand-dyed look rather than a flat wash of color. Next we can use designer papers to create the flowers and if you use patterned papers that can create a beautiful design. Here I've just used one with a slight texture and to give it more texture I'll add a bit of ink to the edges. Now let's shape the petals and you can use a lollipop stick, a skewer, straw anything small and tubular to curl them in different ways. And for this first flower I'll curl the petals outward by wrapping them over the top of the lollipop stick and the easiest way to do this is to gently pinch the sides together around the stick helping the paper hold its curved shape. I'll also bend up all the petals from the base to give the flower even more dimension and then I'll start layering gluing the different sized flowers together and alternating the petals as I go and this creates a fuller more natural looking flower with lots of depth. Another way to curl the petals is by rolling the ends backwards over the lollipop stick. This gives a slightly different look adding a bit more movement to the flower and if you're working with larger petals you can use a bigger tubular item like a pen or even the body of a craft knife to shape them more easily. I'll alternate the petals again when layering this flower just like before and this helps create a more balanced and full looking bloom with lots of dimension. I'll be adding some flower centers soon giving lots of different options as well. The third way to shape the petals is by bending the paper from underneath the lollipop stick. This gives a different kind of curve adding even more variation to your flowers and depending on the type of flower you're making each of these shaping techniques can work beautifully. Some might suit certain flower designs better than others. This flower die set cuts out five different flower sizes and five leaf designs giving you plenty of options to mix and match and to create a full centerpiece flower I'll stack all five layers together for a really dimensional look. Most of the flowers I'm making today will go onto 12 different cards and I can't wait to share them with you there'll be lots of different card design ideas. To help the glue stick better between the layers I like to press down on the center using a stick and this ensures everything adheres well and gives the flower a nice secure shape and doesn't this one turn out beautiful. I can't wait to show you what I use in the center of that one. Another great idea for using flower dies is to layer multiple flowers of the same size together two or three layers depending on how thick you want the flower I'm doing three layers here and this creates a thicker flatter flower that has more of an embellishment feel rather than just paper adding extra texture and dimension to your card and I love how these look on some of my cards that I create today. Idea number eight is to die cut the flowers from pattern paper for layering or arranging them in a way that highlights the design or pattern it can create a really lovely interesting flower design. To really make the flowers pop you can die cut them from metallic or glitter paper the shine and sparkle really add an eye-catching element to the flowers and I'll be creating two cards later using these metallic red flowers. Another way to make your flowers shimmer is by using embossing ink and embossing powders I'm using a copper colored powder and once I heat it with my heat gun it transforms into a shiny metallic finish on the cardstock it really looks amazing. If you've got a collection of embossing powders that don't get much use like me this is a great way to bring them out and add a bit of sparkle to your flowers. For a soft romantic feel try die cutting flowers from vellum paper the translucent quality of vellum gives the flowers a delicate look. Idea number 12 is all about combining different materials to create a flower. Here I'm alternating between a heat embossed copper flower and a vellum flower and this combination softens the boldness of the copper petals giving the flower a lovely balance of texture and softness. I've added one hexagon foam adhesive to give extra height and this is optional and not ideal if you're going to be mailing it. Okay now let's talk about flower centers there are so many lovely ways to add interest to the center of your flowers and one of the easiest and most common methods is to add a pearl or a rhinestone and this simple addition always looks elegant and there's a huge range of colors to choose from. Buttons are another great idea for flower centers I have this container full of buttons that I need to use up it's double-sided so I'll be using a few today. You can also repurpose those spare buttons that come with dresses and blouses don't throw them away. For an even more authentic look try adding some cotton thread or twine through the buttonholes it adds a rustic handmade touch to your flowers. Twine is another fantastic option for flower centers you can spiral it around in a circular pattern to create a soft textured center or you can make a loose knot for a more rustic look. The best part is you can easily manipulate twine into any shape you like by gluing it down and this gives you lots of flexibility to create a unique and customizable flower center. A simple form of quilling makes for a gorgeous flower center. I've cut a thin strip of white card and now I'm going to add one end to my tweezers and start twirling it around the tweezers and once it's all twisted I'll glue the end down and hold it in place until it dries and this creates a lovely curled center for your flowers. I'll also be creating a fancier version of this technique later on and I just love how they turn out on the card. Little ceramic flowers also make a lovely centerpiece in your flowers they add a nice touch of texture. And then next we have brads which some of you might still have tucked away in your stash and while they're not as common these days they were all the rage a long time ago. To use them simply make a hole in the center of your flower and push the prongs through. I've broken this flower but it will still work. Brads work best on larger flowers as the prongs will be easier to hide under the petals. I'm sure many of you like me have a few random items in your stash that you can use for flower centers. These little pieces look a bit like a jelly lolly but I think they're made from epoxy. I'm not using them today but don't they look lovely. It's always fun to find new ways to incorporate things from your stash into your projects. Now pre-made paper roses you may also have in your stash and they make sweet and easy flower centers too. If you have any lying around this is a great way to use them up while adding some dimension and texture to your flowers. And lastly beads and these are bubble beads they're perfect for adding a center to larger flowers. I'll add some glue to the center of my large flower then sprinkle the beads on the top. I can easily move them into place to get the look that I want and although the glue is white here it'll turn clear once it's dry so you'll get a better idea of how these beads look once I'm creating the card. Another way to add dimension to your flower is by layering the die-cut flower layers on top of each other. This creates a lovely effect by elongating the petals in beautiful textured layers. You could even ink each layer a different color to create a stunning rainbow or ombre effect. I also think it looks beautiful just white. What do you think? I'll be creating most of the cards on video but I've almost finished this card. I used a gorgeous sentiment set also from Scrap Diva Designs and the set also includes a happy father's day sentiment with a coordinating shadow layer. I'll also tuck in a couple more leaves to complete the design and when gluing them down I'm just adding adhesive under the bent part where it touches the card and the tip of the stem. And to tie everything together I embossed both the sentiment and the edges of the paper with copper embossing powder adding a lovely cohesive touch. The sentiment part has one white shadow and three sentiment layers. I've already added the basic layers to this card starting with a white die-cut rectangle and a thin black border for contrast and now I'll add a female sticker to the design. This is a simple yet elegant card where I really want the flower to be the main focus. I also have the Party Words die set from Scrap Diva Designs and I'm using the Celebrate one here and towards the end of this video I'll show you the sets I used so you know exactly what's what. Plus I'll let you in on a little secret about something exciting that I'll be creating with soon and how easy was this card to create. So simple yet unique. I hope you like it. For this next card I'm creating a slim line design but I noticed that my card base is a different shade of white compared to my die-cut flowers. An easy fix is to add double-sided tape to the card front, flip it over onto a matching white card stock and cut around it. Problem solved. Now my card base matches my gorgeous white flowers perfectly. I'm using this sticker book from Journal Say and oh my gosh the flowers and stickers are the perfect pairing for quick beautiful cards. Let's see if you love these next few designs as much as I do. The sticker book includes both washi and PET sheets and for this card I'll use washi stickers but don't worry I'll be creating with the PET tape soon too. I know there's lots of you that love the PET. I'm choosing random washi stickers and arranging them in a vertical design starting at the top but stopping just short from the bottom. And now for the flowers I'll arrange a few until I'm happy with the placement and I think the buttons make the cutest flower centers on this design. The finished card has a mixed media feel yet it only took a few stickers to put together. So simple yet so striking. I'll have product links for everything I'm using today in the description box and Scrap Diva Designs has generously provided a discount code for you so you can get 10% off your order using the code lucypatrick or one word but don't worry I'll have all the details below. Now I'm going to die cut a birthday sentiment from the Party Words set and I'm using navy cardstock and to give it extra dimension I'll add an extra layer underneath. To make it stand out even more I'll apply glossy accents for a shiny polished finish. I buy my glossy accents in a big bottle and transfer it to my small metal capped bottle as it's much easier to control. I added a few teal nouveau drops to accentuate the mixed media feel of this card. What do you think? Would you agree the washi stickers and flowers look gorgeous together? I loved how the last card turned out so I thought I'd create a different design using washi and flowers again and this time I'm making a rectangle card and I've already added a stitched white rectangle that's the same size as my card front. I almost always add an extra layer between my card base and card front it just gives the card a more luxurious feel. Once again I'm layering random washi stickers and I'll be using the flowers I made with the quilled centers. To add some extra color and interest I'll also tuck in a couple of die cut leaves. I originally planned to use the celebrate sentiment but it felt a little small once I'd added all the stickers so I decided to get ahead on Mother's Day cards instead. I'm absolutely loving the sentiment die set and you'll see me using all the scrap diva design sentiment dies often from now on. I want to share a fancier way to create the quilled centers this time I'm using two colors a thin strip of pink and mauve cardstock and first I'll twirl the pink strip just like before but I won't make it as long then I'll glue the mauve strip to the end of the pink one and continue twirling it around before securing it in place and this creates such an interesting center for these gorgeous white flowers. Since I have the watercolor washi and PET sticker book in different colors I'll use a different shade this time. For some reason my video didn't record the sticker circles I made for this card so I created another one afterward to share the process but this and this time I've used PET stickers instead of the washi. I've also used the same birthday die set making sure the sentiment coordinates with the flower centers by using the same cardstock colors and this card has a bit of a retro feel to me what do you think? Do you have a favorite card so far? I still have more to share as I just mentioned the recording didn't capture the last set of sticker circles so I'll make some more. I've lightly penciled around each die so I know roughly where to place the stickers and I'll be using PET stickers again for this card and this time from the green watercolor book which is absolutely stunning I think it'll pair beautifully with gold and there's no need to overthink placement these stickers naturally create unique and interesting designs within each circle and once I've finished I'll die cut them all out and that's always the fun reveal part and since they're a bit large I won't try to fit them perfectly on the card instead I'll let some hang off the edges for a more dynamic layered look and to add extra interest I'm also layering them with gold circle borders once everything is glued down I'll trim off the overhanging pieces and finish it off with gold pearls in the flower centers to tie everything together with the sentiment and borders and just like that there's another quick card done I love the green and gold combo and did you know this combo is also the Australian national colors let's create another quick card using these sticker books and flowers I'm making a mixed media inspired background with washi stickers on a white piece of card which I'll then trim into a stitched rectangle I've already added a gold die cut layer to the card from and for the sentiment I've die cut a gold word with a white shadow to match the borders and to finish I'm curling up the petal ends of the flowers but leaving the rest of it flat for a soft whimsical touch I think it's perfect for this style and I've also added some gold pearls for the flower centers to finish the card off I still have plenty of stickers left in these books there's six different books to choose from and I think I may have to get the other three now I love these so next I'm going for a retro style card this time so I'll use this female sticker and surround her with white flowers for the centers I'm adding assorted brown buttons from my stash and I've had these for years so I don't have product links for them I'm also die cutting the birthday sentiment again it's such a great size and I love the font you'll see this sentiment on my cards often from now on and to tie everything together I'll tear some brown paper and adhere it to the bottom with double-sided tape and that's this card finished the next idea I want to share is adding a border to the flowers using a marker I'm using a gold marker here and I've layered up these flowers with three white layers and a patterned paper layer on top making them nice and thick and to add some definition I'll go around each petal with the gold marker adding a thin gold border on the top edges as well and since I'm placing these flowers on a matching background paper this little detail helps them stand out a little more I've used the mother's day sentiment again this die set is so good I haven't come across mother's and father's day die sets before and since I don't often stamp sentiments I love using dies for that professional finish and scrap diva designs is a small us-based business and I'm so happy to share them with you in case you haven't heard of them before they have so many amazing dies to choose from including 3d style dies to create boxes and more I'll show you what I'll be creating with in a moment their prices are great too these flower die sets are just $20 or $18 with my discount code now let's take a look at what else I'll be creating with soon I picked up this gift card pocket die set and I cannot wait to create with it it's going to be so handy I'm also really excited about these wine bottle label dies it even comes with a bonus thank you die that I've already used in an upcoming card and it's so pretty that also has shadow dies to it as well and then there's this adorable mini bottle pocket tag die and I forgot to show that it also includes two stitch rectangles a frilly square and a pocket die to tuck something inside but don't worry I'll be sharing all the details in an upcoming video and finally I picked up the three baby words die sets one set has adoption twins and grandchild so you can create sentiments like welcome precious grandchild another set includes baby and shower perfect for baby shower invitations so let's take a look at all of the cards that I've created there's more that I haven't shown yet and while I'm showing all the cards including a few as I said that you haven't seen I want to give a huge shout out to Grelain, Laurie Bear, Jackie, Cassie and Janine for supporting my channel last month because of your generosity I was able to purchase the video stand I've been wanting and it's on its way I'm so excited and here's a couple of cards using the red metallic flowers this one with brads and the flowers sit higher on the page because of the brads and this next one I created flat flowers but they still have dimension because of the three layers I glued together and I decided to pair it with aqua for a bit of a change and a big thank you to everyone who uses my product links to grab new craft goodies your support truly helps me keep my youtube channel going and I appreciate it so much if you choose to use my links I'll receive a small commission it's such a great way to support my channel at no extra cost to you and you can find links to most of the products I use today in the description below and if you enjoyed this video please don't forget to give it a thumbs up and maybe share it with your crafting friends it really helps I decided to add the three different flowers on the one card and just added a large PET sticker and this is the thank you bonus die that comes with the bottle labels isn't it gorgeous I can't wait to use that more often I'd love to know if you learned any new techniques or got some fresh ideas from today's video so let me know in the comments I love hearing your thoughts on my videos and cards did you have a favorite card or a favorite style of flower maybe you prefer flat over dimensional and then the flower centers I think my favorite ended up being the two-toned quilled ones here I just love how they turned out I know lots of you will have different favorites you all write such lovely comments and I feel so lucky to be part of such a kind and creative community I also have Instagram and Pinterest boards and you can find the links to them below in case you'd like to see the photos of any of my cards and then if you're looking for more inspiration here's another video that you might like just click on the thumbnail but that's it from me have a lovely week happy crafting and bye for now