How to make pretty Spring greeting cards with a tulip collage that uses up scraps of paper.

It’s time for the monthly Sustainable Craft Challenge, where I join a group of my creative blogging friends and we all create a craft idea to share with you that incorporates a sustainable, or eco friendly element. It might be using a sustainable material, upcycling or recycling something or even just using up things we already have lying around the house. We aim to show that you can craft in a more sustainable way and still make lovely things.

This month the theme for the Sustainable Craft Challenge is Spring. My mind went straight to spring flowers and tulips in particular which are just starting to come out in the parks and gardens here.

I’ve been admiring some mixed media and collage art recently on Instagram and Pinterest and thought I’d have a go at making some little pieces of collage art with tulips and ended up making them into greeting cards. Perfect for sending to my friends with spring birthdays and a great way to use up some of the paper scraps I can’t help but save “just in case”!

I collected some Spring quotes to go with my little tulip collages.

• Let your joy burst forth like flowers in the Spring.

• Blossom by blossom the spring begins - Algernon Charles Swinburne

• Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil - Bishop Reginald Heber (I didn’t end up using this one but I like it, it’s a hymn apparently but not one I know)

Supplies needed to make Tulip Collage Cards

• Card Blank and envelope

• Scraps of colourful paper

• Glue - I used pritt stick but any paper glue will work

• Scissors

• Alphabet or Sentiment Stamps and Ink Pad

I keep A LOT of paper scraps, I just hate to throw any little bits away incase they are useful. Perfect for experimenting with paper collage, right? I know I was right to keep them all, waste not - want not and all that! I found a few old paint colour charts too which were ideal for creating pretty tulips.

Preparing tulip collage pieces

Start by cutting a load of dome shapes from some of your colourful paper scraps. Mine are about the size and shape of the tip of my index finger.

Cut about half of them flared the top out slightly then cut 2 V shapes in the top of them. These will be the top layer of your tulips.

Shape the other half of your domes by tapering in the sides a bit and then cut 1 V in the top. These will be the underneath layer of the tulips.

Take some green patterned paper and cut some thin stems and long thin leaf shapes. If you have more than one type of green paper it’s nice to use several different ones.

Lastly cut out some pots for your tulips. They can be any shape you like. I did some tapered rectangles to make flower pots and then tried more of a bowl vase shape too.

Assembling your tulip collage

Once you’ve got a load of shapes cut you can have fun playing with them and creating pots or vases full of beautiful tulips.

Mixing and matching all your different coloured and patterned papers, glue the tulip tops to the underneath layers.

If you want to add a spring quote it’s easier to add it first, so you know what space you have left for your tulip collage.

Then it’s really just a case of messing about arranging the elements until you are happy with them. Once you are, remove them one at a time to carefully glue them into place.

Your tulip paper collage spring card is all finished. Now make more with all those lovely shapes you cut!

If you haven’t already added a quote, you can stamp a sentiment or message of your choice on at the end.

I made a whole pile of collage shapes without much planning, that suits my way of creating! You might want to plan each card more in advance if that’s how you work best.

Now let’s take a look at the other Spring themed ideas in this month’s Sustainable Craft Challenge:

Julie | Sum of their Stories | How to make tulip collage greeeting cards - that’s the tutorial you’ve just read!

Christine | Christine’s Crafts | How to Easily and Quickly Fold a Cute 3D Origami Tulip

Gail | Purple Hues and Me | Everlasting Spring Blossoms DIY

Mel | Decor Craft Design | DIY Spring 3D Gift Can

Marianne | Songbird | Natural Spring Decor (that is perfect for Easter)

Niki | Life as a LEO Wife | Farmhouse Style Framed Bunny & Easter Egg

I’ll be sharing this collage tutorial at some of these link ups

Do check out some of my other card making ideas for inexpensive and easy ways to make unique handmade cards for all your friends and family.