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Make Vintage Botanical Cards with Old Dictionary Pages

[additional-authors]
October 8, 2020

At least once a month, I realize it’s someone’s birthday and that I have totally forgotten about it. Instead of rushing to the store to pick up a card, I like to have a stack of cards ready for such emergencies. Since nice store-bought cards can average more than $5 each, handmade ones can save you a lot of money. I also find handmade cards to have a certain cachet. Have you noticed that the ones that look handmade in stores actually cost more than the standard ones? 

This card project is made using old dictionary pages. Now, before I get angry letters, I want you to know that I purposely seek out old dictionaries at thrift stores that I can use for crafting. I am giving them new life as art. You also can use pages from used books if you don’t have any old dictionaries. 

On these dictionary pages, I am printing images of botanicals, but don’t be limited by that idea. You can print monograms, photographs, cartoons — anything, really. You also can stamp or draw images if you want to bypass the printer. 

What you’ll need:
Dictionary page
8½-by-11-inch paper
Tape
Inkjet printer
Scissors
Cardstock
Glue stick

 

1. Cut out a page from an old dictionary.

 

2. Tape the top of the page to the top of a standard sheet of paper.

 

 

3. Print images on the paper using an inkjet printer. I fit four images on the paper.

 

4. Cut out the images and attach them to folded cardstock with a glue stick.

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