Gifts From The Garden

Gardening is my second favorite hobby next to paper crafting, so when I can combine the two, I’m a happy camper! Birgit here with you today, sharing a Seed Folio in a series I’m calling “Gifts From The Garden”.

I enjoy collecting seeds from the various flowers in my garden and share them each year with friends who also enjoy gardening. I’ve created this Seed Folio as a pretty way to gift seeds to my fellow gardeners. Let me show you how this came together.

The Supplies:

Today’s project uses #80 Neenah Environment Desert Storm and #80 DCS Light Teal, along with kraft coin envelopes I picked up at my local Dollar Tree and this wonderful pocket die from Sizzix.

Making the Folio:

To begin with, cut a piece of #80 Neenah Environment Desert Storm cardstock to 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, scoring at 4″ and 4 1/2″. Fold on the score lines, burnishing them with a bone folder.

As you can see in the photo above, this gives you a 1/2″ spine.

Next, cut three panels of the #80 DCS Light Teal cardstock to measure 5 1/4″ x 3 3/4″.

Subsequently, adhere one panel to the front of the Seed Folio and the other two panels to the inside.

To add to the floral theme, I added a piece of decorative paper from my stash to the front cover.

Following that step, I cut two of the pocket panels out of #80 Neenah Environment Desert Storm cardstock and adhered them to the left and right panel inside the Seed Folio.

As you can see in the photo above, I also added a strip of the decorative paper to the inside spine.

As I mentioned earlier, I found these little coin envelopes at my local Dollar Tree. I simply stamped the images to the front of the envelope and added lines using a fine Sharpie marker and a ruler.

To further decorate the inside pockets, I die cut these labels using a die from the Sizzix die set and stamped the words “collect seeds” to each label. I also added just a bit of inking around the edges of each label.

Decorating the Front of the Seed Folio:

Now it’s time to decorate the front of the Seed Folio. I stamped this wonderful postage stamp frame onto a piece of #80 Neenah Environment Desert Storm and fussy cut it using scissors.

Additionally, I added the title and year the seeds were collected. I then mounted this piece onto the front of the Seed Folio.

The Finished Seed Folio:

To my surprise, I found this wonderful 3D sticker in my stash to add to the front. It coordinated perfectly!

Filling the Seed Folio:

As an example, I’ve included a photo showing some of the seeds I collected from various flowers in my yard this year.

In retrospect, I would add foam tape around the edges of the pockets to add more depth for bulkier seeds. As it turns out, the seeds I’ve collected thus far are small in size and fit well into the pockets.

The Completed Project:

Here is the finished project. I think it turned out lovely and I can’t wait to share this with a friend who loves to garden as much as I do.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s project and are inspired to make a folio of your own. You could fill it with photo’s, Artist Trading Cards or even share stickers or die cuts with a friend.

Creating a gift from the garden makes my heart happy and I hope my friend will enjoy this gift of the heart.

Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think! What are some other ideas that this type of folio could be used for? Be sure to visit the CutCardStock Facebook Page for more DT inspiration! Also join our Creating with CutCardStock Facebook Group for even more crafty inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Until next time, happy crafting!