Flower power

These simple paper crafts, using floral and botanical prints, are bang on trend

Get inspired by flora and fauna

SENT WITH LOVE

Our pretty envelopes add to the magic of receiving home-made cards.

YOU WILL NEED

✽ Patterned paper ✽ Ruler

✽ Pencil ✽ Scissors ✽ Craft knife and cutting mat ✽ Double-sided tape ✽ Circle hole punch (from Hobbycraft) ✽ Split pin fasteners

✽ String

TO MAKE

❶ Measure and draw a flat envelope shape on the back of the patterned paper, either portrait or landscape

(so the pattern runs the right way on the front). There need to be five connecting sections – the front; two side flaps, which will fold over to make the back; one top flap and one bottom flap.

❷ Start with the front (we’re making portrait), mark out a rectangle slightly bigger than your card (so it slots in easily). Make sure this is in the centre of the paper.

❸ Draw two flaps the same size on each long side of the ‘front’. Draw a flap on the bottom short edge and a flap on the top short edge, both about 4cm deep.

❹ Cut out the whole shape around the edge (so when folded the flaps will overlap at the back) and, using the back of a craft knife on the back of the paper, score along the four edges of the ‘front’.

❺ Still with the back of the paper facing you, fold in the two side flaps and stick together with double-sided tape (between where they overlap). Fold up the bottom flap and stick down with double-sided tape.

❻ Fold down the top flap and, using a craft knife, pierce two holes: one in the top flap and one lower down on the back in line with the first (be careful not to puncture the front).

❼ Push a split pin through the centre of a paper disc, cut using a hole punch, and push one through each hole. Open out the pins.

❽ Cut and tie a short length of string around the flat pinhead behind the paper disc on the top flap, and wind around the paper disc on the lower flap to fasten.

Stick a luggage tag or a sticky label on the front of the envelope if the pattern is too busy to write on.