Bright & Layered Floral Card for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and I wanted to make a card that feels bright, cheerful, and full of handmade charm. Floral designs are always a favorite, and layering the petals with soft shading gives them a dimensional, elegant look.

Carrianne here! I’m excited to share how I created this floral card using a few cardstock colors, some simple shading, and a layering technique that makes the blooms pop.

Supplies & Materials

CutCardStock Cardstock:

DCS Surf
Classic Crest Solar White
Pop Tone Raspberry Pink Ice
Pop Tone Jelly Bean Green
DCS Yellow Jacket

Other Products Used:

Altenew Prairie Roses Layering Die Set
Altenew Moroccan Lattice Cover Die
Altenew Inks: Rubellite, Pink Diamond, Forest Glades, Chamomile, Terracotta
Die-cutting machine
Gold-matted sequins

Step 1: Choose and Prepare Your Cardstock

To begin, I die-cut all of the floral elements, leaves, and details from their coordinating cardstock colors. Laying everything out on the cardstock helps visualize how the colors work together and makes the assembly process much smoother later on.

Die-cut elements arranged on their coordinating cardstock colors, ready for shading.

Step 2: Prepare the Leaves

Next, I cut the leaves from Jelly Bean cardstock and shaded them with Forest Glades ink. Shading the inner folds added depth, making them look more dimensional without introducing a second color.

Leaf die-cuts shaded to add dimension and depth.

Step 3: Assemble the Flowers

The flower petals were cut from Raspberry Pink Ice cardstock. I layered them carefully, using Rubellite for deeper shading and Pink Diamond for highlights. Building the flowers in layers gives a full, natural look. 

Shaded flower petals ready for assembly.

Step 4: Add the Centers

For the centers, I used Yellow Jacket cardstock and added a touch of Chamomile and Terracotta ink for warmth. This subtle shading made the centers look bright and cheerful against the pink petals.

Flower centers shaded for warmth and contrast.

Step 5: Assemble the Layered Flowers

Once all the petals are shaded, I assembled each flower and added the centers. This lets you see the completed blooms fully layered and ready to place on your card panel. It’s a satisfying step where all the flower pieces come together!

Fully assembled layered flowers ready to be placed on the card.

Step 6: Build the Background Panel

Next, I brought the background together by layering the Crest Solar White lattice panel over the Surf cardstock base. This combination adds subtle texture while keeping the design light and airy, allowing the florals to remain the focal point of the card.

 Crest Solar White lattice panel layered over Surf cardstock to create a clean, textured background.

After the background panel was ready, I adhered the layered flowers and leaves onto the panel, arranging them until the composition felt balanced and natural. I added a sentiment that complements the bright, cheerful florals and completes the overall design.

To finish the card, I added three gold-matted sequins for sparkle and helps guide the eye across the card, and give the arrangement a polished, finished look.

This card is now complete—cheerful, layered, and ready for Mother’s Day gifting! I hope this tutorial inspires you to create your own bright, handmade cards full of color and dimension using your favorite CutCardStock cardstock.

Close-up showing the layered flowers, soft shading, subtle texture, and gold-matted sequins that add sparkle and dimension to the card.

I’d love to hear from you - let me know in the comments if you’re making a Mother’s Day card (or any card at all!). 

Shop the CutCardStock cardstock I used HERE
Shop the Altenew products HERE

Happy crafting, and may your cards bring joy to everyone who receives them!

CHALLENGES:

Altenew March Inspiration Challenge