I have been making greeting cards for years! I was using Perfect Paper Adhesive but here in Hawaii, unbenounced to me, there are little tiny almost invisible to the eye, BUGS! And, they ”continue to eat the flowers once sealed with PPA!“ I have found my best bet and failure free ”Mod Podge” is the BEST sealant! I use the matte, not the glossy and I must say my cards turn out beautiful and best of all, they last a lifetime! I have done a lot of experimenting with varios glues, adhesives and I always return to Mod Podge! As far as pressing flowers, try to use those that have the same thickness. This allows for even drying. The larger flowers with big, bulky centers, i.e,. cosmos cosmos, I take the centers out, press the petals and save the seeds to grow more cosmo’s. I am also a huge fan of placing the flowers beteen 2 pieces of Bounty paper towel. This is the only paper towel I can find that doesn’t have a design with depth to it. I am also a die-hard put my flowers in a big heavy book followed by several other heavy books then and I wait 4-5 days to check on them. I think the biggest thrill for me to this day is peeking under the paper towel to see how they’ve dried! Seriously, my heart flutters with joy when I first set look at them! I get giggly just before opening the book! As an added note, I seem to always use too much Mod Podge which nearly always makes me press the finished card back into the large book and stacking several more heavy books on top of them! This pressed flower card making has saved my life!! I have been suffering from debilitating fibromyalgia for over 15 years now and this is one thing that gets my mind off of the pain I feel every day! And, if I might be so bold, I have gotten better and better as the years go by! I hope any of the information I have shared will help or inspire anyone to make flowers which are already beautiful into a life-lasting treasure by turning them into something someone you love can have as a memory for life! Aloha * Liz

Generally photos look best on photo paper. We like the glossy photo cardstock and buy Office Depot brand in the 100 piece box when they have it on sale. Only drawback is that you can't print on the back (matte finish) side - the ink never dries! :( So for greeting cards I use a seperate piece of paper with the inside message printed on it and glue it inside. You can also get prescored cardstock in glossy and matte finish for cards. What I used had a "peel and stick" strip for attaching the message sheet. Brochure paper might be another option for greeting cards. Heavier than regular paper and can be printed both sides, it comes in glossy and matte finish. Your printer and its settings will determine the outcome so you will need to experiment with different papers and settings to see which work best on your printer. Jill

Welcome, Cuddlebones! One good reason to make your own cards is because it's less expensive! And you can have it say exactly what you want. And if you want a card for Memorial Day, or the Fourth of July, or "Just 'Cuz Day" you aren't limited by what's available in the card store. You might want to take a look at the Paper Arts forum. There are several folks posting there who make greeting cards. Here's a link for you... Here is a link that might be useful: THS Paper Arts Forum

Very cute,Thanks for the card. This gave me a good idea. My co-worker ,who loves gardening, is off recuperating from surgery. This would be a cute Thinking of You card.