by I’m so excited to share something that brought me so much joy to create. My Junk Journal Flower Specimen Cards Printable Kit is now available, and it’s definitely one of my favourite creative projects so far!
junk journal flower specimen cards
This kit was such a joy to make.
The goal was to create something sweet and whimsical, filled with soft colors and floral details, while also capturing the aged, vintage feel that works so well in junk journaling.
After selecting ten flower types that felt nostalgic and botanical, I spent time researching their scientific names. That turned out to be more fun than expected and added a lovely sense of purpose to the project.
Along the way, I also explored real vintage specimen slides and cards. Many were covered in patterned papers, which felt both practical and beautiful. Seeing how they were labelled, stored, and displayed helped shape the direction of the kit.
With those references in mind, I created the card bases using soft watercolor florals and fabric textures. The palette came together in muted lavender, sage green, dusty pink, teal, and blue. Then came the finishing touches – specimen labels, aged detail cards, faux mounting paper, pockets, word strips, and soft pink tape strips to layer and hold everything in place.
And once the kit was finished… I couldn’t wait to start playing with it!
A Mindful and Joyful Creative Project
Putting the flower specimen cards together turned into one of the most calming and rewarding creative sessions I’ve had in a while!
With a cup of tea, scissors, and a little stack of printed sheets, I spent time carefully cutting out all the pieces. Once everything was trimmed and ready, I inked the edges using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tea Dye. This step added so much depth and warmth, giving each piece that aged, vintage look I love. It also helped soften any rough edges and made everything feel more finished.
After inking, I slowly assembled each card. The quiet process of choosing layers and arranging them by hand was incredibly relaxing and fun. Each one came together with its own little combination: mounting cards, labels, fussy cut flowers, and aged paper accents.
To join the base cards and attach the layers, I used double-sided tape in two widths – 3mm and 6mm. The base cards are designed to be folded in half to create a double-sided card, and the wider tape worked well for securing that fold. The narrower tape was especially helpful for adding the small pockets and other tiny details without any mess.
The finished flower specimen cards felt solid and satisfying to hold, like something carefully tucked away in an old naturalist’s drawer.
What’s Included in the flower specimen cards Kit?
This is a large kit with 100 mix-and-match printable elements, all designed to work together beautifully – but still flexible enough to let you create your own unique layouts and ideas. Here’s what’s inside the Flower Specimen Cards kit:
- 10 double-sided base cards – Soft floral and fabric textures in gentle colors, slightly aged, designed to be folded into sturdy specimen cards (2.3 x 3.5 inches)
- 10 fussy cut watercolor flowers – One for each flower type
- 10 vintage-style specimen labels – Featuring the scientific names of each flower
- 12 aged detail cards – 10 with handwritten-style notes for each flower, plus 2 blank to customise
- 10 mounting cards – Faux aged paper backgrounds for layering your fussy cuts
- 10 round specimen number labels – Each number matches a flower detail card
- 20 washi-style tape strips – In two sizes, soft pale pink, great for layering
- 5 mini pockets – Designed to fit on the front or back of your cards and hold extra bits
- 15 word and phrase strips – Add charm with cut-out words like Specimen, Collected, From the Field, and Wild Bloom
So Many Ways to Use This Kit
Although I’ve shared my own version of how I assembled the cards, the beauty of this kit is that it’s completely flexible. You can use the pieces however you like – mix, match, layer, collage, and tuck them into pockets or onto pages. They’re perfect not just for creating faux specimen cards, but also for decorating junk journal spreads, botanical pages, nature-themed folios, or even handmade greeting cards and tags.
If you love mindful crafting, paper layers, and vintage-inspired details, I think you’ll enjoy this kit as much as I enjoyed making it.
Where to Get It
You can find the full Junk Journal Flower Specimen Cards Kit in my Etsy shop, The Lost Paperie. It’s available as an instant digital download, ready to print and start crafting with right away.
Happy journaling and layering!
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