Level 3 Class: Creative Coloring with Erum Advanced Techniques

How to Make a Floral Watercolor Thank You Card with Gold Embossing

A handmade thank you card is a thoughtful way to share appreciation, and this design brings together soft watercolor florals, black cardstock, and small gold details. In this project, you’ll create a 5” x 7” floral card with embossed accents, layered color, gentle background texture, and sentiment strips for a finished card that feels personal and sincere.

Ingredients

·        Watercolor cardstock

·        Black heavy cardstock

·        Neenah Solar Crest 110 lb white cardstock

·        Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers or reinkers: Fresh Lemon, Rouge, Cotton Candy, Lagoon, Turquoise, Sea Breeze, Sea Forest, and Moss

·        Altenew Airbrushed Flowers Stamp and Mask Stencil

·        Altenew One-Go: Solid Sentiment Strips Press Plate and die set

·        BetterPress

·        Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink

·        Altenew Embossing Ink

·        Altenew Antique Gold Embossing Powder

·        Altenew Embossing Paste

·        Black ink

Instructions

1. Build the Card Base

Start by creating a 5” x 7” card base from heavy black cardstock. To give the card a warm metallic frame, swipe Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink around the outside edge of the card front. Next, cut a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” panel from white cardstock for the sentiments, a matching 4 ¼” x 5 ½” panel from black cardstock, and a 4 ¾” x 6 ¾” panel from watercolor cardstock for the main floral design.

2. Stamp and Emboss the Florals

Use masks or the coordinating masking stencil to arrange the flowers and leaves close together without losing definition. Stamp the outline images onto the watercolor panel, placing three flowers diagonally from the upper left to the lower right. Add leaf clusters beneath and around the blooms, then emboss the stamped images in Antique Gold for a refined, luminous outline.

3. Add Soft Watercolor Color

Begin with a light layer of Fresh Lemon in the flower centers. For the petals, brush on a soft wash of Cotton Candy, then add watered-down Rouge where shadows naturally fall—near the centers, under overlapping petals, and anywhere the petals would cast depth. For the greenery, blend Sea Forest and Moss, keeping the deeper color near the base and shadowed areas before fading into the lighter shade toward the leaf tips. Let the panel dry completely, then return with a second layer of color where you want a little more contrast.

4. Create the Background Wash and Texture

Once the flowers and leaves are dry, add a dreamy background using Lagoon, Turquoise, and Sea Breeze. Keep the richest color closest to the florals and soften the wash as you move toward the edges of the panel. After the first wash dries, add texture by spreading a light coat of embossing paste around the flowers and leaves with long vertical strokes. Allow the paste to dry fully, then add a second wash of the same blue-green shades to enhance the depth and movement in the background.

5. Make the Sentiment Strips

For clean, professional-looking sentiments, use the BetterPress with black ink and the white cardstock panel to press and cut the One-Go: Solid Sentiment Strips. Then cut the same strip shapes from the black cardstock panel. Layer the black strips behind the pressed sentiments to add stability, subtle dimension, and a crisp shadow effect.

6. Assemble the Finished Card

To finish, adhere the dried watercolor panel to the prepared black card base, allowing the gold-edged border to frame the artwork. Choose your favorite sentiment strips—such as “Thank you for your kindness” or “Love you so much”—and place them over the watercolor panel. The result is an elegant handmade card with soft color, beautiful texture, and just the right amount of shine.