These watercolor Mother’s Day cards are a sweet DIY! Here’s the tutorial…

There’s something extra special about handmade Mother’s Day cards.

A storebought card is sweet, but nothing beats a handmade original!

Calligrapher Melissa Esplin inspired us to work with watercolor to make your penmanship pop.

She showed us how a blend of art and lettering can spark a fun, creative idea: a DIY watercolor card! Even better, this project doesn’t require fancy tools or a long list of supplies. With just a few basic materials—card stock, watercolors, and the option of using a vinyl decal or printable design—you can create a unique, frame-worthy card that Mom will treasure for years.

SUPPLIES

• Card stock (any color, but white or light tones work best for watercolor)
• Watercolors
• Watercolor brush
• Jar of water
• Iron (optional, for flattening paper)
• Silhouette cutter and vinyl decal (optional)
• Free printable design (if no cutting machine)
• Laser printer (for resist effect)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Paint a Loose Watercolor Background
Start with a piece of card stock. Let kids paint a loose background using wet-on-wet watercolor technique (wet paper first, then apply watercolor). Alternatively, let them make freeform hash marks in different colors. Bold, darker colors tend to stand out more under decals or printed designs. Use plenty of water so the colors stay light and blendable—avoid thick, dry paint. The key is to keep it simple and not overwork the paper.

Step 2: Trim and Flatten
Once dry, trim the card stock down to your desired card size. If the paper has buckled from the water, place a towel over it and briefly iron on low heat to flatten.

Step 3: Add a Design or Decal
If you have a silhouette cutter, you can create a custom vinyl decal to stick on top of the watercolor background. If not, no problem! Print out a free design on a laser printer. The toner resists water, so you can paint over the printed design just like before. Print before painting if using this method.

Step 4: Write a Message and Gift It
Finish the card by writing a heartfelt message inside.

Find Melissa’s free printable on her Instagram, here, or download here.