Free Botanical Printables for Scrapbooking, Card Making & DIY Stationery
Inside This Post
Free botanical printables featuring vintage plant and flower illustrations
Designed for scrapbooking, card making, DIY stationery, and paper crafts
Includes three printable collage sheets with images in a couple of different sizes
Works beautifully for vintage, cottagecore, and nature-inspired projects
Easy to print, cut, and use for creative projects
If you’ve ever looked at a vintage botanical illustration and thought, “Yes, I absolutely need this on everything I own,” you’re in excellent company.
Antique plant drawings have a way of feeling both elegant and slightly nerdy, in the best possible way. They’re delicate. They’re detailed. They make even the messiest craft desk feel just a little more refined.
Today I’m sharing three free printable collage sheets filled with vintage botanical imagery that you can use for:
Scrapbooking
Card making
DIY stationery
Collage
Paper crafts
Mixed media
And any other creative experiment your brain decides to start in the middle of the night
These printables feature beautifully engraved botanical illustrations sourced from an antique book, arranged into easy-to-use collage sheets.
Let’s dig in.
Why Botanical Printables Never Go Out of Style
Trends come and go. One year it’s mushrooms. The next year it’s moths. Suddenly everyone owns twelve pairs of decorative scissors. But botanical imagery? Eternal.
Here’s why vintage plant illustrations remain crafting royalty:
They’re public domain (hello, free art!)
They blend effortlessly with almost any aesthetic
They work in tiny sizes and large formats
They feel both decorative and educational
You can place a botanical illustration next to lace, ledger paper, torn book pages, sheet music, or modern patterns, and it still looks intentional. That kind of versatility is priceless in paper crafting.
What’s Included in This Free Printable Set
You’ll receive three collage sheets.
Inside the set you’ll find:
Flowering plants
Leaves and branches
Fruit-bearing plants
Botanical specimens arranged in pairs and clusters
Antique engraving-style line work
The images lean more toward natural history illustration rather than modern floral clipart, giving them a timeless, slightly scholarly look.
Think: old botanical textbooks, museum drawers, and pressed plant collections. But printable. And significantly less dusty.
Download the Free Botanical Printables
Scroll down to download all three collage sheets. Just select either “Download JPG” or “Download PDF” under each preview image. They’re free for creative use and ready to print. Happy cutting, layering, gluing, and hoarding!
Ways to Use These Botanical Printables
Let’s talk possibilities. Because these aren’t just “journal printables.” They’re paper-crafting multitools.
Scrapbooking
Botanical imagery works beautifully in:
Nature-themed layouts
Garden memory albums
Heritage or family history scrapbooks
Seasonal spreads (spring and summer especially shine)
Try using the images as:
Photo mats
Layered background pieces
Corner accents
Borders trimmed from the illustrations
Pro tip: Printing on slightly heavier matte cardstock gives a more authentic vintage feel.
Card Making
These printables are practically begging to become handmade cards.
Great for:
Birthday cards
Thank you notes
Sympathy cards
Thinking-of-you cards
Blank “just because” cards
Ideas:
Cut out one botanical image and center it on a folded card base
Layer a plant illustration over patterned paper
Add a small sentiment strip beneath
You can keep it minimal or go full maximalist. Both are valid life choices.
DIY Stationery & Writing Sets
If you love making your own stationery, these images are gold.
Use them for:
Letterhead designs
Envelope liners
Printable notecards
Journal paper borders
Try printing the botanicals faintly (lower ink opacity) so they act as subtle background designs behind writing. Fancy without being fussy.
Tags, Labels & Embellishments
The mini image sheet is perfect for:
Gift tags
Journal tags
Library card pockets
Collage clusters
Paper banners
Punch a hole, add some twine, and suddenly your project looks extremely intentional.
Collage & Mixed Media
These botanical printables pair beautifully with:
Vintage text
Dictionary pages
Sheet music
Coffee-dyed paper
You can:
Tear around images for organic edges
Ink the borders
Gesso over parts for texture
Layer with paint and mark-making
There are no rules here. Just go with what inspires you.
Printing Tips for Best Results
A few small tweaks make a big difference:
Use matte photo paper or heavyweight cardstock for crisp, sturdy images. Alternatively, print them on lightweight paper for layering in collages.
Print at “actual size” or “100%”
Choose the highest quality print setting
Let ink dry fully before cutting
Optional but fun:
Lightly distress edges with brown ink
Tea or coffee dye for an aged look
Crumple slightly and flatten for texture
Your printer may not be vintage, but we can fake it convincingly.
Aesthetic Styles These Botanicals Pair Well With
If you like aesthetics (and honestly, who doesn’t):
Dark academia
Vintage garden
Natural history
Farmhouse
Shabby chic
Romantic ephemera
They’re neutral enough to adapt to nearly anything while still having strong personality.
The crafting equivalent of a really good pair of jeans.
Who These Printables Are Perfect For
Scrapbookers
Card makers
Journalers
Paper crafters
Mixed media artists
Collage lovers
Anyone who hoards pretty paper (no judgment)
Beginner-friendly. Advanced-crafter-approved.
More Free Printables You Might Like
(Each pairs beautifully with botanical imagery.)
Frequently Asked Questions
What size are the collage sheets?
They’re formatted for standard US Letter size (8.5 x 11 inches), but you can scale them down during printing if needed.
Can I use these in junk journals and art journals too?
Absolutely. While this post focuses on scrapbooking, card making, and stationery, these images also work beautifully in junk journals, art journals, and mixed media projects.
What paper works best?
Matte cardstock, presentation paper, or heavyweight inkjet paper produce high quality, sturdy images. However, lightweight printer paper works nicely for layering.
Can I recolor or edit the images?
Yes! Feel free to recolor, resize, crop, and layer them for your creative projects.
Love These Printables? Support The Art Scavenger!
I love sharing free vintage printables, and if you enjoy them, there are easy ways to support my work so I can continue creating and offering more free designs:
You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
