The Sketchbook

Clover and Wing Folded Greeting Card

Clover and Wing Folded Greeting Card

A Spring Good Wishes Card for March

There is a particular moment each March when winter loosens its grip here in Western New York. The snow softens, the ground begins to breathe again, and small signs of life appear if you know where to look. A snowdrop pushing through frozen soil. The first red-winged blackbird calling from the trees. Rabbits tracing quiet paths along the edges of the hedges.

@elizabethgleasonart

Second week of seed starting is underway 🌱 The first signs of spring are finally showing up around the garden. Crocuses are blooming, the lilies I grabbed for 50¢ at the end of the season are coming back beautifully, and the daffodils are starting their annual show. The newer ones are just peeking through the soil, while the older clumps already have about four inches of growth. Spring is waking up — and I’m here for every bit of it. 🌼 Happy spring, friends! #spring #garden

♬ Little Sparrow – Paul Alan Morris

My Spring March card, Clover and Wing, grew out of those small signs of returning life.

This folded good luck card is inspired by the folklore and symbolism of early spring — the season of renewal, courage, and quiet good fortune. When the card is closed, it appears as a simple heart-shaped form tied with a soft velvet ribbon. But when opened, it reveals its full design: a four-leaf clover shape, each petal carrying a small piece of spring symbolism and a poetic wishes.

The artwork was originally painted in gouache, a medium I love for its rich, velvety color and storybook quality. Each element in the card carries a meaning rooted in seasonal folklore.

Rabbit – a symbol of forward courage and quick movement toward new beginnings.
Red-winged blackbird – the fearless voice of spring, announcing the return of life to wetlands and meadows.
Snowdrops and daffodils – the first flowers to appear, reminding us that renewal often arrives quietly.
Four-leaf clover – a traditional emblem of luck, but also of grounded hope and rooted fortune.

When unfolded, the card becomes a clover with four petals, each holding a line from the wish written for the piece:

@elizabethgleasonart

Clover and Wing Folded Card Early spring in Western New York always feels like a quiet promise. Snowdrops pushing through frost. Rabbits braving open fields. Red-winged blackbirds claiming their reeds. That’s where Clover and Wing was born. A blessing in four petals — rooted luck, fearless voice, gentle endurance, and what’s meant to be. Printed from my original watercolor and assembled right here in my studio. A little bit of meadow. A little bit of folklore. A little bit of hope. 🌿✨ ElizabethGleason CloverAndWing SpringArt FolkLoreInspired HandmadeCard JamestownNY

♬ Spring Forest Birds Sing Near the Road – Aadam Aki

Four-leaf clover, bright and true,
I call in fortune, fresh and new.

By daffodil and snowdrop fair,
Let gentle blessings fill the air.

Swift rabbit’s hop and fearless wing,
Red-winged blackbird, luck now sing.

Root in my path what’s meant to be —
so it said, so might it be.

Each card is printed, cut, folded, and assembled by hand in my studio. The velvet ribbon and kraft envelope make it feel like a small treasure to open — a little token of encouragement for someone stepping into something new.

I like to think of this piece not just as a greeting card, but as a small paper talisman for fresh beginnings.

Perfect for:

  • graduations
  • new homes
  • new jobs
  • encouragement
  • spring celebrations
  • or simply sending someone a bit of luck

Spring always arrives quietly. Sometimes a small blessing, sent by hand, is enough to welcome it.

🍀 A blessing in bloom.
🍀 A token of rooted luck.
🍀 A little magic, sent by hand.