Gift Card Holder - times three

A couple of days ago, I posted a few photos of a gift card holder I made using the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  There are several gift card holders on this cartridge - the one I chose is on page 55 (letter G, card function, on the overlay).

I cut three of the holders at 5 inches, using the Gypsy so I could eliminate the tick marks for the scorelines.  The cardholder is designed so both sides of the paper will be seen.  I chose some pretty floral paper with a pink swirl on the reverse side from K & Company.

After the holders were cut, I simply scored and folded them in the middle and then scored along the base of the card and folded the sides up.

This is how the holder looks after scoring and folding.  I always eliminate the tick marks to make my folded edges neater.

 

The smaller inner section is sized to hold a plastic gift card with a little notch to make it easier to grasp the card.

To assemble the card holder, you just need to add strong adhesive to the sides and base of the center section.  I used Scor-Tape as you can see in the photo above.

I made three identical card holders for three gift cards.  To present the cards, I decided to make a "large" card.  I took a sheet of 12 x 12 dark green Bazzill textured cardstock and folded it in half for a 6 x 12 inch card.

I attached each of the card holders to the card base, using Scor-Tape again.  I like this adhesive because it is strong and does not leave a mess.  You do have to be careful to place your item correctly the first time because it is a very aggressive adhesive and it is difficult or impossible to move a piece that you have stuck done crooked or in the wrong spot.

The cards were a birthday gift so I wanted to add a birthday sentiment.  I used the banner cut from page 35 (number 5 on the keypad, accent 1 function).  This shape has a coordinating stamp that comes with the  Artiste bundle .  I cut the banners from the same paper with the pink side up and stamped the "
Happy Birthday" with Fired Brick Distress Ink.

I did not adhere the banners to chipboard but I did pop them up a bit with some foam dots.

Here is the inside of the card with three sets of birthdays wishes.  I signed on the left side of the card with  white ink.

The cards are placed in the holders with the bottom sides showing since they are fixed in a vertical position.  This hides the value of the card so there is a moment of anticipation as it is pulled out.

I wanted the front of the card to look like a package so I simply used another piece of the floral cardstock cut at 5 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches for the layer.  I wrapped some ruffled pink ribbon around the daisy paper and taped it on the back.  Then I added a layer of burgundy satin ribbon in the center of the pink ribbon.

Once the ribbons were centered and fixed in place, I added a piece of burgundy ribbon for a bow.

This is the top of the "package" or the front of the card.  This was a quick and simple to make the gift card presentation a little more special.

If you are thinking about purchasing the Artiste cartridge, it is available only through Close to my Heart consultants.  My friend Melanie Brown is a consultant and she would be happy to help you.  Melanie's site is HERE.   The Cricut Artiste Cartridge bundle is HERE on her site - it includes three coordinating stamp sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes. 

When you purchase the bundle, you will qualify to purchase  the September Stamp of the Month, Fall Favorites for just $5.   Until September 30th, you can also get the special National Stamping Month set for only $5 - it is a double set you can see HERE and you add it to your cart HERE.

I hope you are having a great weekend - we'll be enjoying another family birthday party today as the triplets are turning 9!  I have to finish up their cards this morning and I also hope to move a few more things around in my craftroom - if I can manage without help from my husband who shouldn't be using his injured hand.

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Creative Charms projects - and a secret sale!

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!  I hope you are having fun getting everything ready for celebrations with family and friends.  We are getting ready for the holiday and for our trip to see our son and his new wife in Spain.  I am planning to have posts ready for the days we are gone and I'll try to check email every so often but I will be spending most of my time with family for the next week and a half.

Today is my day to post over on the Creative Charms blog.  Please click HERE to go to the blog and see the card and gift box I made.  There will be more details about making these projects posted on one of days that I am away. 

More information about the "Black Friday" sales is rolling in.  It is a bit confusing since many places are trying to get a jump on the day after Thanksgiving with earlier offers.  If you are a fan of the sales, I wish you good luck in finding the things you want at great prices.  I may be doing a bit of online shopping but my priority is time with the family (and I'll be on a plane on Friday).

I did just get an email about a sale I couldn't resist!  Lettering Delights is having a Customer Appreciation Sale.  They called it a "secret sale" but also suggested passing the information along to friends.  You can take 40% off any size order by using the code Merci2U and if you spend $30 or more you can use the code MerciBearcoup to save 60% on your order (so a $30 order would be only $12).  If you combine this discount with some of the special bundle prices, you can get a really good deal!  Click HERE to go to Lettering Delights to take advantage of this offer (I did not see the ending time for the sale but I'll add it when I find it.

I use some of the Lettering Delights items in my Creative Memories StoryBook Creator 4.0 software.  You can also use the SVG and cut-its with some electronic die cutters (but not the Cricut unless you have a pre-lawsuit version of one of the third party software programs).  I cut these with my Silhouette SD (I am still thinking about the Cameo but have decided to wait a bit so I can research the best choice for my needs - I also have my eye on the Zing).

I will be getting the stitches out of my hand today and doing some last minute shopping for Thanksgiving and the trip.  I need a few more hours each day to get everything done - how about you?!

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A different way to give a gift...

 

Several of you guessed correctly about the vinyl photo I posted a couple of days ago.  The letters spelled out "Happy Birthday Cailean" and they were part of a project I did to present a gift in an unusual way.

When we were shopping for the lights for my craft room I saw these plastic tubes.  They are meant to be used as safety guards for four foot florescent lighting tubes.  They cost just a few dollars.  I looked at them and got an idea for my seven year old neighbor's birthday - why not give her four feet of little gifts in the tube and decorate it with her name?

My first thought was to fill the tube with wrapped candy but then I thought four feet of candy might not be something her parents would approve of! I decided to buy her lots of hair clips, bands and ponytail holders, along with some nail polish and a few lollipops.  The main qualification was that they had to be gifts that would fit inside the tube.

I set up the file to cut the words using the Gypsy and the Alphalicious cartridge.  First I spelled out the entire phrase but I found it was tricky to ungroup and move every other letter and keep them lined up evenly to conserve the vinyl.  I discovered that the quickest way for me to set up the cut was to say the letters out loud and make two groups - first the odd numbers and then the even numbers. 

I then had all of the correct letters to spell out the word in alternating colors and they were in a nice line.  I only needed two pieces of 2 inch by 12 inch vinyl for the entire project.  I added a few hearts and flowers to fill up the piece of vinyl.

I put a piece of blue painter's tape on the tube to help keep the letters straight and worked from the center out to the sides.

Then all I had to do was to place the extra hearts and flowers at the ends.

I wrapped up the little gift items in white or colorful tissue paper.  I used the white pieces in the center section so the letters would stand out and be easy to read.  It was a little tricky to move the gifts down the tube but a long broom handle helped to push them into place.

It is not easy to get a photo of the entire tube - these might help you see how it worked (you can click them to make the image larger). I tied some fancy ribbons around both ends - to decorate the tube and for Cailiean to use for other projects.

The gift was a hit - here Cailean is showing the emptied tube which was nearly as tall as she is!

We also made a pretty cake together - from the Once Upon A Princess cartridge.

Here are a few tips that I learned for the next time I try this...

*The items should be things that will slide right through the tube - the soft hair bow elastics were a bit too large for the diameter of the tube and tended to get stuck!
*Instead of wrapping the items in white tissue paper and trying to make them meet in the center it would probably be better to roll up a large piece of white paper and slip it inside behind the words as a liner.
*If the items are "stuck" you can tap the tube on a carpeted floor until they work their way down to the end of the tube.

It is always fun to try to think of ways to use products in a different way.  I don't think that the makers of these tubes thought they would be gift holders at some time!


If you try this, I'd love to see pictures and hear how it worked out for you.  Have a great weekend!


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