JAI 584 Just add Christmas - bay window gift card holder

Hello & welcome! Today I'm sharing a fun fold Christmas card that's also a gift card holder. This is my Design Team project for this week's Just Add Ink challenge.

I've used the Stitched Triangles dies with the Heartwarming Hugs patterned paper pack to create a cluster of Christmas trees on the card front with a scored and popped out section. This is an adaption of what I now understand is called a bay window card.

Christmas Pocket Card & Explosion Box

Here are a few more Christmas projects from my Christmas gifts class back on 6 December (seems such a long time ago now). while these are themed for Christmas, I hope they give you some ideas for everyday gifts too.

Photo/Gift Card Pocket Card

These are a great way to send a photo, letter or gift card. At the class, I showed how to make a photo & gift card version. Gift cards are such a popular gift item, but can sometimes seem a bit impersonal, so I like to present them nicely, to suit the recipient.The basic pocket is a normal half A4 sheet of riding hood red card scored on the long side at 4.5cm & 14.5cm, which makes a folder 10 x 14.8cm. The pocket is secured with 2 brads, but you could also use double sided tape. For this one, I scalloped a strip of olive card, & then attached it & some Holiday Wishes DSP to the top flap. I stamped the greeting image from Season of Joy twice, once in riding hood red & once in old olive, then punched or cut out part of the image. I mounted the stamped piece to some olive card, then to the front with dimensionals.

Here is a view of the inside, complete with a piccie of us (which was printed 2 to a page on 10x15cm photo paper). I included 2 cards for a greeting & photo/gift card. I forgot to take a pic of the gift card side, but the white panel was punched on either side with the slit punch to hold the gift card. If you'd like some more ideas for pocket cards, you can see some more here & here.

I can also make to order when you order a Stampin' Up! gift certificate from me. Just contact me if you'd like more information.

Holiday Wishes Explosion Box

The second class project was an explosion box & matching tag. I like how the base of this box opens up like a greeting when you take the lid off.Again, I used more riding hood red card & Holiday Wishes DSP – there are so many different designs in this pack that you can create lots of different looks. The finished box lid is 6 x 6 x 2.5cm & the stamped base is 5.8 x 5.8 x 5.8cm, so you get a good snug fit with the lid. I made a matching tag using the 'Curly Label' punch bundle, which includes the curly label punch & matching 'Cute & Curly' stamp set, which I think looks really good with this DSP pattern. I tied some choc chip taffeta around the box & through a slot in the tag made with the horizontal slot punch. This way, you get a nice flat knot & can slide the ribbon off without untying it. Here's a close up of the finished tag.One more Gift Card Folder I made this folder with the leftovers from the explosion box just for the sake of playing & showing the girls at the class! The base card piece was approx 21 x 13cm.With this version, you fold in & partially seal a centre flap & use the word window punch to make an opening to hold the gift card.After making this one, I adjusted the design, so that the card flap folds back on the left side to make a pocket & I included a panel for a greeting on the right, which I liked better. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics before giving them to a customer (oops), but at least Renee & Annette will know what I'm waffling about (hi girls).

One final thing I'll mention is the extra punched kiwi layer around the greeting. To do it, I punched 2 curly labels, attached one in the opposite direction to the greeting & cut the second one in two & attached it to the back.

OK, that's all for now. I still need to show you my Christmas card design (or one of them anyway, as I forgot to take pics of one of those too – grin!) Thanks again for visiting & hope to see you again.

Inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Pocket Card
Stamps: Season of Joy
Card/Paper: riding hood red, whisper white, Holiday Wishes DSP
Ink: riding hood red, old olive
Punches: scallop edge, ½ inch circle, ¼ inch circle, slit punch

Explosion Box
Stamps: Cute & Curly, Snow Swirled, Occasional Greetings
Card/Paper: riding hood red, whisper white, Holiday Wishes DSP
Ink: riding hood red
Accessories: chocolate chip taffeta ribbon
Tools: curly label punch, horizontal slot punch, word window punch

Gift Card Folder
Stamps: Cute & Curly, Snow Swirled
Card/Paper: riding hood red, whisper white, Holiday Wishes DSP
Ink: riding hood red, chocolate chip
Accessories: chocolate chip taffeta ribbon
Tools: curly label punch, horizontal slot punch, word window punch

Tutorial time - Christmas tree gift card holder

Today I'm sharing a fun gift card holder with a Christmas tree theme & file folder edge, plus a tutorial so you can make them too. This was a project from my Christmas packaging & gift class last November, but somehow didn't make my blog. In any case, I've just reviewed & revamped the instructions, so hope you find it useful since we seem to be racing towards Christmas.

I love these funky little Christmas trees. They're made with punched pennants (or you could use our new Christmas tree punch) & are a quick & easy way to create a cute Christmassy look with scraps. The star punch I used is now retired but is easily substituted with the current star punch in the Itty Bitty Accents pack.
I added a file folder edge & rounded corners with my Envelope Punch Board - is there nothing that board can't do. Open the front & this is what you see - another little tree.

Flip the right panel to see a message panel (more trees - can't resist them) & gift card pocket.

Want to see the other side too?

Gift Card Holder Tutorial
Follow the links below to view, download & print the pdf tutorial-instructions.
Measurements are provided in centimetres & inches to match the regular sized cardstock available, so cm measurements are based on A4 cardstock. Inch measurements are based on standard 8-1/2 x 11 inch US cardstock.

See & download gift card holder pdf instructions

Notes about downloading the document:
* The tutorial is a small pic to show what the instructions look like. Follow the link to download the pdf document.
* My docs are hosted on Google Drive. Just click on the link to view the pdf doc, then click on the 'download' icon to save the pdf to your computer-device. Please don't select share, as google just sends me an e-mail request & doesn't help you access the tutorial.

Step back in time -
Original gift card folder

Today's gift card holder was actually adapted from one I made back in 2010, which was in turn based on this gift card holder shared by Heather Summers. Good ideas grow!
Anyway, I was trying to link back to my original folder, but I apparently didn't blog it either... so I'm sharing my original instructions from 2010 here too. It's still a really useful design even thought the stamps, papers etc are well retired.
Note: These instructions are only listed in cm's. If you need inches, use the measurements from the Christmas tree version above, as they're the same.

 

  

 

 See & download original gift card holder pdf instructions

Thanks for visiting & I hope you enjoy trying both tutorials. If you blog your creations, please link back to this post so others can enjoy them too. Leave me a comment if you've any questions or would just like to say hi. I'll be back soon with another project.
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies - Christmas Tree Gift Card Holder 
To see & order any items used in today's project, just click on the items below to see them in my Online Store. You can order from me if you live anywhere in Australia. I would love to be your Demonstrator if you don't already have one. Please allow "Demonstrator contact" in your preferences so I can thank you properly when you place your order.

Petite Pairs Wood-mount Stamp Set	Envelope Punch Board	Petite Pennants Builder Punch	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack	Word Window Punch
Card Stock A4 Pear Pizzazz	Pool Party A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock		Silver Glimmer Paper
Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

Jolly Petite Pocket Gift card Folder

I'm on a roll with the posts! Today I have a cute (I think) little gift card folder, which I demonstrated at Kim's Christmas themed workshop in September.

Kim had heard lots about the Big Shot & wanted to see it in action, so I decided to use my new Petite Pocket die to make a patterned paper gift card folder. It's so easy to make a basic pocket - just run the die through the Big Shot, punch a couple of holes for the reinforcement rings, attach two strips of tape, adhere & you're done.
As you can see, I decorated the pocket with lots of punches, as thankfully, Kim is a fellow punch fan. You could of course use what you have!

You can hopefully see more detail in this close up of Rudolph (from the Jolly Bingo Bits) set. I stamped him in soft suede, then coloured his nose, eyes & antlers with markers. I punched him out with the 1 inch circle punch, then mounted him on a 1 1/4 inch & 1 3/8 inch circle punches & scallop circle. The sentiment is punched with the modern label punch.

Here's the back of the folder - opened & closed. The little reinforcing rings (in olive) come with the die. To make it easier to get the gift card out, I attached it to a strip of olive card, with a rounded end.

I think these would look really cute attached to your Christmas tree to wait for Christmas (assuming you're much more organised than me!).
At the workshop, I showed the gift card inside the folder, then added a Freddo Frog instead, to show they would be a great kids class gift too, as well as a treat for Kim's cute little boys....& lets face it, you can't beat chocolate!

If you have any questions about anything, or would like to just say hi, just leave me a comment. I love hearing from you. Until next time,
Inky wishes, Di

Supplies
Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits (Rudolph), Short & Sweet (sentiment)
Card/Paper: real red patterns DSP, whisper white, old olive, choc chip card
Ink: choc chip ink pad, real red & choc chip marker
Accessories: gold brads
Tools: Big Shot, Petite Pocket die, extended premium crease pad, punches - circles - 1 3/8, 1 1/4, 1 inch, scallop circle, modern label, wide oval (gift card strip), paper piercing tool

Patterned paper gift card folder

I've been dying to show you another gift card folder I've been a bit obsessed with making at the moment (obsessed – me?? J).

I saw one on Andrea Hayes' blog while I was having a bit of a blog hop & had to try making one. I was amazed that the basic folder is just a scored & folded piece of double sided patterned paper. So, I made one using Andrea's excellent tutorial and an 8 x 8 inch sheet of paper.

I wanted to make a larger and more 'card like' one, so I tried using a full 12 x 12 inch sheet of double sided patterned paper. I was really happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

I used a sheet of the lovely (but sadly retired) 'Enchante' patterned paper for the base & stamps from 'Carte Postale' for the motif on the front & the greeting/gift cards inside. To close the folder, I used some celery grosgrain ribbon, rhinestone brads from the 'Ice' pack & silver brads to close it.
Here's a pic of the inside:

I included two cards - one for a greeting & one for a store or gift card. The gift card is held in place on the card with slits made with the slit punch (so handy). Here's another pic showing more of the card inserts.
You can follow Andrea's tutorial instructions to make one too, but you'll just need to change the score lines to suit a 12 x 12 inch sheet, as follows: Score sheet at, 2 ¼ inches, 6 inches & 9 ¾ inches. Turn paper (a quarter turn) & score at 4 ½ inches and 9 ¾ inches.
If you'd like to make one with a similar look to this paper, the designs from the Enchante pack are used with a blue & yellow colour scheme in the 'Le Jardin' patterned paper pack.
More Tips
- The secret to a good folder is accurate but not too hard scoring.
- The finished front is slightly smaller than a normal card, but it still fits nicely in a standard C6 envelope.
Thanks so much Andrea for sharing this great idea .... and for those of you who haven't found Andrea yet, you should check out her blog, as her creations are really great.

EDIT Sept 2021: See & download my No Cut Patterned Paper Tutorial in this post

 
Tomorrow, I'll show you some more folders I've made using the scrumptious berry bliss paper pack.
Supplies:
Stamps: Carte Postale
Paper: One 12 x 12 inch sheet of double sided patterned paper from 'Enchante' pack
Card: very vanilla, pale plum, perfect plum & certainly celery card
Ink: perfect plum, pale plum
Accessories: rhinestone brads ('Ice' pack), silver brads
Tools: bone folder, 1 3/8 inch square punch, paper piercer

Flower Shop pop 'n' cuts gift card holder (with instructions)

Today I've turned a Pop 'n' Cuts card base into a pretty gift card holder with just 3 score lines & some girlie decoration in a pretty colour combo of strawberry slush, pink pirouette, pool party, white & crumb cake. Here's a closer look.

 

The front was simply decorated with a pretty flower & Chalk Talk framelits tag, embossed with the Alphabet Press embossing folder & The chevron panel was stamped with a chevron pattern  (Oh, Hello) & thank you sentiment (Express Yourself), then cut with another Chalk Talk framelit. I tied some ruffled ribbon around the shaped end to add pretty to the front & inside.

On the inside, I've created a folded panel to hold a gift card holder & added a simple panel to write a message. A few more flowers & strip of DSP finish it off.

Gift Card Holder - Basic Instructions
1. Cut the base with the pop 'n' cuts card base die.
2. Starting from the curved end of the base, score at...
    Metric - 9.5cm, 20cm & 26cm
    Inches - 3-3/4in, 7-3/4in, 10in
3. Fold the first score to form the front, then fold in the other 2 scores to form the gift card pocket.
4. Decorate as you like :-)

Don't have the pop 'n' cuts base die yet?
Try cutting a simple version with plain card. Score as above.
    *  Metric - cut card 10.5cm x 28cm from A4 sheet
    *  Inches - cut card 4-1/4inches x 10-3/4 inches

Well, that's all from me for today. Thanks for visiting & if you have any q's just leave a comment. Back soon with something new.
Inky wishes, Di 

Supplies
Stamps: Flower Shop, Oh Hello, Express Yourself
Card/paper: crumb cake, pink pirouette, strawberry slush, whisper white, pool party, DSP stack (pool party)
Ink: strawberry slush, soft sky, pool party ink pads
Accessories: strawberry slush ruffled ribbon, basic pearls
Tools: Big Shot, Pop 'n' Cuts base die, Alphabet Press embossing folder, pansy punch

Card Base Pop' N Cuts

$69.95

Chalk Talk Framelits Dies

$42.95

Alphabet Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$13.95

Flower Shop Clear Bundle

$52.50

Oh, Hello Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$35.95

Express Yourself

$21.00

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

ESAD Christmas in July blog hop – welcome!

Hi & welcome to the ESAD Christmas in July blog hop. This is my first blog hop, so an extra big welcome if this is your first visit here.

If you're following the hop, you may have come from Susan's blog, but if not, you can join in by following the link at the end of each post. There are lots of great places to go, so if you get lost, there's a full list of all hoppers below.
I hope you're ready for the ESAD Christmas in July Blog Hop!

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin' Up! We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators.
We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when it's needed.

 So if you are a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

Now....onto my projects

Holiday Treasures Gift Card Folder

These gift card  folders are a lovely way to personalise giving a gift card & are one of my all time favourite projects. To make them, you just need a sheet of double sided paper, stamped images, ribbon & brads. I used a DSP from the 'Holiday Treasures' pack.

The Christmas tree image is from 'Fun & Fast Notes. It's water-coloured using my aquapainter with & ink pads. Of course, it's not Christmas without some Dazzling Diamonds glitter too. Here's the folder open inside.

I include 2 cards inside – one to write a message & one to hold a store card. The gift card is held in place with slits made with the slit punch. Here's a closer pic of the cards:

I've made lots of these over the years, but for this one, I fiddled with the measurements to make it a little bigger than previous ones. The final front is approx 10 x 14.5cm.

You can see more of my gift card folders here & the original tutorial I used by Andrea Hayes here.

And now for something completely different...

Desk Organiser & Notebook

My second project is this desk organiser & matching notebook.

This idea has been floating around in my head for a looong time, so thanks to this blog hop, I've finally gotten it out of my head & finished to show you. While it's not Christmas themed, I thought that Christmas also means the end of the school year teachers gifts. Of course, it would also make a lovely gift for any stationery obsessed friend too.

This idea came from a little post-it box I designed about a year ago (which somehow I never blogged!). I realised if I combined multiple sized boxes, I could make then into a little desk organiser. It's very solid too, as each of the boxes have double layers of cardstock & no raw edges. The main box is of course certainly celery (a fave if you don't know me!) & I used the gorgeous Urban Garden DSP, not quite navy card & celery grosgrain ribbon. Here are some more pics showing it empty & from the top:

...& this is the little notebook I covered in DSP to match. The quote is from the lovely 'Asian Artistry' hostess stamp set from the Autumn/Winter mini.

If you want some more facts, the organiser is approx 15cm long, 11cm high & 6cm deep & is made up of 3 separate boxes - a long box at the back, the original little post-it box & a pen holder. The measurements of the individual boxes are:

Long box: 15cm(l) x 11cm(h) x 3cm(d) (at highest point)

Post-it-box: 8cm x 8cm x 3cm (at highest point)

Pen holder: 6.5cm x 8cm x 3cm

You can see each of the boxes individually here:

Also before I finish & since I haven't shown it before, here's a pic of the original post-it box I designed.

Phew, that was a lot of pics. Thanks so much for stopping by & hanging in there. I hope you've enjoyed what you've seen &  I'd love to see some comments. If you have any questions about anything, drop me a line.

Now, get set to hop again, as your next stop on the blog hop is Paula.

...& if you're a little lost, here's a list of all the ESAD bloggers on the hop

Sonia Garbutt: http://stampinwithsonia.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

Sharlene Torres: http://stampwithsharlene.blogspot.com/2010/07/merry-half-christmas-to-you.html
Nikki Sadler: http://www.inkyart.com.au/inkyart/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Clare Mcilhatton: http://craftycowcreations.blogspot.com/2010/07/ho-ho-ho-hop-hop-hop.html
Leonie Schroder: http://www.stamp-a-latte.com/2010/07/24/christmas-in-july-blog-hop/
Gardenia Pepworth: http://alittlelessuseless.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop/
Susan Byers: http://susanstampcorner.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/christmas-in-july-blog-hop/
Narelle Hodges: http://stampwithnarelle.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Bev Watt: http://stampinovation.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-blog-hop.html
Carol-Ann Torrie: http://www.queen-of-scraps.blogspot.com/
Melissa Barkwith: http://melbarkwith.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/christmas-in-july-blog-hop/
Genelle Little: http://stampedecards.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Richelle Fletcher: http://stampinwithrichelle.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Angela Purdie: http://kintakards.webs.com/apps/blog/show/4337713-christmas-in-july-blog-hop
Katrina Criglington: http://www.katscraps.com/2010/07/its-christmas-in-july.html
Karen Southwell: http://kareniescrafts.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-bloghop.html
Susan Joyce: http://catsinkcorporated.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-su-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Di Barnes: http://dianebarnes.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop-welcome.html (that’s me!)
Paula Fuller: http://stampingpawprints.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Claire Harrison: http://inkinclinations.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-finally-here.html
Shelley Stewart: http://stampin-shellz.blogspot.com/2010/07/esad-christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html
Linda craven: http://www.craventime2stamp.com/?p=1017
Vicki Were: http://stampinvickistyle.blogspot.com/2010/07/christmas-in-july-blog-hop.html

Supplies: All Stampin' Up! unless stated.

Holiday Treasures Gift Card Folder

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Tiny Tags, Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Best Yet

Ink: black stayz on, riding hood red, old olive, summer sun classic ink pads

Card/Paper: Holiday Treasures DSP, choc chip, riding hood red, certainly celery, whisper white card

Accessories: dazzling diamonds glitter, two way glue, choc chip grosgrain ribbon, fire rhinestone brads, silver brad

Tools: slit punch, Big Shot, SU Top Note & Ovals dies, scallop oval & large oval punch

Desk Organiser

Stamps: Asian Artistry

Card/Paper: certainly celery, not quite navy, baja breeze card, Urban Garden DSP, purchased notebook (non SU)

Ink: not quite navy

Accessories: certainly celery grosgrain ribbon