How To... Create a Gift Card Holder (Number 3)

Ok, so I can't decide which type of Gift Card Holder I like.... This one is a bit more like a gift & can be customised for both Gift Cards & Tea Bags (see more about the Tea Bags at the end of this post).

This is another of my Picture Tutorials, so be warned it is a long post and features pictures for every step of instructions.

The inspiration for this originally came from a video posted on YouTube by Dawn Griffith for making a Tea Bag Holder, this was then adapted and after several trial versions I ended up with the version you see here.

To create this Gift Card Holder you will need 2 pieces of Card Stock & 1 piece of co-ordinating patterned paper.

The first piece of Card stock is cut at 23x7.5cm and the second at 8x6.5cm

The patterned paper is cut at 19x185cm

One you have the card & paper cut, put the smaller piece of card stock (8c6.5cm) to one side as it will be used later.

The first job it to score the card stock & patterned paper ready for folding.


Along the 23cm edge of the Card stock score down at 9.5cm, 10.5cm, 20.5cm & finally at 21.5cm.

 

Along the 19cm edge of the paper score down at 9cm & 10cm



Turn the paper round by 90 degrees and then score down at 7cm & 14cm



Fold each of the score lines on the Card Stock



Add Double Sided Tape to the 1cm tab (on the patterned side) and fold along the score lines, this will create a flat tube before you fold the score lines in the middle



Add a small strip of double sided tape between the centre folders of the card stock (make sure that you keep it to the middle and not more than 2cm in length)

Place the folded paper insert into the center of the card stock

Punch 2 holes between the center folders - If you put double sided tape along the length of the centre you would end up with a sticky whole punch

The tape is only to hold the insert in place while you secure it with either: Brads, Eyelets or Ribbon.  In this case I have used Ribbon, but Brads or eyelets both work just as well

Opps, this should have been done before I secured the insert, but I forgot - Using a 1.5 Inch circle punch, cut a semi-circle out of each end of the paper insert, this helps insert and remove the gift tag, gift card or tea bag

To hold the holder closed I used half of a Velcro circle.  It is down to personal preference which way you secure the holder. 

The short tab can either be secured on top of the front (as shown in my picture) or you could secure the front on top of the short tab.  The only difference is how much space you want for the front cover.

It is then down to you to decorate the front of the holder, this one was done for a Birthday and I used some of the patterned paper on the front of the holder as well

Here you see the inside of the holder, the final touch is to insert the smaller piece of card stock that you cut, this will form a card for you to write a message to the recipient of this gift.

Now you have finished the holder it is up to you what you want to put into the 2nd pocket.  My first design was to include a Tea Bag as gift - but I found that the dimensions given in Dawn's video did not work for British Tea Bags (the ones that come sealed in their own little package - like you get in hotels), so I took her idea and ended up with these measurements.

I took one of my prototypes with me to our Wednesday crop and showed it to the others to ask what they thought.  Sue F said that she though she had an idea and disappeared out of the room, when she returned she had with her a this poem...

On Christmas Day

at half past three,

Brew yourself a cup of tea,

And I'll think of you,

While you think of me

sitting by the Christmas Tree.

Sue had found the poem, but did not know what to do with it, other than putting it on the front of an envelope containing a tea bag.

In the end I created some of the holders for gift cards, but also used some to hold Tea Bags, I printed the poem, die cut it out and added it to the card insert.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a phone of these before I had to give them away.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you found this How To helpful.

Happy Crafting.

How To... Create a Gift Card Holder (2012)

Last year I created a number of Gift Card Envelopes as Christmas Gifts.  This year I wanted to do the same but with a different design.

After looking around on the Internet at various tutorial videos I came up with an idea, it was not based on any one video, but used ideas from a selection of sources.

Here is a sneak peak at the finished Holder - this one is decorated for Christmas, but you could use any colours with any decoration (the possibilities are endless)...

So here is my latest How To... brought to you in pictures. 
Beware: This is a post with lots of pictures!

To create this holder I have used the Spellbinders 'Labels Seventeen' dies, in particular the largest size.

Cut out 2 shapes in card stock, I used a double sided card stock (with the red strips on the front & a cream colour on the back).

You will then need to cut a 1/2 size shape to form the pocket.  As I wanted to pick the patten part of the paper, I used a Post-It note placed over the die to keep it in place while I added the 'C' plate & wound it through my Cuttlebug (many thanks to Dawn Griffith's Videos for this idea).

Trim this part piece so that it is only 1/2 the height of the full die.

Put both full pieces together & punch a hole in the top left corner - this needs to be the correct size to fit an eyelet through.

Now it is time to glue the pocket in place, I did several attempts with different types of glue and in the end I found that Pinflare worked the best.  I did not squash the pocket down completely, but left bit of height to the glue.  This then gave me the ability to easily slip the Gift Card into the pocket.

 Place the Pocket into the glue & set aside to dry.

While the pocket is trying you can decorate the front of the holder.  For this one I added a Christmas Tree created using the Sizzix Stamp & Die set.  I also added a simple Happy Christmas sentiment.

Once the glue on the pocket was dry I put the front & back together & fixed a eyelet in place to hold them together - Don't crimp it too tight as you want to be able to twist the front & back round.

With the front twisted round you can access the pocket for the gift card.  Alternatively you could create a fold and use the eyelet like a hinge.

 I ended up making 15 in one session (taking about 2 hours) here are a few examples.

How To... Create a Quilled Butterfly

It has been a while since I created a How To... so I thought it was about time that I created another one.  Following many comments about my Quilled Butterflies I decided to use this How To... to show you all how easy they are to create.

I also have a second motive, I could not find the instructions that I used in the first place, so I needed to write down them while I could remember!!!!

So here goes...

You Will Need:
Glue Pen
Pinflair Glue (or Silicon Gel)
Quilling Tool
Quilling Paper - 2 x 25cm, 2 x 20cm, 1 x 10cm & 2 x 5cm

Curl one of the 25cm lengths around the quilling tool & put a dot of Glue at the end to hold it together.  Repeat with the second length of 25cm; both 20cm lengths & the 10cm Length.

Curl 3/4 of the 5cm length around the quilling tool.  Repeat with the second 5cm length

You will now have 5 circles & 2 part curled lengths of paper

Take the 10cm length and gently squeese both ends

I would suggest that you now put the Butterfly on a non-stick surface (I have used a bit of clear plastic packaging) so that you don't end up with the butterfly stuck to the desk or scrap paper!

Add glue wither side at one end of the 10cm length and attach the two 5cm strips

Put a small amount of Pinflair Glue on either side of the 10cm length, this will be used to hold the wings in position

Taking each of the 25cm lengths gently squeeze one end to create a tear drop shape

Repeat for both of the 20cm lengths

Now place the 20cm lengths to create the bottom pair of wings.

You can repeat this process as many times as you want with what ever colours you want to create a large kaleidoscope of butterflies - Yes, a group of Butterflies is really called a kaleidoscope.

How To... Make a Never Ending Card

Over the last month I have shared with you a couple of Never Ending Cards that I have made & I promised to create a How To...

So here is it... How to make a Never Ending Card.  First a quick recap for those who don't know what a Never Ending Card is.  All is explained (with pictures) on THIS Post.

The instructions to create the card base are very easy, however you do need to create the base BEFORE you decorate it.

My card when finished will be 14cm square.  The size you decide on is up to you as long as it is square & the length of any side can be divided by 4 it will work.

Cut 4 pieces of card 14cm x 7cm

Score each piece of card along the long edge at 3.5cm & 10.5cm; and along the short edge at 3.5cm - DO NOT fold the pieces yet (if you do it will make the next 3 steps very hard!!)

Place 2 pieces along side each other vertically - add glue to the 4 corners (I used Double Sided Sticky Tape)

Place another piece of card horizontally on top of the first 2 - Ensure that the outside edges are lined up.  Then add the remaining piece horizontally

Now you can start to fold the score lines until you are able to easily move to each side - See following pictures for more detail:

Fold outwards from the centre

Fold up/down from the centre

Fold outwards from the centre

Fold up/down from the centre

You are now back at the front again & you have completed one revolution of your Never Ending Card

Once your card is moving freely from one side to the next you can start to decorate each side as you wish.

Happy Card Making

How To... Make a Milk Carton the size that you want

These instructions took some thinking about, but I got there in the end. 

The first thing that you need to do is to decide the width & height of the Milk Carton that you want to make.  During this How To... I am going to use the following sizes as an example: 5cm wide & 10cm tall, all of the measurements for this example will be shown in Red Text.

To start you need to work out the size card that you will need to use, so grab a pen & paper; get out your fingers & toes and I will begin...

For the width:

1. Multiply the width of your box by 4 (5cm x 4 = 20cm)
2. Add 1cm to create a tab (20cm + 1cm = 21cm)

For the height

1. Take the width of your box & subtract 1cm (5cm - 1cm = 4cm)
2. Multiply this number by 2 - to create the Base & Top (4cm x 2 = 8cm)
3. Add 1cm to create the tab used to close the box (8cm + 1cm = 9cm)
4. Add the height of the box (9cm + 10cm = 19cm)

To create by Milk Carton which is 5cm wide x 10cm tall I will need to use a piece of card 21x19cm

Next you need to work out where to score the card, again I found that it was best if I worked this out on a piece of paper:

For the width (the long edge - 21cm)

1. Score at each multiplication of the width (5cm, 10cm, 15cm & 20cm)
2. You will then have a 1cm tab at the end of the card

For the height (the short edge - 19cm)

1. Score at the following points
1. Width - 1cm (4cm)
2. Height of your box (14cm)
3. Width - 1 cm (18cm)
2. You will then have a 1cm tab left at the end of the card

Now you have your card cut and scored you can follow the same instructions provided to make a Milk Carton from A4 card stock which is found here.

I would strongly suggest that before you make a box out of card stock that you use a plain piece of paper first to ensure that the size of card & score lines are correct. 

It is up to you if you glue the Milk Carton together, I did and then wrote the measurement & score lines on the side for future reference.

How To... Create a Milk Carton using A5 Card Stock

If you want a smaller Milk Carton you can use a piece of A5 Card Stock...





1. Take your A5 Card Stock
2. Along the Long Edge Score down at: 5, 10 , 15 & 20cm
3. Score a short (3cm) line at 7.5 & 17.5cm
4. Turn the card 90 degrees clockwise & score  down at 6, 9.5 & 13.5cm

 To make the box follow the instructions for Creating a Milk Carton using A4 Card Stock

Your finished Mini Milk Carton will look like this...

How To... Create a Milk Carton using A4 Card Stock

This How To contains all of the details that you will need to create a Milk Carton using a A4 sheet of Card Stock.



Along the long edge score down at 7, 14, 21 & 28cms




Turn the card 90degrees Clockwise (so that the short section is at the bottom) Score down at 6, 14 & 19.5cms




Turn the card back to its starting position. Score a short (3cm) line from the top at 10.5 & 24.5cm



Fold and crease all score lines



Cut away the score lines from the base of the base area and also cut away the narrow side tab

Glue the tab - I use double slided tape with a bit of Pinflair to ensure that it does not come apart

Create a 'tunnel'

Fold in 1 base area and fold the other 3 outwards.  Add glue on the base area folded inwards

Fold one of the other base areas on top of the glue.  Add more glue to the base area, repeat until you have folded all of the base areas inwards

Stand the Milk Carton on the desk with the opening upwards (NOTE: If you have used wet glue only, you many need to sit the carton to one side to allow the glue to dry before you attempt the next step)

Pinch the edges so that the 2 short score lines are folded inwards towards the centre of the box

Secure the top section with a mini Bulldog Clip (or hole punch and thread ribbon through)

You have now got your finished Milk Carton and it is up to you how you go about decorating it.  You also have the extra fun of finding things to put into the carton.