Gingham Gift Card Holder

My previous post was a gift card holder. That impressed me as being a handy thing to keep on hand. So - here's another version, in gingham.
I saw that gingham is having a fashion moment this season, same as bandanas. 

As a bonus, I've given you a woven star swirl decoration to use as a seal or purely as an embellishment. The bargello-type zigzag design on the folder front was something I cooked up because I was thinking how very much I want to see the Missoni exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London. 

Here are your free designs:
GinghamGiftCardHolder1of2.pdf 
GinghamGiftCardHolder2of2.pdf 

GinghamGiftCardHolder.studio3 

Gingham Gift Card Holder

To make

1 Cut out the templates. Score and fold the folds. Carefully cut the U-shaped tabs with a craft knife over a self-healing mat. 

2 Stick the holder inside the cover. Insert your gift card and the enclosure card. 

3 To make the star swirl: fold each arm at the base, then fold them consecutively, tucking ends under as required. 

The Gift Card enclosure is for a D-I-Y gift card - a thoughtful budget gift. Write something along the lines of, "This card entitles the recipient to.... one month of not having to load the dishwasher". Or, whatever.



 

Bandana Gift Card Holder

When it comes to gifting, gift cards are the easy option (bought in a last minute panic at the supermarket?). Why not add a dash of thoughtfulness by dressing them up in attractive packaging. This bandana wrap makes for a nice presentation. There's a card enclosure, too. Yes, I'm still on my bandana binge. It's a big trend this spring, and I'm riding it. :)

GiftCardHolder1of2.pdf 
GiftCardHolder2of2.pdf 

GiftCardHolder.studio3 

So, there you have it - an almost-instant spruce-up for a last-minute
gift.

"Mirror Embroidery" Drawstring Bag

Outsies - "mirrors" on top.

"Insies" - "mirrors" underneath.

With William & Kate's royal tour of India, there's a spotlight on Indian handicrafts. I've always been a big fan of shisha - mirror - embroidery. Recreating the look in paper is something I greatly enjoy. Soo - here's a drawstring bag with a mock shisha band.

I bought some lovely mirri card at the Ally Pally crafting event - so this was a project waiting to happen. There are two ways of going about the mirror effect - the choice is yours. You can either glue on mirri card circles, or cut out circular holes and glue mirri card rectangles behind the cutouts. 

Here are your free designs:
ShishaDrawstringBagA.pdf 
ShishaDrawstringBagA.studio3 
ShishaDrawstringBagB.studio3 

Drawstring Bag A has the mirror circles glued on. Drawstring Bag B has the recessed mirrors. I have only given a digi-cut version for this bag because it would be too fiddly to cut out by hand. For hand-cut version A (the .pdf), you can cut out the mirror discs with a paper punch. 

Shisha Drawstring Bags - Making Up Tips

Cut out all the pieces first. Score and crease all the folds. You have to manipulate the zigzag top folds a bit - just take your time and pay special attention to the pointy creases. You need two panels for each bag. For the glued-on-top mirror bag - do not glue on the mirrors until the two panels are joined to make one length. Then do not glue mirrors onto the underlap. For the glued-behind version - do that first, but no mirror needed on the underlap.

The tassels are made with craft thread. I used my brand new handy dandy gizmo that I bought at the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show - yay! It's the Clover Small Tassel Maker. 

I didn't think I needed a tassel maker. I do perfectly well with a notched piece of card. But I simply cannot resist the lure of a new crafty gadget.

The tassel maker was fun to use - the end grooves made it easy to cut the threads. I liked the counterintuitive method of tying the top knot in the centre. So - good new toy!

Enjoy doing the papercraft mirror embroidery. Have bags of fun.