Tuesday Tips - Pocket Trilogy Card

3 pockets made from A2 envelopes!

Have you begun to think about your Christmas gift list?  If you have college aged or adult children, or even teenagers, it can be a struggle to figure out exactly what the perfect gift would be.  There have been times when there is no "wish list".  Pocket Trilogy Card to the rescue!  A card with three slots for gift cards (or cash and gift cards) might be a fantastic Christmas gift for a college student or teen or "adult child"!  I know my college students absolutely love getting restaurant gift cards!  You can even pick up gift cards while at the grocery store & accumulate the benefits of your frequent shopper cards!  Have fun stamping your card, then stuff three gift cards inside!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD:

stamp set:  Pines & Poinsettias (current 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog!) 

Crumb Cake card: 7 3/4" x  5 1/2", scored along the long edge at 3 1/2"

other cs:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla

dsp:  Holly Berry Bouquet

punches:  Scallop Circle, Eyelet Border, 1" circle

Stampin' Write markers:  Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Real Red

other:  Stampin' Dimensionals, paper snips or trimming scissors, paper trimmer and scoring blade (or Stampin' Up's new Simply Scored platform!), two A2 envelopes (sealed shut), pencil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.   Mark the halfway point across the top edge of the envelopes with a pencil.

2.   Cut both envelopes in half, cutting where your pencil mark is.  You will have four little pockets.  Set one aside for another project - you will only need 3 of pockets for this project.

3.   Now, you want to trim one-quarter inch from the cut edge of one of the pockets and one-half inch from the cut edge of another pocket.  Your pockets now will each be a different height.

4.   Punch a partial 1" circle in the front along the top edge of each pocket to act as a finger pull area.

5.   Adhere all 3 pockets together with the shortest one on top & the tallest pocket at the bottom (like little stairsteps).

6.   I put adhesive onto the seamed side of each pocket & then the top does not have a seam.

7.   Cut dsp: 1" x 5" and 3 1/4" x 5".

8.   Cut from a coordinating dsp pattern: 1" x 5".

9.   Make a "finger pull" area in the 3 1/4" x 5" dsp - the easiest way to do this is to slide the dsp into the top pocket, lining up the top edges of the dsp & the pocket, then slide the 1" circle punch in & punch.  Both punched finger pull half circle areas will be aligned!

10. Adhere the dsp pieces onto the card.

11. Adhere the back of the pocket trio piece to the card interior, making sure the bottom edge of the pocket is about 1/8" higher than the bottom edge of the card front when the card is shut. Doing that will ensure the white pockets are hanging out from underneath.

12.Now decorate the card front.  I used Pines & Poinsettias, which is a lovely vintage Christmas stamp set from the current Holiday Mini Catalog 2011!

So, when the kids say they don't know what they want for a Christmas or birthday gift, make a Pocket Trilogy Card and fill it with a few gift cards!  Marvelous!

Linda