Margaret's Trees & Michele's Shadowbox Cards

Margaret's Big Tree

Margaret's small Tree

Micheles's Christmas Dies

Good Morning Ladies,

Huge achievement yesterday, managed to give the craft room a real good clear out and tidy, two dustbin bags of rubbish went out, I had to do it in bursts, but felt so good to walk in to a clear floor and have room to see it and craft without shifting stuff first.  I was about ready for a lay down by the time I was done, I have got to sit and sort my stamps now, I bought two boxes a while back to organise them in, but haven't got round to doing it yet, I then need to find a decent storage solution for my dies, what do you all use??

I quite like the Ali Reeve desk storage system :

But to be honest it's a little bit to expensive for me, I would probably need at least two, I have asked Fernli if they can come up with a cheaper alternative.
So for now I have gone for these:

They are Hobbycraft's own storage boxes and are currently on offer at £4 each, instead of £7, these will work better for transporting to Pats when we craft there too.

Now onto today's photos, 

Margaret sent us photos of both of her Christmas trees, both are fabulous Margaret, 

I love the cute fairy on the little one though.  

The small tree has lights on that Margaret bought from Woolworths in 1963, so I think  you have definitely had your money's worth out of them, they are definitely Vintage !! You couldn't beat Woolworths for quality Christmas decorations!

Thank you for sharing Margaret xxx

Michele has sent in a couple of cards that she has made with her new Shadowbox dies, I absolutely love the 'thanks a latte' card Michele, did you enlarge the Shadowbox part of the card, of is that it's original size (it looks larger to me)!

I also love your 'love' themed card, I know you said you weren't happy with it but I don't know why, it's amazing.

Thank you so much for sharing, I am pleased to see that you got some quality time in your craft room while you have been home xxx

Well this is the last post of 2016 ladies, I would like to wish each and every one of you a Fantastic 2017, filled with Good Health and plenty of Happiness.

I cannot thank you enough for sticking with me through out this year, I hope to continue to inspire you into creating more incredible cards with Challenges etc during 2017 too.

Sending Heartfelt Thanks, lots of love and hugs,

Sandra

HAPPY NEW YEAR XXXX

Looking at 2017 Trends & Val's new die cards

2017 colour Trend

Predicted styles and patterns

Val's New dies

Good Morning Ladies,

Can you believe it's Friday again already?!, Paul is back to work tomorrow 😔, but I need to get in my craft room, so that's my plan for today, I got in there yesterday and found my desk, I started organising all of my tools onto my trolley, that way they won't take up precious space on my desk and I can have them next to me at all times, they will be much easier to transfer to the dining room when Sue and Pat come too.

So I will finish that today and hopefully get some new projects started.

If you have anything you would like me to feature I would love to know, I will happily have a go at anything! 

I had to sit with my legs up yesterday, over the past few weeks I have developed a terrible pain in my 'bad' hip,  as I am trying to walk I get a crippling sudden pain that floors me if I can't grasp onto something, I have no idea what it is, it's something new, it happens sporadically, I think when I am tired it's worse, after traveling to my mum's made a huge difference, I suffered terribly the following day,  then on Wednesday after helping Paul prepare Roast beef dinner for 10, my legs were so swollen that my socks were cutting into my legs at the bottom, again something new, so I think I will! Have to be brave and go to GP.  But while I was resting yesterday I got to thinking about 2017, mainly wondering what the trends will be in the crafting world.  

The Pantone colour charts are a good gauge of what the 'in' colours will be, so I downloaded a chart to give you some ideas too. 

I love most of those colours, particularly the 'Greenery', Lapis Blue, island Paradise and Hazelnut. The pink is a little to 'pink' for me but used as little touches in bouquets or in patterned backgrounds would be ok, it will certainly give a pop of colour.

I then tried to research what styles etc would be popular in 2017, there wasn't too much information out there to be honest, it looks like Zentangle will still be around, it's being used in clothing designs now too, fortunately Checks, gingham etc will still be 'in', I say 'fortunately' as I have a lot of gingham card ! 

For the perfectionists among us, you will struggle I think as its 'imperfect' that's going to trend, I'm guessing that means the 'grungey', 'distressed' look will remain as popular as it has been for the past few years! 

I hope that I have given you a little glimpse of things to come in the year ahead.

During my investigation I found out that Tim Holtz is no longer a Creative Director for Ranger, he will remain a designer for their distressed range though. 

Michele also discovered that Creative Expressions have bought Woodware, I had heard they where stopping some of their products, I guess this is positive news, I just hope that they continue with the designers that they have, their stamps are always that little bit different and I wouldn't want that to change, I guess we will see.

Val has been busy, back in her craft room, she sent me a couple of photos of cards that she made with her new Dies.

I love the embossed detail on the first card Val, you don't see that in the photo of the die, such a fantastic die for quick cards, versatile too, with a change of colour it would work for male or female recipients.

Sue's latest Shadowbox die collections are fab too, I love this second card too Val, it shows that you can use them without having the Shadowbox dies too.  

Thank you so much for sharing Val, can't wait to see all of your Valentine cards in the coming weeks. Xxxx

That's all for now my lovelies, 

Sending Love and Hugs to all,

Sandra 

xxxxxxx

Janet's cards

Good Morning ladies,

I feel terrible that I am not showing you anything new of mine, but I just haven't had the time or energy to get into my craft room long enough to Create anything, I feel to rude spending time in there, leaving Paul to entertain and host.  I will be back to normal after a couple of days. 

I really appreciate you sending me your cards etc to share, I love giving everyone the opportunity to see all of your creations too.  

So today I am excited to be able to share Janet's cards that she has made for Gracie-Leigh's First birthday, can you believe how quickly that year has flown, it barely seems 3 months since she arrived.

You have created two beautiful cards for Gracie-Leigh's birthday, I can't choose a favourite, I love both the Terry bear and the beautiful paper you have used on the first card, the pretty teddy has been beautifully decoupaged.

The second card is such a pretty pink, those little girls are so cute, the unusual shape of the card makes it stand out too and works so well with your design.  I hope you get to take a photograph of Gracie-Leigh too, I can't wait to see the album too, thank you so much for sharing your stunning cards Janet xxxx

Next up are Michele's bargain dies that she found on eBay, I will paste in Michele's description of her purchase below.......

Just ordered these off Ebay-they cost €7.17 which is approx £6! They are coming from China so I might have to wait a while but I'm intrigued about the quality. They seem to be the suppliers for the magazine freebies looking at the selection. I should know considering how many magazines I buy-maybe I should offer to review them so I could get the magazines at a reduced price-ha ha.

Thank you so much Michele for sharing your bargains, we can all go and have a look now you have discovered them, maybe you could send a link for these dies? Xxx

Have any of you found any craft bargains in the sales? 

The Range had a lot of Sue Wilson's Christmas dies at half price, which I was surprised about, there were loads of them, so well worth a visit.

Lilli of the Valley currently have 30% off of everything 

Craft Stash (who sell Apple Blossom dies that Margaret recommends) have had a good sale on too. 

Polkadoodles have a 30% off sale too, their craft CD roms are really good, especially the ones that have the different workers on (Doctor, Dentist, Ballet dancer etc), they have all of the little complimentary embellishments too.

I would love to hear of any bargains that you have found too, so please let us know.

Paul's parents are leaving this morning so I am hoping to get back into my craft room, it's Paul's last day off too sadly.

Have a fun day ladies whatever you are up to.

I hope those of you that have been suffering with cold and flu bugs are starting to improve too xxx

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra

xxxxxxx

Christmas pics

Pat's Grandchildren's Decorations

Michele's Gifts

Good Morning Ladies,

I expect some of you are returning back to a normal schedule after a busy few days, like me you will be glad if the rest!  I absolutely love having all of my family home, including their partners etc, but my goodness you never stop, just get tidied up from one feast only to start thinking and preparing for the next, I wouldn't have it any other way though!

Today I'm hope to get into my craft room and start the clear up, everything is piled everywhere, probably from the rush to finish Christmas cards, it's a mess, I can't even see my desk!

I put my new Raskog Trolley together from Ikea, it is so well made and sturdy, I can push it very easily and for me the huge bonus is that it is strong enough for me to lean on for support, the shelves are really big and strong too, if you are thinking about getting one but are worried about quality, just get one they are fantastic!

Pat sent me this photo of the paper decorations that her Granddaughters made, the look like giant origami Snowflakes, I love how they have added the curled ribbon for extra detail too, Sophie made these lovely decorations with the help of Olivia, well done girls, you did an amazing job, thanks Pat for sharing xxx

Michele has sent me a photo of her Christmas presents, I love the idea of the colouring books and pencils, very therapeutic, I think the paper cutting book may be a tad more difficult, I think you made need to hone your scissor skills, rather you than me.  You are a very lucky lady Michele, that collection of Sue's Shadowbox dies is fantastic, I a very jealous!! I can't wait to see your cards! Thank you for sharing xxx

Well I'm back into the kitchen to think about today's meals, leftover buffet for lunch (theirs loads), roast beef and Yorkshire puddings for dinner, hoping that will make Becca come home for the day too, she popped in yesterday and we played board games, which was fun.

Lilian I was saddened to hear about your horrendous journey, you must have been pulling your hair out in frustration, main thing is your home safe now, have a lovely day relaxing xxx

Lynda, I hope your cold passes quickly, there is nothing more frustrating that than being unwell when everyone is celebrating, sending hugs xxx

Love and hugs

Sandra 

Xxxxxx

Angela's Christmas Tree

Val with her Christmas Gifts

Good Morning Ladies,

Well, that was Christmas over for another year, such a long build up, then over in a flash!  

I did find myself looking at a couple of craft sales today but only because they emailed me!

Paul's parents arriving today, I love having them come to stay, but I find it really hard to relax, my mind is always thinking about their needs, like do they need more tea or a something to eat, I think it stems from my anxiety too, I have to keep sneaking off to our bedroom to compose myself! (I'm a daft bat, I know)!

It sounded like you have all had a fantastic Christmas, it's so lovely hearing what you were all up to. 

Angela sent me a photo of her new Christmas Tree decorations at she shared with us on Saturday, it looks stunning Ang, that thank you for sharing xxx

Val also sent me a photo, this time it was of her Christmas gifts, the first being a full size Bodyform, Val had tried to purchase one before but the postage was horrendous, Lynn knew a friend that was coming over so asked her bring it with her, it's fantastic Val, I am sure you will get a lot of use out of.  

Val also received the Fur Gilet from Lynn, a wonderful gift that you will enjoy in while the weather is cooler.

Thanks Val for sharing your gifts.

I hope that the festivities continue for all of you,

Love and hugs 

Sandra 

Xxxxxx

Happy Boxing Day

Good Monday Morning Ladies,

It doesn't feel like a Monday really, we have a much more relaxed day in our house today, hopefully it will be mainly Board Games and an all day buffet, laid out for everyone to help themselves to, in some ways I enjoy today's food  more than Christmas Lunch, turkey always tastes nicer cold to me, we have the big ham that I boiled and baked on Christmas Eve, which always goes down a treat, what are your Boxing day plans/ traditions?

So lovely to here one or two of you had a lovely day, ours was just about perfect, we ended up playing board games until about 11.30pm, at that point we were all flagging so called it a night.
Girls asked if we could do it all again tomorrow, which says it all I think.

Paul's parents are coming over to stay tomorrow for a couple of nights, they do every year, by stopping with us it breaks up their journey from Birmingham to Brixham, it's always lovely to see them, we will be back to having a roast tomorrow, roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, yum!  My mum always has a roast on Boxing day, that was one tradition we didn't keep going!   The other tradition I guess is that we usually have another 'Christmas' style celebration dinner on New Years day, Paul is working this year from 30th Dec to 2nd Jan, so we may well do something different this year, not that I mind, at least he had Christmas at home.

Have a lovely peaceful day ladies,

Love and hugs to all,

Sandra
xxxxxxx

Happy Christmas

Good Morning Ladies,

I would like to wish all of my very dear friends a Wonderful Christmas day,  I hope you are all spending it with your loved ones.
My greatest gift so far this Christmas is having all of my lovely family home, silly I know, but a get a great sense of pleasure having them all together, while Paul and I were busy wrapping and getting on with preparations we were listening to all of them playing board games in the lounge, I had the biggest smile on my face.

I am sure by the time you are reading this that all paper will have been torn from the gifts, somebody will have opened chocolate and hopefully Paul and I will be enjoying a coffee with our feet up!

I hope you all made your journeys safely,

Sending loving hugs to all of you lovely ladies, including those of you that look in but don't have time to comment, you are most welcome, hopefully you will stop by for a chat in the New Year!

Love
Sandra
Xxxxxx

Mixed Craft Saturday

Janet's Christmas Wreath

Michele's Christmas Tree

Karen's Clock

The original photo

Cheryl's Bag

Angel's Baubles

Good Morning Ladies,

Happy Christmas Eve !!!

I expect that you will all be busy finalising all of your gift wrapping and food preparation for tomorrow.

My lot like to do baking on Christmas Eve, sausage rolls, mince pies, chocolate brownies etc, I love it, seeing them all busy making a mess in the kitchen, the resulting bakes never last very long, but they enjoy them and that's the whole point.

Paul and I certainly regretted leaving food shopping until yesterday, at 8am people were queuing across Aldi"s car park, there wasn't a parking space to be had, no milk, cream, bread, eggs or butter! We ended up having to visit Aldi, Morrisons and Asda, with half the list still remaining!  Paul will nip out early morning, what we can't get we will live without for the whole 24 hrs that the shops are closed!  I was amazed at the amount people were buying, some had two trollies overflowing, we looked a little sad with our basket! 

I am so pleased to be able to have a Mixed Craft Saturday today, 

Janet's pretty Wreath starts us off today, Janet designed and created this Wreath for her daughter Christina, knowing how incredibly talented Christina is with her hands and all things crafty I know that she will love and appreciate how much work went into this amazing piece, I see that you have used Sue's Filigree Poinsettia dies and Resin Cherubs and Floral hearts to decorate your wreath, it's so lovely seeing how your craft mojo has returned Janet, thank you so much for sharing xxx

Michele's Christmas Tree is next up, it looks beautiful and in this photo we get a quick view of Michele's lovely garden too.  Thank you for photographing your tree Michele, it's lovely to see how differently we all decorate! Xxx

Karen's Venice themed click is next,  the clock is a gift for Karen's Sister in Law, it was made using Indigo Blu's Clock kit a d Phill Martin's 'Sentimentally Yours' dies, the image on the clock was taken from the original photo below the clock, which Karen took into Serif and changed it to look like a painting, Venice is where Karen's SIL went to celebrate her 70th Birthday, do this clock will be an extra special and very thoughtful gift, thank you so much for sharing Karen, we were all dying to see how it turned out, it's amazing! Xxx

Cheryl made this beautiful lace trimmed bag for Tierney for Christmas, she will absolutely love it Cheryl, how special is a handmade gift, I love the lace you have used to trim the pocket, what little girl wouldn't love one of these? ! Thanks for sharing your Christmas crafts with us Cheryl xxx

Angela decided to change the colour scheme of her Christmas tree this year, surprised at the expense of a complete colour changd, Ang decided to buy some basic blue and white baubles and dig into her craft bit box to decorate them all, the results are stunning Ang, could you take a photo of the tree adorned with your hand decorated baubles, I bet it's stunning, these would cost you a fortune to buy! 

Thank you for sharing them with us Angela, I am so pleased you still look in to see what everyone is making xxx

That's all for today ladies, please remember to take a snap of your crafty Christmas gifts, I have a craft buy photo of Val's to share, so I will add mind and any more that you ladies send in to feature next week (if you have time) and I'd Santa brings you any of course.

I will have a quick post up tomorrow, but if you don't have time to pop in, I would like to wish you all the very Happiest Christmas and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me and dropping in each day, I truly appreciate your time and effort, I don't know where I would be today without this blog and the very dearest of friends that I have made through it, I count each and everyone of you as my dear family xxxx

Love and the hugest, squishiest hugs,

Sandra 

xxxxxx

Janet's Christmas cards

Good Morning Ladies,
Here we are ladies two days before Christmas, are you all prepared?  Needless say we aren't, we have to go food shopping today and I still need to find Paul a decent pair of slippers to finish his Christmas list.
Sophie and Lucy have been the hardest to buy for this year as they just didn't ask for anything other than a few clothes and some games.
The part I'm looking forward to the most is having all of my children here together, plus their other halves of course, I do love a full house.
Are you all cooking Christmas lunch or going to family to have it, we decided when the children were tiny, after trying to fit into other people's Christmas routines, that we would always have Christmas day at home, anyone is welcome to join us, the more the merrier, there is always a spare place at our table, it does get pretty rowdy after lunch when the games start though!

Now how cute are these, the last of Janet's Christmas cards for this year, I absolutely love the almost Vintage image Santa and Snowman cards, they remind me of the Christmas cards of Childhood, the Advent Calendars used to have pictures like this too, we were always so excited to take turns to open the door to see what image lay behind, they were always images that reminded you of the true meaning of Christmas.
The other two cards are equally as cute, the Snowman Santas with the Train and Santa and Rudolph outside number 24, the biggest and most exciting day on the Advent Calendar to open, more often than not I remember it was the Image of Jesus in the Manger!
Janet thank you for sharing your lovely cards with us and for inspiring my trip down Memory Lane xxx

Have a lovely Christmas eve eve ladies, don't be rushing around too much!
Love and Hugs
Sandra
xxxxxx

Brenda's Birds

Good Morning Ladies,

Can somebody please put the brakes on, this week is going way to fast, I still have loads to do!
Today we are driving to Essex to see my family for the day, Sophie and Lucy are coming with us too, I think Lucy would be better off staying here in the warm as she has had a terrible bug that has left her with a nasty, chesty cough, she sleeps the other side of the wall to us and I could hear her coughing all night for the past 3 nights bless her, its so frustrating to listen to let alone suffer with.
I will add that when I say that she is the other side of the wall, it would infact be next door as we are two bungalows knocked through, so I dread to think how much you would hear if it was strangers living next door, the walls are paper thin plaster board!
So it will be atleast 6 hours in the car today....ouch! But Mum is looking forward to us coming, so is my sister Emily so it will be worth it.  I think that we are going food shopping after we get back too!
I think leaving it to Friday/Saturday would be crazy, I still can't believe that Sue goes shopping on Christmas Eve, you must be mad!

Sue, Pat and I had a lovely lunch out yesterday at the Lamb & Flag pub, Sue and I had Scampi and Chips and Pat had Lasagne, sadly they didn't still do the amazing pudding we had last time so we settled for Chocolate dessert that had Chocolate Brownie at the bottom, smothered in Icecream, with Chocolate buttons, flake, maltesers, lots of whipped cream and 3 wafers!  it was delicious, sd usual the time flew by and we were almost the last to leave the pub, that happened last time too, we'll be getting a reputation! Thanks to Sue and Pat for making it a lovely lunch xxx

Now onto Brenda & Ciara's fantastic cards,

Brenda had used the Tim Holtz Crazy Birds stamps and Dies to create the feature for this pop-up card, they are the perfect thing when you think, as they will look like they are 'flapping' about the top of the box, the colours you have chosen works so well with the colour of the birds, your colouring skills are amazing Brenda, which of your many pens/pencils did you use to colour your birds?
Thank you for sharing Brenda xxx

Ciara, wow, what an amazing card you have made, the poppy you have stamped is perfect and coloured so beautifully too, you are so very clever, that is hard to master.  You have even added a little shading to the centre of your Poppy, the stamp you have drawn and the 'Happy Birthday' are the perfect finishing touch for your card, thank you so much for allowing us to see your card xxx

Well I must go, make sure Paul has packed everything into the car, please cross your fingers and toes that the traffic isnt too crazy on the M25.

Love and hugs to all of you

Sandra
xxxxxx

Karen's Christmas Cracker's!!!!

Good Morning Ladies,

I am so pleased that you all enjoyed reading the tale of Harley's naughtiness, I can assure you he has mastered the art of giving you those 'puppy dog eyes' so you couldn't possibly be cross with him, no matter what he did!
We seem to have become a home for pets with behaviour problems, Milo was chased 3 times around the house yesterday morning by the girls trying to retrieve the 'hide chew bone' that we have bought for our Granddogs for Christmas, he managed to sniff it out, unwrap and chew through the packaging!

Now onto Karen's cards, the first card Karen made for her Mother in law, I have copied Karen's description for you to read.....

Art Deco lady for MIL - I found some old (well ancient!) My Craft Studio card blanks and used an image from MCS Deco follies. I cut the base and decoupaged the lady on top - I tried cutting her with ScanNCut but the outside line wasn't a big enough contrast and ended up having to trim it slightly with old fashioned scissors - lesson learnt

An absolutely gorgeous card Karen, your MIL will love it, the beautifully coloured Poinsettia fits in perfectly with the colour of your card, a perfect finishing touch xx

Now onto Oscar's First Christmas card, oh Karen, this must have been such a special card for you to make this year. That TL Bear is perfect for such a special card.

Oscar - The teddy is from Tattered Lace Charisma BUT I did make his hat from ScanNCut! The text etc was created in Serif

Thank you so much Karen for sharing your very special cards with us, stay tuned there's more to come ladies! Xxx

Sue, Pat and I are off out for lunch today, we are going to the same pub that we went to last year, it was so lovely it would be a shame not to.

Val, I hope the sun shines for you today, if only for poor Gracie, so that she can enjoy a walk outside.

Janet, I was so happy to read that your Dr visit was positive, I bet you can't wait to get back to Marigny xxx

Love and hugs to all of you,

Sandra 

xxxxxx

More of Michele's Beautiful box cards

Good Morning Ladies,

I have some more of Michele's fantastic boxes to share with you all today,  it's hard to pick a favourite!

I love the Christmas Rose Box, mainly because it's unusual, you really don't see many cards with them on, it's usually all Poinsettia's. The Christmas Tree Box with the stars is a fabulous too, I love how everything coordinates so perfectly.

My second favourite is the Holly one, I love the colours of the card, the reds fading to pink, and that lovely fresh touch of green.  What better treat to open on a dreary December day, as it slips out of its envelope and 'POPS' open revealing all its splendour, I am thinking it might be fun to add some confetti into the closed box as you slip it into the envelope, it would either make someone smile if they will be cursing you as they get the vacuum out!! 

Thanks Michele for sharing your gorgeous cards with us, I also love the photo of your Christmas tree, I will wait to see if we get a few more and show them together.

Our tree survived its first encounter with the puppies, Sprockets super whippy tail did knock a couple of bits off but nothing breakable thankfully, Harley had a sniff and left well alone, he is a few weeks older than Sprocket (Dalmatian puppy),  I didn't realise how much more 'mature' he'd become until we were looking after them yesterday.   Paul looked after them all day but was on nights, so Sophie, Lucy and I were on duty in the evening, wow, one puppy is so much easier than two!!  

They had been so good all day, Paul took them on a good 2 to 3 mile walk in the afternoon, so they were both happy to get in the crate to go to sleep, the girls room them out at about 6.30, before we gave them their dinner,  but Harley refused to go back in his crate, (it's huge and has been his home since he was tiny), he just laid, spread eagle on the floor, like the children did as toddlers, when they didn't want to get in the pushchair or car seat, ours used to go stiff, so you couldn't fasten them in!

So we decided to leave Harley laying on the bedroom floor, we checked a couple of times and all was well, they were both sleeping off their tea.  So I went in my craft room to make the gift card holder, after about 45 minutes I thought I would go and check on them again, as I approached the door I heard rustling, so my heart sank, I opened the door very slowly, not wanting to look, you can imagine the mixture of panic and hilarity as I my eyes fell upon a large Border Collie, sat there with his "look sad and she won't tell me off eyes" a huge pile of shredding cardboard at his feet mixed with shiny plastic packets and a Tampax swinging from his mouth, he had gotten in to their shopping bag and found the tampon box intriguing, I was amazed at how many he had opened, those things are fiddly!!  I just couldn't tell him off, i called the girls to come and see what he had done, they thought it was hilarious, it took us a good half hour to collect all the bits off the floor, needless to say Matt didn't find it nearly as amusing As we did, Jodie did though. 

I hope you all have a lovely day,

Love and hugs 

Sandra 

xxxxxxx

A Pretty Gift Card

Good Monday Morning Ladies,

As Sunday this week will be Christmas day I thought it a bit too big of an ask to have you all Checking in to view Challenge cards and to be perfectly honest my Christmas Eve is usually pretty busy so I would struggle to get the challenge card post done, it is the longest one of the week, I like to make sure I show my appreciation to each of you that takes part.  

So with that in mind I thought I would look at some 'gift giving' ideas, ways to pretty up the dull packaging that gift cards can be presented in.  

Today's gift card works well with Gift cards or cash, so I'll run you through how I made it.

I started with a piece of card that measures 11 inches x 4 1\2 Inches, I then scored the card at 4 1/4 and 8 1/2, this leaves a 2 1/2 inch flap. (Which will be the front of your card)

I decided to make the front flap of the card a wavy shape for interest, so I used a Spellbinder Curved Border die to cut the edge, I lined my decorative paper up too,  I simply half it in place with removable tape, cutting them together ensures that they will line up perfectly after cutting.

You will need to cut a small sliver of card off of the straight edge of your decorative paper,  you will then have a little white border on you curved edge when you stick the two pieces together as shown in the photo above.

Next we need to cut an opening in the bottom panel to make a pocket for the gift card, I used a Spellbinder die that was about the size needed to fit a card, you could use a craft knife or a paper trimmer. 

We now need to stick our decorative paper over the outside of this panel, to create the pocket, be careful were you put your adhesive, there needs to be enough room to slide your gift card in.  Now my decorative paper was quite thin so I added another panel of white card, then covered that with my decorative paper.

Here is the outside of that panel with the pocket, covered with paper. 

 You can see from this photo where the gift card slips into the pocket.

This is how the card looks when folded up, that bottom panel flips up to fit neatly under the flap, we now need to add something to hold it closed.

I created a flower using the same paper as the card is made with.

I then added the flower onto a die cut circle topper, I then added 

Foam pads to the bottom half of the circle only.

The flower is placed so that the top flap of the card just sits behind it.

The flower topper holds the card closed, I did add wet glue to those

Foam pads to make sure they stayed put.

I added a few pearls to decorate.

Then stamped a greeting!

All done!

I will be making a few of these as all of Paul's Nieces and Nephews have asked for a voucher, they can be decorated to suit anyone, you could even have a Potting shed image for a Garden centre voucher!

Have a lovely day ladies,

Love and hugs

Sandra 

xxxxxxx