diy gift card holders& a giveaway!

i've heard some people say they think giving a gift card is a tacky, impersonal gift. i however, love them. i love gift cards. because not only have you given me a gift to unwrap, you've also given me the gift of going shopping to pick out something i love. 2 in one!

the trick for me though is that when i give a gift card, i want it to have a really cute little home. i don't want just the mini paper envelope it comes in at the store [although i do love mini paper envelopes.] i want it to be able to hang on the tree and/or have a little something extra that makes you even more excited that it is a gift card! so i came up with this little number:

i thought some felt card holders would be super cute done in different christmas shapes- a stocking, ornament, mug, and a tree! if you have all the ingredients in the right place at the right time [i swear i spend 90% of my crafting time running down to the basement to the sewing machine, back up to the kitchen to take a picture, upstairs to the iron, etc...] you could spend one naptime, about an hour, whipping a few of these up! & now i'm looking for excuses to give everybody on my list a gift card!

i created a template especially for this project. you can click this link & save it as a photo [jpeg] or right click the photo below to save it- then just print with your options set at "letter size" [in other words, one full sheet of normal printer paper] & it should fit your standard gift card perfectly!

you will need:
christmas shapes template

a few sheets of felt [love me some eco-felt!]

scissors

sewing machine or glue gun

tiny scrapbooking grommets & setter [optional- i used 1/8"]
ribbons etc. of your choice!

step 1:

print out the template & cut out 2 identical copies of your shape. double check it with your gift card to make sure it fits within the edges!

step 2:

using your gift card as a guide, cut a strip off of the top shape so that the gift card is slightly visible at the top- so that it will come out!

step 3:

stitch or hot glue any embellishments you'd like to the front of your shape- anything you can imagine! sequins, glitter glue, ribbon, trim, decorative stitching, or even more felt shapes. i stitched on ribbon & some pom-pom trim & took advantage of my sewing machine's awesome snowflake stitch!

step 4:

carefully stitch or hot glue around the edges of the shape so that your card will fit in. you can go all the way around without stopping, or just go from one edge of the opening to the other- just don't sew your opening closed!

step 5:

poke a tiny hole in the top of your shape & set the grommet according to the instructions on the packaging. if you don't want to mess with this, just poke a tiny hole & string some ribbon through. i used skinny jute twine- love it for hanging ornaments!
at the last second i also added a little circle of contrasting felt for more color & to stabilize it [ie: the grommet is set through 2 pieces of felt]. i thought it turned out cute, totally optional though!

lastly, slip a loaded gift card in to hang on the tree [or tie to another gift!] for your lucky and unsuspecting recipient! yay!

here are the other cute patterns all finished:
[the ornament doesn't have its grommet because the grommeting became a tad noisy as the night got later...]

how cute would this mug be with a coffee/tea card any time of year?!

and one of my favorite ways to give a gift card would be to make a cute luggage tag & slip a starbucks gift card inside... who doesn't love getting a quick starbucks while they wait in the airport? perfect for a friend who travels often!

so... on to the good stuff... i am giving away all 4 of these gift card holders! just leave a comment here on this post to say hello or your favorite place to buy gift cards from, and i will enter you in a drawing to win one! let me know if you have a preference which one you like best [i'll do it first come first serve.] everyone is welcome to enter [especially if you're brand new here or know me in real life] & don't forget your email!

i'm going to be doing a series of quick & easy gifts/decor ideas for christmas in the next couple of days... check back often for more project ideas!