POCKET CARD

 

Hello crafty friends!   Our challenge today is to showcase a pocket card.  I love this design, inspired by an artist named Katie who makes these pockets for the journals she makes out of old books.

Use your own papers and products or find the Stampin' Up! products I used by clicking on the pink links. Today's project uses products found in the 2024 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog or Online Exclusive products found at www.cardconnoisseursb.stampinup.net. 

2024 In-Color Cardstock, Petunia Pop - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" Card Base

Basic White Cardstock -  3 3/4" x 5 3/4" Pocket Card

Nature's Sweetness Designer Series Paper - One 7 3/4" circle, plus die cuts from the papers

Tear & Tape - to fasten the folded edges to make the pockets

Snips - scissors to give a clean, precise cut

Grid Paper - to line up your folds for accuracy

Bone Folder - to crease your folds

Paper Trimmer - to score the folds, and to cut cards to insert into the pockets

Ink - Petunia Pop, Shy Shamrock 

Blending Brush or Sponge Dauber - to add subtle ink to the flowers on these die cuts

Tombo All-Purpose Glue - to attach die cuts

Glue dots - to attach corners and die cuts

Sentiment Stamp - "I couldn't be happier to have you as my friend" Irresistable Blooms "May the Lord bless & Keep you" Courage & Faith

The pocket design that inspired me, uses double sided paper cut into a circle as the main part, with sides folded in to meet in the middle and the bottom third section folded up.  This creates 2 pocket areas, with room to embellish the front with die cuts, and then is mounted to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.   

Use a 7 3/4" Circle of Double Sided Paper.   You can make a pattern using any flat object.  Make it out of a piece of cardstock so you can trace it each time you use it.    If you have the Stampin' Up!  2024 annual catalog, you could trace the color wheel near the back of the catalog.  This circle is 7 1/2".

Cut one circle out of double sided paper that you like both side prints.  You'll see both sides of your paper in this pocket card.

Find the center of your circle by pinching the circle in half both directions BUT DO NOT fold the circle.  Now mark the intersection of these two folds with a pencil.  

Look at the direction of the pattern of your paper, and decide which pattern should be the lining of your pocket which you'll see at the top center; and which pattern you want to be the folded sides. (Refer to the photo on the top of this post)

You may wish to use grid paper to line up your edges to make sure your folds are straight and even.  

Fold the left and right sides in so they meet in the center at your mark.   Use your bone folder to crease the folds.   

Next bring up the bottom section and fold it at 2 3/4".  In this photo, I turned the circle side-ways so I could line the bottom fold line up with the grid line. Once folded, open it then cut on the fold line up to the fold line.

    

Fold these flaps in the opposite direction.  You may have to trim on the fold line.   

Optional: Make a Belly Band to go across the front - I found it adds structure to attach the die cut which becomes the focal point. Glue your die cut or punched art to the belly band.

Behind this front section, you have a small front pocket, and a larger main pocket.

Add a small card, currency or gift card to the front pocket; OR put any of them in the large pocket then make a slide out card for the larger pocket.

I made this card for my Secret Sister Prayer Partner, which includes a small card of encouragement and will include a note and a sweet treat.

Mount this double pocket on a single card base, measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" .  

VARIATIONS IN SHAPE AND SIZE:

After I made the first card, I decided to try the same concept on a 6x6", an 8x8, and a 12x12 square piece of double sided paper. The first 6x6 style that I tried is with the paper, Thoughtful Journey, found in the 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog. The next three are using retired paper, paper that I didn't care about to make my patterns.  I did end up liking the way the 8x8 and 12x12 sizes of this paper looks.

First, find the center and make a dot.

Second, score or mark, half of each half.  So if 6" is the center, then score from top to bottom 1/2 of that which is 3" .  Score at 3" on both sides (for a 12x12)

Turn your shape sideways and score 1/3 or less of the whole (4" for the 12x12) so that when you turn it upright, you've scored 1/3 of the whole across.  This makes the bottom pocket which you will fold up.   

Next you add Tear & Tape to the inside edges of front pocket to attach it to the whole piece and you're done with the structure, now just add some die cuts.

The 6x6 size makes a small pocket that is perfect to hold a gift card with room for a sweet treat in front.  

                                               

                                

Next I tried an 8x8" piece of double sided paper.  Remember that you need to check on the direction of the design with square paper versus round paper, which you can turn to any angle, and also with both shapes, which side you want to be on the outside and the inside (the side you might not care about as much). 

The 8x8 is my favorite of the square designs.  It would fit in a 5x7 envelope, and is perfect for a sweet treat, gift card, and slide out card as shown below.  

The third size I was inspired to try is a 12x12" - or one sheet - of paper.  The process is the same, whether you're using a round piece or a square piece of paper.  The 12 x 12 piece makes a pocket that is 6 x 9" overall.  This is actually like a gift bag that you can put a small flat gift inside the large pocket.  When I was putting it together, it reminded me of a "stuffed envelope" that fellow demonstrator, Melva Peters of Canada, demonstrated in spring of 2022. In this pocket I put a sweet treat and a gift card in the front, and a gift of four of my hand-made cards in the large pocket.  

I've had a lot of fun making these pocket cards, and am already thinking of the many uses for the three different sizes, in both the round and square shapes. 

I hope you enjoyed making a pocket card - round or square.   

Click on the links to follow the other creative crafters in our Stampin' with Friends Blog Hop.

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Visit my face book page.  If you try this design I'd love to see it.   

As an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I get a discount for each order I place, plus I love the fact that I can earn points for free products, and get the new products with each catalog early.   If you love paper crafting, color and making projects to cheer up the world, talk to me about joining my team, the Card Connoisseurs.  You can find all the products I've used on this double pocket card, my projects and the current catalog over here at my website www.cardconnoisseursb.stampinup.net.