Gift cards are practical gift-giving ideas, but they can feel impersonal. By creating a handmade gift card holder, you turn a simple present into something heartfelt. In this blog post, I’ll show you 3 ways to take a standard Christmas card design and transform it into a stunning gift card holder. Yes, you can use some of your favorite card designs to create gift card holders!
Gift Card Holder
First, let’s talk about the measurements for these gift card holders. Start with a 4-1/4 x 11 inch piece of cardstock. Score the 11-inch side at 1-1/4 and 6-3/4 inches. Fold on the score lines to create two flaps for the front of the card. Add a 5-1/4 x 4 inch piece of white cardstock to the inside of the card (under the two flaps). Secure the edges of the 1-1/4 inch wide flap down to the inside of the card to create the pocket for the gift card.
Whether you are creating a portrait style or landscape style gift card holder, the measurements for creating the card base are the same! Simply change the orientation of the card base before decorating it. The first gift card holder is decorated in portrait style. This is a top folding card. Notice how the gift card is tucked into the 1-1/4 inch pocket on the bottom.
These last two gift card holders are decorated in landscape style. Notice the position of the gift card holder is different for each of these cards. To create the top card, be sure that the 1-1/4 inch pocket is on the left side. To create the fawn card, be sure that the 1-1/4 inch pocket is on the right side.
Sentimental Christmas Cards
The gift card holder idea came to me while I was busy creating some standard size Christmas cards. I love taking a design and reusing it. Typically, I re-use a card layout with other supplies, however this time I used the same or similar layout to create a different type of card. As such, I have three different standard size card designs which are the inspiration for the gift card holder designs.
All the card ideas feature the Sentimental Christmas Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up! All the focal points and layers on the cards feature this patterned paper. However, keep in mind you can use these layouts with any supplies you have on hand.
These first two card ideas illustrate how to take a portrait style card design and carry it over to a landscape style gift card holder. We will simply make a few measurement modifications to the different layers.
Standard Card
- Card Base: Garden Green Cardstock 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layer: 2-1/2 x 3-1/2″
- Poppy Parade Cardstock layer: 2 x 4″
- Patterned Paper layer: 1-3/4 x 5-1/2″
Gift Card Holder
- Card Base: Garden Green Cardstock 4-1/4 x 11″ scored at 1-1/4″ and 6-3/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layers: 3-1/4 x 3-1/2″
- Poppy Parade Cardstock layer: 2 x 4″
- Patterned Paper layer: 1 x 4″
Portrait Style
Let’s look at a few portrait style Christmas card ideas. The first card pictured on the left is the standard card design. The second card pictured, on the right, is the gift card holder. The inspiration for the gift card holder design came from the standard card design.
Very few modifications are necessary with this particular design. You can easily carry the standard card design over to the gift card holder.
Standard Card
- Card Base: Garden Green Cardstock 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layer: 3 x 5-1/2″
- Poppy Parade Cardstock layer: 1/4 x 4″
- 3″ circle shape
Gift Card Holder
- Card Base: Garden Green Cardstock 4-1/4 x 11″ scored at 1-1/4″ and 6-3/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layers: 3 x 4-1/4″ and 3 x 1-1/4″
- Poppy Parade Cardstock layer: 1/4 x 2-3/4″
- 3″ circle shape
Landscape Style
The last two Christmas card ideas feature a landscape style orientation. The first card pictured on the left is the standard card design. The second card pictured, on the right, is the gift card holder. The inspiration for the gift card holder design came from the standard card design.
Just a few simple modifications of the layers are necessary to transform the standard card into a gift card holder. Below are the measurements for the standard card design and the gift card holder.
Standard Card
- Card Base: Thick Basic White Cardstock 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layer: 3 x 3-3/4″
- Pretty Peacock Cardstock layer: 1-3/4 x 4-1/4″
- 3″ circle shape (cut from the Sentimental Christmas Designer Series Paper)
Gift Card Holder
- Card Base: Thick Basic White Cardstock 4-1/4 x 11″ scored at 1-1/4″ and 6-3/4″
- Embossed White Cardstock layers: 3-1/2 x 3-1/3
- Pretty Peacock Cardstock layer: 1-3/4 x 4″
- 3″ circle shape (cut from the Sentimental Christmas Designer Series Paper)
- Tree Patterned Paper: 1-1/4 x 4-1/4″
Video Tutorial
Turning a standard Christmas card into a gift card holder is a quick and simple way to elevate your holiday card making. It’s perfect for card makers of all levels, and the result is a unique keepsake that the receiver will cherish long after the gift card is spent.
Be sure to watch the video to see all the Sentimental Christmas card ideas as well as the creation of the gift card holder in action. Have a fun and creative day my friends! ~ Lynn
Beautiful cards Lynn