Sweet Shoppe Designs – The Sweetest Digital Scrapbooking Site on the Web

It’s Juli here with a little hybrid tutorial for you.  My youngest is turning 9 next week and will be starting the 4th grade the week after that.  I’m becoming ever more aware that my elementary days are numbered and that middle and high school loom ahead – sigh!  I’ve already learned with my oldest that it’s so not cool for mom to make her teachers little crafty gifts.  So I’ve got to hold on to these last to years of elementary while I can…which means lots of teacher projects this year!!! (I sure hope we get an awesome teacher that appreciates little gifts!)

I’m going to walk you through how to turn one of those $.10 paper duo tang folders (portfolios with two pockets) into a cute little note card holder perfect to dress up for just about anyone.  Once you’ve got down the process the only limit is your creativity!

Supplies:
1 – Paper Two Pocket Portfolio (if it has the center note book paper holder remove it)
Digital Kit – Eww! Love and Stuff by Shawna Clingerman
Card stock and invitation side envelopes
2- small velcro “coins”
General Hybrid Supplies: ruler, double stick tape, paper trimmer, ribbon, printer, presentation paper, scoring tool
Extra Supplies (to kick it up a notch) – border punch, 3″ circle punch, card stock, foam dots

1.  To get started fold open your portfolio on a table.  Make sure to neatly remove the center section that holds notebook paper if your portfolio has one.  Using your ruler, measure down from the top of the portfolio 2.75 inches down from the top.  Use your paper trimmer to make your cut (you may have to fold your portfolio closed to cut the whole thing at once). Illustration below.

2. With the inside of the portfolio facing you, measure down 3 inches  from the cut you just made in Step 1.  Score across this line and fold down toward the bottom of the portfolio. (See below)

3.  Open up the section you folded down in Step 2.  Cut the folded section in the middle to create two separate flaps (see below).

4.  Now it’s time to get creative!  Open your photo editing software (I use Elements 7) and create an 8.5″ x 11″ canvas.  To create the front panel of the note holder you need to create a panel that is 8.5 inches wide and 5.25 inches tall.  To create the inside panels (that go on the pockets) create two panels that are 8 inches wide and 4 inches tall (I did this on a separate 8.5″ x 11″ canvas) .  To create your card fronts (however many you want – I made 4) create a panel that is 5 inches x 3.75 inches.  (I did this on yet another separate 8.5″ x 11″ canvas).

Here’s what each of my canvases looked like in Elements before printing.

Front Panel and (print front panel twice) back panel.  The pencil is created using basic shapes in Elements pieced together to make a pencil.

Inside Panels

Card Fronts

5.  Print all your panels and trim with your paper trimmer.

6.  Assembly.  Before adhering your front panel with double stick tape you need to secure a 43 inch piece of ribbon around the wide part of the folder with the cut ends sticking out at the side with the opening.  I used some Scotch tape to secure my ribbon, however, packing tape would be even better.

After securing the ribbon, adhere your front and back panels over the ribbon. This is no place to use a glue stick!  Use some double stick tape, tape runner…something a little more heavy duty!

Next step is to open the portfolio and adhere the two inside panel to the front of the pockets.  To get the flaps to stay closed apply a double stick Velcro coin under each flap.  (see the kick it up a notch section below before you do this part!!!)

7.  Cut white card stock in half down the long side (cut at 5.5″) and then score and fold at 4.25″ down the long side.  This will create 2 cards per sheet of card stock.  Adhere your note card front to the front of the card.  Make as many as you’d like.  Put the cards in one pocket and put the envelopes in the other pocket.  Fold shut, tie and you have a completed project!

Now…this is pretty basic right???  Why not kick it up a notch and use more hybrid skills to make this look a little more exciting?  Here are some ideas.

1.  Print an additional pencil (that you personalized with the teacher’s name) to match the one on the front of project.  Cut out with scissors and adhere to the front with foam dots.

2.  Add a decorative border punch to the inside pocket flaps BEFORE you adhere the Velcro coin.  Make sure to cut your complementary paper in a way that the flap looks nice when you lift it!

3.  Add some decorative elements on the inside flaps such as little labels indicating which side has the note cards and which side the envelopes or even a nice teacher quotes.

4.  Personalize the project.  We don’t know my DD’s name yet…but when we do I’ll be adding the teacher’s name to some additional note cards to tuck in before we give this away.

5.  Add additional ribbon, flowers, or other traditional scrapbooking elements to the project to give it dimension.  Just make sure you can still tie the flap shut!!!  🙂

I hope this gives you a good basic hybrid project that can be spun a couple different ways.  No one says you need to make this for a teacher.  It would be a great way to give recipe cards out (especially for a cookie swap!), a cute little thank you gift, a going a way to college or camp gift…be creative and have fun!!!