Merry Christmas Pocket Card

This year, instead of creating a traditional Christmas card, I opted to make a pocket card. I'd seen several cute pocket cards online and in magazines, but I'd never created one myself.

So, in late October, I logged onto www.splitcoaststampers.com and searched for a tutorial. Thanks to Beate Johns' easy-to-follow directions, I was able to fold and assemble fifty pocket cards in no time. Then, I searched high and low for the perfect paper to cover the pocket. When I visited my friend, Raina of Loving Pages, one Sunday at her grandparent's art gallery, this adorable black bird Chatterbox paper caught my eye. Luckily, she had ten sheets of it! (By the way, if you're ever looking for Chatterbox paper or Basic Grey paper, visit Raina's Etsy shop at: www.lovingpages.etsy.com.)

After adhering a rectangle of Chatterbox paper on each pocket, I tied some sheer black and white polka dot ribbon around the flap. I glued the flap down and then went to work on the Merry Christmas embellishment. I stamped Merry Christmas in red ink on the circle. I adhered the white circle to a red scallop circle and added some bling!



After the pockets were finished, it was time for the letter. For years, my mom wrote a Christmas letter, providing loved ones with an update on each member of our family. And I know that people who lived far away enjoyed reading about our lives. I always looked forward to reading Christmas letters from family and friends--and still do!

So, this year I decided to try my hand at writing a letter. The letter started out way too long--300+ words--definitely too lengthy to fit inside the pocket. I didn't want to strain my reader's eyes or send them looking for a magnifying glass, though, so I edited the letter down to a more manageable 150 words. Then, I downloaded the free font, I Love Derwin. (Isn't it adorable?! Thanks to my cousin, Bekah, for introducing me to it!)

I printed the letters out on white cardstock and trimmed them down to size. Lastly, I placed a strip of olive green cardstock at the top of the letter, along with a black and white polka dot circle and placed the letter inside the pocket.

Merry Christmas everyone!