Kung Hei Fat Choi! Here’s hoping you all have a happy and prosperous new year! As many might know, today marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, the new year in most Asian countries. You’ve got to love the celebrations for this holiday, the lanterns, parades, fireworks – it’s all so colorful and gorgeous! But even beyond that there’s the fact that, to me, spring always feels like the real beginning of the new year rather than the dead of winter.
Of course, no new year celebration would be complete without the ubiquitous red envelopes, used for giving little gifts of money to children or unmarried juniors. I wanted to join in on the fun and design some red envelopes myself that are perfectly sized to fit gift cards as well as money. Of course, you don’t have to use these to celebrate New Year’s, but you can give them out to anyone who’s deserving of a gift and enjoys Asian culture.
They’re made from printing the template onto cardstock and folding and taping it to make a perfect little holder.
Difficulty:
Super simple to put together: just print, cut, fold, and glue!
Makes two gift card sized envelopes
Materials & Tools:
• 1 sheet of printer cardstock
• Glue/scrapbooking adhesive/rubber cement OR
• Matching thread & sewing needle
Before you begin:
1. Print page 1 of the project onto cardstock from here
2. Flip the paper over, and print page 2 on the back side
3. Cut out the card holders along the black edges
1. With your card holders cut out, you’ll need to score and fold the paper along the fold lines. You can score it with one side of your scissors as I’m doing here, but using a bone folder also works well. Either way, it’s best to run the tool along the edge of your ruler down the fold line.
2. For the envelope style holder, fold the bottom section upward and hold it in place along the left and right side either by sewing it (as I’ve done here), gluing it, using double stick tape, or rubber cement. Fold the upper flap downward and your holder is done! Hold the flap in place with a bit of double stick tape or a favorite sticker 😀
3. To create the folder style holder, fold up the bottom section and hold it in place along the sides and bottom either by sewing it (as I’ve done here), gluing it, using double stick tape, or rubber cement. Fold the holder in half and you’re done! You can keep the holder closed with a ribbon or your favorite sticker <3
What do you think? Very bright and festive, no? It’s sure to bring plenty of good luck to your new year ^-~
Do you have any aspects of the Lunar New Year you love the most? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
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1 thought on “The Year of the Snake Gift Card Holder”
I love this project!! What a great way to personalize and ‘upscale’ a gift card…