Teacher Appreciation “Thank You” Pocket Cards

Hi friends!  It’s Wendy Sue here today, sharing a fun little project for Teachers!  I wanted to put together a little card for each of my boy’s teachers.  Instead of a traditional card, I decided to create a card that doesn’t even open up!  I don’t think the teachers will mind though, since the front is actually a pocket, containing a sweet note from one of their students, a little inspirational thought card, and a gift card too!  Here’s a peek at the finished cards – and keep scrolling down to see how to make these cards for yourself!

Start with a piece of 2-sided patterned paper – it’s best not to choose one with text because we’re going to flip the bottom up, which will turn the text upside down! So if you don’t want your teacher to have to stand on his head to read it, just choose two fun patterns without words. 😉  I cut mine 8″ tall and 4 1/2″ wide.  Next, I scored the bottom portion so the base would be 5 1/2″ tall.  This way, if you want to add it to a traditional card base, you can easily do that!  Also, I used a large (3″ circle punch) to cut a little notch out of the top of the fold-over portion.  This is completely optional and won’t affect the finished product at all – it’s just for looks.

Next, I pulled out my sewing machine and chose a fun yellow thread to stitch the sides of the pocket!  After I added the stitches, I pulled them through to the back side and secured them with scotch tape.  I forgot to take a picture, but I placed a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ piece of white cardstock on the back to hide the stitches and add stability.  Of course, if you prefer not to use a sewing machine, you can easily use adhesive to seal up both sides of the pocket.

I cut a 2″ square sentiment from patterned paper and attached it to the front of the pocket next.  Then I found a fun die-cut shape and added foam adhesive to the back before adding it to the pocket.

Remember the wood box I used HERE? It came with these fun little lined papers, which I thought were perfect for the kids to write a thank-you note to their teachers.  Before handing them over to the kids, I trimmed them down to fit in the pocket, then I used chipboard thickets to add “Teacher” to the top of the cards.

I looked through all of the awesome 3×4 cards in all of the newest collections and decided on one inspirational thought for each teacher.  This card can easily be displayed in the classroom, if the teacher should choose to do so.  Then, of course, the gift card, which EVERY teacher appreciates!

The best thing about making your own cards is that you can customize to the teacher’s personality.  If you know his/her favorite color, hobbies, interests, etc., it’s fun to make it more personal.  You can also make these cards masculine or feminine, depending on your needs!  Here’s a peek at the other card I made:

Now I just need to get my boys to write a little note and these cards are ready to go!

Supplies:
DIY Home “From Me to You” Patterned Paper
DIY Home “Soft Blue Classic” Patterned Paper
DIY Home “Buffalo Check” Patterned Paper
Cottage Living Imprint Black & Gold Foil Thickers
Cottage Living “Sweet Greetings” Patterned Paper
Spring Fling Cut-Outs with Gold Patterned Paper
Spring Fling Ephemera
Spring Fling Puffy Stickers