I had so much fun making this card! I searched the internet looking for "graduation owl cards" to get ideas, and in the course of my searching became inspired. I used those ideas to give me inspiration and ended up creating this cute fella. I do not have a lot of punches and do not have a die cut machine, so this uses the ever useful circle punch and the rest is my scissors and imagination to create the remaining shapes.
Tri-Fold Card Base
I did not use a specific pattern for my Tri-Fold Card, I started with the fact that I wanted to end up with a card with a 5 inch wide center panel, and that I wanted the flaps to overlap.
The rest was the magic of folding so I pullied out my ruller, this is what I did.
I started with a really nice blue/green toned double sided paper
The cardstock was cut to 6 in high x 12 in wide
I then scored the card along the 12 inch side at 4 and 9 inches
The middle panel is 5 inches wide
I wanted the left panel to overlap the right panel when it was folded
Inside of the Card - Center Panel
The center of the card is a money holder for the graduate.
I cut a piece of double sided patterned paper to 4 in high x 5 in wide
Note: Cut just a little under 5 inches so that the panel folds
I then took my 2-1/2 in Circle Punch and cut a half-circle from the center of the paper.
This creats a notch that adds a bit of interest to the card.
If you were to place a gift card you would need to make this a little smaller and the notch would allow you to see the gift card.
I stamped the sentiment "We are proud of you" using the $1 clear stamp
set from Michaels.
The swirls are also one of the $1 clear stamp sets.
I like the distressed look, so I inked the edges and then drew a
border of ". - ."
I then glued only along the outer edges and adhered it to the center panel.
Refer to photo below to see the inside center panel.
Note: Although I used this card as a money holder, this is simply one version of a pocket. This pocket can be used to hold a tag that has a sentiment or a photograph instead of money.
Owl - Body Base
To create the base of the owl I used the following:
Puch 2 circles, 2-1/2 inches wide
For this owl I selected a nice chocolate brown
Punch 1 circle, 1-3/4 inches wide
For this owl, I selected a lighter shade of brown
For the belly, I hand cut the striped cardstock
I punched a 2-1/2 inch circle and then cut a
shaped teardrop or a paisley shaped element.
Layer the elements as shown
Notice that all elements are distressed with black ink and I added "dots" along the edges of each of the elements.
Owl - Remaining Elements - Graduation Cap, Wings, Beak, Eyes, and Diploma
Graduation Cap:
I did not measure or use a pattern for the Graduation cap
I chose to use a dark blue that I thought looked good with the colors that had been selected for the rest of the owl instead of black.
I hand cut a slightly askew square for the top of the cap, and then cut a half circle to fit underneath. Askew simply means that this is not a perfect square, this makes the cap look more real and gives is perspective.
To give added dimension, the top, square portion of the cap is on pop dots. The graduation cap is the only element that I used white for distressing and the accent dots for added interest.
Beak:
For the beak, I used the same dark blue paper and cut a triangular shape distressed with white ink.
Wings:
I used the same method as above to create the elements for his wings.
I punched a 2-1/2 inch circle and then cut a
shaped teardrop or a paisley shaped element.
A special note: When cutting out your first set of wings, if you want your pair of wings to match on each side do the following:
Cut your first pair of wings.
Use the first pair of wings as your pattern for the second pair.
If you are not using paper that has the same pattern on each side keep in mind that the second pair is a mirror image.
So when using the first pair as the pattern, lay your pieces so that the patterns are facing opposite directions.
If you lay them so that they are in the same direction, the curve will be the same direction which means that your wings will point down on one side and up on the other and this may not be what you want.
Eyes (they are quilled)
1 strip of white and 1 strip of black quilling paper and rolled a tight roll and then pinched it so that the eyes have a slight oval-teardrop shape.
I then applied "crystal effects" to give it that shiny look.
Diploma:
What graduate is complete without a Diploma?
I took a scrap piece of paper, rolled it and tied it with a scrap piece of very thin ribbon. I lucked out and had a dark blue so it coordinated with my overall project.
Stamped Sentiment:
I had a $1 graduation clear stamp set from Michaels that had the sentiment "Congrats Grad" that I used.
You can either use a stamp you have or print a sentiment from your computer and attach it under his wings so it looks like he is holding it.
For Personal Use Only - Not for Resale or Commercial Use.
Pattern may not be copied, distributed or sold without permission of the Artist.
Copyright 2007 to present to Antonella DeFalco, original creator of the pattern.
All Rights Reserved.
FreePaperPatternGradOwl
