Easy tutorial to customize these cute little pocket cards with digital papers in Canva.
CANVA TUTORIAL
I missed out on adding these to my cart on December Daily product release day, and for a minute, the FOMO was real. But look at this!! I just made the cutest little window card with Ali's digitals + template in Canva. It took some trial and error, but best part is I got it figured it out! And I'm sharing it here with all of you. It prints as a .pdf double sided, which is awesome because it cuts down on the bulk. And I love that it's digital because I can change it up and add pattern papers to the template.
I created these using Canva, and if you're not familiar with using Canva I suggest this class to get you up to speed quickly on how to use Canva for memory keeping. In the video below I'm going to walk you through how I set my template up for printing as a .pdf on my HP Envy Photo 7155 printer, which I've had for a few years now. I believe it's discontinued, but this printer looks to be similar.
TRIAL & ERROR
I learned so much from this experience, and hopefully this will save you some of the challenges I experienced. At first I followed the instructions on this template. I printed the template, using two separate pieces of card stock adhered together. The two pieces together added too much bulk and it was hard to keep all edges from popping up. Next I tried just pattern paper & the inside template. The pattern paper I used didn't crease well, and ripped when I folded it. That's when I knew there had to be a better way!
SETTING UP THE TEMPLATE IN CANVA
In the video below I show you how I set up my template in Canva.
I set my page design size to 6" x4" in Canva. Here's the guides I used for quick reference. Note: the inside template is "flipped" to match outside pattern.
It takes a bit to get the template set up, but once you've got it set, the rest is super easy; just copy & paste.
SAVING YOUR DESIGN
Save file as .pdf
Load 4x6 paper in photo tray (I used double sided matte photo paper)
To print double sided, print settings should be set to 4x6 , flip on long edge
Then print
I highly recommend making a test print, to make sure your card prints correctly. After my first card printed, I held it up to the window to double check to make sure the templates were a match when cut out. Note: The settings in this tutorial worked for my printer, if you are using a different printer, you might have to make slight adjustments in Canva.
CARD STOCK VS PHOTO PAPER
I get asked this question a lot! What type of paper do you print on? I've tried many, I've narrowed it down, and this one is my absolute favorite! When I was practice printing for this post, I used flat white card stock. When I was ready to print for my album I used double-sided matte premium photo paper. (linked below) The colors are just much more vivid as you can see in these photos below.
Top - Card Stock // Bottom - Epson Matte Photo Paper
CUT OUT THE TEMPLATE
I used my paper trimmer to cut the longest lines to ensure I got a straight cut, but you can also use scissors to cut out your template. Cut your template on the outside along the black lines.
I used my small scissors to cut out the corner sections.
This is how they look all cut out. Now you're ready for the next step.
SCORE THE FOLD LINES
I used a scoring board and bone folder to score all of the blue dotted lines.
Then I used my cutting knife to cut the window along the inside black lines.
I used a 1/2" circle punch to cut the thumbnail in the window part. And I decided to add some gold ultra-fine glitter to the words on the green card to add some extra sparkle.
ASSEMBLE THE CARDS
I didn't take any photos of this next step, because honestly it's just so simple.
Fold along the score lines
I used the bone folder to make sure I had a good crease
Use red line tape or other adhesive (I used this one) to assemble your pocket card
Glue the small flaps first
Glue the large flap last
Once I had my cards assembled, I added a couple of fun embellishments, trying to keep them as flat as possible. The felt star is attached by a glitter star brad. I had so much fun making these little cards, and honestly the possibilities are endless now that I have the template to use over and over again. I can definitely see these popping up again in some of my other pages & projects.
This post was inspired by the December Daily - Back To Basics class at Ali Edwards.com
SUPPLY LIST
Here's a list of the supplies I used for your connivence.
Matte Premium Photo Paper - double sided cut to 4x6
Photo Printer (this looks like an updated version of the one I use)
Paper Cutter
Scissors
1/2" hole punch
Craft Knife
Bearly Art Craft Glue
Ultra Fine Glitter
Assorted Embellishments