How to Make a Garden Gate Card

Garden Gate Card or Invitation

A garden gate design would be a fitting compliment to a garden- or fairy-themed party or bridal shower tea invitation-or simply a lovely spring greeting for anyone to get in the mail or find on their desk. Here is how to create your own uniquely creative garden gate card.

Things You'll Need

• Card stock in several colors
• Sizzix machine and fence die
• Scissors
• Chalks or ink pads
• Adhesive
• Markers
• Floral stickers
• Baby powder
• Foam tape
• Brads
• Thread

Instructions

How to Make the Card

1. 

   Cut a 6-inch-wide piece of card stock, as tall as you want, for the back of your card; this will be the foundation everything else is built upon.

2. 

   Die cut two fence pieces (or use the directions below to construct your own) out of a contrasting card stock (white, tan or whatever looks fence-y to you). Chalking or inking the edges is a nice touch, but entirely up to you.

3. 

   Free-hand cut two hedges to go behind the fence sections, approximately 3 inches wide, out of green card stock. Use markers, chalks or ink pads to add shading to the shrub pieces to make it look more interesting.

4. 

   Add flower stickers or embellishments to the shrub for some background decoration. Keep these relatively flat-we'll add dimension later.

5. 

   Glue each fence section on top of a hedge section, leaving an outside edge of each fence clear to serve as a hinge.

6. 

   Embellish the fence and hedge sections with additional foliage and paper elements. Exposed edges of stickers can be brushed with baby powder to take away any residual stickiness. Elevate some stickers or paper cutouts on foam tape to look like flowers growing through the fence slats.

7. 

   Attach the free ends of each fence section to the sides of the foundation piece and gently fold them in towards the center.

8. 

   Write or print your card greetings or invitation details onto a separate piece of paper cut just smaller than the foundation piece and attach it to the center of the foundation card stock, overlapping the fence edges-this helps to secure the gate hinges.

9. 

   Tie a piece of thread to one brad and push it through one inside edge of a fence section. Insert another brad into the same spot on the other fence post and wrap the thread around it to close the card.

How to Make Additional Fences

1. Cut several narrow strips of white or tan card stock in the following lengths: 4 strips at least 3.5 inches long and 12 strips approximately 2 inches long.

2. Trim one end of each short strip into a point by cutting off the top two corners.

3. Place two long strips parallel to each other, about an inch apart, and cross them with six of the shorter pieces and glue in place. Alternating the height of the shorter strips will give the fence more visual interest.

Tips & Warnings

• Use two fence sections per side, attached to one another with foam tape, for a more interesting card with more dimension-trimming away the top layers' extra width-that on the bottom serves as the hinge.

Resources

• Sizzix Personal Die Cut Machines
• eHow Spring Guide