gift cards

Coaches’ Gift

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gift card pouch finished and filled

Because I work at the school my children attend, I am not allowed to volunteer to be the roommom, which would then give me control over any gifts the group might choose to give to the teacher. It is a conflict of interest. I actually think I would be the best person for the job since I have all kinds of insider information on what makes a good teacher gift *sigh*. So, to fill the void, I volunteered to collect the money for our end of season gift to our summer swim coaches. I helped out last year by donating the Swim Emergency Kit that held a cash gift and other items a coach might need in his/her swim bag.

gift card pouch finished

We are giving the coaches cash again, and I needed a vehicle to deliver the money because a plain ol’ envelope is not that much fun. I found This Pattern for a business card holder. I thought it could easily be adapted to hold cash or gift cards, so I made a supply list and headed out to buy fabric in our team colors. I made a whole fleet of little gift card holders. We have four coaches, and I also made extra for teacher gifts this year because I always give a gift card to my kids’ teachers at some point during the year.

Materials (for one gift card holder)

  • 1 piece of fabric measuring 4 1/2″ x 6″
  • 1 piece of fabric measuring 4 1/2″ x 3″
  • 1 piece of fusible web measuring 4 1/2″ x 6″
  • 1 piece of fusible web measuring 4 1/2″ x 3″
  • pinking shears (very sharp)
  • iron
  • sewing machine

gift card pouch fusible web fabric

Directions

  • Apply each piece of fusible web to the wrong side of the piece of fabric that is the matching size. Iron the fusible web into place (follow the directions that come with the fusible web).

gift card pouch fusible web

  • Fold the larger piece of fabric in half making it 4 1/2″ x 3″ and iron until the folded edge of the fabric is pressed well, and the two pieces lay flat together.

gift card pouch finished fabric pieces

  • Cut around all 4 sides of the double layer of fabric with the pinking shears. Make sure the the two layers of fabric stay even and do not shift (pin together if needed).
  • Cut around all 4 sides of the single piece of fabric with the pinking shears. Cut 1″ from the end of a side that is 3″, so the gift card will be able to peak out of the top.

gift card pouch pinking shears

  • Lay the shorter single piece of fabric on top of the double piece of fabric and even up the edges. Pin into place and sew around the outside edge using a straight stitch and a 1/4″ seam allowance.

gift card pouch sewing start

  • Start and end the stitch at the top of the pouch, so the fabric will stay flatter and be less likely to pucker.

Notes

  • The original directions on the Going Home to Roost website used a double sided fusible webbing, which I could not find. I adjusted my construction to make the single sided webbing work.
  • I wanted to cut the zig zag edges once the holders were sewn together, but my pinking shears could not get through all of the layers of fabric. It works better to cut the two separate layers before sewing, and you still need really sharp scissors. Amazingly, the zig zags line up pretty easily when it is time to sew the front and back together.
  • The holders are the perfect size for business cards, store loyalty cards, gift cards, and cash.
  • I tried a few with coordinating fabrics, but I much prefer the look of all one fabric for the front and back.

gift card pouches finishedWhat are other good ways to deliver gift cards that are a little more personal than a paper envelope?

Gift Card Wallet Giveaway Winner!

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Thanks to everyone for liking and commenting at the-room-mom.com and my affiliated social media outlets over the past week. I picked up a few new loyal fans and am excited to announce the winner of my one-of-a-kind gift card wallet and $10 Barnes and Noble gift card. The winner is MAMACRAVINGS!

Mamacravings, I sent you a message via FB, so I can get your wallet and gift card in the mail to you tout de suite. You can also e-mail me at theroommomct@gmail.com with your mailing address.

Still to come during the 2012-2013 school year:

  • 10 more gift ideas for the holidays– or other gift giving occasions
  • New children’s books lists
  • Tips for tackling grammar and writing complete sentences
  • Procedures for writing research papers at all ages
  • Party ideas
  • Snacky food recipes

Thanks for reading!

Gift Card Wallet Giveaway

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Did you see yesterday’s post about the gift card mini wallet? If you did, I am sure you were thinking about how you could get your hands on one of these little beauties. Well, it’s your lucky day. I will be giving away one gift card wallet that includes a $10 mystery gift card! (Reminder– I am earning a teacher’s salary and have not hit the mother load with any sponsors yet.)

Your name will be entered in the drawing every time you like posts during the contest week, leave a comment to a post during the contest week, follow theroommom, like my Facebook page, follow me on Pinterest, and/or follow me on Twitter. Based on the overwhelming response to my first giveaway, if you do just two of these things, your odds of winning are quite high. U.S. addresses only, please.

Contest ends Sunday, Oct. 7 at noon (EST).

Click on the links above, below, or in the sidebar

https://www.facebook.com/Theroommom

http://pinterest.com/theroommom/

https://twitter.com/theroommom

Gift Card Wallet

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Have you ever seen a teacher without a teacher bag? I haven’t. In my case, I have a giant teacher bag with a reinforced bottom. It can hold a grade book, file folders, sets of papers, and a binder or two. My big ‘ol teacher bag does not have room for my purse, and I do not want to lug around an extra piece of luggage to school every day. Instead, I keep my debit card, driver’s license, and maybe a few dollars in a small wallet that can be moved easily from my teacher bag to my regular purse as needed. Most teachers I know have a similar “mini wallet” system.

I needed a small birthday gift for a co-teacher at my school, so I decided to fill a mini wallet with a gift card. My birthday buddy can use this little sirsee as her “teacher bag wallet” after spending the gift card. If you are planning on giving a gift card to a teacher this year, step it up a little and enclose the gift card in a cute little wallet-y coin purse type bag. It will be the gift that keeps on giving! Plus, it meets the generic but personal criteria for teacher gifts.

The Wallet: I found these sewing cards by Valori Wells that have easy patterns. I used the Little Wallet pattern card. If you have two fat squares of coordinating fabric, you can make two to three wallets. I sewed a snap to the inside, but a button or other embellishment can be added to the outside of the flap for looks. The finished wallet has three pockets.

Uses:

  • Gift card holder
  • “Go” wallet that transfers between purses and work bags
  • Grocery (and all other stores) loyalty card holder
  • Sandwich and frozen yogurt shop punch card holder

Gift Card Ideas: Some gift cards work better in $5 or $10 increments. Here are my suggestions. What am I missing?

  • Starbuck’s (or other local coffee shop)
  • Barnes and Noble (or other book store)
  • Nail salon
  • Gas station or grocery store (not very sexy but useful)
  • Sandwich shop (particularly one that is close to the school)
  • Movie theatre (include enough $ to buy 2 tickets)