Bee Round 6x6 Cards

Varied sentiments from two slightly varied

bee-theme card designs: 

send congratulations and share the news; 

or convey encouragement and support.

Hollow layered rings create the round base of 

highly-detailed card with delicate offset margins 

with detailed bee emblem bridging the space. 

Script-style words for “all the buzz” 

or "bee-lieving in you" phrases can be positioned 

at center bottom using optional positioning guide shapes. 

Back ring base has perforations at two-thirds of 

the way up to allow it to bend away to reveal 

arched sentiment plaque. 

Card fits into envelope for 6x6 card.

ASSEMBLY: (Bee-lieving design will be
demonstrated in tutorial, with only difference 
noted in step 4.)
1. Identify and cut the shapes:
A main base ring
B accent layer #1    C accent layer #2 with punch circles
D honeycomb emblem base and overlay
E base ring back panel (this one with squared bottom)
F sentiment arch for lower interior
G bee base silhouette (to build on)
H head shapes: center, eyes, antennae
I thorax assembly: base, upper oval & show-thru, arc
J wing delicate overlay outlines   K wing bases
L leg shapes (3 each for l & r)
M abdomen and stripes overlay
N word cutouts: "bee-lieving in you"
O optional word positioning guide arch

2. Layer the two accent rings with inner edge circle

aligned, and attach together.

3. Attach the punch circle accents.

(NOTE: the "all the buzz" design has more circles.)

4. Prepare to position and attach the words of phrase

by finding vertical center with some kind of guide.

One example, here, is to place ring assembly on

a grid, focusing on a vertical center line being placed

on a center line, then rotating slightly until other elements

help refine the positioning, such as the spacing between

the ring side center edges to adjacent grid lines,

and the lowest punch circle both aligning on 

a cross line. Once achieved, retain positioning until . . . 

. . . word positioning guide can be positioned at
bottom of top ring layer, and temp taped at ends.
(NOTE: for "all the buzz" design, the positioning
guide will be positioned at the bottom of 
the layer #1 ring.)

5. Use fine pencil to lightly trace the letter bottom shaping
onto the top ring. (Some letters positioned to
give an idea of how the welded words fit on guide.)

6. Remove the guide and discard. Position and
attach words where tracings indicate, hiding trace lines
if possible. Add the 'i' dots and the dash in place, too.

7. Position the upper ring assembly onto the base ring,

centering so that there is a slight reveal at inside edge,

and a slightly wider reveal at outer edge, and

attach in place. (If using liquid glue, consider pressing

under a flat weight until glue dries completely to avoid

warping or curling.)

8. Complete some pre-assembly for bee:

layer stripes overlay onto abdomen shape;

layer contrast top thorax oval under 
main thorax oval, then . . .

. . . position and attach oval assembly onto
center of main thorax shape.

9. Assemble the bee on the base silhouette shape with

tiny offset margins around each and at edges as shown:

dry fit the thorax assembly, and . . .

. . . body assembly to ensure accurate relative
positions and make adjustments, making sure the
under-thorax arc will fit, then attach these three
center body shapes.

10. Position the head center shape and attach.
Then position the eyes and antennae.

11. Position and attach the wing shapes, then . . .

. . . position and attach the three-part legs.

(If using liquid glue, consider pressing

under a flat weight until glue dries completely to avoid

warping or curling.)

12. Position the bee centered, to span the ring center
opening, and on the vertical center.
Adjust up/down so that antennae tips and leg tips
can barely overlap and be attached to inner ring edge,
then attach bee surfaces where they overlap.

13. Prepare the honeycomb emblem by layering

the overlay onto offset base, centering, and 

attaching in place.

14. Position the emblem at top center, with small
margins extending beyond ring edges at top, bottom,
and attach in place.

15. Prepare the card back base by bending forward

along the horizontal cross perforations on each side.

16.Position the back ring base behind the front

card assembly, with the upper portion centered

and aligned at top, and glue in place the half

above the perforations to form an easel.

17. Open the lower card portion to reveal
the backside of the main card, then center
and attach the arch-shaped sentiment plaque.

Here is the finished card, opened slightly

so it can stand on its own for display.

Witches Gather Swirl Card

A swirl of pointed hats around a bubbling cauldron - 

must be witches' night out! 

Uniquely-shaped edge Halloween card features 

lots of see-thru spaces, six witch hats, six tiny bats, 

center "witches' soup" layered bubbles hex ring, 

"Witches Gather" layered sentiment. 

Back of card matches front shape and center hex, 

with top portion perforation that acts as hinge. 

A back-of-card message plaque provides space 

for personalization - since the see-thru front 

makes it difficult to include much inside. 

Measures approx. 7x7 when closed. 

ASSEMBLY: 1. Identify and cut the shapes:
A card front with cutouts
B card base (back)     C bat overlays (6) 
D Hat overlay components (6 sets) including
hat, band and buckle or star
E center cauldron bubbles base
Bubble overlays (6 ea.): F sm, G lrg, H lrg partial
I optional back sentiment panel
J "jot" contrast for "Witches" word cut
K "Withes" word cut
L "Witches gather" word cut base
M "gather" contrast word cut overlay
(NOTE: During the building of prototype,
the color selections for J, K, M were changed
so the final card does not match these shapes)

2. Position and attach the bat overlays onto

card front where matching cut edges indicate.

3. Prepare the 6 hat units by attaching hat band
and star or buckle to hat cut outs.
4. Position and attach the hat units in the spaces
between window cutouts, centering bottom
straight edge and tip evenly between inner hex
and outer ring cut edges.

5. Prepare the "cauldron" bubble unit by

positioning the small bubble circle overlays

in the left position where cutout edges indicate,

as shown here. Then  . . . 

. . . position the partial bubble shapes below
and left of the small bubbles in the adjacent
sections (fit partial concave edge to small
circle edge), then finally . . . 

. . . position and attach the large bubble circles
next to the partial bubbles, fitting curved edges
into the concave edge of partial as shown.

6. The cauldron ring is an "underlay" that will
be placed at the center of the ring . . . 

. . . under the center hexagon cutout edge.
To do this, apply adhesive the the outer face edge 
of cauldron underlay, and to the backside edge
of the hexagon opening of card front assembly,
then place behind the opening, adjusting to allow
an even, narrow margin of the underlay hexagon
"frame" edge to show. 

7. Prepare the word cut unit by centering and
attaching the "Witches" overlay onto the unit
base, with contrast "jot" shape over 'i', then
 attaching "gather" overlay where edges will align.
(NOTE: these colors are different from those
selected for the final card version.)

8. Position and attach the word cut unit

over the front of the card assembly,

approximately centered top to bottom,

actually centered side to side.

NOTE: consider using foam squares to make

the word cut float above the cauldron slightly.

9. Prepare the card back by bending the upper

portion forward at the perforation.

10. Position and attach the above-perforation

portion of back to the top back of the card front.

CAUTION: adhesive applied uniformly across

the top back panel will result in unsightly glue

showing through the cutouts on the front. 

Take care to apply adhesive only where needed,

such as above perf lines on back, and on

backside of card front in visualized area needed.

11. Position and attach the sentiment panel

to the above-perf area of card back.

Here is the completed card

(with first-choice word cut colors), and here . . . 

. . . is the improved color selection.