Hat's Off Greeting Card Construction Tips

New greeting card design is available now
(and a companion A-7 envelope with additional cut phrases, too)

from SnapDragon Snippets through Silhouette America online store.

Cut file features two versions of outline cut-out of cheery lady lifting her hat

in salute and congratulations.

Review some of the construction steps which follow
before preparing your own cards.

Here is a preview of my two completed cards. The one-cut version is on the left, and the "fill-in" no-frame version is on the right.

First, I will work on my one-cut card version.

Before sending the cut file to your Cameo, make sure your knife blade is sharp (i.e. new). Having a good-stick mat may also be helpful. Since it is the OUTLINE we are saving to use in this step, use the spatula tool to help loosen the cut cardstock from the mat. Loosen the entire design and avoid tearing by resisting the temptation to simply "peel" the cut sections away.

Save the "face" with eye cutouts to help position eyes in a later step.

Applying adhesive to the narrow outline is a bit tedious. Using a good spray adhesive to the backside is one good alternative.

Once glue is applied to this one-cut version, turn it over and position it on the cut card front, taking care to line up the card and outer frame edges before allowing the interior portions to stick in place. (It may be helpful to work folded card.)

Use the "waste" face section to help locate the eyes position if you wish, then glue the eyes in place.

Also position and glue the phrase in place. Easiest order is the "off", then the "hat's" on the same imaginary baseline.

(Missing from my card are all the little pieces, like the apostrophe and the dot-dot-dots after the "off", which need to be positioned and glued in place individually. These got scattered from my work table in an uncontrolled gust of interior air movement, and could not be found when needed. Probably won't happen for you!)

On the back of my one-cut card, I used the flowers pair as a flourish.

The next images are for the backside fill-in version using the no-frame cut version.

Here you can see the separate hand/arm/hat cut-out outline piece, with the separate sleeve fill-in cut-out being positioned behind the outline. Fill and cut-out pieces will have much of their outer edges line up when positioned correctly.

In turn, the hand fill-in will be glued into position, with its bottom edge nudged up against the top of the sleeve fill in piece.

Here you can see the same portion of the outline with the sleeve fill-in in place. The straight side and short bottom edges of the fill-in piece will line up against the corresponding edges of the card's front edges.

With the other fill-in pieces glued in place, I am ready to apply adhesive to the whole section's back side, then position onto the card front with edges aligned as noted in previous frame.

The head/face section is pre-assembled in a similar fashion. Here you can see the top hair outline being positioning ONTO the hair fill-in shape. Next would come the lower hair outline, then the face fill in is positioned from the back side more like the arm fill in the previous frames.

And, once again, here are my finished cards.

Though not shown, the flower accent for the card back

can be assembled with separately-cut fill-in shapes

in a similar process.

I have prepared my cards to send to special recipients:

one to the orthopedic surgeon,

and the other to the nursing crew at the surgical center --

great folks who have recently cared for me through

shoulder rotator cuff surgery.

HAT'S OFF TO THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE IN MY LIFE!

(Bet you have a few people to recognize and thank, too!)