Circle-Flap Cachet

This lovely cachet invitation may be a bit labor intensive, but the results are well worth the extra effort! Use it for an announcement, an invitation, or a greeting card.We used a spring colored background but you can use whatever you like for your background - and it doesn't have to be the same on the inside and outside. That's totally up to you and your imagination!

MATERIALS

4 Sheets of cardstock (you can also use 110 lb. index stock for the backing and a lighter weight for the flaps and interior. We used the index stock for the outside and a high-resolution 38 lb. for the flaps and interior square and inkjet vellum for the text square.)

1 Sheet of plain inkjet paper or vellum (see Products>Fun Papers>Inkjet Vellum)

Scissors or paper trimmer

Craft Knife

Cutting mat or heavy cardboard

Glue or glue stick

Double-stick tape (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Open a blank page in your graphics program in landscape orientation. Fill the entire page with the background of your choice. Print the background on both sides of three sheets of cardstock and on one side of one sheet of cardstock. (Two of the double-sided sheets will be for the flaps, so this is where you may want to change the paper type to a lighter weight. Same thing for the sheet that is printed on only one side.)

2) Remove the background image from your page and draw a 6" circle, no fill with an outline. Center this circle on your page.

3) Place a guideline from top to bottom and center this on the page. (If your software does not allow for centering guidelines, draw a straight line instead and center this. You will be removing it in a minute.)

4) Draw a rectangle measuring 3/4" wide and 6" long. Snap this to the guide or place it so that it's right side lines up directly with the centerline on your circle. (See illustration below.)

5) Remove the guideline or centerline. Group the rectangle and the circle. Move the grouped image all the way to the right side of the page - and be careful of those printable margins! (Use CTRL-Drag so that the image remains vertically centered. Other wise your background image may not line up correctly when you put the whole thing together.)

6) Select the grouped circle/rectangle and copy and paste. Then flip it horizontally and move this grouped image all the way to the left of your page (using CTRL-Drag), again watching for those printable margins.

7) You finished page should look like the illustration below. Place two of the double-side printed sheets into your printer and print two copies of these grouped circles/rectangles. The arrows in the illustration below show you where to cut (red arrows) and where to fold (blue arrows).

8) Open another blank page in landscape orientation and draw a 6" square with no fill and an outline. Center this on the page. Print one on the remaining piece that has the background printed on both sides.

9) Now reduce the size of the rectangle by 1/8" and center again. Print this rectangle on the sheet that has the background printed on only one side.

10) Reduce the rectangle one more time by 1/4" and give it an outline of about 8 points in a color that coordinates with your background design. Place whatever text you wish into this square and print out on plain or inkjet vellum.

11) Cut out the four circular flaps (they will actually be cut as half circles with a tab - follow the illustration below). Then cut out the two rectangles and the one rectangle with the text on it.

12) To assemble the cachet fold the tab on each of the four semi-circles and, using either glue or double-stick tape, attach the tabs to the edges of the double-side printed square. Press firmly to adhere.

13) Now lay your text square over the remaining square - the one that is printed on only one side. Mark where you need to make the small diagonal cuts to slip the text square into and cut these slits with your craft knife.

14) Apply glue to the unprinted side of the remaining card stock square and apply it on top of the first square, covering the four tabs on the semi-circular flaps. Again, press firmly to adhere.

15) Now slip each of the four corners of your text square into the slits you made on the last background square.

16) Fold the flaps so that they look like the picture above and you're done! You can either make a 6 1/2" envelope in which to insert the cachet or purchase them in many paper specialty stores. (We will be carrying these envelopes within the next couple of weeks, so watch for them in our Products>Envelopes section!)

Circular Flap Cachet Instructions

For a print friendly version, click on this link.