Punch-art tools and money holder

My dad has been looking at replacing some of his tools recently, so as part of his Christmas present this year I'm giving him some money to put toward whatever tool he chooses. I didn't want to just hand him cash, though, or put it in a regular Christmas card. So yesterday I made a special tool-themed card with a pocket (literally) for holding the money.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Alphabits, Just Jeans, Expressive Flexible Phrases
Card stock: Buckaroo Blue, Going Gray, Close to Cocoa, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Night of Navy
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Night of Navy
Accessories: Woodgrain embossing folder, large oval punch, Word Window punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1/4" square punch, large tag punch, pinking scissors (unknown), small and medium metallic brads (Making Memories), screw brads (unknown), hemp twine, white gel pen, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I used this great punch-art tool card by Carolynn on SplitCoastStampers as my inspiration. (She also provides links to a couple more samples of punch-art tools.) I changed a few details, but it was exactly what I needed to get started.

I decided to make four tools (a hammer, a screwdriver, a wrench and a saw) as well as a toolbox. I wish I'd had more time to make step-by-step directions with pictures while I was creating this card, but here is a basic description of how I made the tools and toolbox:

Hammer: For the hammer head, punch a large oval from Going Gray card stock. With the same oval punch, make two small notches on the top and bottom of the left side of the oval and punch out the bottom right part of the oval. Use a scissors to cut off the left "point" of the oval and to make the angled cuts from the flat edge to the two notches. For the handle, punch Word Window shapes from Close to Cocoa and Going Gray card stock. Trim the end off the gray piece and adhere it to the brown one. (I adhered the gray piece at the very end of the brown one so it actually made the Word Window shape a bit longer.) Adhere the handle to the hammer head.

Screwdriver: For the handle, punch a large oval from Basic Black card stock. Use a scissors to cut off a small portion of the left side of the oval and a little larger piece from the right side. Use the oval punch to make small notches on the top and bottom near the right side. Use a scissors to make the angled cuts from the flat right side to each of the notches. For the shaft or shank, cut a 3/8" wide strip of Going Gray card stock, hand cut the blade and adhere it to the handle. (I didn't measure the length of the shaft; I just trimmed it to what looked like the right length.)

Wrench: Punch a Word Window shape and two 3/4" circles from Going Gray card stock. Hand cut the notches in each of the circles and then adhere the circles to the Word Window shape.

Saw: For the blade, diagonally cut a 1-1/2" wide piece of Going Gray card stock with a pinking scissors. (Again, I just eye eyeballed the length of the piece to what seemed right.) For the handle, take a 1-1/2" wide piece of Close to Cocoa card stock and insert it through the circular opening in the bottom of the 2-1/2" circle punch. Close the punch to remove just the end of the strip and create the rounded edge. Lightly draw and then cut out the opening for the handle. Adhere the handle to the blade and add three small metallic brads.

Toolbox: Cut a 2-3/4" by 3-1/4" piece of Crumb Cake card stock. Use a ruler to draw the handle (about 1/4" wide on the top and sides) on the card stock and then cut away the extra pieces. Emboss the toolbox with the Woodgrain embossing folder and, if desired, add the word "Tools." (I used the Alphabits stamp set and 1/4" square punch to create the letters, which I glued on the toolbox.) To adhere the toolbox to the card, place adhesive just on the handle and the edges of the sides and bottom of the box. That way the tools can be removed from the box. (I did, however, adhere the saw to the card with Dimensionals.)

And then there's the inside of the card:

I used Night of Navy card stock to create the pocket. I don't have a pocket stamp or template, so I just made my own and cut it out. (I thought I had written down the dimensions, but apparently I didn't. And now it's all wrapped up. The card itself is 5-1/4" square, so that gives you a starting point.) I stamped the pocket shape with the Just Jeans stamp in Night of Navy ink (it's hard to see in the photo, but it adds a great denim look) and then drew the stitching with a white gel pen. I added a medium-sized metallic brad to each corner and a little tab on the right side (stamped with Expressive Flexible Phrases) and then adhered the pocket to the card. Again, place the adhesive just around the side and bottom edges so you can slip money (or a gift card) into the pocket. For a finishing touch I used some hemp twine to add a tag with a message; that way the card could even be reused.

Whew! Sorry this was a long post, but I wanted to share as many details as I could. If you still have any questions, post a comment, and I will respond as soon as I can. Thanks for stopping by!