What could be better than a holiday sweater? A gift card, of course! Free sweater-shaped gift card holder.
“Gifting Made Easy” by Gift Card Girlfriend
Ugly Christmas sweaters are popular this year, but seriously, nobody wants them. Ok, maybe you need one to wear to the ugly sweater holiday party, but beyond that, a gift card is a much better gift. From video games to dinner at a restaurant and shoes to sweaters (just not the holiday kind), the recipient can use the card to buy almost anything he or she wants. Thank goodness, gift cards have officially replaced sweaters as the “go to” gift of the year.
Whether you have time to order our matching sweater gift card or want to include a gift card of your own, download this free printable “better than a sweater” gift card holder and have some fun with it. You can either cut around the holiday sweater to make a shaped card holder or cut a simple rectangle for a more traditional greeting card holder. Below are instructions for both.
1. Order Gift Card and Download Sweater Printable
To make this “Better than a Sweater” gift, download the free printable gift card holder. I’ve crafted it two different ways, but it’s the same download for both. Then pick your gift card. We have a matching sweater gift card which looks adorable. A gift card to a favorite clothing store would match perfectly as well. But honestly, any gift card is better than a sweater, so pick the one you want!Download the “Better than a Sweater” Gift Card Printable
Order the Matching Sweater Gift Card
2. Print and Cut
After downloading the gift card holder, print it on a color printer using “best quality” and “actual size” settings. (Do not select “shrink to fit” or any other setting that will change the size of the printed .pdf image.) White, card stock paper measuring 8-1/2″ x 11″ works best. Cut the outline of the holder, following along the colored lines.
3. Get Crafty
I wanted to make this sweater come to life by hanging it on a wire hanger with yarn. All you need to do to make a hanger is grab some bendable wire of the desired thickness, a fat pen for easy bending and a pair of wire cutters to snip the wire.
Roll the wire along the pen to make each fold in the hanger. The first roll is to make the hook at the top of the hanger. Continue to bend the wire like a triangle. When you get to the top, twist the end onto the first curl. Use wire cutters to snip the wire at the top.
4. Hang the Sweater
Fold the sweater in half at the shoulders and cut a small hole into the top of the sweater. Insert the top of the hanger into the neck hole. Using red yarn, tie the gift card to the hanger.
5. Box it Up
Hang the finished sweater on the tree, put it on a wreath or put the “Better than a Sweater” gift card holder into a box. I put my sweater gift card holder into a five by seven inch kraft paper box. With the box turned sideways, the gift card holder fits perfectly. I added another yarn bow to the top of the hanger and slipped it into the box.
6. Make the Sweater Greeting Card
If you want to give the “Better than a Sweater” gift card, but don’t want to use your fine motor skills to cut the sweater out or make a hanger, then cut the printable gift card holder into a traditional greeting card rectangle. Fold the card in half and insert the greeting card.
There you go. Two free printable gift card holders that are “Better than a Sweater.” Using a single download, craft the gift card holder like a sweater or stick with the simple greeting card design. Either way, put a gift card inside so the recipient can enjoy spending the gift card much more than he or she would have enjoyed wearing a holiday sweater.
One-Stop Shop
Love the “Better than a Sweater” gift card but want us to ship it out for you? Easy! Order the sweater gift card, select the matching greeting card and we’ll take care of the rest. This is simply the easiest way to get this fun and creative gift card delivered quickly.
More on Pinterest
For more free printable gift card holders, check out the free prints page or follow Gift Card Girlfriend on Pinterest. This fun gift is on our Christmas Gift Ideas board and on our free printables board. If you use this printable, send me a link to your page in the comments below or contact me on Twitter (@GCGirlfriend). I want to see what inspires you.Happy Gift Carding!
~Shelley Hunter, Gift Card Girlfriend