Yup

Last week marked my parents' 30th wedding anniversary, and that meant it was time for me to dust off my card-making supplies and put together something really special for them. With the help of my new favorite crafting tool (yes, my dear Cricut, I'm talking to you), I created these fun and easy cards that are absolutely perfect for sharing just about any message, and are pretty much guaranteed to get a smile out of the recipient.

Card on a String

Supplies

• Beige cardstock or blank pre-folded card
• Neutral-colored string
• Patterned paper (for die-cuts and envelope listed below)
• Die-cut letters and small tag (I used my oh-so-awesome Cricut to cut mine, but you can use whatever you have handy)
• Mini decorative envelope (another job for my Cricut, but you can use any small envelope you have)
• Scissors
• Glue

Start by gluing your letters onto the string, leaving a 6"-8" tail on each end. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Tie a small knot on the end of your string (approximately 3" from the end of the last letter). Poke a small hole into the center of your envelope (about an 1/2" from where the top flap begins), and thread your string through the hole so that the knot rests against the inside of the envelope.

Glue the string into place on the back of the envelope. Let dry completely.

Thread tag onto the front tail so that it falls approximately 3" from the first letter. Glue the side and bottom flaps of your envelope together and allow to dry.

Fold your letter banner in a zig-zag pattern. For this card, the "M" and the "I" are face-to-face, the "I" and the "S" are back-to-back, the "S" and the "S" are face-to-face, and so on.

Insert your folded stack into the envelope. Try to leave them as close to the top of the envelope as possible to make them easier to pull out, and to avoid accidental damage to the letters.

Glue the envelope to the front center of your card. Position the tag so that it sits as desired, then tie a knot to secure and trim any excess string. Glue the front flap down (using a very small dot of glue). Add any helpful hints, such as "Open" and/or "Pull Me" to the tag and envelope as desired. Now, wasn't that simple?

While I was making the "30 Years" card for my parents, I also created a few other variations - including "Love You," "Missing You," and "Happy Birthday." The beauty of this project is that you can tailor it to any occasion by changing up the message on the banner (and by using different paper to create your letters). Just one word of caution: the longer the message, the bulkier the card, and the more likely it may get tangled or ripped on the way out of the envelope. I recommend keeping it short and sweet for the best result ... save your "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" cards for another day.