If at first you don't succeed . . .

I have to say, I'm a bit frustrated tonight. I spent a good part of the evening working on a template for a card that could hold a hot chocolate packet. And I came up with the perfect template. The pocket was just deep enough to hold the packet comfortably without stressing the card. It was a pain in the neck to cut out, mind you, but what's a little pain when perfection is within reach, right? Well, I may have been a little premature with that perfection announcement, because the "perfect" card was too thick to fit into the medium envelope.

So I had to go back to plan B and work in a pouch instead of a pocket. It's not as elegant of a solution, but it does fit into the envelope and, as a bonus, is easier to put together. But I thought I would show you both cards tonight, just so that you could see my favorite card.

From the front, both cards look similar, though I did play with the dimensions of the layers a little. I used Kraft card stock for the base, purely pomegranate for the panel and chocolate chip for the mats. The stamp set is "like You a latte" and it retired last February. I was so sad when this set did not make it into the big catalog this year. It was, and still is, one of my favorites. And while I normally do not stamp with my retired sets, this set was so perfect for the purpose of this card, I simply had to use it.

This is what the inside of both cards looks like. As you can see, the one on the right has a pocket, while the one on the left looks more like a pouch. Again, it's not that I don't like the pouch, it's just that the pocket looks so much more professional! But these cards were meant to be given to others in envelopes, so practicality must win over aesthetics.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the card:

stamps: Like You a Latte, Season of Joy, Holidays and Wishes

ink: Purely pomegranate, Chocolate chip

Card Stock: Kraft, purely pomegranate, chocolate chip, very vanilla

Accessories: ticket corner punch, chocolate chip satin ribbon, stamping sponge, sticky strip