I did this Zig Zag Graduation Card for a friend of Cordelia’s. But couldn’t post it before she actually gave it so that it would be a surprise. The color scheme and paw prints go with the school colors/mascot of maroon and gold and panthers. But they would work for any big cat.
The hats look like they are being tossed in the air! It is a little complicated to fit together but well worth the effect. It fits in an A7 envelope for mailing or you can make a coordinating envelope with my tutorial here.
You will need:
- Heavy 2 sided cardstock for the base
- Various Cardstock scraps
- Gold gel Pen
- Glue
- Download File
Paper Selection for Zig Zag Graduation Card
I did this card in maroon and gold because those are the school colors but it can easily be change to go with any school colors. The base card needs to be two sided because you do see a little of both sides, but not much. Patterns would work well for the overlays, as long as the pen shows up. The paw prints are for panthers but it would work for any big cat or easily change them if it needs to match the school.
Cutting the Zig Zag Graduation Card
Cut the card base and the Cricut will do the writing. I used a gold gel pen to draw the paw prints. Did you know that you can use any pen in your Cricut? You can see the trick here.
Some of the embellishments and the cap connections are very thin so be careful when removing them from the mat.
Assembling the Zig Zag Graduation Card
First re-crease all the folds and make sure the slits in the base card are cut completely. The left side base card (the one with the slits on the bottom) fits over the base card on the right. The slits slide into the other slit at the same height on the other base card. Don’t try to put the overlays on until after the base card is assembled.
Next attach the embellishments to the front overlay with liquid glue. If you need help look at the pictures. After attaching the embellishments, glue the front overlay. Match up the center fold with the fold on the front. Next, with the base card open, glue the overlays on/in the card. Make sure you get the right height overlay on the right piece. The hats should rise above the card and the paw print section is about as tall as the base card. When you are done, double check that it folds flat and everything looks good. Compare it to the pictures above if you need help.
And now your Zig Zag Graduation card is done. And as I said earlier, it fits in an A7 envelope for mailing.
Fun Facts About Panthers
- The animal known as a “panther” actually refers to 3 different types of big cats, leopards, jaguars and cougars
- Panthers have good hearing, extremely good eyesight, and a strong jaw.
- These cats range in size from 7-8 feet in length and can way anywhere from 100 to 250 pounds. The largest of these three is the leopard variety, which is found in Africa.
- All panthers are carnivorous, which means that they only eat meat.
- Panthers are usually solitary animals, who will only interact with other panthers during mating season.
- Panthers can live up to 12 years in the wild, and up to 20 years in captivity.