Welcome back to the craft room and today’s 2026 Graduation Gift Card Holder post. I don’t know about you, but I can not believe it’s already graduation season again! While it’s difficult for me to comprehend that our family has another graduate ready to walk the stage, I know his parents probably feel it even more. To help celebrate our graduate, I designed a card that I want to share with you as well. Let me show you the card, how to put it all together, and a few ways to make it extra special.
Free 2026 Graduation Card SVG
Before we jump into Cricut Design Space, I want to offer you the free SVG file. You can find it here: Class of 2026 Graduation Card. This card can be made with a pocket to hold a gift card or cash. However, you can also leave the pocket off if you’re adding the card to a larger gift.
Supplies & Materials
For today’s card I will be using a variety of materials, starting with black and gray 110lb Recollections cardstock from the Coffee and Cream paper pack. I’ll be using this for the card base, pocket, and the number layers. The mat for the numbers will be a piece of 65lb cardstock, also from Recollections as well as some Distress Ink to update the color. Finally, for the “Class of” text and graduation cap, I’ll be using a scrap piece of Oracal 651 permanent vinyl.
Personalizing the School Colors
Before we start working in Cricut Design Space, let’s talk about personalizing the card with the school colors. For my graduate, I needed a purple shade. I only have two shades of cardstock that are close to purple, but honestly, I’m not really fond of either one.
Rather than drive 50 miles to the nearest craft store in hopes of finding a single sheet of cardstock, I decided to make my own. Because this is a lightweight 65lb cardstock, I securely taped the lighter colored piece to a clipboard.
After testing a few purple shades of Distress Ink, I settled on Villainous Potion. I added a few layers of ink until I achieved the shade of purple I wanted, then let the cardstock sit overnight to dry. The next morning, I added a light layer of Distress Micro Glaze over the piece to protect the finish. This is one of those colors that looks really dark on screen, but in person it is the perfect shade!
Cricut Design Space
Preparing the Cricut Design Space File
After downloading the 2026 Graduation Gift Card Holder SVG file, open it in Cricut Design Space and let’s start creating this special gift. Once you have uploaded the file to your canvas, you will see a variety of pieces.
On the left are the pieces to create the card base, the “Class of” text, and the year. On the right are the pieces to create the pocket as well as the graduation cap decoration. To get started with our project, let’s begin by ungrouping everything.
The card base for this gift card holder is created with two pieces of coordinating cardstock. The first thing we need to do is change the cut line on the card base to a score line. To do this, select just the line and, in the Operations menu, change the line from Basic Cut to Score.
Now we need to tell Cricut where we want that score line. Select the line as well as the card base and attach them together by clicking on the paperclip in the floating menu.
This next step is optional and not something I do on every Cricut project. However, there are enough different weights and types of materials in this project that I decided to color match my pieces. For today’s project, the card front and pocket will be cut from gray cardstock, while the inside layer and numbers will be cut from white cardstock. The mat for the year is cut from 65lb cardstock, while the “Class of” text and graduation cap will be cut from permanent vinyl.
You might notice that the card base is not shown in the screenshot above. I am personally not a fan of cutting my card bases on the Cricut. Because I work with A2 size cards, 4.25″ x 5.5″, it really becomes a waste of cardstock since the Cricut does not cut edge to edge. However, I always like to include the card base in my files for your convenience.
How to Create a Vinyl Weeding Box
Because I am using permanent vinyl for part of my design, I want to create a weeding box around it. This allows me to use a larger piece of vinyl without wasting as much material. To create the weeding box, select a basic square from the Shapes menu. Change the color if needed and arrange it to the back.
Adjust the size of the square around the items that will be cut from the vinyl. It doesn’t need to be much larger than the design, but make sure to leave yourself a border around the edge. Select everything and attach it together using the paperclip from the floating menu.
Now that your layers are ready, choose the appropriate materials for each mat and cut them with your cutting machine. This file can be cut on any of the available Cricut machines, including the Cricut Joy.
Assembling the Card Base
This card base is created in two pieces: the front of the card, which we cut on the Cricut, and the back of the card, which we will create now. Trim a piece of 110lb black cardstock to 5.5″ wide by 5.25″ tall. On the 5.25″ side, score at 1″.
To create the card, apply a strong adhesive to the 1″ flap after folding and burnishing it with a bone folder. Once the release paper is removed from the Scor-Tape, I like to apply a wet glue as well. Today I’ll be using Bearly Art Glue. This gives me a little time to make adjustments before the Scor-Tape fully grabs the cardstock.
The front of the card base is the 5.5″ by 4.25″ gray cardstock piece that was cut on the Cricut machine. Line it up with the back of the black card before folding over the 1″ edge and burnishing it well.
Because we are applying the gray cardstock to the inside of the black card, it will need to be trimmed to a final measurement of 4.25″ tall. For this card, I also needed to trim a small amount from one side as well.
Creating the Card Front
The Year 2026
Now that the card base is ready, let’s work on the rest of the card starting with the year. Using a pair of reverse tweezers and Bearly Art Glue, apply a small amount of glue to the back of each number. Line them up on the number mat and set them aside to dry.
Class of Text and Graduation Cap
To weed the Oracal 651 permanent vinyl, I am using my Pin Pen Weeding tool by 143Vinyl. Carefully weed the excess vinyl from the text and graduation cap, going slowly to make sure everything cut correctly. After removing the centers from the letters “a” and “o,” I cut the two images apart since they will be used in different places on the card.
Creating the Optional Inside Pocket
If you are adding the optional pocket, you will also need the 5.25″ x 4″ piece of white cardstock. To create the pocket, apply a thin layer of glue to the sides and bottom of the pocket piece and attach it to the white layer. To line it up correctly, I like to bring in a straight edge to work with, so I usually reach for my Misti Stamping Tool.
Assembling the Graduation Card
Now that all of the individual pieces are ready, it’s time to put everything together starting with the card front and year. Because I want to make sure there is enough room for the “Class of” text, I am placing the year a quarter inch from the bottom of the card. Using my Club Scrap Centering Ruler and Bearly Art Glue, I added the year to the card front.
Next, I added the “Class of” text to the top of the card. After placing a small piece of Medium Tack Transfer Tape onto the vinyl, I grabbed a small piece of parchment paper. Using parchment paper is the best way I have found to apply vinyl in the proper place every time. Not only does the vinyl not stick to it, but you are also able to see through it enough to line up your project correctly. Begin by placing the image on the parchment paper, but leave a small portion of the transfer tape hanging off the edge as shown below.
This extra piece of transfer tape lets you anchor the image to the card base before fully committing to the placement. Once you’re happy with the position, press the exposed transfer tape onto the card base to secure it. Lift the transfer tape to remove the parchment paper.
Carefully lower the transfer tape into place and burnish the vinyl well. Slowly peel the transfer tape away from the vinyl to ensure everything transfers correctly to the card base.
Finishing the Inside of the Card
Next, use the same piece of transfer tape to add the graduation cap to the inside pocket. Because we are applying this on an angle, there is no need to use the parchment paper unless you feel more comfortable doing so. Burnish the vinyl down well before removing the transfer tape.
To finish your 2026 Graduation Gift Card Holder, apply the adhesive of your choice to the back of the pocket panel. Center it on the inside of your card.
Final Thoughts
Thank you so much for joining me for today’s 2026 Graduation Gift Card Holder post. I love how this card turned out and how easy it is to personalize with your graduate’s school colors. Creating the exact shade of purple that I needed really added that extra special touch to the finished card. This is such a fun way to celebrate a graduate while still giving something practical like cash or a gift card.
What I also love about this design is that it can easily be adapted for other occasions as well. By changing the colors, sentiment, or embellishments, this card design could easily work for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, retirement gifts, Christmas, and more. You can also personalize the inside with Cricut sentiments, stamps, or dies.
Congratulations to all of the graduates from the Class of 2026, as well as the families and friends who have supported them along the way. Graduation is such a special milestone, and I hope this project gives you a fun way to celebrate the occasion. If you’re looking for even more graduation inspiration, be sure to check out my other graduation card projects here on the blog as well. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you back in the craft room again soon.
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