T3: Matryoshka Dolls

Ok, so... do you remember this? It was such a sad day :(

Anyway, today, you are finally going to find out what the terrors ate, and how to make your own :D I'm sure now knowing what it was has been keeping you up at night. So don't worry, I'm here to give you the gift of sleep. Today, I will be showing you the joys of making these little note cards...

From T3

Now, the special thing about these little guys is that not only are they adorable at first glance, but they just keep getting better...

From T3

So, now that you're all just thinking how absolutely wonderful these are, let me show you how insanely easy they are to make!

What you need:
This pattern (this has two patterns, you only need one of them) (pattern 1)
This pattern (pattern 2)

Card stock (regular paper works too, but cardstock feels more "real")

Scrapbooking paper, wrapping paper, fabric (this is optional, you could also draw on the dolls' faces and clothes)

Markers (or pens, crayons, whatever you like best)

Scissors 

Now, I'll tell you up front, this project requires a lot of cutting, but I think it's totally worth it (and you can cut down on some of the cutting (pun intended) if you draw your dolls instead of using scrapbook paper).

Anyway... First you're going to print and cut out your patterns. When you're doing this, be sure that you leave all the dolls in pattern 1 connected. When you've cut out all your pieces you should have a pile that looks like this...

From T3

Now, you're going to choose what you're going to use for the clothes and faces. For this example, I used different scrapbook paper for all of their clothes, and then a pink paper for their faces. You should trace your patterns and cut out all of the pieces (lots of cutting). If you're drawing on the dolls, you only need to cut out the master card pattern (pattern 1). I recommend using cardstock for pattern 1 (again, this isn't mandatory, it just makes it feel more like a real card). If you're using scrapbook paper, you'll end up with a pile that looks like this... (notice, I didn't cut out all of pattern 1 yet, I just traced it on to half a sheet of paper. You can do it like this, or you can cut it out at the beginning.)

From T3

Now comes the fun part! Glue all of your pieces on (or decorate however you want). The biggest thing to remember here is... The biggest doll goes at the far right, there will be one blank doll, and then they go on from there. When they're all dressed, they'll look like this...

From T3

If you notice, this picture is actually flipped from the original. When I was making this first one, I started with the biggest doll on the left. It was still cute, but my card opened backwards. Anyway...
Now, just cut out the whole thing (if you left it on half a sheet like me), and draw on faces and hair.

From T3

Once that's done, your card is finished. All that's left is folding it up and writing a note! One of the messages that I like the most for the inside is "You're a Doll!". When you're folding, start with the baby and just fold them all into each other (reference the beginning to see what I mean). Voila! An adorable hand-made card :D
Now all that's left is to show you what happens when you leave on laying around and two terrors get a hold of it...

From T3

I know, tragic, right? Oh well... you live and learn I suppose.
Well, happy crafting! I know that you're all running off to find a reason to make these :D