I’ve been sharing a few quick and easy cards in my recent posts. So, it struck me that I really needed the challenge of a little bit of “paper engineering” – and I ran across this design of Sam Calcott’s Mixed Up Crafts on YouTube. I love her designs and her videos and directions are excellent. Please take a look, if you aren’t already familiar with her work.
This delightful card is a 5” x 7” card, which is my preference for greeting cards. (I like to be sure that the cards are not only “mantle-worthy” but that they can be seen from across the room. Do I need help – or do you think about our cardmaking like this too?)
Although there are a lot of pieces to be cut out, the assembly really is not that difficult – but the result is pretty cool, especially when the size of the card grows when the recipient opens it.
Here are the pieces with the paper and cardstock that I used for this card:
| Material | #Pcs | Cut | |
| Evening Evergreen Cardstock | 1 | 10” x 7” | Score along the 10” side at 5” Refer to the template below for cut and score lines to make the pop up mechanism. |
| Evening Evergreen Cardstock | 2 | 3-1/2” x 7” | These are the “wings” that expand when the card opens. Score along the 3.5” side at 3” |
| Artfully Composed DSP | 2 | 2-3/4” x 6-3/4” | For the winged panels. |
| Old Olive Cardstock | 2 | 1-3/4” x 6-3/4” | For the thinner panels on the wings |
| Upper and lower panel | |||
| Old Olive Cardstock | 8 | 2” x 1” | Mats |
| Artfully Composed DSP | 8 | 1-3/4” x .75” | |
| Inside main panels | |||
| Old Olive Cardstock | 2 | 3-1/4” x 3-3/4” | Mats |
| Artfully Composed DSP | 2 | 3” x 3-1/2” | |
| Middle small panels | |||
| Old Olive Cardstock | 2 | 1” x 1-1/2” | Mats |
| Artfully Composed DSP | 2 | ¾” x 1-1/4” | |
| Smallest panels | |||
| Old Olive Cardstock | 4 | 1-1/4” x ¾” | Mats |
| Artfully Composed DSP | 4 | 1” x 1-2” | |
| Belly band | |||
| Evening Evergreen Cardstock | 1 | 1” x 11” | |
| Scraps for sentiments and images | Basic White Cardstock Bumble Bee Cardstock |
I like to get the paper and cardstock cut and laid out in front of me:
To complete the base and create the pop-up portion of the card, take the 10” x 7” piece of Evening Evergreen and score it as follows:
The red lines indicate where the cardstock is scored. This cutting and scoring will allow each of the strips to be folded to create the base for all of the decoration and sentiments.
The “wings” are next. Fold and burnish the ½” end on each of the pieces so that the crease is sharp. Fold the base in half. Line the wing up and adhere it to the base. Use Tear and Tape on the fold as follows:
Repeat for the other wing. At this point, the card is assembled and the mechanism is working! All that is left is the fun part: stamping, decorating, and sentiments.
I assembled the matted DSP panels next as this is an easy step and reduces the number of pieces in front of me. All of these will be glued to the Evening Evergreen base that was just folded. I think that you will be able to see where all of these go as they are meant to layer on all of the folded surfaces of the wings and the card base.
I did the stamping next on the Basic White cardstock panels. Using the fun images from the Stampin’ Up! Sale-a-brations Island Vibes set, I found that the palms were a great frame for the inside message while the pineapple was an excellent centerpiece for the opposite panel. I used Old Olive ink for the palms and the leaves of the pineapple. But I stamped the pineapple itself with So Saffron ink and then daubed a bit of Bumble Bee around the edges to add a bit more depth.
The pineapple looked a bit flat to me. So, you will see that there is a halo – a dark one, unfortunately. Here’s what happened. I used a Post it Note to stamp the pineapple and fussy cut it to make a mask. The unfortunate part is that I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp it – and the ink spread as I used a Blender Brush with Pale Papaya ink to create the glow. I was annoyed at first…but when I unmasked it, the dark shadow was kind of cool after all and it had the papaya glow around it – so I kept going!
I created the belly band next as a card with this thickness does not want to stay closed! Loosely wrap the Evening Evergreen strip around the closed cardbase. (Don’t make this wrapping tight as it will be difficult for the recipient to open and close the card multiple times – and you don’t want the bellyband to tear if it is forced.)
The bellyband needed a sentiment and a fairly large focal point. That was when I broke into the In the Tropics dies to use the pineapple dies. This die is spectacular!! The detail is awesome. I die cut 3 of the pineapple bases from Bumble Bee cardstock. Because the die cut is so intricate, I felt that it needed to be layered and 3 layers seem to be about right.
The pineapple leaves are a single layer. But I did use the matching color inks and Blending Brushes to add a bit more depth around the edges and on the leaves.
The sentiment on the face is from Friends are like Seashells stamp set and seems to have become a retirement card. But it could also be a birthday card as well – your choice, for sure.
Whatever the occasion, though, I think that the recipient of this card will be “feelin’ the love” in a Fun Fold way!
While I was working on this card, there were 3 challenges that pushed some of my design ideas along. I knew that I wanted to work with some things in my craft stash that I had not used before. The Never Before Used Schtuff (NBUS) inspired me to do that as I was trying to figure out that perfect decal for the belly band. I’ve had that pineapple die for a long time because I loved it – but have I used it? Not until this project and this challenge. And the Happy Little Stampers’ Anything goes with Dies challenge chided me about this medallion as well, instead of my usual stamped banner approach.
The Creative Creases Challenge: Anything Goes with a Fun Fold inspired me to get back to my “paper engineering” roots, when most of my recent projects have been quick and easy stuff. I love paper engineered projects – and I especially love how much beloved friends and family member love receiving them! Thank you so much for this challenge.
Thanks so much for looking at today’s card! Please remember that the current Sale-a-bration catalog is only good until March 4th. The Stampin’ Up! Island Vibes stamp set is free with a purchase of $50.00.
And I promise you that it will become one of those staples in your coastal/tropical collection!
If I can help you in any way, please let me know in the comments below!
Wow, wow, wow! That’s amazing Susan! Love the fancy fold design, perfect images and designer paper too! 🙂
Thanks so much, Amy! The hardest part is the cutting – there are a lot of pieces. But the assembly makes sense once you have the pieces cut. That’s why I lay everything out before I start to assemble. My mother did puzzles like that. And it’s almost as much fun as putting IKEA furniture together – and, in my house, that was always a contest. Both my son AND my daughter like to do that as much as I do – so territorial skirmishes always happened when new cartons showed up.
But with a paper engineering project (and adult children in their own houses!), it’s all mine now!!!
Susan, this is just beyond wonderful. I loved the halo effect. It looks like it was hand painted rather than stamped. In my book, it’s worthy of a win!
Karen – thank you so much for your very kind words! It was a fun card to design – very much like a puzzle, although not a particularly difficult one. Once you have the pieces cut, it almost puts itself together! Thank you so much for visiting my entry today!
What a stunning card! First of all, I just love all of the wonderful details you have here. Perfectly done!! I really love Mixed Up Crafts as well. She’s very inspirational. There might even come a day when I will make one of these! LOL Thank you! I am so happy you found my wee challenge and expect you back in the gallery soon!
Debbie
Secrets To Stamping
Oh my goodness, Debbie! Your words are just so kind! I have followed you for quite a while – and you will find a few other places where I have referred to your inspiration. (I did a Hanukkah card that was CAS’d fairly closely to the stunning one that you had posted earlier.)
I will be following these challenges closely and I am hopeful that you will see my entries often. I’m also hoping that you are inspired by the admiration (and CASing!) that you provide!
Thanks so much for taking a peek at my blog entry today!
There is not enough room in the comments section for me to describe how amazing your card is! Just WOW! I especially love the shading around the pineapple, and I would love to give this card fold a try. Your directions are fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your talent!
Oh, Carol – you are so kind! Just do the cutting first…then assemble and, honest, it comes together very well! Thanks so much for stopping in today!
Love this! You know I love a fun fold and this one is really cool! And – your “mistake” on the inside is…wonderful! I love when an unplanned “bad” thing becomes an amazing design element! BOOM! 🙂
Thanks so much, Mary! But I will confess that there were certain bad words used until I “saw the light”…just sayin’
I’m really amazed at this fantastic tropical work of art, Susan! Such patience and talent and impeccable execution on all sides! Thank you for inspiring everyone at NBUS! Hugs, Darnell
Thanks so much for your very kind words, Darnell! This was one of those design journeys that invented itself along the way. Thank you so much for the push to run through the craft treasures and actually USE a couple of things that had clearly become “someday/maybe”s. I’ve used them – and I loved them just like I did when I bought them! This is the coolest challenge idea!
Wow! What an amazingly clever ‘fun’ fold card Susan! So many folds and details. Great choice of DP and the addition of the pineaple adds a super fun element! I don’t make many fold card, so I admire your patience. Thanks so much for sharing with us at HLS Dies Challenge this month. Stay safe! 🙂
Thank you so much for all of your kind words! Honestly, though, once the cutting is done, the rest is like assembling a fairly easy jigsaw puzzle! I love fun folds, though, so the pleasure of seeing the final card able to stand on its own is a hoot! Thank you so much for visiting my blog!