Pop-up cards are fun, but I've always felt like I needed an engineering degree to make them. That is until I found Playful Pop-Up Cards by Takami Suzuki. She makes creating a pop-up card easy. I think all 25 of her projects are doable, great looking cards that someone would love to give, or receive.
I wanted to take this project up a notch by adding the element of handmade paper. Handmade paper is beautiful and has a wonderful texture that will really make your pop-up cards pop! Arnold Grummer is without a doubt the go to source for paper making and paper crafting supplies, and he offers several free videos showing you how to make your own amazing handmade paper. I used the Arnold Grummer's Papermill Complete Kit to make the paper for this project.
Here's what you'll need to make this pop-up card:
- Eight 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch sheets of handmade paper in the following colors...
Dark blue (cut to 5 1/4 by 7 inches)
Light blue (cut to 5 by 6 3/4 inches)
White (cut to 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches)
Red (cut to 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches)
Green (cut to 2 by 4 3/4 inches)
Light green (cut to 2 by 2 1/2 inches)
Light pink (cut to 2 by 2 inches)
Yellow (cut to 2 by 2 inches)
- Craft knife
- Ruler with inches and centimeters
- Glue stick
- Hole punch
- Pencil
- Cutting mat
Now fold the light blue paper in half and get ready to make the two convex rectangular pop-up mechanisms for this card. This is the most challenging part, and then I promise you it's smooth sailing from here.
I'm going to give you the measurements for the pop-up mechanisms in centimeters because it's just easier.
The first rectangular pop-up is 3cm in from the left side of the light blue paper and it is 2cm wide and 3cm long. This rectangle is 1cm below the center fold and 2cm above the center fold. This pop-up mechanism will have a mountain fold (folds out toward you like a mountain peak) 1cm below the top of the rectangle.
There will be a 3.5cm space between the two rectangles.
The second rectangular pop-up is 3.5cm in from the right side of the light blue paper and it is 2cm wide and 3cm long. This rectangle is 2cm below the center fold and 1cm above the center fold. This pop-up mechanism will have a mountain fold 2cm below the top of the rectangle.
All these words and measurements simply look like this...
Take your sharp craft knife and cut along the right and left vertical sides of each rectangular pop-up mechanism. Then gently push each pop-up mechanism out toward the inside of the card, folding out along the "mountain fold" line. I turned the card on its side for this picture so you could see the pop-up mechanism rectangles better. It should look like this...
Glue the light blue paper inside the dark blue paper keeping the center folds aligned. Also, make sure not to glue the pop-up mechanisms! They need to stay unattached.
Now trace and cut out the following:
3 small dark green trees
1 larger light green tree
1 yellow star
1 white snowman
1 small red hat (for snowman)
Craft (hole) punch out the following:
3 red circles (snowman's buttons)
2 dark blue circles (snowman's eyes)
2 pink circles (snowman's cheeks)
7 white circles (snow!)
Glue the three small dark green trees onto background of the light blue paper just above the center fold.
Glue the yellow star to the top of the larger light green tree then glue the tree to the left pop-up mechanism. Let it dry a bit so it doesn't fall off while you're working on the rest of the card.
Glue the buttons, eyes, cheeks and hat onto the snowman, and then glue the finished snowman to the right pop-up mechanism and let dry.
Now glue the seven white circles to the light blue paper background to make "snow."
Congratulations! You just made an adorable pop-up card! I think I like mine too much to give it away : )
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I want to offer many thanks to all my readers in 44 different countries - the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Malaysia, Italy, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Columbia, the Netherlands, Spain, the Sudan, Turkey, Mexico, Moldova, Denmark, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Panama, Serbia, Latvia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon!
I want to offer many thanks to all my readers in 44 different countries - the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Malaysia, Italy, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Columbia, the Netherlands, Spain, the Sudan, Turkey, Mexico, Moldova, Denmark, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Panama, Serbia, Latvia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon!
It is both humbling, and exciting to know people are actually reading what I'm writing, and hopefully trying out a few of the projects.
My goal is to take the whole world on a creative journey, one project at a time! Thanks for coming along.
My goal is to take the whole world on a creative journey, one project at a time! Thanks for coming along.
Many Blessings,
Jana : )
