How to Make an Amazing Card with a Surprise Inside

Dimension, dimension, dimension! Can’t get enough of it. But I might have gone a little over the top with this card. Not only is the outside a paper sculpture but the inside has a pop-up surprise as well!

Supplies

Notes & Totes Photopolymer Stamp Set
Notes & Totes Die Set
Gallery Blooms Die Set
Perennial Postage Die Set
Beautiful Gallery Designer Series Paper
Pretty Peacock Card Stock
Lost Lagoon Card Stock
Basic Beige Card Stock
Peach Pie Card Stock -small scrap
Pumpkin Pie Card Stock – small scrap
Fresh Freesia Card Stock – small scrap
Mossy Meadow Card Stock – small scrap
Old Olive Card Stock – small scrap
Pretty Peacock Stampin’ Pad
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
Paper Trimmer
Mini Cut and Emboss Machine

Directions

Card Base

Cut a half sheet card base 21cm x 14.85cm (8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″) from the Pretty Peacock card stock. Score half way at 10.5cm (4-1/4″. Fold on score line and burnish. Card will be turned on it’s side with the folded edge at the top.

Cut a piece of the Beautiful Gallery designer series paper to 14.35cm x 10cm (5-1/4″ x 4″). Glue to the front of the card base leaving and equal border of the card base showing all the way around.

Card Interior

Cut a piece of Lost Lagoon card stock to 20cm x 14cm (8″ x 5″) score half way at 10cm (4″) Fold on score line and burnish.

Place the folded card into your paper trimmer with the folded edge along the top and the edge of the card at 4cm (1-3/8″). Using the blade of the trimmer cut down from the top to 3cm (1-1/8″). Be sure you press down firmly as you will be cutting through both sides of the card. Flip the card over and repeat this on the other side. (Photo below)

Now place the card into the paper trimmer with the folded edge lined up to the 3cm (1-1/8″)mark and the open side along the top of your trimmer. Move the score blade down to the 4cm (1-3/8″) mark on the vertical ruler slide to begin the score line. Press down firmly as you move the score blade down to the 10cm (3-3/4″) mark. Flip the card over and repeat on the other side. Note: If you are using a lighter paper here instead of a card stock you may not have to score the other side. (Photo below)

With the card still closed fold this center piece down on one side of the card and burnish. Then fold it down to the other side and burnish.

Open the card and reverse the center fold so that the center of the card is now folded to the inside of the card. (See photo below.)

Spread glue evenly on one side of the back of the card insert, leaving the inwardly folded rectangle free of glue. Press the fold of the Lost Lagoon piece up to the fold on the card base. Close the card to seat the glue. I found that it was easier to glue one side of the card in at a time. Repeat spreading glue on the other half of the insert and close the card to secure.

**Please note the measurements above are not a one-to-one translation of metric to imperial. The imperial card is very slightly wider and shorter than the metric card due to the difference in sizes of card stock.

Decorate the Card

Exterior

Die cut the tote bag shape from a piece of the Gallery Blooms designer series paper. The handles and ‘seams’ of the tote bag were also cut from a coordinating piece of the Gallery Bloom dsp. Glue the “seams” and handle onto the tote bag as shown in the finished photo. The ‘scarf’ is also cut from another coordinating piece of the same dsp.

The flowers are die cut using scraps of card stock and the Gallery Blooms die set. I wanted a bit more dimension so I colored the stems and the flowers with alcohol markers. This is optional.

Fold the flaps of the tote bag to the inside and place glue on the flaps only. I trimmed off one side of the bottom flap to make the flap fold in a little neater. Glue to the front of the card.

Arrange the flowers so that they appear to be sticking out of the bag. I used small amounts of glue on the stems to secure them. (See finished photo)

Interior

For the pop up greeting. Die cut a piece of the Pretty Peacock card stock using the Perennial Postage die, sized 7cm x 5cm (2-3/4″ x 2″). *If you don’t have the Perennial Postage dies you can always just cut a rectangle to size for both pieces of the greeting.

With the next smaller size Perennial Postage die, 6cm x 4cm (2-3-8″ x 15/8″) cut out a rectangle from the basic beige card stock. Stamp your greeting onto this rectangle using Pretty Peacock ink. Layer the basic beige piece onto the Pretty Peacock Piece.

Place glue onto the lower edge of the popped out rectangle. Center up your greeting face down in front of the rectangle and carefully close the card. Give it a moment for the glue to dry and open the card to see your greeting now popped-up!

Thank you for reading today. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will give it a try. If you have time or would like more information and examples of this type of pop up card please visit the wonderful Connie Stewart at Simply Simple Stamping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8h1_9cl894&ab_channel=SimplySimpleStamping%7CConnieStewart