When I was at convention this year, Shelli showed off some cards that had neat pop-up effects. Once of the cards that really struck me was a cool card that used the Swallowtail butterfly to create a surprise pop-up on the inside of the card. I thought it was extra cool because when you look at that stamp image, it is too big to fit well on a card front and so I never would have thought it would have thought to try it on the inside of a card.
So for a recent technique class, I decided to try it out and create that moment of surprise for class attendees as they got to make this card.
Here is the front of the card… I kept it simple since we were going to be focusing on the details inside the card.
Then you untie the ribbon (which you need so the card doesn’t try to push open on you when you aren’t ready), open it up and hello, butterfly!
If that is a little hard to see, here is another angle to help you see the pop-up effect. I also used the Pleasant Poppies background stamp to give the effect of the butterfly flitting through the flowers.
To create this pop-up effect, you want to do the following:
- Start by stamping and coloring your Swallowtail butterfly image.
- Then cut out the butterfly.
- Gently fold the butterfly image in half (you don’t have to press hard to crease it, just make sure it is set to fold how you want when the card is closed.
Take a piece of window sheet and punch a 1-1/4” circle out.- Cut a spiral into the 1-1/4” circle as shown in my poorly drawn image to the right.
- On the “top” side of your spiral, attach a glue dot to the center of your spiral. Attach another glue dot to the “bottom” side of your spiral at the outside end of the spiral. (it doesn’t really matter which side is top and bottom, as long as your glue dots are on the opposite sides of the spiral)
- Glue the right wing of the butterfly to the right side of your card inside.
- Fold the butterfly in half and press the window sheet spiral onto the backside of the left wing with the glue dot in the center of the spiral sticking to the wing.
- Hold the butterfly down so it is folded in half and close the card. This will allow the left side of the card inside to stick to the glue dot on the edge of the spiral.
- Open the card and check if you like how much of a pop you get with your butterfly. Reposition the spiral as needed to get it just how you like.
Hopefully that made sense! If not, let me know and I’ll try to put together a video on how to do the pop-up effect.
Like I mentioned, this is a card I shared at a recent card class and I loved the idea of sharing some pop-up and flip style cards with everyone. I’ve finished my class schedule for the rest of the year – so if you are interested in joining me at a future event, check out the calendar and let me know!
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In the meantime, give a pop-up card a try! They are fun and easy, and give the recipient a fun surprise.
Card Supplies Used
Stamps- Swallowtail, Pleasant Poppies, Express Yourself (hostess set)
Ink- Early Espresso, Sahara Sand (marker), Pool Party (marker), Calypso Coral (marker)
Paper – Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Window Sheets
Accessories – 1-1/4” circle punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Glue Dots, Pear Pizzazz taffeta ribbon, Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch
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I got to play with this fun Balloons Pop Up Thinlit die during the OnStage convention in November and we made this fun card. It does all the cutting and scoring for you, so you get to have the fun of figuring out how to decorate all the little details. Check it out:
