What have I been doing for the past few days? Pop-up Cards – probably twenty of them. Most become presents for the kids of friends and relatives.
I definitely am getting faster, and better, at making the cut-out images on my cards pop out in unusual ways. Take the pop-out I am working on. Using a detachable birthday message on the front of the card, this will be a combination birthday card and card for the recipient’s grandchildren.
Here are the steps I have taken.
- Print out three identical borderless background pictures on glossy photo paper from Costco (about 12 cents per sheet). I used a picture of a cartoon roomscape. On one of the three backgrounds I printed my name – it will appear on the back cover.
- Of the remaining two backgrounds, one is folded in half, the other has the bottom 3½ inches cut off (lengthwise).
- The bottom piece is folded in half, then folded like the wings on a paper airplane. It is lined up on the full background so the pieces match exactly. Using a box cutter knife, I cut slits for the airplane wing folds to enter, insert the folds, flip over the card, glue and tape down the flaps.
- The basic folds are complete. The card stands open by itself. The card is ready for the placement of cut-out pictures of whatever.
- For this card I printed two images on a page – one of SpongeBob, one of his pink friend. The wonderfully challenging engineering part of this hobby is next. I glue-gunned each picture to a strip of plastic (plastic report covers from Office Depot). I must now determine how the cut-out will both fit in the card when folded and appear the way I want it when the card is opened. Once I see how I want the plastic strip to be attached, I glue it from the card to the cut-out. One end of the strip is inserted into a slit in the card. Usually, I want one cut-out to pop out an inch or two, even three. I double-fold most plastic strips to give more support to the cutouts.
- Finally, I glue on the cover, and the pop-up is done. Our pink friend is five inches tall. So I have him popping out almost two inches from the airplane fold in the front of the card. SpongeBob, only three inches tall, pops out almost 1½ inches from the background. He appears to be jumping in the air.
I definitely am a 3D junkie. Making and viewing my pop-up cards gives me my fix. Yahoo!
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com