After a year-long break from making pop-up cards, I am back –- at least on Wednesdays.  That’s the day I gave to myself (with my wife’s blessing) to do my craft activities.

My pop-ups go back to 2009.  I have saved and bound samples of my cards from each year. This year, as in years past, I wanted to do something new with the pop-up cards.  It helped that I ran out of sheets of mini glue dots a couple of days ago.

Since I could not wait the two days for the Tombow dispensers, that were so highly rated on Amazon, to arrive, I ran to WalMart and Michael’s this morning. I bought several newfangled glue dot and glue strip dispensers.

Yesterday, I received a ream of 140 lb. heavyweight cardstock from Amazon.  I had previously relied on 110 lb. cardstock, the heaviest weight I could find, to make my cards.

I anticipated that the new 140 lb. paper would be significantly heavier and firmer.  No such luck.

My old cards, without picture pop-ups, weighed .4 oz.  The new heavier paper card weighs .5 oz., and feels about the same.  Duh.  At least I have lots of cardstock now.

The most creative exercise involved in making my pop-ups is arranging the picture cutouts in interesting ways.  For the remainder of this year, I decided to make most of my pop-ups have a reason to pop out.  In other words, instead of having a Mickey popping out from the card into thin air, Mickey might remain in the background, holding a leash, which is attached to a popping out Pluto. So far, I have thought of these pop-up themes: A fisherman with a popped out fish on a line, a trapeze artist popped out on a swing, Tarzan popped out holding a vine, and a kite popped out attached to a boy’s hand.

With new paper, new glue methodology, and new pop-out ideas, I am headed for creative Wednesdays ahead.

It is about time to turn the pop-up cards I already have made into a book titled 2016 Part I.  It is time to repair many of my older pop-ups, which have become fragmented over the years of reflecting back on them.

I wish you all a good second half of 2016 also.  May you, upon reflection, find new reason, new ways of solving problems, and new ways to bind up the fragmented parts of your lives.

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com