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.

1. 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.
2. Of the remaining two backgrounds, one is folded in half, the other has the bottom 3½ inches cut off (lengthwise).
3. 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.
4. The basic folds are complete. The card stands open by itself. The card is ready for the placement of cut-out pictures of whatever.
5. 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.
6. 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