Crafty Friday: Pop-up Cards

I have a confession to make. I’m using this Crafty Friday to mark a couple of things off my list.

Get a birthday card for Jonathan

Get a Father’s Day card for Jonathan

With these two events happening around the same time, I thought we could use this opportunity to make pop-up cards. Audrie loves experimenting with the logistics of pop-ups. From simple accordion fold pop-ups, to more elaborate ones involving Santa’s reindeer “flying” out of the card as it’s opened, she’s enjoyed making these for quite some time. Today we will be creating simple accordion fold pop-ups. I planned on having the kids try something the likes of Robert Sabuda’s version of The Wizard of Oz, but patience was running thin on all fronts, so we kept things simple to preserve our sanity.

Here's what you need:

*construction paper, scrapbook paper, or cardstock

*glue

* marker or crayons

*scissors

- optional items

*glitter

*stickers

*buttons, thread

We started with the Father’s Day card and determined the color and size of the card. We decided that the traditional Father’s Day tie should make up the card’s interior, so Audrie came up with the idea for the pattern and we drew up a template.

The solid lines are cut lines, while the dotted lines are fold lines. We traced the template onto the decorative paper and cut it out.

In the meantime, Finn found other uses for scissors.

Next, we folded the tabs in an accordion fold style, and glued the ends of the tabs to the inside of our card. (We also added a little bit of tape for extra support.

The final steps included decorating the front of the card, writing a message, and adding a signature.

A few other ideas for Father's Day cards :

-For the golfer, a golf club hitting a ball off the page. The ball would be the pop-up element.

-For the computer nerd, a laptop where the top actually opens to reveal a Father's Day message.

-For the handyman, a toolbox shaped card where, when opened reveals the pop- up tools.

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The birthday card started with a simple cupcake. A half circle (cut out with decorative scissors) and a square were attached with tape. Then, with a little glue, we added glitter to the cupcake top to make the icing sparkle.

Next, we cut out a candle and attached it to the top. I let Finn decorate the front of the card before we attached the cupcake to the inside of the card. He wanted to sew a piece of paper he cut out to the front of the card. He also chose to add a few buttons. Then, cut two strips of cardstock the same length, folded them ala accordion style, and attached them to the back of the cupcake and inside of the card, like so:

Finally, I helped Finn write the birthday message, and he signed the inside of the card, and wrote an “A” because he can.

Happy Crafting!

Nessa Dee