How To: Pop-up Cards

I thought I would share a fun Valentine's (or any other holiday) card that you can make very easily at home today. This may be something everyone already knows how to do and if that's so, well, feel free to skip today's post. Or, you know, skim through it and call me a dumdum for sharing something everyone already knew. Whatever makes you happy.

You'll need a few things -- some construction paper or cardstock, some scissors, and a glue stick. Yep. That's it. Well, except for whatever you want to POP UP.

Before you make the final product, you might want to practice on a piece of scrap paper.

I'm using two different colors so you can see the mechanics better but you can use the same colors if you want. Then no one will know your secret. Tee hee.

The first thing you do is fold them both in half. They should be the same size so that when folded and placed together, everything is the same.

Then you cut two lines. Start at the fold and DO NOT go past the halfway point on the folded sheet. You also might want to make a very light line with a ruler across the paper. The cuts should be equal in length. You can make them as far apart as you like but just make sure the cuts end at the same distance. This is very important.

Once you've made your cuts, open the sheet up and poke the piece of paper between the two cuts so that it bends the opposite way.

Carefully, fold the paper back into its original shape but now the cut out will be inside. See below. Run your finger over the its edges, making sure they are straight and even -- not like mine.

Place this piece inside the other sheet of folded paper. You'll glue it to the back sheet, all except for the cut out piece. When you open them up, it will look like this. The back sheet is the pink one.
Now you just glue on whatever you want to pop-up. It can be something you cut out, a photo, or a picture from a magazine. Whatever you want. Before you glue, check to make sure it is small enough that it won't poke out when the card is laying flat. Usually, you just need to make sure it isn't any taller than half the folded side and it will be okay.

Ta Da. A homemade pop-up card.

You can put more than one flap on it too. You just have to make more cut out spaces.


Then add your multiple pop-ups, whatever they might be.

One year, I sent these out with photos on them. I had taken one of the kids holding a big piece of paper that said, "WE." Then I gave them a cutout letter "U" and took a picture. Finally, I gave them a cutout heart. When I made the cards, I put three pop-up places. The first one was the photo with "WE," the second with the heart, and the third with the "U."

They were a big hit. Months later, I went by my mother's house and it was still displayed in her living room.

Let me know if you try this (if you haven't already). I hope its as big a hit at your home.