February Card Challenge, Day 28

I made it to the end of the month! I missed two days through illness but I managed to make 96 cards this month. That'll keep me going for a while! Thank you for following my journey through this month. I hope you got some good ideas from my efforts.

To finish off the challenge I've made some Impossible Cards. These are a fun card that has an auto-pop-up piece on it. It lays flat in an envelope, but pops up with a message when removed from the envelope. I have featured this in my blog previously, but I've revised the instructions a little so I'll give them to you again below.

Card 1

I used Texture Chic Specialty Designer Series Paper to make this card. You need to choose paper where the two sides compliment each other as you get to see both sides. I used a sentiment from Friends Are Like Seashells Stamp Set and some cute images from Elephant Parade Stamp Set.

Card 2

This one uses He's the Man Designer Series Paper and embellishments. I made sure to make several male cards during the challenge. The die-cut pieces in this pack made my life a lot easier.

Card 3

This one uses Enjoy the Journey Designer Series Paper and Silly Goose Stamp Set.

Card 4

I finished off with Dandy Designs Designer Series Paper. I hope you managed to get this free pack of paper. Sale-a-Bration ends today and it won't be available after today. I also used Season of Chic Stamp Set again. I stamped the flower, coloured it and cut it out. I used Stampin' Dimensionals for both the flower and the sentiment label on this card. All of the other cards are attached with flat adhesive.

Measurements and Instructions

Coloured Cardstock (card base): Cut 8" x 6", scored in half at 4".

Designer Series Paper, make sure that both sides look good together: Cut 5¾" x 3¾".

1. Stamp a sentiment onto a piece of scrap cardstock and cut/punch it out.

2. Take the DSP, score at 1⅞" and fold in half longways. Whichever side of the DSP that you want for the pop-up bit, place that side out when you fold this piece.

3. Place the DSP upside down (if it matters) and cut at 2⅞" (i.e. the middle) from the scored fold to the edge of the DSP. On the opposite side cut at 1¼" from each end from the fold to the edge, as shown below.

4. Twist the piece so that you have the following shape (with the pop-up piece in the middle as well).

5. Attach this piece to the card piece. The piece can be twisted in either direction to place the 'opening' on the left or the right. Don't put any adhesive on the pop-up piece.

6. Attach the label to the pop-up piece using flat adhesive or Stampin' Dimensionals.

7. Embellish as desired.

If your DSP isn't stiff enough, I have an alternate method in my previous blog: Impossible Card (scroll down to the end).

And that ends my February Card Challenge. Thank you for joining me. I really enjoyed it and will probably miss it tomorrow, but for now I'm happy for it to be done. I may do something similar in September and make a bunch of Christmas cards.

Happy crafting.

Impossible Card

Share What You Love Specialty DSP
Painted Glass Stamp Set

Hi folks. Sorry I've been so absent, but life has been a little hectic of late.

Anyway, I have been seeing lots of photos of a card called the Impossible Card, most of them are similar to this one made by the indomitable Dawn Griffith.

Photo used with permission of Dawn Griffith

Mainly these are a single sheet of cardstock with patterned paper added to the panels and a strip of cardstock glued across the front for stability. I loved the look of them but thought they might be rather flimsy, so I decided to make them as a card front and them glue them onto a card base. Also, because I'm somewhat lazy by nature, I decided to use a thicker patterned paper so that I didn't need to cut out strange shapes to glue to the cardstock of the Impossible Card. And this is what I came up with (at the top of the page, and this one).

Broadway Bound Specialty DSP
Perennial Birthday Stamp Set

They are super easy to make, so have a go.

Materials

• Plain A4 cardstock (card base and label)
• 4" x 6" piece of stiff, double-sided patterned paper. If you don't have a stiff DSP, see the alternate instructions at the end.

Equipment

• Paper Trimmer
• Bone Folder
• Adhesive
• A label punch
• Sentiment Stamp to fit on your label
• Ink pad in chosen colour
• Embellishments as desired

Instructions

1. Cut the A4 cardstock 8" x 6", score at 4" on the long side and fold to form the card base.
2. Stamp the desired sentiment onto some of the leftover cardstock and use your chosen label punch to punch it out.
3. Take the patterned paper and cut it 5¾" x 3¾". Fold it half longways and open it out again. On one half, cut at 2⅞" from the fold to the edge. On the opposite side cut twice at 1¼" from each end from the centre fold to the edge, as shown below.
   
4. Be aware that if you have a pattern that needs to go in a certain direction you will have to choose which side gets which cuts.  
5. Twist the piece so that you have the following shape with a piece that sits up in the middle.
   
6. Attach this piece to the card base. The piece can be twisted in either direction so that the gap can be on the left or the right. 
7. Attached the label to the popped-up piece.
8. Embellish as desired.
9. This card will fold flat for posting.

Alternate Instructions

1. If you do not have a stiff patterned paper, you can use plain cardstock and then cut out pieces of patterned paper to adhere as appropriate.
2. Cut patterned paper 3¾" x 2⅞" and then cut out a piece 1⅞" x 1⅝" to get the desired shape. You will need two of these pieces.
   
   Again, if you are using a patterned paper that has an 'up', you may need to cut out a different corner of the patterned paper so that the pattern is correct.
3. Adhere the panels as appropriate on the card front.
4. You can cut out a piece of patterned paper for the popped-up piece, if you want, although the label will cover most of this. The popped-up piece measures 3-3/16" x 1⅞"

Easy peasy, right?

Happy crafting.