by Todd Pattison
Make your own pop-up card with simple materials from around the house. A popup in a card is where an element appears suddenly, or springs up, when you open the card. You can draw, write, or paint on pop-up cards. Watch the tutorial video and follow these easy steps to learn two different ways to create a pop-up in your own card.
Materials
Pages: You can use any of these for your card
- Copy or printing paper
- Drawing paper
- Notebook paper
- Wrapping paper
- Thin cardboard from a cereal box, etc.
- Paper grocery bag
- A greeting card
Tools
- Scissors
- Straight Edge
- Pencil
Fold the paper for your card in half. You can use any size paper you want but if you are using standard 8 ½” x 11” paper, you can fold it along the long edge for a square shape, or along the short edge for a skinnier shape.
Mouth Pop-Up
Step One
Make a single cut in the folded edge somewhere near the center. This cut should be perpendicular to the fold and less than half of the width of the card. Fold back the paper at an angle on each side of the cut.
Step Two
Fold the paper on each side of the cut back in the other direction along the same crease line.
Step Three
Unfold the paper on each side of the cut. Open the card and push the pop-up areas up and change the direction of the fold to the opposite direction of the folded card. Close the card and press the folded areas again.
Box Pop-Up
Step One
Make two cuts in the fold parallel to each other and perpendicular to the fold (make sure cuts are less than half of the width of the card). Fold back the paper in between the two cuts in both directions.
Step Two
Unfold the paper back to flat. Open the card and push the pop-up box out and fold the center fold in the opposite direction. After you close the card, press the folded areas again, and open it back up. The box should pop up.
Get Creative: You have now learned two different pop-up techniques, so you’re ready to start making cards. To decorate your card you can write, draw, sketch, paint, or anything else you would like to make your card unique. Be creative and have fun!
Extra Steps
Here are three quick ways to do more to your pop-up card.
Use multiple pop-ups: To make a more elaborate card you can combine multiple popups on the same card.
Use a separate cover and create a background: Add a second folded paper to your card as a cover. You can decorate the outside of the cover and add drawings or color to the inside of the cover that will be visible when the pop-up card is opened. After decoration attach the two papers together with a spot of glue in the corners to finish the card.
Add other material to your pop-up: Cut other pieces of paper and glue them or tape them to the pop-up areas to create larger scenes. This turns the pop-up into a lever to pop up the added material. Make sure the added material doesn’t stick outside of the card when it’s closed.