When I was a kid, I LOVED pop up books. It was so exciting when the story leapt at me with every turn of the page. And pop up art is still very popular today in the form of reeting cards. I always love receiving pop up cards from friends and family.
If you were ever curious about how to make pop up cards, they’re easier than you think! Today, I’m going to show you step-by-step how to make your very own DIY pop up card. They’re great for DIY invitation cards, birthday cards, and any occasion really!
Pop up cards are quick and easy DIY projects that are sure to make someone smile. If you’re not familiar with the design of the featured card in this post, I’ll give quick examples of common pop up cards to get you situated. It’s mind boggling how bits of paper folded in a certain way can make such different and amazing illusions.
Let’s start by showing you the types of pop up cards out there. All of which I’ll have tutorials for soon!
Types of Pop Up Cards
There are a variety of pop up art mechanics that make up your favorite cards, but I’ll highlight two of the most common ones found in greeting cards and books. Then, I’ll show you the featured one that’s surprisingly not as common, but very easy to make.
Box Construction Cards
All of the die cuts you see here are being held up by small squares at the bottom of the card. These square joints are placed right at the card fold so they can fold flat. But when opened, they can bring forward different layers of designs.
V-Fold Cards
Another common mechanic is this V-fold. This is another easy pop up card that uses designs that are simply folded in half. What makes them pop up is the angle that they are placed along the main fold of the card. They’re placed at about 45 degrees to the main fold, which allows the banner to stand up when the card is opened. Neat, huh?
Spiral Cards
Lastly, there is a special mechanic that uses a spiral coil, which I’ll show you how to make today. This cute DIY card is incredibly easy to make. The paper coil gets pulled taught whenever the card opens, and that allows the message to float above the card in a unique way.
You can even make a combination of any of these mechanics to make some really interesting cards.
Let’s get started on making our own spiral pop up card!
How to Make a Spiral Pop Up Card
Materials
You’ll need:
- A blank card
- Some card stock paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Your favorite die cuts – this can be pre-bought shapes, magazine cutouts, or other ephemera you have collected
Process
1. Start with cutting a circle out of your card stock paper. Make sure the circle comfortably fits within your card, give at least about 0.5″ – 1″ of space on all sides. This will be important later when you are gluing the die cuts on.
2. Cut a spiral into the circle. I learned that a good number is 5 loops before you reach the very center of the circle. Here, I only have 4.
You can trace a spiral and erase it later if that helps you.
3. Glue the middle of the circle to the right side (or top side) of the card.
Then, glue the tip of the outer edge to the opposite side of the card. Leave some room for the note section on this side.
TIP: I recommend you add a dab of glue to each of these parts, then close the card to ensure everything is aligned.
4. Once it looks good to you, add a dab of glue to the edge of the spiral that’s closest to the center fold of the card. This helps the spiral coil open up more evenly.
5. Gather the die cuts you want to use. Here, I used words and leaves I cut with my Cricut cutter. You can also use other ephemera like magazine cutouts, etc. Use your imagination!
6. Carefully glue all the die cuts on your spiral coil. The outer loops of the coil will be the front of the banner message, and the center of the coil will be the back of the banner message. The coils will taper inward, so keep that in mind when gluing.
TIP: It’s best to glue the biggest pieces first. i.e., the letters of your banner message and the bigger die cuts. Then, add on the smaller die cuts. This may take some time, especially if you’re working with smaller die cuts.
TIP: You will want to occasionally check how the card looks closed while gluing to make sure the pieces don’t stick out of the card.
TIP: Try to use less glue since you don’t want parts unintentionally sticking to each other.
7. OPTIONAL: Add your note box in the corner in front of your spiral coil.
8. Test the pop up card and see what you made! The coil actually quivers a little whenever you open it. It adds a fun energy to the message!
9. OPTIONAL: Decorate the front of the card and your envelope!
Conclusion
Handmade cards are the best easy and personal gifts. These two invitation cards have already been sent out as I’m writing this, and I’m excited to see how my friends will react when they see it!
I hope you found this tutorial useful on how to make a pop up card. I will have more tutorials for other types of pop up cards soon! Let me know if you’d be interested in DIY pop up card templates! I’m thinking about making a few unique designs for myself.
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Till next time, xo.
Note that am not affiliated with any of the brands, authors, or organizations mentioned in this post.