Fancy Folding!

Hello again! I have a fun project to share with you today. This card was for a swap at Fancy Paper Crafters and the theme was "fancy folded cards". I scrap lifted the idea from this tutorial at Splitcoast Stampers. I just love the tutorials they have over there! However, for mine, I wanted it to fit in a standard size envelope as I didn't feel like making my own. So, I altered the tutorial to make my finished card the standard A2 size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). This card is called a Center Step Card since it has a small step in the center. So, without further ado, here's what I came up with:

 

Want to know how I did it? It is really quite simple if you just take your time and get everything planned out. Here's a list of the product I used:

 

- Bazzill Cardstock: Juicy Pear

- Papertrey Ink Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz

- Generic Brown Cardstock

- Generic White Cardstock

- American Crafts Designer Paper: Amplified-Rock Opera

- Stampin Up Ink: Melon Mambo

- Stampin Up Markers: Melon Mambo & Chocolate Chip

- Stampin Up Bitty Butterfly Punch

- Stampin Up Serene Silhouettes Stamp Set

 

Here's the skinny on how I put this card together. Start off by cutting down your card base to the size of 4 1/4" x 11" (I took one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper and just cut it in half). Once you have that cut, use your trimmer to cut a slit on each side, 1" in on each side from the 1" mark to the 6 1/2" mark. Here's what that looks like:

 

 



Next step, you want to put your score lines in your paper where your card folds. This is especially important if you're using "good" paper like Bazzill or Coredination as without score marks, your paper could tear when it is creased. Score on both the left and right sides of the center piece at 1", 2" and 6 1/2". You will also score at 5 1/2" but only on the center piece. This score line will create the "step" in your card. Here's what that looks like (hope you can see the score lines well enough):

 

 



Next, crease all of your scored lines. This step should not be skipped as this will really help keep your card upright and not falling open. The 1" score line is a mountain, the 2" score line is a valley, the 5 1/2" score line is a mountain and the 6 1/2" score line is also a mountain. Here's what your card should look like at this point:

 

 

Now, it's just a matter of layering all of your pieces on your card front and inside. Here's all my pieces laid out that I used (sorry for the blurry picture - I was trying to dodge the light reflection and didn't realize the picture was blurry):

 

 

On the inside of the card, I layered a piece of designer paper (cut 4 1/8" x 4 3/8"), a piece of brown cardstock (cut 4" x 4 1/4") and a piece of white cardstock (cut 3 7/8" x 4 1/8"). I'm big into layering so feel free to skip out on all the different layers if you don't like it. On the white, I took my sponge and inked around the edges with Melon Mambo. The little butterflies were punched out with my Butterfly punch and then embossed with a dotted Cuttlebug embossing folder. Here's what the completed inside looks like:

 

 



Now for the measurements for the top layers on the card. The pieces on the left and right are layered with pink cardstock (cut 7/8" x 4 3/8") and designer paper (cut 3/4" x 4 1/4"). The bottom piece is layered with pink cardstock (cut 4 1/8" x 7/8") and designer paper (cut 4" x 3/4"). I used a piece of sheer pink ribbon about 8" long. I did try a bow but I can never get those made to look right and opted for the knot :). The center pieces are layered with designer paper (cut 2 1/8" x 4 3/8"), pink cardstock (cut 2" x 4 1/4") and white cardstock (cut 1 7/8" x 4 1/8"). I sponged ink on the edges of this white cardstock as well.

 

I searched through my stamps until I found this perfect stamp set (Serene Silhouettes by Stampin Up). This little guy fit perfectly on this cardstock! I tried a different technique that one of my friends, Mary Anne Magliaro, taught at one of her fabulous Stampin Up classes. I took my Stampin Up markers (Melon Mambo and Chocolate Chip) and actually colored my stamp two get the two different colors in one stamp. This was so easy and came out really nice! Just be sure to "huff" on your stamp after you have the whole thing colored to make the "ink" wet again before you stamp.

 

Well, that's it folks! Not too hard, just takes some pre-planning and cutting a bunch of cardstock (I had to make 7 of these!). Thanks for stopping by today! Have a craftastic day!