Free Standing Pop Up Card Tutorial

I had some requests for further directions for the free standing pop up card I made last week using the Hearts & Roses stamp set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. It's taken me a while to get it done, but here's a little tutorial and another floral pop up card with a totally different feel, also using Kitchen Sink Stamp images. I used last week's SCS color combo challenge colors again here--they have such a spring-like feel. This set is called Pretty Petals and has an unlimited number of ways you can combine the petal images to create fun, funky flowers.

For the main image, I stamped one of the petal images a bunch of times on tiny scraps of shimmery white cardstock (that stuff's expensive, so I try not to throw much of it out!). I cut out the stamped petals and curled them with my fingers. They're attached to the white panel with glue dots. The center is another circle image from the same set, punched out with a circle punch and embellished with a self-adhesive rhinestone.

This image shows just the decorated inset that will be the "pop up" piece. The bottom mat measures 5 1/4" by 2 1/2". I made a white panel to stamp on that measured 5" by 2 1/4". When you're putting together your main image panel, it's important to not stamp on the bottom inch of the panel. This section will eventually be hidden inside of the card base, so be sure to plan for that as you design. In the photo, you can also see a black dot at the bottom edge of the panel. I made this mark to show me where the center of the panel is. This mark will help line up the pieces when it's time to assemble the card and be hidden in the final product.




For the base of your card, you'll need a 4 1/2" by 11" piece of cardstock. If you want, you can decorate one side of the cardstock. I used one of the circle stamps from the Pretty Petals stamp set on mine (it's on the other side of the paper, I promise!). You will score the cardstock at 1", 2 3/4", 3 3/4", and 5 1/2". Then, flip the cardstock around and start scoring again at 1" from the other end, then at 2 3/4" and 3 3/4". That way, you're basically repeating the scoring at the same spots on either side of the center (5 1/2") score mark. I found doing it this way to be easier for me to remember the measurements for the score marks than if I scored it starting at one end and worked all the way to the other end.

On the center score line, measure 3/4" in from each edge and make a mark. Use a craft knife to make a slit between these marks. Here, I made a series of X's on the score line to show where I made the slit. This will be where you insert your decorated/message section once the card is assembled.



Now, you're almost ready to start assembling the card. So that you have an idea of where to glue the pieces together, find the center of the scored section at one end of your cardstock. Draw a line from the center of the score line to the bottom edge. Repeat on the other side.



Now, you can begin to fold the cardstock to assemble the card. What you'll be doing is folding on the score marks from the ends of the cardstock in towards the center score mark. The two 1" scored sections will meet at the center, under the slit for the image panel. They kind of form a pocket for the image. Here is a photo to show what that looks like from the side of the card base.

Now you're ready to glue the card together. Insert the stamped image/message panel into the slot. Use the center line you've drawn as a guide for your adhesive and for centering the panel. I've found it easiest to put adhesive on one of the 1" scored sections and secure the image panel to that section first, then put adhesive on the other side of the image panel and fold the other 1" scored section in to meet it.



Once your card is assembled, you can add a greeting to the front if you'd like. I usually find some coordinating scraps of cardstock and use those for the greeting. To put the card in the envelope, you can flatten it, as shown in this photo. The card will lie flat to be fit in an envelope.

Let me know if you have questions about this. This was kind of tricky to explain, but I promise, it's really easy to do once you've gotten the hang of it!

Materials Used:
Pretty Petals and Never a Loss 4 Words stamp sets (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Orchid Opulence, Only Orange, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive Classic inks, Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, Only Orange, Whisper White, and Shimmery White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool; glue dots (Stampin' Up!); 7/8" circle punch (EK Success); self-adhesive rhinestone (Joann); green dotted grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); stapler