Don't judge a card by its cover...

This Halloween card looks pretty ordinary. I used a heat-embossed sentiment on a stitched flag/banner. I also added half of a spider web doily.

The spider strip came from the same 12" X 12" Halloween stack as the paper for the card base. I just cut it out, matted it with black and adhered it to my card. Oh, yes, I also added a few black gems in between the spiders. They're casting those weird green shadows from the green paper my card is sitting on.

But when you open up this very ordinary card, the inside has a fun dimensional aspect that is SO EASY to achieve.

My little scene is set inside the window with a sparkly bat adhered to one of the bottom corners.

Here's how I did it:

I decided that I would make a 4" X 6" card, so I cut a 12" X 12" piece of striped cardstock in half.  Then I scored it at 3/8", 4", 4 3/8", and 8" and reinforced those score lines with my bone folder.

I adhered a strip of strong double-sided tape between the end of the CS and the first 3/8" score line. You need to put your tape as close to the fold as you can, without covering the fold.

Between the first and second score lines, I cut an aperture with a rectangular nesting die (you can use any shape), then I cut a frame for my aperture with that die and the next bigger nesting die. You can see that I also added a bat and a small triangle where I can write a brief note and sign the card.

The panel on the far right (above) is the card front, which I embellished as I've described.

Then it was time to decorate the inside. When the CS is flipped over, the aperture should be on the right, and the panel to decorate is now between the first and second scores from the left. I cut a piece of black cardstock that was about 3" X 5 3/4" and added my embellishments so they would show through my aperture. You really only need a piece large enough to cover the space behind your aperture. I just used this longer piece because it was there!

Now lay your inside panel flat between the first and second score lines and make sure you can fold the front of your card easily over the inside. If not, slightly trim that first 3/8" flap (where the double-sided tape is) so that you can easily fold your card. Once that is done, pull the backing off your tape, and continuing to hold the card flat, fold the front over to the right and press down so that the tape makes contact with the inside front.

Now, when you open the card, the back of your card will form a little 3D scene, almost like a shadow box.

Here's a look at the card from the top when it's open. The beauty is it will lie flat in your envelope.

If you would rather make a 5 1/2" high card, you can easily just cut your 12" X 12" cardstock to that height and proceed the same way. You'll end up with a 4" X 5 1/2" card so it will fit nicely in an A2 envelope.



I made a couple of Christmas cards using this technique, and I'll show you those in a later post. This post has gotten long enough!

Just one little whine, though, before I go. Guess what it did here today? It SNOWED! Ugh! And they're predicting that we are going to have a cold and snowy winter - which could mean 70-100 inches of snow. Double Ugh! I just hope it isn't too cold for the little ones to go trick or treating on Halloween.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl