Saturday, November 12, 2011

Pop-Up Christmas Cards

This is my second in a series on my handcrafted Christmas Cards. Go here to see the beginning.

I am starting with pop-up cards because I know these are people's favorites. There is a little engineering involved in making them and there is always a surprise upon opening them.  Here are the ones from this grouping.


Over the years I have designed five true pop up cards. 

1985 Box Christmas Tree


The simplest type of pop-up is the plain box.  Just cut two parallel slits and reverse the fold. A box pops out.  I used this concept in four rows of descending size to create a tree form.  I used red Dennison dots to decorate it and a classic gold star on top.  It is still one of my favorite designs.


1987 • JOY


Two years later I did a classic letters pop-up. I used the simplest Christmas word and stenciled it onto the back. I did this one in a variety of color combinations. Compare it to the one in the top photo.

Joy must have taken more time than I had because I didn't try another pop-up design until 1996 - nine years later!

1996 • Smurf House

I am sure I wasn't designing a Smurf house but looking back on this it sure looks like one! I know that my collection of cards was getting dull because I always used red and green.  I wanted to add different colors to the collection.  


The beauty of this design is upon opening the door to the house you discover a decorated Christmas tree and if you look in the little window you'll see our family standing looking out!  I printed photos of us on the white background before gluing it to the blue insides. I used a snowflake punch to create the swirling storm.

1997 • Christmas Stocking


This was probably my most ambitious pop-up and I didn't have the engineering down quite right. Presents are suppose to pop out of the stocking when you open the cover and they do, but not smoothly. It won't stay open for display. Great concept but needed more experimentation before finishing.



2002 • Holly Leaves

Again in 2002 I varied the color theme creating a striking design of bright green, red and purple. 


My most chaotic pop-up to date was a spray of holly leaves and berries that burst out of the center.  This pop-up was created by adding additional shapes to the card base.


By this time I had acquired one of the many books available of the engineering of pop-up cards. If you are interested in this type of card, a quick search in Amazon will yield many books on pop-up greeting card design.

Amazingly, I have never had a cutting machine.  I have always used an exacto blade and carefully cut out each slot, shape, or piece.  I do make liberal use of sticker dots in many of my designs.  And I haven't done a pop-up in nine years! I do think I'll invest in a cutting machine before I create another one. Anyone have a suggestion on brand/type?

Other Posts of Interest:

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©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

6 comments:

  1. I like my CraftRobo very much. The only disadvantage is the relatively small width of the cutting bed.

    Carol
    Extreme Cards and Papercrafting

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are wonderful
    I tried my own hand at DIY pop-up cards this year:
    https://holidayshomemade.squarespace.com/blog/2012/12/2/diy-holiday-pop-up-cards
    Thanks for sharing your lovely designs!
    What books do you recommend on pop-up card engineering?

    ReplyDelete
  3. WOW ! WE are having a fund raising event, for people with disabilties and special needs, they will have fun making those wonderful cards, I will have your information posted at the small workshop, is that okay

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need more information - Who is "we". How are they being produced, etc. I do have an angel policy for certain types of events but I need more info.

      Delete
  4. WOW ! WE are having a fund raising event, for people with disabilties and special needs, they will have fun making those wonderful cards, I will have your information posted at the small workshop, is that okay

    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW ! WE are having a fund raising event, for people with disabilties and special needs, they will have fun making those wonderful cards, I will have your information posted at the small workshop, is that okay

    ReplyDelete