"Box Fold" Pop-Up Cards

The variations are endless for creating cards with a fun pop-up feature! You can easily change the “heart” element in this design to make cards for any holiday or special occasion. Try putting several pages together to make your own pop-up book!

To Make a Box Fold Pop-Up:

1. Begin with two sheets of 9” x 12” construction paper, one for the inside of your card and one for the outside. (optional: You may want to use contrasting colors and trim the inside paper to 8 ½” x 11 ½”, so that the contrast shows when you open the card.)
2. Fold each paper in half so that its short ends meet.
3. Determine how many pop-ups you want inside your card. Then, on the fold of your inside paper, cut a pair of parallel lines about an inch apart for each pop-up. The shorter your cuts, the closer your pop-up will be to the back of the card. The longer your cuts, the further it will pop out. If you have more than one pop-out, you can vary the distances they pop, for a more 3D effect.
4. Fold over the flap between each pair of parallel cuts, then fold the flap the other way to crease it in the other direction.
5. Now open the paper a little and push the flaps into the center of your card with your finger. Then close your card and smooth it flat. When you open the card, your box folds will appear!
6. Next, put some glue on the back of your inside paper, being careful to avoid the box fold. Line up your folds and press the inside paper into the fold of the outside paper. Press flat to dry.
7. Finally, use construction paper or card stock to cut out your pop-out images and glue onto the front of the box folds. (Important! Make sure your pop-out figure is not taller than the distance between the top of your box fold and the top of your card, otherwise it will stick out when you close the card!)

These cards are fun and easy to make! Just follow the directions step by step, then experiment with your own variations and get creative!!