50th Birthday Pop Up Crown Cake

I pulled numerous sources from my idea file for this 50th birthday pop up card.

On the front, the speech bubble says "We are not amused."

Inside I referenced England's wartime posters and Marie Antoinette--not that she actually said it.

This is a one tier tabletop type pop up cake as demonstrated in this post: Building a Better Pop Up Cake Part 4.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

Make the cake top

Cut out a 3" diameter circle of sturdy card stock for the cake top. Fold it in half. Measure out 3/4" on either side of the center fold and cut a slit on each side, parallel to the center fold. Each slit should be a tiny bit more than 1/2" long.

Attach crown to cake top

The crown is cut from a cupcake wrapper template designed by Monica Björk. I removed a great deal of the detailing on the pattern because I made it so much smaller (51% of original size).

The diameter of the base of the crown is 1.5". I added tabs on the right and left sides to attach it to the cake top. The tabs are 1/2" wide.

Glue the crown ends together.

Precrease the crown by folding it in half so the tabs are one on top of the other. Uncrease.

Slide the tabs of the crown through the slits on the cake top and tape them to the back side of the cake top.

Make the legs

Cut two long strips for the cake legs: 1/2" wide by 6" long. Divide each into 4 equal segments of 1.5" and crease.

Referring to the post mentioned above, glue legs to the cake top, and then glue the legs into the base card.

Wrap the sides

For the cake side, cut a strip of lightweight paper 1.5" wide by 11" long.

Scroll down in this post for detailed instructions for adhering the side piece.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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50th Birthday Pop Up Crown Cake

Happy Birthday Paper Cut Lantern Tutorial

I made this as a birthday card, but you could swap out the "Happy Birthday" section for another flowered section if you would like a lantern without a sentiment.

How to make a paper cut lantern

Download cutting file PDF or DXF or SVG. (Can you find the mistake on mine that I fixed for you? Hint: bird.)

Cut on black lines. Score along red lines (you'll have to eyeball them on the SVG). Save the tiny inside parts of the following letters: A, P, P, B, R, D, A.

Cut translucent (vellum) paper to fit inside lantern. I used three separate pieces. You can extend the vellum to the top of the windows or cut it shorter, as I did. Trim carefully so the edges don't overlap the vertical creases on the inside of the lantern. Glue vellum pieces to the inside of the lantern.

Glue the little letter pieces in place on the vellum on the outside of the lantern.

Crease the score lines, curling the lantern into a triangular tube.

Fold in the "ears" on the (left) side tabs and slide the tabs through the (right) slits. Unfold the tabs.

The bottom flaps fold up to make a flat base.

Gather the top circles and tie together with a ribbon.

Place over tealight. This view is from the top.

Credit for the window shape and birds goes to Cindy, from this file. I found the flower motif here.

If you like this design, you would enjoy this book, which I recently purchased. It comes complete with all the cutting files on a CD!

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Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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Happy Birthday Paper Cut Lantern Tutorial

Happy Birthday Paper Cut Lantern

I've been working on a paper cut lantern for my mother-in-law's 92nd (!!) birthday. I plan to light it with a battery operated tealight.

Cutting files and details in the next post.

Window shape and birds modified from Cindy's file, here. Flower motif modified from a portion of a design from here.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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Happy Birthday Paper Cut Lantern

Zakka Style (Book Review)

Author Rashida Coleman-Hale explains that the Japanese term zakka has been loosely translated to mean “miscellaneous goods,” “many things,” or “sundries.” Something with simple charm. Something handmade that is useful yet pleasing.

In Zakka Style, Coleman-Hale showcases 24 projects from as many designers. Despite the many hands that worked on the book, the overall look of the collection is coherent and visually pleasing. There is a consistency of fabric choice and design aesthetic that flows from one page to the next.

This book is built for browsing. There is no index and the table of contents is spartan--just each project title and the name of the designer.

The projects seem easy enough for anyone with basic sewing skills, although I may not be the best judge of this as I have been sewing since Nixon was in the Oval Office! My personal favorites are those that incorporated patchwork. I especially love the Itty Bitty Quilt Block Magnets, Sweet Memories Picture Frame and oh, those fabric Nesting Boxes!

Many could be completed in a short block of time. All are attractive enough to give as a little (or not so little) present. Instructions are clear and well organized with supply list, cutting directions and assembly directions. Photographs and illustrations are numerous and well chosen. Full size patterns are at the back of the book.

Zakka Style: 24 Projects Stitched with Ease to Give, Use & Enjoy by Rashida Coleman-Hale. C&T Publishing. 128 pages. ISBN:1607054167

Disclosure: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from the publisher.

Project image courtesy of i heart linen.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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Zakka Style (Book Review)

Easy Pop Up Snowflake Cards

I made four of these window type snowflake pop up cards from Willem Boning's patterns. Unfortunately, he has taken the file off his site. (Although you can still get them from the Internet Archive if you know where to look hehehe.)

And fortunately, it's pretty easy to make similar cards!

I used letters from WWFlakes, a dingbat font, and added a few tweaks here and there.

You can download my template here: PDF or DXF.

Cut on the black lines. Extend the horizontal and vertical (center) cut lines to cut the four cards apart. Crease on the red lines.

More information about his kind of card here.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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Easy Pop Up Snowflake Cards

Cranberries Twister Pop Up Card

This pop up card makes you say, "How does THAT work?"

I was inspired by the designs of the extraordinary Keiko Nakazawa, who often collaborated with Masahiro Chatani, a pioneer in the art of origamic architecture. Specifically, this book.

The cranberry motif is from MTCSCAL E-Files.

How to make a twister pop up card

Download file PDF or DXF or SVG and cut.

Crease along center score line. (Add score line at center fold to SVG file.)

Lay the card on a flat surface and pull the circular motif (the part that looks like a snowglobe) upright.

Lift the card slightly and flip the entire right half upside down, rotating it around the center score line. Re-align the slit parts at both ends of the card. Isn't that an amazing effect?

Trim the card to size.

Because this card needs to open completely flat, the base card is made in two pieces, leaving a small gap at the spine.

Cut a base card to the size you want, then slice it in two where you would normally crease the center fold.

Lay the base card on your flat surface with the cut edges together. You may want to tape it down with repositionable tape (like painter's tape).

Lay the cut card on the base card. Align center lines. Check that the cut edges at the center top and bottom line up. Again, you may want to tape these together temporarily.

Glue the cut card into the base card, one half at a time. Be sure you glue all around the edges of the card, and the flower parts in the middle.

The split in the center of the base card helps the card to fold up nicely without wrinkling the cut piece.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts.

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Cranberries Twister Pop Up Card

Something Shiny!

Our 2011 family Christmas card

The envelope is embossed with Cuttlebug's diamond embossing folder. I drew a few iridescent stars with a Gelly Roll silver stardust pen.

The card front.

The border is drawn with the same Gelly Roll pen. I did a pretty major modification on the pen holder for my Craft Robo to make it accommodate that kind of pen.

The inside says "Ohhhh.....something shiny! The design inspiration for the spinner came from Ramin Razani.

The back of the card.

News of the year is printed on this paper, folded into a star.
Folding instructions here.

Extreme Cards and Papercrafting: pop up cards, movable and mechanical cards, digital crafts and unusual papercrafts. ◦

Something Shiny!