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Cozy Fireplace Card
Create this warm and cheery 3D card with a combination of cuts and folds—simply print, color, cut, fold, and glue! Despite its depth, this card folds flat, so it can easily be mailed or stored without being ruined. Follow the steps below, and impress friends and family with your card making skills this Christmas!
Supplies & Tools:
- Printable template (download here)
- White cardstock
- 9x12 sheet of black paper
- Cutting mat
- Bone folder
- Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
- Black permanent marker
- Glue stick
- Print the template on white cardstock.
Note: If you prefer to color the card before you begin cutting and scoring, you can do so now. These instructions tell you to color after all the cutting and scoring is complete (step 11), so that you can see the guide lines as you are working.
- Place cutting mat on flat surface.
- Using a ruler and X-Acto, cut out the pattern along the outer edge.
- Cut along the solid, upper lines for the logs. Only cut the topmost outline (highlighted in yellow, below).
- Cut along the solid line for each set of flames.
- Cut along the solid line of the inner rectangle. Do NOT cut the dotted line.
Note: All dotted lines are fold lines.
- Cut away the shaded areas and discard the scraps.
- Using a bone folder and ruler, score the paper along the dotted lines. Be careful to score only the dotted lines—you don’t want to score the logs, flames, or the fireplace!
- Begin folding the card. Start by folding the lowest dotted line towards the back. Notice that certain fold lines are labeled “valleys.” These will assist you in folding the accordion.
- Continue folding, alternating fold directions, creating an accordion.
- Now unfold the card, and use the black permanent marker to fill in the space of the accordion folds. We prefer permanent markers over regular ones because they lay down a thicker coat of ink. We don’t want any of the guide lines to show in the finished card, so a permanent marker is perfect!
- Color the card. We used Prismacolor pencils because they are our favorite, and we think they are the best coloring pencil you can get!
- Fold along the top dotted line, folding the tab towards the back of the card.
- Set the fireplace aside.
- From the sheet of black paper, cut a piece that measures 6" x 12". Discard excess.
- Fold the paper in thirds. To do this, score the paper every 4", and then fold paper like a “Z.” (You will only need to score it 2 times.)
- Stand the black paper so that it makes a backwards “Z” and then lay flat.
- Place the fireplace card on top of the black paper, and then place the tab of the fireplace in between the two folds (closest to the front) of the black paper.
- Glue the tab to black paper. Then glue the folds of the black paper together.
- Glue the back of the last flame to the black paper.
Note: To determine where the flame should be glued down, fold the accordion, press the fireplace down, and line up the bottom edges. Now glue the last flame of the accordion to the black paper.
- Measure and cut a piece of paper to go inside the card. Write your message on it and paste inside the card. White or any light-colored paper is suitable.
- Color and cut out the 2 stockings from the template. Glue the stocking to the top of the mantle.
- Now your card is complete!
- This card will fit in an A4 envelope, and you can find A4 envelopes like these at envelopes.com.