Wedding Concertina Card

I am so excited about this card that I am going to share lots about it, how I made it and give you a template to use - in case you are interested in creating one of your own. 

First let me say, I've been admiring this style of card for a long time but just never had the right time and occasion to create one - that changed this summer. The basic card tutorial I followed was on Splitcoast stampers: concertina fold card. The tutorial walks you through making a finished 4¼ " x 5½ inch card. 

I wasn't crazy about the angle of that card and I wanted a bigger finished card, looking for more of a 5x7 size. 

So, if you are making from regular 8.5 x 11 stock, start with trimming down to 10 inches & then measure up from one long side 7 inches, mark with a pencil. Measure up the opposite side 3¾ inches, mark with pencil. Now line up both dots / pencil marks on your paper trimmer & cut the diagonal.

I suggest making two templates, leaving one whole with the dimensions you like and then cutting one into 4 equal strips (this size, you'll cut at each 2½ inches) so you have a template to use with DSP to cover the front faces of your card. That way, you'll get the angle just right each time. 

For my card, the base was a glossy stock from DCWV from which I wanted the glossy side out. My first cut, I didn't correct for the opposite angle & had to cut the second piece again.  

I got a bit particular on the patterned paper, I wanted the pieces that touched to match up perfectly when they met in the middle... that meant I had to be purposeful about the strips I cut. I did cut those strips just a hair thinner (not even a sixteenth of an inch) than the 2½ inch panels so the folds would work well. 

The front two panels are held together by the largest oval, the back two by a piece of stock you don't see. The tutorial calls for adhering the back pieces to your back stock, but I wanted a pocket for the sentiment piece.  Before mounting the whole thing to the back panel (just on three sides so you have a pocket) I used a ¼ in. corner rounder to round the back panel & the bottom corners of all the outside corners. The We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper Tool worked well on the double thickness of the folded layers. 


All of the patterned paper came from a stack I picked up on clearance at Michael's by me & my Big ideas® called Mambi Sheets™ Our Wedding Day it is just a beautiful collection of silver and ivory sheets with roses, etc.


I used wet glue, Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive to attach the decorative pieces to each panel so I had time to get them in just the right place. That and, its summer here & pretty humid... I'd read on a blog from a crafter in FL that this glue holds up to the humidity, and so far so good.

I recently watched a Youtube video that inspired the layering of multiple dies by a Ukranian card maker,  Zroby Sama



The dies I ended up using are: (most of my dies I picked up when ACMoore has them on sale for $10, some may be discontinued or tougher to find)
Spellbinders Shapeabilities® Lattice Motifs - largest (used the center oval from the largest one on the card inner under the swan heart)
Spellbinders Nestabilities® Floral Ovals (both the largest & the 2nd largest)
Spellbinders Shapeabilities® Ribbon  / Banners Large
Nellie's Choice Multiframe dies - Heart (The swans embossing) and Heart-2 (the actual heart cut out) 
"Mr & Mrs." comes from a stamp set that I could not find the packaging for, looks like its by Cloud Nine. I used Grey Flannel Momento Ink.

The layering is kind of cool... I used a very thin (tiny really) dimensional for the Lattice Motif then used a thicker set for the smaller Floral Oval and set it just into the evacuated center so it sticks up just enough above, leaving multiple dimension, but not too much. I then used folded the banner die at the corners to wrap it around the small oval and adhered with small Zots.

The floral sprig that adds the much needed lacy effect is Spellbinders Shapeabilities® Die D-Lites Fantastic Flourish One. One was tipping over so I used a bit of acetate with Thermoweb Zots - Miniscule to keep it propped up. 

****** The Inner Piece *******

I used a blank piece of black stock, started 5 x 7 and trimmed so it would slip in / out of the pocket well - took some tries, wanted it to be as large as possible, but still work. I chomped those corners too, keeping uniformity in mind.

 This is where I used that small inner oval from the large Lattice Motifs die, adhered it flat to the black stock then added the swan heart popped up on dimensional foam and offset so it sits higher than the top of the card. This becomes the pull mechanism, so don't scrimp on your dimensionals here.

For the writing, I used a white gel pen, looked great - almost a chalk board effect.

****** The Box *******

 This card is too much for an envelope so I made a basic box using some of the light grey from the DCWV Silky Smooth Cardstock Stack® {Neutrals}. This has a glossy side and a matte side, so of course the glossy side wants to show. I made the box for plenty of room, I measured out for an 8 x 6½ inch box. I use the Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board and Envelope Tool, I absolutely love it! Directions that come with it, tell you how to make the top of the box so it slips beautifully over the bottom. 

One thing I did want to use too, was some clear acetate for a window in the top so after I scored for a 3/4 inch over hang, I measured VERY carefully on my paper trimmer to leave a 1/2 inch card stock border. I cut the acetate to fit in the window and adhered with some velum adhesive. *Note* next time I will use the wet glue (either the Scotch brand I mentioned earlier or th Tombow Mono Multi Glue) follow up testing showed both make a great bond & don't show that much.

  

A couple of silver flourish stickers in two corners & the box is done.

****** The Final Touches *******

I was given a ton of very cool ribbons, I picked a lacy one with a hint of ivory running through the center to keep everything tucked in just right. The ribbon did not want to be glued so I had to hand stitch it into a loop.