Tutorial - Book Box Card

I must admit that I have been putting off making one of these Book Box Cards because of how complicated they look.  Although they probably aren't for the beginning card maker, they really aren't as tricky as they seem at first glance and the effects you can achieve are well worth the effort.

Requirements:

8" x 101/2" piece of cardstock for the card blank

Two 71/2" x 71/2" pieces of cardstock 

Two 71/2" x 43/4" pieces of cardstock

Two 10" x 2" pieces of cardstock

Two 7" x 2" pieces of cardstock

One 111/2" x 3" piece of cardstock

Two 73/4" x 1/2" strips of patterned paper

Two 43/4" x 1/2" strips of patterned paper

One 7" x 4" piece of patterned paper

One 7" x 4" piece of acetate - dry embossed

Co-ordinating ribbon at least 1/2" wide

Double sided tape

Foam Tape

Quick drying glue

Chalk ink for inking the edges of the cardstock

Scoreboard and stylus

Border punch of choice

Tweezers

Small sharp scissors

Craft knife and cutting mat

Ruler, pencil, eraser

1.  Place the 8" x 101/2" piece of cardstock horizontally (landscape orientation) on the scoreboard.  Score at 5" and again at 51/2". 

2.  Fold along the score lines to form an 8" x 5" card with a 1/2" spine. 

3.  Cut a window out of the front of the card leaving a 3/4" frame.  Ink all the edges.

4.  Mitre the corners of the 73/4" and the 43/4" strips of patterned paper (cut the ends on a 45 degree angle).  If you look closely at the picture below you will notice that the angle of the mitre is different on each end of the paper strips.  Ink the edges of the patterned paper.  Place a thin strip of double sided tape around the four edges of the acetate.

5.  Adhere the embossed acetate over the window you cut earlier.  Use double sided tape to secure the paper strips over the edges of the acetate, ensuring the mitred edges are all lined up neatly.

6.  Centre and adhere the 7" x 4" piece of patterned paper on the inside of the card.

7.  Concertina fold (mountain, valley, mountain, valley, etc.) the two 71/2" x 71/2" pieces of cardstock and the two 71/2" x 43/4" pieces of cardstock at 3/4" intervals.  (Note that the 71/2" x 43/4" pieces are scored and folded across the short length).  Ink the edges.

8.  To form the sides of the card, take one of the long concertina pieces in one hand, and one of the short pieces in the other and fit them together as shown in the pictures below.  You will get a much better fit if your folds are precise and even.

9.  Use some double sided tape to secure the top and bottom of each corner only.  Do not add adhesive between the concertina folds.

10.  Use the two 10" x 2" pieces of cardstock and the two 7" x 2" pieces of cardstock and your border punch to make a cover for the concertina frame you just created.  You want each piece of the frame to be about 1" wide and when assembled the entire piece should be no more than 8" long and 5" wide.  As you can see in the picture below, I kept the far left hand edge of the frame smooth so it can butt up against the spine of the card.

I apologise for not being more specific with the measurements in this step.  The difficulty comes with the differences between border punches.  Some bite much deeper than others and so it is hard to know how much cardstock is going to be cut away.  You might want to experiment with newspaper or printer paper before cutting into your cardstock.

11.  Begin layering your images into the concertina frame with glue or double sided tape.  Secure parts of the image on the folds of the frame to add layers and create dimension.

12.  Add some double sided tape to the back of the frame, and add some foam tape to the back of  the image for added support.

13.  Secure the frame to the inside of the card, keeping the left side of the frame flush against the second fold of the card.

14.  Continue building up your image using the folds of the frame to hold each of the different layers.

15.  Add the strips of cardstock to the frame and secure with double sided tape.  As you can see from the photo below, I mitred the corners to give a nice neat finish.  Alternatively, you could cut a single frame from a sheet of cardstock.

16.  A few more blossoms complete the look.

17.  Use the 111/2" x 3" piece of cardstock to make a band to hold the card securely closed.  Punch along both long edges with the same border punch you used inside the card, fold the strip around your card being careful not too pull it too tight nor leave it too loose.  Secure the end with double sided tape.

18.  Use double sided tape to secure the ribbon around the band, then finish with a bow.