Tutorial - Flag Fold Cards

I have a fabulous display card to share with you today, featuring five little flags that project from the centre of the card, giving it it's name. Despite how it looks, it's not too difficult to create and will fold up nicely for posting in a standard envelope.

1. You'll need one piece of heavy patterned paper measuring 10" long x 6" high, one piece of cardstock measuring 8" long x 6" high, and five 2" squares of cardstock for the flags. Extra patterned paper and embellishments will be needed for decoration once the base is created.

2. Score the piece of cardstock and fold in half to form a 6" x 4" card. Set aside.

3. Place the patterned paper horizontally on your scoreboard and score at 2", 3", 4", 5", 6", 7" and 8".

4. Concertina fold the card, starting and ending with valley folds. You should have three peaks in the centre of the paper and a 2" flat section on each side. Refer to the photo below.

5. Apply adhesive on the back of the 2" flat sections on either side of the patterned paper. DO NOT apply any adhesive to the concertina section in the middle.

6. Line up the adhesive ends of the patterned paper with the sides of the card blank and press firmly in place. The concertina section should be free to fold and unfold as you open and close the card. Set aside.

7. It's easier to decorate the "flags" at this point rather than after you have secured them to the card. Add some patterned paper, stamps, images and other embellishments as desired. Keep in mind that any decorations you add should be flat as they will be included in the folds of the card.

8. Apply adhesive to the half of the "flag" that will attach to the card. Double check before you add any glues or tapes to make sure you're applying it to the correct side.

9. Start by adhering the centre "flag" halfway up the middle fold. I used a centring ruler to make sure I placed it correctly.

10. Now adhere two flags on the first fold, one flush with the top of the card, and one flush with the bottom.

11. Apply the last two flags on the last fold, one flush with the top of the card and one flush with the bottom.

12. Decorate the front of the card as desired. I used a digital image, coloured with copic markers, some ribbon and patterned paper. The card is quite bulky when complete, so you might like to create a belly band or ribbon tie to hold it closed.

I think this fold would be fabulous for Christmas, decorated with lots of different sized snowflakes, glitter and snowmen. I hope you'll give it a try!