Tutorial - Never Ending Card

For a long time now, I have both admired and felt intimidated by this fabulous card fold. I'm ashamed to admit that until very recently I've never even investigated the mechanics behind how it works simply because it appeared so complicated. I finally decided the time had arrived to step outside my comfort zone and give this fold a go...

Now I'm almost embarrassed to share this tutorial with you. The card base is formed from just four pieces of card stock joined together in the corners, and eight score lines. I admit that I was gobsmacked when I realised how simple and easy it was to make. Lesson learned.

1. Start with four pieces of card stock, each measuring 3" x 6". It's important to have nice straight lines and accurate measurements so the card can move freely.

2. Lay a piece of card stock horizontally on your score board and score at 11/2" and again at 41/2". Repeat for the other three pieces of card stock. Fold back and forth along the score lines.

3. OPTIONAL: ink the edges of the card stock, including the folds, for a vintage look.

4. Lay two piece of card stock vertically on the desk in front of you with the score lines running horizontally.

5. We're going to place adhesive in each of the four corners, 11/2" from the centre of each piece. I've marked the location of the adhesive in the photos below. Make sure you only apply it to the outer section or your card will not operate properly.

6. Add glue or double sided tape to the first corner. I found it easier to work on one section at a time. Make sure your glue or tape is strong enough to withstand a lot of handling... people are going to play with this card!

7. Secure a piece of card stock horizontally across the top of the two pieces that are on your desk. Keep the edges flush and the score lines all lined up. Refer to the photos for correct placement.

8. Repeat the process in the bottom corner.

9. Now we're going to adhere the other two corners, remembering to keep all the score lines and edges lined up nicely.

10. Believe it or not, that's all it takes to complete the card base. Once the glue is dry, you can have a little play with your card.

11. Now to decorate. I must admit that I found this more difficult that the actual card itself... mostly because of how many different spaces there were to fill. If you want to decorate your card the same way I did, you'll need four image panels - two measuring 23/4" x 53/4" and two measuring 53/4" x 23/4" (two vertical and two horizontal). You'll also need eight pieces of patterned paper measuring 11/4" x 23/4" and eight pieces of patterned paper measuring 11/4" x 11/4".

12. I wanted my card to look kind of like a puzzle, so I chose to cut each of the image panels in half so that they split and come together as the card is viewed. If you don't like the idea of cutting your four large image panels, you could opt to have eight individual panels instead.

13. Start with the image that you'd like to appear on the front of the card. Remember, the orientation of the card doesn't matter - you could just as easily start with a horizontal image by turning the card 90 degrees.

14. Use glue or double sided tape to adhere the elements to the front of the card. Avoid bulky embellishments that will hinder the operation of the card and definitely avoid placing anything over any of the edges.

15. Flip the card open to the next area for decoration. Be careful not to turn the card while you're decorating - you don't want to end up with images or sentiments that are upside down!

16. When you come to this section, be aware that the middle pieces will actually cover a whole image panel rather than some of the small pieces of patterned paper. Refer to the photos below.

17. Complete the card with the remaining patterned paper and image panels.

I absolutely love this card! Even though I know the mechanism is simple, it's still incredibly satisfying to play with. My 13 year old son thought I had performed some sort of magic when he saw it... in fact, he enjoyed it so much that he appropriated the sample version!

Products: