Happy Birthday Pop-up Card - Whimsy Font

Project Description: 

Everyone loves a pop-up card. This is the assembly tutorial for the Whimsy Font Happy Birthday Card. I have ingeniously designed a visually complex yet simple to build 8.5 x 5.5” pop-up card. The mixture of fonts, papers and sizes creates a contemporary and fun card. This clever project is made from 6 pieces of 8.5 x 11” card stock and fits into a standard 6 x 9” booklet envelope for mailing.

The cutting file is available here.

Don’t be shy about the card stock and papers you use. This file begs for experimentation! The download comes with all the numbers so you can customize it for the age you need.

Supplies Needed:

• Cutting Files - http://3dcuts.com/birthday-celebrations/whimsy-font-pop-up-birthday-card

• Card Stock - I used 8’5 x 11”, 3 pieces of blue, 1 of light blue and 1 with a small coordinating pattern. I also used a scrape of yellow, red, orange, and white. Paper could be used for all letters instead of card stock. All was Recollections from Michaels although other brands would work well.

• Glue - I use Art Glitter Glue

• ScorTape 1/4"

• Scotch Tape

Notes on Card stock and Paper:

• All layers except the individual letters and details are from card stock. I use Michales Recollections Card Stock.

• The letters that are patterned in the photo and shown as light blue in the diagram above can be from patterned paper or card stock. When cutting from paper, I mirrored the image and cut backwards for better results.

Order supplies from Amazon:

• Order from Amazon: Scor-Tape 1/4" X 27yds (5 Rolls) (Affiliate Link)

• Order from Amazon: Art Glitter Glue with metal tip (Affiliate Link)

• Order from Amazon: (Precision Tip Applicator Bottle)

• Order from Amazon: Premium Silhouette Blade (Affiliate Link)

• Order from Amazon:  Nicapa Cutting Mat (Affiliate Link)

• Order from Amazon: 6 x 9 Booklet Envelope - White 25 pack

Assembly Video:

Below is a YouTube Video of the Assembly process. I recommend reading the notes below the video first. The tutorial can be viewed on line at https://youtu.be/9XHK00opvTQ.

Steps for beginning the Happy Birthday Pop-up card:

Special Note: I update the instructions online. Check here for adjustments and additional information. Don't just rely on the pdf file that comes with the download.

1. Download the cutting files for your cutting machine from the 3dcuts.com store at http://3dcuts.com/birthday-celebrations/whimsy-font-pop-up-birthday-card

2. Load the files into your cutting software following the steps for your cutting machine.

3. Prepare the files:.

• For the Silhouette: The SVG files from this site will need to be turned into cutting files. Click here for detailed steps on how to use SVG files on your Silhouette. http://www.3dcuts.com/tutorial-upload-svg-silhouette

• DXF files can be opened in the basic edition of Silhouette Design Studio but often require modifications. I recommend using the Designer Edition and using svg files. DXF files do not always maintain file sizes and you may need to adjust according to sizes noted above.

• For Cricut Explore: Here is a guide for importing into Cricut Design Space. http://www.3dcuts.com/tutorial-adding-3dcuts-files-to-cricut. Remember to attach files before cutting in Cricut.

• For Brother ScanNCut: The svg files will need to be transferred to files for your particular machine. You can change SVG files to FCM files at http://www.canvasworkspace.com/ or Google "How to import SVG files into a ScanNCut" for links to tutorials. Some models of Brother Scan N Cut can directly import the SVG files.

4.  Cut the files.

• The patterned letters can be cut from either card stock or patterned paper. I found I got better cuts on the patterned paper but mirroring the text and cutting it backwards with the front facing the mat.

• The numbers for the candle are optional. You only need to cut the number and the extender (st, nd, th) for the age you need. They have been sized to fit if using 1 number like 1st. If you use 2 like 50th, you may need to shrink before cutting. If you use 3 like 100th, you will need to shrink even more before cutting.

• The download includes both a plain edge and a scalloped edge slotted background. You only need one. Choose the appropriate choice for your card.

• I cut using a premium blade. I set my Silhouette to blade depth of 4, speed of 4 and thickness of 30 with the Michael’s Recollections card stock - although this can vary from blade to blade.. I also use a good mat that is still sticky. I like the Nicapa mat.

5. Assembled the pieces as demonstrated in the video above.

Here is another “over-the-top” birthday card designed by me. This one is especially appreciated by anyone over 65! They just love all the candles. The cutting file for this is located here. It can be customized for any number of candles. The tutorial for doing that is here.

Examples by other crafters……..

Below are samples shared by other crafters. I love to see how others use creative papers.

It is all about the papers you choose. Leanne Jenkinson did a beautiful job with both the inside and outside of this card using a very different paper selection. I love the results.