Accordion Card

A fun and extra special card.

Supplies

Step-by-Step

1. Step 1

   Tape matboard piece in the center of the designer paper.
   

   

2. 

3. Step 2

   Cut the corners of the designer paper off, leaving about 1/16" hanging over the matboard corner.
   
   

   

4. Tape the excess designer paper to the back of the matboard cover.
   
   

   

5. Step 3

   Adhere the coordinating Cardstock square to the back of the matboard covers hiding the folded over designer paper.
   
   
   

   

6. 
   
   

   

7. Step 4

   Take your neutral Cardstock strips and score them every 3 1/2" and prefold them.
   
   
   
   

   

8. 
   
   

   

9. Step 5 (Optional)

   If you want to have a framed window cut an oval in one of your outside panels of the neutral strips with the Coluzzle™.
   
   
   
   
   

   

10. 

11. Step 6

    Stamp and sponge your pages however you like. You will not have to decorate one panel of one of the page strips, since that will be taped under the other. In case you did Step 5 stamp an image in the center of that page. This image will show through the window after the page strips are taped together.
    

    

12. Step 7 (Optional)

    If you made a border for your window, tape it behind the window of the page. Now tape the pages together to make one big strip.
    

    

13. 

14. Step 8

    Tape pages to matboard covers
    

    

15. 

16. Step 9

    Decorate the inside pages.

    

17. Step 10

    Create an image for the front, tape the ribbon under it and tie the booklet shut.

    

18. Your accordion card is finished!

    

Variations

Different Sizes
Try a matboard cover of 4 1/2" x 3" and pages sizes of 4 1/4" x 11" scored three times at 2 3/4", 5 1/2" and 8 1/4". Or make your card big enough to hold pictures. Be creative!

Decorate
Decorate with charms, eyelets, fibers...whatever you have at home.

Glitter Puzzle Window
Add a glitter puzzle in the card window.

Add Pages
Try a different amount of pages. Make your card longer or shorter just by adding or leaving out extra page strips.

Creative Covers
Use fabric on your matboard covers, or stamp them instead of covering them with Designer paper. Or, use solid background paper for the cover and distress it with sand paper.

Your Turn

You've seen the tutorial, now you try it! We've got a section of the gallery set aside for Accordion Card. Try this technique, then upload your artwork to the gallery. Show us your creations!