Beate Johns offered the Stair Step Fold tutorial in 2009, and it has become one of my favorite techniques for special cards. This was for my husband. Luckily, it could be hand-delivered but I did send one to my son--carefully packaged.
A couple of notes: the "priceless" bar code is masked because the full "Made just for you, because you're..." wasn't needed, the rest of the text is computer-generated, and the costs of the embellishments are accurate. Glad I have a calculator!
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011 GMT Views: 1582
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Accessories: Punches: EKSuccess (circles & large swirl), Marvy Uchida (large star), Michael's $1 (small star & swirl); ribbon and various "party" embellishments from Wal-Mart
One other note, for CASE-ing: I cut a lightweight cardstock shape, folded it to fit through the balloon "neck," then unfolded it once it was inside the balloon. Otherwise, the poor balloon just stayed too floppy and looked really sad.