Waterfall Card

by Kathy Logan

Try out this new craze! Pull on a paper tab and make secret messages or images appear, while pieces of cardstock fold over and look like a waterfall.

Supplies

  • Neutral-colored cardstock
  • Colored cardstock
  • Assorted stamps and inks
  • Paper Trimmer with a scoring blade (or a ruler and a stylus for making scored lines.)
  • Eyelets & eyelet setting tools
  • Ribbon or cord (for the pull tab)
  • Adhesive
  • Scissors
  • Aquapainters or other coloring medium (optional, depending on the style of stamps chosen.)

Step-by-Step

  1. Step 1

    Cut your Neutral Cardstock in the following measurements: 5¼" x 8" (1), 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" (4).

    Cut your Colored Cardstock in the following measurements: 2" x 2" (4), 5½" x 4¼" (1), 9" x 2" (1), ¾" x 4" (1).

  2. Step 2

    Fold the largest piece of neutral colored cardstock in half, and then stamp it as desired. Also stamp the four neutral-colored squares.

  3. Step 3 (Optional)

    Depending on the style of stamps you've selected, color your stamped images with any method you prefer. I chose to watercolor the images for this card with the SU! Aquapainters™ and ink.

  4. Step 4

    Attach your stamped squares to the slightly larger colored cardstock squares with your adhesive.

  5. Step 5

    Next you will need to score your 9 x 2 strip of colored cardstock. Starting at end of strip, score 2", 2¾", 3 ½", and 4 ¼" from the end.

  6. You can then fold along the scored lines and you should have a strip which looks something like the following picture (let's call this Piece A).

  7. Step 6

    Attach the horizontal strip (the one which measures ¾" x 4") to front of card with eyelets.

    Note: it is very important that you do not use any adhesive in the middle of this piece!

  8. Step 7

    Next, attach piece A to the horizontal strip you just attached to the card front. To do this, slide the longest section of piece A between the horizontal strip and the card, making sure to center it in the middle of your card. Line up the very edge of the scored end of piece A with bottom of the horizontal strip and attach with adhesive.

    Note: the adhesive placement is very important you do not want to attach the scored side and the longest section of piece A together!

  9. Step 8

    Attach your first stamped image to the bottom 2" x 2" space at the scored end of piece A.

  10. Step 9

    Apply adhesive to the scored sections of piece A only, and attach remaining stamped pieces.

  11. Once you've attached these pieces, you should be able to gently pull the bottom of the longest section of piece A directly down and watch the stamped images flip one at a time and then slide behind piece A.

  12. Step 10

    Attach eyelet and ribbon to the bottom of piece A. To do this, simply mark where you want to place your eyelet with card in the closed position. Then pull the longest section of piece A until it is fully extended. Punch a hole and place eyelet. Thread ribbon through eyelet and tie. Trim ends with scissors. You're done!

Your Turn

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

***Please note - Internet Explorer/Edge is not a supported browser, and will not allow you to see the videos. Please use Chrome, Firefox or Safari to view our tutorial videos.

Questions and Comments

We'd love to get your feedback or questions. Leave your comment below.

I love this card and made a christmas one this morning using red and gold card stock, gold eyelets and gold ribbon. looks fabulous! My only problem is that my waterfall gets stuck when pulled down to see the final image and is hard to push back. Any ideas what i've done wrong?
alison  |  Wed Nov 24, 2010 at 4:36 AM
love this site i,ve learnt much having not even a year at card making .i,m going to make this card tonite .thank you to all the girls who make it possible for us unimmagitive people to be able to make beautiful cards .thanks again.
lyn  |  Thu Feb 10, 2011 at 2:40 AM
I think there are some wrong measurements for the card base in this tutorial. I THINK they should be:

Cut your Neutral Cardstock in the following measurements: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" (1), 1 7/8" x 1 7/8" (4).

Cut your Colored Cardstock in the following measurements: 2" x 2" (4), 5 1/4" x 4" (1), 9" x 2" (1), �" x 4" (1).

(changed the measurements for the two pieces of the base card--the two largest pieces.)
Beverly Stewart  |  Thu Feb 17, 2011 at 8:08 AM
Awesome tutorial! Thanks!
Rae Higgins  |  Sat Mar 12, 2011 at 10:01 PM
Thanks so much - i have been trying to work out how to do a waterfall card for ever!! can't wait to have a go!! x
Amy Tidd  |  Thu Mar 31, 2011 at 6:19 AM
dis card is awesomeeeeeee tomrrow is my competition of card making n dis made me stood first
THANKS
Jass  |  Thu Sep 1, 2011 at 9:32 AM
IYou really did do a fabulous job with this Tute ! I have written instructions from some where that are impossible to understand, so I came to SCS and , as usual, found my answer !
Thank You !!
GramaCat  |  Sun Dec 18, 2011 at 10:03 AM
I love your tutorial. so easy to follow. I have question for you:
I have been trying to fiqure out something to no avail. Hoping you can help me out.
I want to do your tutorial but instead would like to make it like a photo album. I want to make the waterfall larger to accomadate 3x3 images. I have used the same size of card but cannot fiqure out my score lines.

Any chance you could sell me what size to make the strip and where l should mark my score lines.
I would appreciate any assistance.
Marg Roswell  |  Sat Feb 25, 2012 at 3:09 PM
Thank you, Kathy, for a very easy to follow printed tutorial....something I can keep referring to as I make my card. Great instructions and pictures make it so easy.
Linda Welter  |  Sat Jun 2, 2012 at 11:58 PM
I like the way you lay out all the pieces in one place before beginning so it's easier to see.

Great tutorial.

THanks
Mary Laffin  |  Tue Mar 5, 2013 at 10:30 AM
Hi Kathy -- Just thought you might want to know that people still find this helpful years later! I was looking for an idea for a birthday card for my grand-daughter and here was something I'd never done before. It was pretty easy (certainly easier than I expected) and turned out well. Thank you!
Jan Hatt  |  Tue May 16, 2017 at 12:55 PM
Great tutorial...I just post my card to the gallery. Instructions were to very clear!
Carlene Prichard  |  Fri Feb 2, 2018 at 5:26 AM
I know this tutorial has been out awhile but I just found it! Can hardly wait to try it!
Diane H  |  Tue Feb 12, 2019 at 9:31 AM
Very cute card - love these waterfall cards. Great tutorial too. I had a little trouble pasting Piece A to the horizontal piece on the front but managed to figure it out. My brain is a bit slow sometimes, ha!
Uptongal  |  Sun Sep 15, 2019 at 12:29 AM
How far from the bottom does the strip need to be? 1"?
salome000  |  Mon Aug 24, 2020 at 6:30 PM
Never mind! Got it!
salome000  |  Mon Aug 24, 2020 at 6:33 PM
I had made these cards many years ago and just wanted to check the tutorial for the measurements to save me "brain" time. It is always nice when someone has the exact measurements written down so we can just refer to them. And I read through the entire tutorial as a refresher. Very well written and clear. Thank you, Kathy for spending the time to write the instructions down and take the time to photograph them and post them.
LilBit  |  Fri Dec 4, 2020 at 4:41 PM
I had seen this design many years ago in a card making magazine and saved the directions. I tried making it and something in the directions just didn't make sense. I was searching for another tutorial when I came across this one. Talk about an "aha" moment! This tutorial makes perfect sense! On my way to start my Christmas cards.
momsie  |  Fri Sep 3, 2021 at 5:55 PM

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