Hidden Gate Fold Card

I originally saw a project on a YouTube video by Dawn Griffiths (Dawns Stamping Studio) but she made a square card. I’m not really into square cards so decided to re-invent the card to make a standard C6 one (UK size). The photo on the left is what I came up with and it’s this card that was posted on my blog on 31 July 2015 (just in case you want to have a closer look). Since making this card, I have come up with a couple of slightly different versions. And, photos of the finished cards (and their supply lists) are at the end of this tutorial. Please note that the basic instructions for each card are the same and that once you get to a certain point, you can then decide which version to make.

Supplies needed: Stampin’ Trimmer Whisper White A4 Card stock - used for the card base Framelits – Deco Labels used in above picture, Lots of Labels framelits used in this tutorial Designer Series Paper and other supplies to decorate – the above card features the following: • • • • • • •

Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper Stack Watercolor Wings stamp set Bold Butterfly Framelits Dies Butterflies Thinlits Dies Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry Ink Pads Elegant Dots Embossing Folder Bermuda Bay card stock

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts

Hidden Gate Fold Card

Basic Instructions 1. Starting with a sheet of A4 card stock – with a longer side at the top, score at 14.8 cm (effectively right down the middle). 2. Turn the card stock 90 degrees and score at 5.2 cm and then again at 15.7 cm. You should then end up with a piece of card that looks like this.

3. Cut out the top two corner rectangles and then you should have a piece of card that looks like this.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts

Hidden Gate Fold Card 4. From this point on you have a decision to make as to which way you would like to proceed. Option 1 – Cut away some of the top centrepiece using your Stampin’ Trimmer or a pair of scissors. And then use framelits, or large punches to decorate. Option 2 – Use a Framelit to make the centrepiece. This is what both options will look like once cut, but before decorating.

With Option 1, the gate in the front of the card will be hidden and with Option 2 it may or make not be hidden depending on the framelits you use. I don’t have a long enough framelit to reach the full height of the card. But, I will show you a way around that later on in this tutorial. Option 1 – Cutting away some of the top centrepiece using your Stampin’ Trimmer or a pair of scissors. This is probably the easiest option and leaves you free to decorate as you wish. Firstly, you need to decide on how wide you would like your centrepiece/flap. I decided that I wanted mine to be 4.5 cm wide. This meant cutting away 3.0 cm on each side (the piece was originally 10.5 cm wide). I deliberately chose 4.5 cm because it made the calculation easy: Width of card – Width of flap = Total amount to cut away Total Amount to cut away/2 = Amount to cut away each side 10.5 cm – 4.5 cm = 6.0 cm. 6.0 cm ÷ 2 = 3.0 cm Hence cutting away 3.0 cm on each side. You can use this formula for any width of card. Once you have made your flap, burnish all the creases and make sure that the flap folds over neatly. You may need to trim the top of your card to ensure that the flap does not catch on anything. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts

Hidden Gate Fold Card Option 2 – using a framelit to make the centrepiece/flap. This is slightly more complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it is quite easy to do. For my original card I used the Deco Labels Framelits but for this tutorial I used the Lots of Labels Framelits. 1. Place the open card flat on your Big Shot cutting plate (I used the Magnetic Plate to hold the framelit steady) so that the top centrepiece (the bit that will be the folded over flap) is the piece that is on the plate. 2. Line up the framelit so that a little bit of it is over the fold. That’s the piece that will turn the centre into a smaller flap, because you won’t be cutting that part.

3. Place the top cutting plate over the framelit; make sure that it does not go over the fold.

By doing this, you ensure that only the card covered by the framelit and the top plate actually cuts. It will not cut the card where there is no top plate. 4. Run this though your Big Shot and you will then have a centrepiece that looks like this.

5. Snip off the excess piece. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts

Hidden Gate Fold Card 6. Burnish all the creases and make sure that the flap that you have cut folds over neatly. You may need to trim a sliver off the top of the card to make sure that the flap folds over and does not catch on anything. If you want the whole of your folded over flap to reach to the bottom of the card but don’t have a long enough framelit then follow the steps above and then cut an additional piece to cover the flap. You can make a longer flap by following the additional instructions below. 7. Measure the width of the flap that has been cut and which folds over. Mine measures 7.3 cm so I cut a strip of Whisper White card stock that measures 7.3 cm x 18.0 cm (you need it long enough to compensate for the piece that will be cut off the end by the framelit. 8. Feed the strip of card stock through the framelit so that only one end of it is under the cutting edge on the framelit.

9. Run it through the Big Shot in the normal way and will end up with a piece of card that has the detail that you want on one end and it then long enough to cover the whole length of the card. TIP my Big Shot is quite tight so running it through the whole length left an impression on the card stock. To avoid this only run through the end that is being cut.

10. Fix this new piece to the flap on the card and cut off the excess.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts

Hidden Gate Fold Card As an idea of what you can do, these are two of my finished cards. I’m still working on the third!

Above - Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack, Watermelon Wonder and Tip Top Taupe, Teeny Tiny Sentiments Stamp Set, Tuxedo Black Ink

Above - Go Wild Designer Series Paper Stack, Petite Petals, Flower Shop and Teeny Tiny Sentiments stamp sets, the Petite Petals and Pansy Punches, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, Basic Black and Watermelon Wonder Card, Watermelon Wonder and Tuxedo Black Ink. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Fiona Whitten – Independent Stampin’ Up! demonstrator Email : [email protected] http://oakfieldcrafts.blogpot.co.uk Facebook – Oakfield Crafts