I've created a fun interactive card with a festive piñata theme and I've written a comprehensive step by step tutorial with photos.

Before I begin the tutorial, here are a couple of other views of my finished project
STEP BY STEP:
Part 1: Decorative
elements
·
Cut Rinea foil 4” x 6” sheets in Starstruck (patterned)
in emerald, violet and sapphire into small strips approximately 1 – 1¼” with a
paper trimmer so you have at least 4 strips that are 1¼”H x 4", then add double
sided adhesive (ATG) to back of foil covering completely and stick to paper as
shown, slightly overlapping the colors and leaving no gaps
·
Trim the copy paper around the foil so it will
fit into the die cutting machine.
·
Die cut the large donkey die out of the Hero
Arts piñata set as shown above
·
Using the two candy dies (lollipop and wrapped
candy) die cut several out of the remaining pieces of foil left after die cutting the donkey
until you have several pieces. I believe
I had around 25 pieces to fill in the background. (not all shown in the photos
below)
o
Tip: to
get more variation in the candy, take advantage of the places where two colors
come together so one part of the die cut is a different color. I did this on all of the lollipops
·
Before using up all the leftover foil, die cut the
“eye” of the donkey from the purple and green foil, which cuts two separate
pieces. One part looks like a little
moon (as you can see in the picture below).
You could discard the little moon shaped piece - I chose to use both.
·
cut a small piece of copy paper and tape (ordinary
scotch tape) on the back side of the donkey die cut so there is something to
glue the eye die cut pieces on.
·
Put some liquid adhesive onto the eye area
(where you see the copy paper from the front) and place the eye die cut pieces.
Part 2: Build card
base
·
Trim the 8 ½” x 11 white cardstock in half
lengthwise at 4 ¼” – this will leave you with two pieces measuring 4 ¼” x 11” (save
2nd piece for another card base)
·
Score one of the pieces at the halfway mark (5 ½”)
so when folded you have a top folding card (standard A2 size card base) – do not
fold yet
·
Before folding the base, a window will need to
be cut out of the part that will become the card front – at this time also have
the 4 ¼” x 5 ½” piece of black cardstock ready as it will form the frame around
the window when card base is assembled
·
Prep the card base plus black cardstock as shown
below – the black piece of cardstock is laying on top of the bottom half of the
white, temporarily taped so that it stays aligned with the edges. Place the smaller (3 ¼” x 4 ½ ”) rectangle die
in the middle, leaving equal space around all sides. Using a ruler is best to ensure the placement
is correct unless you are very confident with eyeballing it.
·
Die cut the assembled piece – you may need to
run through a few times or add an additional shim depending on your die cutting
machine. You will be left with a window
in the center of the white card base.
Save the outer frame of the black cardstock for the next step.
·
Take the black cardstock frame and place the
larger (4” x 5¼”) rectangle die on it so you will have a thinner frame after
die cutting it. Save for assembly of
card.
Part 3: Acetate window & swinging piñata
·
The white card base created in prior section is
needed for this step as well as the piece of acetate
·
Using double sided adhesive tape (1/8” Scor tape
or similar), place the tape around the edges of the window (make sure you are adding
tape to what will become the inside of the card)
·
Pull off part of the backing so only a small
portion of the adhesive is exposed, which will help you align the acetate
easier. By placing the acetate first on
the non-exposed adhesive, you can adjust the position then press down in the
corners where the adhesive is exposed.
It’s easy to then pull away the backing from underneath the acetate and
press down as it is removed.
·
Now it’s time to add the donkey to the top of
the frame. The twine should be taped to the
center, allowing enough room for the donkey to be positioned in the center of
the window when closed. It may take a few
adjustments to get this where you want it.
·
Cover the adhesive on the inside of the card die
cut another piece of white cardstock (can be the same white cardstock or a
lighter weight from your stash) starting at 4 ¼” x 5 ½” and die cutting out the
same size window with the smaller rectangle die, then glue over top of the
acetate with scor-tape, creating a sandwich that the acetate and twine is
sitting between. You can then trim off any excess twine outside the frame.
·
The picture shows what this looks like from the inside of the card at this stage. The “pretty” part of the piñata will be visible through the front of the card and swing freely when the card is opened. this also shows what the inside looks like by the completion of Part 4.
Part 4: Decorating inside of
card
·
Pre-arrange and glue all the candy die cuts on
the inside panel of the card base so when you are looking at the card you will
see them behind the donkey. Note the
picture below shows the arrangement before I had added the swinging pinata in
the prior step. You could do this in
either order as it doesn’t make a difference.
o
Tip:
tweezers or a tiny bit of low tack tape can be very helpful in picking
up the tiny pieces and adding glue.
·
Fold card base and reinforce fold with bone
folder.
Part 5: Decorating outside of card/stamping
·
Glue the thin black cardstock frame on the front
of the card to frame the acetate window from the front of the card
·
If using a block to stamp with, use the black
Staz on ink to stamp the first part of the sentiment which will be directly
near the bottom of the acetate window
o
Tip: use
of a stamping positioning tool like the MISTI is highly recommended if you have
one, as it allows you to stamp more than once if the first impression is not
good.
·
For the word “Fiesta”, stamp on the bottom
inside of the card (Versafine Black Ink) where it will only be visible when the
card is opened. Based on the exact supplies
I used, you have about ½” at the very bottom to get this result.
·
As a final touch for the inside I used a marker
spritzer and the three Tombow markers to add more interest to the background. You could also splatter with coordinating ink
if you prefer.
·
Another touch for the plain black frame on the
front is to add some glimmer using the Spectrum Noir sparkle marker (optional
but really does make a big difference).
Supplies (in order used):
Rinea Variety - Peacock artist’s pack AP12V-PEA: colors used: Starstruck emerald, violet &
sapphire
Sheet of copy paper
Double sided adhesive tape – ATG style
Hero Arts paper layering piñata die set
Die cutting machine (such as Sizzix Big Shot)
1 sheet of 8 ½” x 11” 110 lb white cardstock (I used Neenah
Solar White)
Hero Arts rectangle infinity nested dies (sizes needed: 4” x
5 ¼” and 3 ¼” x 4 ½”)
Low tack tape (such as painter’s tape, washi, etc)
Double sided adhesive tape – 1/8” scor tape or similar with
backing
Black medium weight (80 lb) cardstock – minimum size 4 ¼” x
5 ½”
Acetate - minimum size 4 ¼” x 5 ½”
Black & White twine – about 3-4”
Liquid Adhesive
Scissors
Paper trimmer
Bone folder
Simon Says Stamp Taco Party stamp set (or anything that will
fit the theme and size of stamping area)
Staz-on ink black (for stamping on acetate)
Versafine onyx ink (for stamping inside of card)
Stamp block or positioning tool (positioning tool like the
MISTI highly recommended)
Tim Holtz Marker Spritzer
Tombow markers: 725, 443 and 606
Spectrum Noir sparkle brush marker in Crystal Clear
Optional tools/supplies:
Regular tweezers (to pick up and place small die cuts)
Score board
MISTI stamp positioning tool
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