This month's make is a zig-zag card. You could make this as a mini scrapbook to give to a friend with scrapbook elements such as photos and things like ticket stubs etc. Alternatively you could use a co-ordinating card making collection to decorate your zig-zag card. In the photograph below ⤵︎ of the zig-zag card I've made I've used a co-ordinating scrapbook collection that came with co-ordinating papers, elements and stickers.
Difficulty rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
What you will need:
- 3 pieces of card (around 300gsm to give your card enough stability)
- Precision paper trimmer
- If you don't have this you could use a ruler and craft knife on a cutting mat
- Scoring blade on your paper trimmer
- If you don't have this you could use a scoring board or a ruler and scoring tool
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Eraser
- Paper creaser/boning tool or a ruler will be fine if you don't have one
- Medium thickness (around 1 or 1.5cm) double sided sticky tape
- Glue - quick drying craft glue and also a glue stick
- Things to decorate and embellish
- Patterned, plain paper and special effect paper
- Washi tape
- Stickers
- Die cut elements - bought or ones you can make yourself
- Card toppers
- Stamps
- Sentiments - stickers, stamps, die cut, card topper ones etc
- Scrapbook items
- Plus anything things else you would like to use
How to make your zig-zag card...
Step 1
You your paper trimmer with your first piece of card cut a piece of card 15cm in hight and 21.5cm in length
With your second piece of card cut it 15cm in hight and 20cm in length
With your third piece of card cut two lengths of card ⤵︎
- One will be 9cm in hight and 19.5cm in length
- The other will be 9cm in height and 18 cm in length
Step 2
With the 21.5cm long piece of card score at 10cm, and 20cm - this should give you two 'pages' of your zig-zag card and a 1.5cm strip for your double sided sticky tape to attach the second piece of card (but don't join your two pieces of card just yet).
With your second piece of card score it in half at 10cm.
At each score line crease each line down using a paper creaser or boning tool if you have one alternatively you could use a ruler.
Step 3
With your first strip of 9cm by 19.5cm score at 5cm, 9.5cm and 15cm
This should give you a 5cm page, two 6.5cm pages and a 1.5cm strip for you double sided sticky tape.
With your second strip of 9cm by 18ccm score at 5cm, 9.5cm - this will give you two 6.5cm pages and a 5cm page
Crease down each score line.
Step 4
Put your double sided sticky tape on the 1.5 cm strip on both the main page and the inner 9cm piece of card that has a 1.5 cm strip which you will later piece together.Step 5
On your two main 'pages' of card measure out in the centre the area you will need to cut out - this will a 5cm by 10cm rectangle with a 2.5 cm border around (see photo).
Using your precision paper trimmer, or if you don't have one you could use a craft knife on a cutting mat, cut out these two inner rectangles. These will be used to thread in your inner zig-zag pages.
Step 6
Join both the bigger pieces of card together; (this will help you work out the front and back pages). Make sure that you line up the join just right so that it easily folds but theres no lose gap on the 1.5cm strip.
Decorate the front and back pages - this is the side of card behind the page that doesn't have a rectangle cut out of the middle (see photo below ⤵︎ ). This won't be seen when your zig-zag is displayed but I find it nice to do this for presentation for when the card is folded up.
* Note: Ensure that you decorate each page correctly and the right way up.
So I've now decorated the front and back pages of my card ⤴︎ I've left the back page plain for me to write on for when I send this card to a friend.
I've used a stamp sentiment which says 'Butterfly Wishes & Flower Petal Wishes' and border at the bottom of the card. I've also used brown kraft paper, paper from the First Edition 'Paper Flowers' paper pad and the 3D butterflies (which were a gift) from HobbyCraft.
You might be able to see in the photo how and where I've joined the two pieces of card together. The 1.5cm strip with doubled sided sticky tape on joins on the back of the card.
Step 7
Join your inner insert zig-zag pages in the same way as you did in the previous step.
Decorate the four inner 6.5cm by 9cm pages and the two end 9cm by 5 cm pages.
Step 8
Decorate the 4 pages - one the two pages with the cut out frames you can use your precision trimmer to make a frame or you could cover the page then flip it over and use a craft knife on a cutting mat to cut the centre piece out. Alternatively as shown below you could make 4 strips of card to fit the frame and affix them around the edge.
Step 9
On the inside end pages of your card measure out centrally a 5cm long line 3cm from the top and another from the bottom.
This will be where you affix the two 5cm end pieces of your inner zig-zag - it's important to affix them centrally as it will ensure that you can close your zig-zag card (I've learnt this from my own mistake with making this card).
Step 10
Once everything is decorated and dried thread your inner strip through the two cut outs.
Affix both ends of the inner strip to the two end pages ensuring they are lined up and central (you may want to use an eraser to get rid of the pencil line). Let it dry and...
Voilá!
