Making an interactive greeting card.
I made a double slider greeting card to give my nephew following his recent graduation from technical school as a member of the Navy Reserves. I included a pocket for cash, because who doesn't like receiving some spending money for a job well done?
Updated 07-13-2021 to included alternative text to images.
Supplies and Stuff
These were the items I used to make a double slider greeting card:
Paper cutter and score tool
Heavy cardstock paper (12" x 12")
Decorative pattern paper
Double-sided permanent tape
Scissors
Resealable plastic sandwich bag (thin, flexible plastic sheet)
Pen or marker
Keep in mind that some of the supplies I listed can be substituted. For example, a ruler will work well if you don't have a paper cutter and score tool. You could use the ruler to measure and as a tool to make clean folds in the paper. A paper cutter just makes things a tad easier if you have one available.
Cutting the Card Base
While I've seen many videos on making a double slider (a.k.a. double pull tab) greeting card, it was easier for me to make this interactive card with a tangible item to reference.
I dissected the SIM Kit packaging to see the inner workings. I then replicated it to create my own template with measurements as seen in the image above. After my first attempt making a template, I then replicated it again into a graduation money card as you'll see through this post.
I cut a 12"x12" sheet of navy-blue heavy cardstock paper down to 5-1/2"x12". Thin, lightweight cardstock won't work with the measurements since the packaging source I referenced was designed for thick, sturdy cardstock.
Heavy cardstock will make this greeting card bulky. It didn't bother me since I'm handing this to my nephew and not sending it through the mail. If you send it through the mail, you may need additional postage depending on the final weight.
Following the SIM Kit packaging design, I cut out tab slots to allow my nephew to pull out the slider easily. These were cut 1/4" into the card base. I found it easy to cut these out with scissors.
I had a physical reference I was able to trace to determine the placement of the tab slots, but I recommend doing this step after you score and fold the card base. It'd be easier for you to see where to cut tab slots to fit your design.
Other crafters used a hole punch to tie a ribbon to a card that slides out instead of tab slots. This seemed like an easier option if you'd like to give it a try.
I made six score lines at 3-1/8", 3-1/4", 6-3/8", 6-5/8", 9-3/4", and 10". I folded on each scored line to finish this part of the card base.
Making the Sliding Part
I cut a sheet of white heavy cardstock down to two 3-1/8"x5-3/8" notecards. These will be inside the card base until it's slid out for viewing.
I cut out a tab slot on one of the notecards.
The notecard without the tab slot was later labeled with the word "Pull" for my nephew to operate the sliding part of this card. Having the tab slot cut out of the other notecard will prevent my nephew from accidentally pulling at both notecards instead of just one. Pulling at both would prevent the slide from happening.
I made a simple pocket for the notecard with the tab slot. I cut a sheet of pattern paper down to approximately 3-1/2"x5-1/2". My goal was to cut the sheet slightly larger than the notecard.
I folded three sides of the pattern paper and cut out the corners where the folds met. This kept the folded flaps less bulky at the bottom corners.
I cut a tab slot on the end without a fold. I did so to make the money I placed into it visible to my nephew so he wouldn't miss it and throw money away.
The flaps folded behind the pattern design of the paper. I ran double-sided permanent tape along the folded flaps.
I adhered the pattern paper onto the notecard with the tab slot. With this, I created a pocket to place money for my nephew.
Later, I folded the edges of the tab slot on the pattern paper. Before doing so, the edge would stop the card from sliding properly. The fold made the slide smooth without any snags on the edge of the card base.
I cut a resealable plastic sandwich bag to approximately 2-3/8"x10". Really, it should be smaller than the width of the notecards and long enough to wrap around one end of the card base.
I wrapped the cut plastic around the end of the card base (right end if you refer to the measurement image). I made sure it was tight enough to still slide around the card base with ease.
I adhered the two ends of the plastic together with double-sided permanent tape and cut off excess plastic with scissors. I slid the plastic to make sure I didn't mistakenly adhere it to the card base.
With the end of the card base folded and plastic still wrapped around it, I ran tape along the left edge of the plastic.
I placed the notecard without the tab slot over the plastic. I made sure to apply pressure to the part of the notecard that 'touched' the tape. This is where I'll write my personal message for my nephew.
I ran tape along the edge of the notecard with the tab slot. I didn't tape directly to the plastic a second time for fear of placing the notecard off-kilter.
I placed the notecard with the tab under the folded end of the card base wrapped with plastic. I made sure the tab slot of the notecard aligned with the tab slot of the card base.
Once aligned, I pressed the folded end of the card base down onto the notecard with the tab slot.
I folded the card base into its boxy rectangular shape and tested to the sliding part to see if any adjustments needed to be made. In my case, the slide worked smoothly.
Finishing Touches
I adhered the end of the card base with double-sided permanent tape when I was happy with the results of the slide. I only did this after I was satisfied with the slide and knew I wouldn't adjust the inner workings of the card any further.
I cut a different sheet of pattern paper to a size slightly larger than the size of the folded card base. I adhered the paper to what I decided to be the card front with double-sided permanent tape.
I used scissors to cut off the excess around the card base because I was too lazy to measure the sheet in the first place. Laziness sometimes means extra, unnecessary steps to take.
I used foam letter stickers to add my nephew's name to the card front. These stickers were part of an old craft kit someone gifted me years ago, but I've also seen foam letter stickers at dollar stores.
My Thoughts
Making a double slider greeting card gets easier and quicker with practice. Before I had a SIM Kit package to reference, I initially made errors with my first slider card attempts.
Having a tangible reference was nice and all, but practice and making my own adjustments proved best.
What's Next?
My nephew's graduation is tomorrow, and I hope to hand him his handmade card soon. I know he'll appreciate the pocket and its content!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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