Just recently it occurred to me that while I design three or four cards every week all year long, I rarely show you ‘fancy folds’. My card bases tend to be the basic piece of card folded in the middle and I’ve resolved to try and be a little more imaginative. So today I’ve added an extra scored line to create a simple Z-fold card.

Z-FOLD CARD BASE

Creating a z-fold card base is really simple and I usually prepare mine so it’s the same size as a normal A2 card.

Today I started by using my Paper Trimmer to cut a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Thick Whisper White Card. Then with the long edge at the top I scored it at 4-1/4″. This creates a basic card base. For the z-fold I simply flipped the card over so the other long edge was at the top, and I was seeing the other side of the card. Then I simply scored it at 2-1/8″.

After scoring I always fold my scored card with the grooved side out and the raised side in and that’s what I did today. So by scoring on the other side of the card I was still able to do that, and create the z-fold I was looking for. I folded the scored card in half, and then folded along the second scored line in the opposite direction.

To decorate the card I needed to do a little more cutting.

First I cut two pieces of Misty Moonlight Card 2″ x 5-3/8″. Then I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix these pieces to the front of the card. One piece was attached to the folded back part, and the other on what would normally be inside a regular card.

Next I found a really pretty blue and white pattern in the Flowers For Every Season 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. From one sheet I cut two pieces, each one 1-7/8″ x 5-1/4″. Then I glued these onto the Misty Moonlight panels on my card.

One of the things I love about Z-fold cards is the ability to include a centre panel that moves when the card is opened.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today I began by punching out a piece of Misty Moonlight Card using the Label Me Lovely Punch. Next I took the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder, opened it up and dragged the surface of a Misty Moonlight ink pad over the insides. Then I placed my punched piece inside the folder and embossed it as normal. Now when I opened the folder, not only was the piece embossed, but the ink had pressed into the embossing.

TIP – Clean the remaining ink from the embossing folder by holding it under running water. I speed up the drying process by ’embossing’ a piece of kitchen paper.

With the inked embossing done I turned to the Many Mates Stamp Set for my “Happy birthday” sentiment.

Using Misty Moonlight ink I stamped the sentiment onto some Whisper White Card. Next I punched it out using the Label Me Fancy Punch and attached it to the embossed piece with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then with Stampin’ Dimensionals just under the left side I fixed the assembled sentiment to the folded back section.

All I had to do now was use liquid glue to fix the remaining piece of DSP to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Then after trimming it with Paper Snips using the edge of the flap as a guide my project was complete.

Of all the ‘fancy’ folds this is probably one of the easiest. Although I used a punched piece to create my centre decoration I could just as easily used a simple cut piece. Or I could have gone really fancy and used an elaborate die-cut piece. The thing to remember is to make sure the decoration/sentiment is only attached to the folded back section of the card base. Once you’ve got the basic z-fold mastered, anything goes.

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