Easy Tri-Fold Birthday Card with Layered Heirloom Roses: Yippee for Yana
Hi friend! Please join me in welcoming back the oh-so-talented and amazing Yana Smakula! (Please note: our dear friend Yana is Ukrainian. To show support to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, please see Yana’s post HERE.)
Hello, crafters! This is Yana Smakula for Simon Says Stamp. Welcome back for another Yippee for Yana video!
Fun fold cards are always a delight to make, and they’re even more fun to receive. It has been quite some time since I last created a fun fold design, so for today’s project, I decided to revisit one of my favorites — a tri-fold card. This card style is surprisingly easy to construct and offers plenty of extra space for decorating, making it perfect for showcasing beautiful floral images (or any other images you’d like to use).
For this project, I used the new Heirloom Roses stamp set and coordinating dies from Simon Says Stamp. The layered floral images in this set are absolutely stunning, and if you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know I have a hard time resisting a good layering stamp set!
I began by creating the tri-fold card base. The construction is very simple and starts with two standard A2 side-folding card bases. One card base has a window opening die-cut into the front flap using an elongated hexagon die. The second card base slides inside the first one, creating additional flaps and extra space for embellishments and sentiments.
One small tip when creating this style of card is to trim a tiny sliver of cardstock from the edges of one of the card bases. This allows the card to open and close smoothly without buckling and ensures that the inside card base remains hidden from the front view.
With the card base complete, I moved on to stamping the florals. I stamped all of the roses onto Neenah Solar White 80lb cardstock using a stamping platform. Although the Heirloom Roses set is designed as a layering stamp set and creates beautiful results using ink alone, I wanted to add extra depth and dimension to the images.
To achieve this, I used blending brushes to apply darker ink directly onto the stamp layers before stamping. For each floral layer, I lightly tapped a darker coordinating ink color onto the base of the petals. This simple technique creates subtle shading and makes the flowers look more dimensional and hand-colored.
I used three pink ink colors for the rose layers and introduced a fourth, darker shade to create additional depth (Ballerina, Guava, Watermelon, Brick). The result is a beautifully shaded floral image that goes beyond traditional layered stamping.
The leaves received a similar treatment, but with even more color variation. I started with a light green base layer and gradually built color using blending brushes and progressively darker shades of green (Celery, Pearfection, Field). By leaving portions of the lighter color visible and concentrating darker colors toward the centers of the leaves, I was able to create realistic depth and dimension.
For the detailed leaf layer, I stamped using a deep Pine green and added a touch of black ink near the centers where the veins meet. While black may seem like an unexpected choice, it created a beautiful contrast and helped emphasize the intricate details of the leaf images.
Once all of the florals and leaves were stamped, I die-cut them using the coordinating dies and turned my attention back to the card base.
I used Simon Says Stamp Seafoam Cardstock for the 2nd card base and Neenah Solar white for the 1st one. To add texture, I embossed the second flap of the card using the Willowweave Stencil. Embossing with stencils is one of my favorite ways to add interest without introducing additional color. The subtle texture complements the florals beautifully and gives the background a sophisticated look.
I also used the coordinating Willowweave Die to create an intricate die-cut element that fits inside the window opening. By cutting the design from both white and seafoam cardstock and adhering them back-to-back, I was able to create a finished piece with clean edges visible from both sides of the card.
With all of the major elements prepared, it was time to assemble the card. I adhered the two card bases together, added the Willowweave window detail, and began arranging the floral die cuts.
For the front panel, I created a diagonal floral arrangement with a medium rose in the upper left corner and additional roses and leaves clustered in the lower right corner. This design helps guide the eye across the card and frames the window beautifully.
The birthday sentiment was created by stacking multiple die-cut layers to form a sturdy chipboard-style embellishment. Since the sentiment spans across the window opening, the extra layers help provide stability and durability.
One of the best parts about a tri-fold card is all of the extra decorating space. On the inside flap, I added additional roses and leaves that peek through the window opening when the card is closed. This creates a lovely surprise when the recipient opens the card and reveals even more floral details.
For the final panel, I stamped a heartfelt birthday greeting from the Inside Birthday Greetings stamp set. This gives the card a meaningful finishing touch while leaving plenty of room for a handwritten message.
To complete the design, I added a few gold gems for sparkle and shine.
I had so much fun creating this project. If you haven’t made a fun fold card in a while, I encourage you to give a tri-fold design a try. It’s easy to create, offers lots of room for embellishments, and makes a wonderful interactive card for birthdays and other special occasions.
Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!
WATCH THE VIDEO:
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Ways to support Ukraine:
If you are looking for ways to support Ukraine, we encourage you to visit this page on Yana’s blog:
A big thank you to YOU, our reader — and to Yana for being our guest!
(WAY cute!) Butterflies Trail Tote by Richele Christensen
Hi friend! Happy Saturday! I’m delighted to welcome back special guest Richele Christensen with this gorgeous tote inspiration using new Tim Holtz Palette Canvas Cloth fabric in the super popular Teal Butterfly pattern! Read on for all the details and enjoy!
Hello friends! Today I’m so excited to share the NEW Palette Canvas Cloth from the Tim Holtz Palette Collection. There is 16 favorite designs from the Palette Collection! The fabric has a soft textural feel and it’s easy to work with. For the exterior of my bag I chose the Palette Teal Butterfly fabric (one of my all time favorites from this collection). The Palette Multi Ticket was cut to include only the green, teal and blue section for the lining. The accent for the bag is the Palette Teal Marble. The pattern is the Trail Tote by Noodlehead, it’s a wonderful bag that can be worn as a crossbody and the instructions are easy to follow.
Gather your supplies, cut out your pieces and iron the interfacing on.
Sew the darts in the corners of the exterior and lining pieces of the bag.
Mark the lines for the exterior pocket zipper. Sew on the lines, trim and flip pocket to the inside, press well.
Use a little glue stick to hold zipper in place and then top stitch close to the edges.
Work on the lining construct the inside pocket and sew to the lining piece.
Sew bag together leaving an opening for turning. Insert the handle tabs on each side.
Turn bag right side out, push lining to the inside and press well.
Stitch the hole closed used for turning. Top stitch around the top edge.
Add buckle to strap and sew ends in place.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I can’t wait to see some of your projects with this beautiful Canvas Cloth. Happy Sewing! -Richele
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A big thank you to YOU, our reader — and to Richele for being our guest!
It’s Christmas JOY in July with Cathy Zielske! Don’t miss this exclusive Limited Edition Kit + FREE CLASS!
Christmas is HERE—and it’s absolutely FABULOUS! Unwrap the brand-new Limited Edition CZ Christmas Joy in July Card Kit, packed with festive cheer and 6 exclusive, never-before-seen products— only available in this kit!
Join the amazing Cathy Zielske, from CZ Design, and student Heidi, founder of Simon Says Stamp, for a FREE live class on July 17 at 12 PM ET on our Simon Says Stamp YouTube channel and craft three joyful holiday projects (and perhaps some bonus content?!) using the kit’s one-of-a-kind stamps, dies, and a stencil. Can’t join live? No problem—it’ll be there to rewatch anytime!
Missed our live announcement? Catch the rewatch below!
Kit contents include:
- NEW CZ Design Christmas Joy Stamps
- NEW CZ Design Christmas Joy Coordinating Die Set
- NEW CZ Design Christmas Joy Stencil
- NEW CZ Design Tag To and Froms Stamps
- NEW CZ Design Tag To and Froms Dies
- NEW CZ Design Triangle Tags
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Ballerina Ink Cube
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Fairy Ink Cube
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Aspen Ink Cube
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Sage Ink Cube
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Surf Ink Cube
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Ocean Ink Cube
- Custom Jar of Tim Holtz Ranger Rock Candy
- 2 Small Simon Says Stamp Blending Brushes
- 1 Simon Says Stamp Mini Pawsitively Perfect Craft Glue
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Starshine Confetti
- Simon Says Stamp Exclusive Silver Embossing Powder
- 1 sheet of Simon Says Stamp Foam Squares
- 1 Yard of Simon Says Stamp Silver Cord
- 1 Sheet of Simon Says Stamp Sage Heavyweight Cardstock
- 1 Sheet of Simon Says Stamp Cotton Candy Heavyweight Cardstock
- 1 Sheet of Simon Says Stamp Audrey Blue Heavyweight Cardstock
- 1 Sheet of Silver Tim Holtz idea-ology Kraft Stock
- 3 Sheets of Neenah Solar White 110 lb Cardstock
If there weren’t already enough reasons to be excited about this kit, here’s another! Valued at just over $131 when purchasing these products individually, this kit can be yours for the mega value deal of $99.99 with a free class to boot! WOW! Don’t miss out on this hand-curated kit for endless creative possibilities!
Basic supplies to have for class:
- Die cutting machine
- Magnetic Wand
- Misti or other stamp positioner
- Clear Embossing Ink
- Heat Embossing Tool
- Anti-Static Powder Tool
- One sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch copy paper for making templates, cut into 4.25 x 5.5 inch pieces
- Dot Runner Adhesive
- Trays for sorting die cuts (optional)
- No. 2, No. 4, or No. 6 round paintbrush (the smaller the better)
- Glue pen (optional)
- 6 Inch T-Ruler (or other ruler)
- 2.5 Inch Clear Stamping Block
- Big Momma Tape (optional, as you will get foam squares in your kit!)
- Boop dish (optional)
- Place and Score / Place and Pierce Tools
- Pencil or Very Thin Black Marker
- Eraser
- Black Dye Ink
- Tim Holtz Media Grip Mat (cut one piece to be 4.25 x 5.5 inches to use as a glue pad!)
- Post-It notes for masking
- White gel pen (optional)
Homework:
A bit of cutting if you want to prepare!
- One sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch copy paper for making templates, cut into 4.25 x 5.5 inch pieces
- Cut Tim Holtz Media Grip Mat to 4.25 x 5.5 inch size (optional, but a great trick for a glue pad!)
