How to Make a Reindeer Pop-Up Card

Pop-up cards add delight and surprise to your Christmas greetings. And, with just a blank card and some simple materials from around the house, you can create an adorable reindeer pop-up card for all of your loved ones this Christmas season.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• At least two colors of medium-weight construction paper
• Folding tool (bone, knitting needle or credit card)
• Utility knife
• Blank gift card
• Paper glue
• Gift card envelope

1. Fold your paper materials in half. Flatten the centerline with the folding bone (anything that will score the fold nicely will do).

2. Draw the reindeer parts, using the centerfold as a reference: brown body with ears and legs, brown face and white antlers. You will want to keep each side as close to the other as possible.

3. Add tabs on each side of each object. You will need at least one tab on each side to glue the object down.

4. Cut your reindeer pieces out with a utility knife. Reinforce the score with your folding tool.

5. Fold the tabs under the antlers (they shouldn't be visible.) Add a drop of glue to the side that will face the card. Align the score with the centerline of the card and gently press the tabs in place. Press long enough to keep the antlers reasonably secure, but not absolutely fixed.

6. Add the body then finish with the face. Test the positioning to make sure they line up with the antlers before the glue is absolutely fast. Test the fold to make sure your reindeer pops up correctly.

7. Embellish your card with sprinkles, or attach a tiny ornament with thread. Don't forget to add your message.

Tips & Warnings

• Use different shades of paper to create more than one shade of antlers. This will add depth to the pop-up. Fold and paste a dark brown oval as the first layer to make your reindeer appear to be mounted as a trophy.
• You can create tracing paper templates for your parts. Fold and score your tracing paper, then draw half of the part (for instance, the face) with dark pencil. Turn the tracing paper over and trace the second half. Then place the lead side face down on your construction paper, and rub the tracing with your bone or credit card. Enough of the lead will transfer to your construction paper to trace the outline for cutting.
• You can draw the eyes on the face, or trim them with the utility knife.
• Make sure the drawings fold away from the scoring line (the score is closest to you and the paper edges farther away.) You want your reindeer to pop up, not down.
• Always use a new blade. Older blades can tear the edges.

Resources

• Reindeer templates