Fold Out Candle Card Tutorial

An extra special birthday deserves an extra special card! My sister in law recently celebrated her 50th birthday and I wanted to give her a card that commemorated each one of her 50 years.

Today I'm excited to share with you how to make a fold out candle card. This is the perfect project to highlight some of our Mirri Sparkle Glitter paper and I love how the Red Wagon Glitter paper "lights up" the candle flames. You can adapt this card by sets of 10, so use it to celebrate 30, 40, 50, 60 and beyond! Just add the appropriate amount of candles. 

To get started, you can tackle this card one of two ways. First, if you have a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine, you can buy the SVG file here. Or, you can certainly freehand this project as directions are provided below. 

Supplies:

• Mirri Sparkle in Black Diamond
• Mirri Sparkle in Red Wagon
• Mirri Sparkle in Silver
• Neenah Stardream in Silver 
• Neenah Stardream in Onyx
• Sentiment Stamps
• Candle Stamp or Die cut

Let's get started! To begin, cut a cardstock piece measuring 2" x 5.5". This is the center panel to which all other extensions will be attached. 10 candles will be adhered to this center panel. 

For each additional set of 10 candles, cut a piece of cardstock 2" x 7.5" and score in from one side 2" (see picture). Note that you are adding panels to either side of the center, so you need to rotate which side you score in from (again, see picture). 

At this point, let's also create the base card to which our fold out candles will be adhered. The card for this is unique in that it will fold UP to contain the candles (think of how a taco folds). The dimensions for this base card are 5.5" x 8.75". 

The base card has two crease lines to create a tiny book spine fold. Once your candles are folded into the card, it's a bit thick, so your card base needs some extra room at the crease. You can achieve this by placing score lines at 4.25" from both the top and bottom of the card. 

Next let's attach our side panels by adhering the “flap” on each side panel behind the base piece on either side, being sure to line up the score line with the edge of the center candle piece. If you have more than one set of candles on either side, adhere another panel on either side by adhering the flap on the back of the previous set of candles, being sure to line up score lines.

Now it's time to add the candles. If you are using the SVG cut file, the candle backgrounds are placed for you already. If you are doing this freehand, grab a candle stamp or die cut and cut out as many candles as you need. Start in the center of the center panel and glue a candle down. Before you affix the first one, test your placement by making sure that when the candle panel is inside the base card piece, the candles are not sticking out the top of the card. There are 10 candles per panel, so if you start adhering in the center and work out, you should be able to get them evenly spaced. 

Once you've got your candles all glued down, open the base card and lay it flat on your workspace, remembering that the final card base piece folds up like a taco.  Adhere the center candle piece to the TOP of the card base, matching the bottom of the center candle piece to the top score line of the base card center crease.

Now decorate the front of your card with stamps, a large die cut number or whatever you'd like. To close the card, accordian fold the panels into the center from each side. 

There you have it! This fold out candle card is such a stunning card to give and so fun for the recipient. They can open the card and display at the birthday celebration! 

-Michelle Price