Cherry Blossom Fun Fold Card

I recently started Level 3 of the Altenew Educator Certification Program (AECP), and my first level 3 class is one of my favorites of all the 21 classes I've now taken: 3D Floral Focus with Therese Calvird as the instructor. I love Therese, and I love 3D floral die sets, so this was really the perfect class for me!

My homework was to apply one of the lessons from the class to create a card. I wanted to make a fun fold card since those are my favorite type to create, and I wanted to use papers from Your Paper Insider's Box 13 which releases today to the general public. As a member of the YPI Design Team, I received Box 13 a little while ago and have been having a great time playing with all the beautiful papers! This card uses only YPI papers, and all of them are from Box 13 except the woodgrain paper I used for the cherry blossom branch. That one is Wood Kogagami, and it's from Box 12 (which you can now purchase separately from the subscription box on the website). These are the papers from Box 13 that I used: Key Lime Colormates Cardstock, Sicily Colorwheel Spellbinders, Red Wagon Mirri Sparkle, Marigold Thai Unryu, and Pumpkin Colormates Cardstock.

I started by trimming a piece of Sicily Colorwheel Spellbinders to measure 4 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches. That's my card base. Then for the fun fold I adhered to the card base, I trimmed a piece of Key Lime Colormates Cardstock to 5 1/2 by 7 1/4 inches.  I scored it at 1 5/8, 2 7/8, 4 11/16, and 5 13/16. Then I trimmed pieces of Sicily Colorwheel Spellbinders and Key Lime Pie to 7/8 by 5 1/4 (2 of each color) and embossed them using Altenew's Garden Harmony 3D embossing folder. I trimmed 2 pieces of Red Wagon Mirri Sparkle to 1 1/4 by 5 1/4 and adhered them to the larger panels of the pop-out center section. I adhered the narrow pieces to the card base and the inside side sections of the pop out. For the center of the card, I trimmed a piece of Marigold Thai Unryu adhered to Pumpkin Colormates Cardstock to 2 by 5 1/4 inches. 

For the inside of the pop out section, I die cut a piece of Woodgrain Kogogami using Altenew's Ornate Nesting Die set. Then I die cut several layers of the word "Hugs" from the coordinating dies for Altenew's Watercolor Roses Stencil Art set so that they would have some dimension. I added one of the flowers from the Cherry Blossom set to decorate the inside panel. 

Next, I created a belly band for the card using the same Marigold Thai Unryu adhered to Pumpkin Colormates Cardstock that I used for the center panel on the inside of the card. I trimmed the belly band to 2 by 11 inches and bent it around the card, gluing it shut in the back of the card.

To decorate the belly band, I die cut the pieces from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Cherry Blossom set. This is a beautiful set that requires some time to do it justice, but it's worth the effort! I used the coordinating papers for the flowers that I used for the card base and pop out section. It's hard to see, but I even used the Marigold Thai Unryu papers for the middle parts of some of the flowers. Once I assembled my cherry blossom branch, I was careful to add glue only the parts that have the belly band behind them. Once I adhered the branch to the belly band, I die cut the phrase "sending love" and its shadow using the coordinating dies from Altenew's Strong Oak Stencil Art set and adhered that to the belly band. I then added 3 of Altenew's Emerald City Gem Sparkles to the belly band to finish the card. 

If you'd like to learn how to subscribe to Your Paper Insider's quarterly box of specialty papers, I'd be so grateful if you shopped with my affiliate link. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider.  And if you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Again, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Altenew carries many lovely 3D floral die sets like the one I used here that are easy to assemble using Altenew's patented keyhole system. 

Challenges I'm entering: 

Creative Creases Challenge: I'm on the DT so just linking up for fun

little red wagon: Captain's Log (faux wood: I used woodgrain paper for the branch of my cherry blossom die set) (1/3; ends 10/22/25)

Triple B: ATG with birds, blooms, and/or butterflies (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 3/10 for the challenge; ends 10/22/25)

Heart's Quest for Shaped Cards and Tags: ATG with shaped cards or tags (3/5; ends at the end of the month)

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist: Think Pink (3/8; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with optional twist of pumpkins (5/8; ends at the end of the month)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (I think my flowers are cute!) (6/6; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz: ATG (3/3; ends 10/23/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

This card is my AECP homework for the class 3D Floral Focus: Lesson 1: Create a project with 3D floral dies and Lesson 5: use design paper with 3D floral dies (I used Marigold Thai Unryu and Red Wagon Mirri Sparkle specialty papers for my flowers)

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

 

Grateful Fall Card

I was recently part of an IG hop coordinated by a wonderful cardmaker who has become a friend of mine through our Altenew connection. She lives in Canada, and I tried to send her a package of crafty goodies as a thank you for coordinating the hop. The post office told me there would be $138 in duties, tariffs, etc. for her to pay when it arrived. I dropped that idea and tried to mail the fun fold card I had made her. That was going to cost me nearly $20 because its thickness meant it counted as a package rather than a letter. So hopefully the third time is a charm because I made this standard A2 card for her! Of course now the Canadian postal service is on strike, so who knows when it will reach her, but I feel like I've tried my hardest at this point! 😂

For this card, I started with an A2 size panel of white cardstock that I sprayed with Altenew's Orange Cream Shimmer Spray. I let that dry and die cut a couple pumpkins from Altenew's Pretty Pumpkins set using paper I had painted with acrylic paints in fall colors. I die cut the stems from some watercolor cardstock I had ink smooshed with brown inks. I think they were Altenew's Cocoa Cream and Choco Hazelnut. I found a couple leaves I had previously die cut using Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die and Your Paper Insider's Mars Stardream metallic shimmer paper and decided how I wanted to arrange them with my little pumpkins. Then I embossed the background panel using Altenew's 3D Pumpkin Patch embossing folder. I adhered it to the card base with Art Glitter glue and then added my pumpkins and leaves, being careful not to add any extra dimension (it was hard not to add foam tape! but I wanted this card to be thin enough to go as a letter!). I then used my new One-Go Solid Sentiments 3 press plate by Altenew with more of the ink smooshed watercolor paper to create a batch of thank you sentiments. I die cut them with the coordinating die and chose the "I'm truly grateful" sentiment for the front of the card. Now I have a bunch of thank you sentiments ready for upcoming cards. 

For the inside of the card, I added another leaf from the Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die along with the "thankful for you" sentiment. This is the most CAS card I've made in a long time! Fun folds are my favorites, but it's good for me to add some variety to my cards!

If you'd like to learn how to subscribe for your own quarterly box of specialty papers from Your Paper Insider, I'd be so grateful if you shopped with my affiliate link. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider.  And if you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Again, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I highly recommend their One Go: Solid Sentiments press plates and coordinating die (the die works with all 3 of the press plates, and I imagine they will add more to the series for different occasions at some point). It's so handy to make up a batch of sentiments all at once. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog: Ink Blending and/or Fall/Thanksgiving + a sentiment (2/5; ends at the end of the month)

{Cupcake Inspirations}: Fall Harvest (2/3; ends 10/17/25)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 2/10 for the challenge; ends 10/22/25)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist: Think Pink (2/8; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with optional twist of pumpkins (4/8; ends at the end of the month)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (I think my pumpkins are cute!) (5/6; ends at the end of the month)

Pearly Sparkles Challenge Blog: Challenge 112 - Pumpkins and/or Autumn Leaves: Pumpkins and/or autumn leaves (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting: My 3, 2, 1 recipe:    3 Colors - Shades of Fall  (brown, orange, and rust) 

     2   Images: pumpkins and leaves

     1   Stenciled or Dry-Embossed Element (my background features the 3D Pumpkin Patch embossing folder) 

Thing 3: I have pumpkins  Thing 2: I have entered this in the Pearly Sparkles challenge (1/4; ends 10/26/25)

Crafty Catz: ATG (2/3; ends 10/23/25)

Paper Rocks Scissors: ATG with paper and/or scissors (5/5; ends at the end of the month)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Can You Handle The Pressure?: ATG with a twist of fall harvest (1/3; ends 10/22/25)

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

Heartfelt Thanks Fan Fold Card

This card is a sneak peek of Your Paper Insider's Box 13 along with some papers from their Box 12. I have been wanting to try the fan fold for awhile now, and I thought this would be a good fold to showcase the beautiful papers I wanted to use.

I followed a tutorial by Susan Campfield here: Easy Fan Fold Card with Painterly Pears. I followed her measurements and instructions but decided the leftover gold triangle was too pretty to waste, so in my version, I added a triangle to the top right inside of the card. 

All the papers I used for this card are from Your Paper Insider. It's such a gift to be on the YPI DT and to receive these pretty papers in the mail each quarter! If you'd like to learn how to subscribe for your own quarterly box of specialty papers, I'd be so grateful if you shopped with my affiliate link. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider. Here are the papers I used for this card: from Box 12: Deep Black Cadillac, Violet Thai Unryu, and Royal Purple Curious Skin; from Box 13: Black with Color Florals: Yuzenshi and Bright Gold Gloss Glitter. I also used YPI's watercolor paper for the sentiment strips. Box 13 starts shipping on 10/15/25 and Box 12 will be available for purchase separate from the subscription that same day. 

I decorated the fan fold card with a flower and foliage from Altenew's Mix Foliage die set and then used watercolor paper in my BetterPress with Altenew's One-Go: Solid Sentiments 3 press plate and the coordinating die. 

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Again, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

Challenges I'm entering: 

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 1/10 for the challenge; ends 10/22/25)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist: Think Pink (3/8; ends at the end of the month)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge ...: ATG (3/3; ends 10/17/25)

A Cut Above: ATG with die cuts (3/3; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with optional twist of pumpkins (3/8; ends at the end of the month)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (4/6; ends at the end of the month)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (4/4; ends 10/27/25)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting: My 3, 2, 1 recipe: 3 sentiment strips, 2 die cut foliage pieces, and 1 flower on the front (4/4; 10/13/25)

Allsorts challenge blog: Woodland Creatures or ATG (4/5; ends 10/10/25)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz: ATG (1/3; ends 10/23/25)

Word Power: ATG with words as the focus (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Paper Rocks Scissors: ATG with paper and/or scissors (I used scissors to trim off the overhanging edges of my die cuts) (4/5; ends at the end of the month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: ATG with dies (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends 10/12/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (2/6; ends 10/12/25)

Triple B: ATG with birds, blooms, and/or butterflies (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge: ATG with pattern papers (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Inspiring creativity 8-ways each week: Foliage/leaves, free, thank you (1/3; ends 10/23/25)

Crispy Leaves Mixed Media Card

I recently took a class led by Altenew Educator Ishani S that featured Altenew's new Crispy Leaves die set. For this card, instead of ink blending like Ishani did, I decided to use some new metallic acrylic paints in fall colors to paint a sheet of watercolor paper. I just added the colors randomly with more orange than the other 3 colors. The colors I used were: Finnabair Sparks Dragon's Eye and Butterfly Spells, and Art Alchemy Metallique Coral Reef and Gold Amber. I allowed the paper to dry before die cutting Altenew's Crispy Leaves Die Set and Altenew's Fine Rings: Circles Die Set. 

All the papers I used were from Your Paper Insider, including the watercolor paper. The other papers are all from Box 12: Chlorophyll Yellow Gmund Reaction for the card base, Gold Diamond Glitter, and Salzburg Gmund Ever (the cream-colored paper with beautiful texture). If you'd like to learn more about Your Paper Insider's quarterly mystery boxes or other paper products, I'm including my affiliate link here. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider. Box 12 will continue shipping until October 8, and then Box 13 will start shipping on October 15. 

I arranged my circles and leaves onto the Salzburg Gmund Ever paper and adhered them using Art Glitter liquid glue. I trimmed off any overhanging edges and then adhered the panel to the Gold Diamond Glitter cardstock. I adhered that panel to the card base of Chlorophyll Yellow Gmund Reaction cardstock (a great heavyweight cardstock with 2 different tones--one side is greenish gold with a metallic sheen and the other side is a mossy green). I stamped "thinking of you" from Altenew's Craft-your-Life: Sweet Harvest project kit using both Altenew's Orange Cream Crisp Dye Ink and Spectrum Noir's Metallic Pigment ink in Rose Gold for a two-tone look. Then I finished the front of the card by adding Altenew's Earthy Rose Enamel Dots. 

For the inside of the card, I trimmed another panel of the Salzburg Gmund Ever paper and stamped "Sending you warm hugs" from the same Sweet Harvest project kit I used for the "thinking of you" sentiment. I again used both Orange Cream and Rose Gold inks to stamp the sentiment. Then I added another die cut leaf from the Crispy Leaves set to finish the inside of the card. 

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Again, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I highly recommend the Crispy Leaves set as the leaves are a great size and have so much detail to them. 

Challenges I'm entering:

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog: Ink Blending and/or Fall/Thanksgiving + a sentiment (1/5; ends at the end of the month)

{Cupcake Inspirations}: Fall Harvest (1/3; ends 10/17/25)

As You Like It Challenge: Square or not and why: I generally don't make a lot of square cards because the envelopes and postage are more expensive. This A2 card will be easy to mail (3/3; ends 10/15/25)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (3/5 for the week; 7/10 for the challenge; ends 9/24/25)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist: Think Pink (2/8; ends at the end of the month)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge ...: ATG (2/3; ends 10/17/25)

A Cut Above: ATG with die cuts (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with optional twist of pumpkins (2/8; ends at the end of the month)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (I think my leaves are cute!) (3/6; ends at the end of the month)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday: ATG (3/3; ends at the end of the month)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (3/4; ends 10/27/25)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting: My 3, 2, 1 recipe: More than 3 colors of acrylic paint, more than 2 die cut leaves, and 1 sentiment on the front (3/4; 10/13/25)

Allsorts challenge blog: Woodland Creatures or ATG (3/5; ends 10/10/25)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz: Crafty Catz Challenge #701: ATG (3/3; ends 10/9/25)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends 10/16/25)

Cut It Up: Use more than 1 die (3/3; ends 10/13/25)

Paper Rocks Scissors: ATG with paper and/or scissors (I used scissors to trim off the overhanging edges of my die cuts) (3/5; ends at the end of the month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: ATG with dies (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog: ATG (3/3; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends 10/12/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

 

Sweet Treats Mini Slimline Fun Fold for Your Paper Insider IG Hop

I recently joined the Your Paper Insider Design Team, and YPI was very generous and sent me a big box full of specialty papers like glitter cardstocks, watercolor papers, metallic and holographic cardstocks, acetate, vellum, and Japanese papers I'd never heard of before and many other kinds of papers! I'm sure those of you visiting my blog can relate to the pleasure of new specialty papers to play with and can picture my joy in unboxing all these beautiful papers! I've already posted several projects using the papers I was sent, but this is my first official project for the Your Paper Insider DT Instagram Hop starting today. I hope you'll join the fun over on Instagram. My handle is @carriesheridan.70. All papers used for this card are from Your Paper Insider. 

For this mini slimline fun fold card design, I followed a tutorial by Terri Gaines that you can watch here: Mini Slimline Fun Fold Cards & Envelopes with FREE PDF Templates. My mini slimline card is 3 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches scored at 2 1/2 on the long side. The mini card inside measures 2 inches by 8 1/2 inches and is scored at 4 1/4 inches. I used Double Cream Cordtone cardstock (from Box 2) for the slimline card base and the mini card base adhered to the inside of the larger card. 

Once I had the card bases completed, I added the layers to them. I trimmed a piece of Copper Curious Alchemy (from Box 12) to 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 and embossed it using Altenew's Ways to Thank You embossing folder. I adhered that piece to the left flap of the card. I trimmed a piece of Copper cardstock from YPI's Non-Shed Glitter Assortment pack to 3 1/4 by 5 3/4 inches and adhered it to the inside of the card. For the mini card, I trimmed a piece of Bronze cardstock from the same glitter cardstock assortment pack to 1 3/4 by 4 inches and adhered it to the front of the mini card. 

I die cut the pieces and assembled the cookies from Altenew's Sweet Treats Layering Die Set using the following papers from Box 12: Copper Curious Alchemy, Grocer Craft Environment Raw, Gold Gmund Treasury, Rust Colorplan Cardstock, and Mars Stardream. 

For the inside of the mini card, I added 2 more cookies and stamped and die cut "You are so sweet" from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Sweet Harvest project kit using more Grocer Craft Environment Raw cardstock. 

If you'd like to learn more about Your Paper Insider's quarterly mystery boxes or other paper products, I'm including my affiliate link here. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. Again, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I highly recommend the Sweet Treats set as it's so fun and can be used for many occasions. 

Close up of the cookies:

Challenges I'm entering:

Creative Creases #108 - October 3 till November 6, 2025: ATG with a fun fold. I'm on the DT, so I'm entering just for fun and inspiration

As You Like It Challenge: Square or not and why: I make a lot of fun fold cards like this one, so square cards aren't my favorite (but they are a good option to keep in the rotation!) (2/3; ends 10/15/25)

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge: Grandparents or ATG (2/2; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (2/5 for the week; 6/10 for the challenge; ends 9/24/25)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with optional twist: Think Pink (1/8; ends at the end of the month)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge ...: ATG (1/3; ends 10/17/25)

A Cut Above: ATG with die cuts (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with optional twist of pumpkins (1/8; ends at the end of the month)

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Inspiring creativity 8-ways each week: Die cut, orange, and fun fold (2/3; ends 10/9/25)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (I think my cookies are cute!) (2/6; ends at the end of the month)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday: ATG (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (2/4; ends 10/27/25)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting: My 3, 2, 1 recipe: More than 3 die cut cookies, 2 glitter papers, and 1 sentiment;  Extra entry for adding this to the Creative Creases Challenge as a DT member 

(2/4; 10/13/25)

Allsorts challenge blog: Woodland Creatures or ATG (2/5; ends 10/10/25)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (2/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz: Crafty Catz Challenge #701: ATG (2/3; ends 10/9/25)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (2/3; ends 10/16/25)

Cut It Up: Use more than 1 die (2/3; ends 10/13/25)

Paper Rocks Scissors: ATG with paper and/or scissors (2/5; ends at the end of the month)

Heart's Quest for Shaped Cards and Tags: ATG with shaped cards or tags (2/5; ends at the end of the  month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: ATG with dies (2/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog: ATG (2/3; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends 10/12/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

 

Box of Cookies Birthday Card for Creative Creases #108

There's a new challenge starting today on the Creative Creases Challenge blog, and I'm sharing a fun fold project that looks like a box of cookies. These cookies are great because they are calorie free and won't go stale! 

To start my cookie-themed birthday card, I followed Sam Calcott's instructions for the measurements here: Pop-Up Platform Box Card | Butchers Block Style for the base. Then I set out die cutting loads of cookies using Altenew's Sweet Treats Layering Die Set. It's such a fun set with all the cute cookies it creates!

The papers I used for this card are all from Your Paper Insider. I am thrilled to be on the first ever YPI Design Team, and I was sent a wonderful box full of goodies from them. I'm excited to make more projects with all the great papers they sent me. For this project, here are the papers I used: from Box 12: Dura-Lar Clear, Mars Stardream (a shimmery metallic in burgundy), Rust Colorplan (deep orange), Copper Curious Alchemy (another shimmery metallic paper), Gold Gmund Treasury (this cream-colored cardstock has flecks of gold in it that sparkle), Grocer Craft Environment Raw (dark brown cardstock).  Then I also used White EVO paper for the cookie box itself (sent in my Design Team box and available on the YPI website), and from Box 1: Tarasen Linen Yellow Pearl (the paper underneath the cookies). If you'd like to learn more about Your Paper Insider's quarterly mystery boxes or other paper products, I'm including my affiliate link here. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider

To make my Pop-Up Platform Box card, I trimmed 2 pieces of white EVO cardstock that were 7 by 7 1/2 inches and scored at 1/2 inch and 2 1/2 inches on the long side. These pieces were then folded and burnished along the score lines and adhered along the 1/2-inch score line to attach both pieces together to form a collapsible box. 

Next, I trimmed a piece of Dura-Lar Clear acetate to 7 by 7 inches and scored it at 2 inches. The acetate created the lid for my box. I adhered the 2-inch section to the back of the box and then covered the acetate with  more white EVO cardstock trimmed to 2 inches by 7 inches. To decorate the lid, I die cut 2 pieces of 5 by 7-inch Mars Stardream cardstock using a scalloped rectangle die in the center. I adhered one rectangle to the top of the acetate and the other rectangle to the bottom of the acetate, so the lid looks neat and tidy when lifted. 

Inside the box, I trimmed a piece of Tarasen Linen Yellow Pearl paper that looks like it could be the lining in a bakery box to 4 3/4 by 6 3/4 inches and adhered it to the top white panel. Then I arranged all my die cut cookies and adhered them using liquid glue for some of the cookies and Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape for others so the cookies appear to have some dimension in the box.

To finish the card, I stamped "happy birthday" using a stamp from Altenew's Mini Delight: Time to Celebrate set. I trimmed it and then die cut a hole in it using Altenew's Labels and Tags 1 set. I tied it to the top of the box using twine and adhered it with a couple micro glue dots. 

The box folds flat for mailing (I've included a photo showing this below).

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Altenew | Card Making, Scrapbooking & Paper Crafting Supplies. I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

I hope you'll share your fun-fold creations over on the Creative Creases Challenge blog here: Creative Creases Challenge. 

The card folds flat for mailing:

Challenges I'm entering: 

As You Like It Challenge: Square or not and why: I make a lot of fun fold cards like this one, so square cards aren't my favorite (but they are a good option to keep in the rotation!) (1/3; ends 10/15/25)

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge: Grandparents or ATG (1/2; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (1/5 for the week; 5/10 for the challenge; ends 9/24/25)

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Inspiring creativity 8-ways each week: Die cut, orange, and fun fold (1/3; ends 10/9/25)

Krafty Chicks Challenge: Birthday (unlimited; ends 10/9/25)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of Cute or Creepy (I think my cookies are cute!) (1/6; ends at the end of the month)

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Birthday (1/3; ends 10/5/25)

Ellibelle's Corner: Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday: ATG (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (1/4; ends 10/27/25)

Double Trouble Paper Crafting: My 3, 2, 1 recipe: More than 3 die cut cookies, 2 die cut frames and 2 pieces of white cardstock to create the box, and 1 sentiment;   Extra entry for adding this to the Creative Creases Challenge as a DT member 

(1/4; 10/13/25)

Allsorts challenge blog: Woodland Creatures or ATG (1/5; ends 10/10/25)

Polkadoodles Cardmaking, Craft & Scrapbooking Challenge: ATG (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafty Catz: Crafty Catz Challenge #701: ATG (1/3; ends 10/9/25)

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG (1/3; ends 10/16/25)

Cut It Up: Use more than 1 die (1/3; ends 10/13/25)

Paper Rocks Scissors: ATG with paper and/or scissors (I used scissors to cut my twine) (1/5; ends at the end of the month)

Heart's Quest for Shaped Cards and Tags: ATG with shaped cards or tags (1/5; ends at the end of the  month)

The Diva's that cut ....paper!: ATG with dies (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog: ATG (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends 10/12/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

A blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

Giving Gratitude Hop Fun Fold

I was recently invited to be part of the Giving Gratitude Instagram Hop. Something I'm especially grateful for is the community of crafters I'm blessed to be part of! Like many of the other participants, I have a giveaway for the hop. If you'd like to check that out, please visit my IG at @carriesheridan.70. 

For my gratitude card, I decided to use Altenew's Sweet Pumpkins set to decorate my 5 1/2 by 5 1/2-inch fun fold card base. This set has stamps, coordinating stencils, coordinating dies, and a coordinating 3D embossing folder! The sentiments were perfect for a thankful-themed card! I started by stamping the Sweet Pumpkins image using Altenew's Orange Cream crisp dye ink. Then I used the coordinating stencils to color in the Sweet Pumpkins image using the following colors of Altenew inks: Sunkissed, Orange Cream, Autumn Blaze, Firebrick, Burnt Red, and Caramel Toffee. After I finished ink blending all the images, I embossed them with the coordinating embossing folder. I also embossed a piece of Amber Stardream paper from Your Paper Insider's Box 12 that I had trimmed to 5 1/4 by 5 1/4 inches. All papers used on my card except the plain white cardstock are from that same box. I am very excited to be on the DT for Your Paper Insider starting next month! 

I created the fun fold base for this card by trimming white cardstock to 5 1/2 by 11 inches. I scored it at 5 1/2 and 2 1/8 inches to make the z-fold. Then I trimmed 3 pieces of Rust Colorplan cardstock to the following sizes: 1 3/4 inches by 3 3/4 inches, 1 3/4 inches by 4 3/8 inches, and 1 3/4 inches by 5 inches. I trimmed my stenciled and embossed panel into 3 smaller panels to fit on the Rust Colorplan cardstock: 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, 1 1/2 inches by 4 1/8 inches, and 1 1/2 inches by 4 3/4 inches. I adhered the stenciled panels to the Rust Colorplan panels and attached them to the left panel of the z-fold. Then I stamped and die cut the words "grateful," "thankful," and "blessed" using shades from Altenew's Warm and Cozy inks in an ombré pattern. I die cut several more of the words to stack behind the sentiments so they stand out better from the background. I adhered them with foam tape for even more dimension.

For the inside of the card, I adhered the Amber Stardream panel I had embossed with the Sweet Pumpkins embossing folder to the card base. Then I added a few die cuts from the same set. I used more of the Rust Colorplan cardstock for the pumpkin and leaves I die cut.

For the middle section, I trimmed a panel of Rust Colorplan to 2 1/2 inches by 5 1/4 inches and embossed it using Altenew's Ways to Thank You embossing folder. Then I die cut 3 leaves from Altenew's Mix Foliage set (this was a limited edition set from one of their retreats) using Gold Gmund Treasury, Amber Stardream, and Mars Stardream papers. I adhered them using foam tape. If you'd like to learn more about Your Paper Insider's quarterly mystery boxes or other paper products, I'm including my affiliate link here. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Altenew | Card Making, Scrapbooking & Paper Crafting Supplies. I highly recommend the Sweet Pumpkins set as it's so versatile, and the die cuts all the pieces at once. So quick and easy to use!

Prize pack I'm offering on my Instagram Giving Gratitude Hop post:

 Challenges I'm entering: 

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges**********: Halloween or Fall (1/3; ends 10/6/25) C10

Inspiration Station: ends at the end of the month (my card features a fall theme and fall colors like the inspiration photo)

Dream Valley Challenge: Autumn colors (ends 10/4/25) C10

Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game!: ATG with stencils with optional theme of nature (I used the coordinating stencils to color in the embossed pumpkins and leaves on the front of the card) (3/3; ends 10/4/25)

Can You Handle The Pressure?: ATG with an embossing folder and optional twist of trees/leaves(1/3; ends 10/8/25) Top Winner 10/10/25

Crafty Gals Corner: Fill in the blank: Fall ____ I chose Fall Colors (3/3; ends 10/6/25)

little red wagon: I'm Still Standing (projects of encouragement) (ends 9/30/25) Featured Project 9/30/25

613 Avenue Create: ATG with option of lots of leaves (7/8; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (4/5 for the week; 4/10 for the challenge; ends 10/8/25)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (4/5; ends 10/1/25)

No more challenges. 

I'd like to leave a blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26

Pop-Up Pumpkins Card

This card is part of my AECP final project for Level 2. One of the parameters of the challenge was to create a masculine anniversary card. My oldest son and his wife just celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary, so this card was created with them in mind. My grandchildren love interactive cards, so I usually make fun folds and pop up cards when I'm creating cards for their family. This time around, I thought I would try a pop-up design by Connie Stewart. If you'd like the measurements and instructions, you can find them here: DIY Cancer Support Pop Up Cards Tutorial Free Download Included.

I started by choosing a theme for the anniversary card and some sentiments I wanted to use. I chose a fall theme and went with Altenew's Sweet Pumpkins set and Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves die. I followed Connie's instructions for the measurements of all my papers and then used the Autumn Leaves die to emboss a fall pattern on the front panel. For the inside panels, I used Altenew's Sweet Pumpkins 3D embossing folder.

To decorate the card, I die cut some of the pumpkins from the Sweet Pumpkins set. I love that it includes a stamp, embossing folder, die and stencils to color the pumpkins and leaves. For this card, I only used the embossing folder and die (the die cuts all the pieces in one go. So clever!), but I've also used the stamp and stencils and loved how that looked, too. To go with my pumpkins, I die cut leaves from Altenew's Zero Waste: Autumn Leaves and their Zero Waste: Berries & Branches dies. I colored the stems of the pumpkins using my Ohuhu alcohol ink markers. 

For the sentiment on the front of the card, I die cut the word "celebrate" and its shadow from Altenew's Timeless Sentiments 2 die set. For the sentiments on the inside "wishing you a happy anniversary," I used Altenew's Build-A-Garden: Rose Gallica stamp set and the coordinating die for the word "happy." I adhered the sentiment using Altenew's Instant Dimension Foam Tape. 

The papers I used for this card are all from Your Paper Insider's Box 12. I am thrilled to be on the first ever YPI Design Team, and I was sent a wonderful box full of goodies from them, and I'm excited to make more projects with all the great papers they sent me. For this card, the names of the papers are: 

UltraWhite Smooth (for the card base), Mars Stardream (this burnt red paper has a beautiful metallic shimmery look to it), Amber Stardream (also shimmery), Rust Colorplan (a heavy duty orange cardstock), Dura-Lar Clear (the acetate for the pumpkin pop-ups), and Gold Gmund Treasury (I used this for the embossed panels, and it has beautiful flecks of gold in it that are hard to capture in my photos). If you'd like to learn more about Your Paper Insider's quarterly mystery boxes or other paper products, I'm including my affiliate link here. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you: Your Paper Insider

If you're interested in shopping at Altenew, I'd love it if you used my affiliate link here: Carrie's Altenew Link. I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I highly recommend the Sweet Pumpkins set as it's so versatile (you can stamp the pumpkins and leaves and/or emboss them, and then the coordinating die cuts all the pieces at once. So quick and easy to use!

Challenges I'm entering: 

Creative Creases #107: I'm on the DT and entering just for fun and inspiration

Can You Handle The Pressure?: ATG with an embossing folder and optional twist of layers (the pumpkins were embossed with an embossing folder before being die cut with the coordinating die. I used the same embossing folder to emboss the panels on the inside of the card, but that may not count since it's inside the card) (2/3; ends 9/24/25)

Crafty Gals Corner: Fill in the blank: Fall ____ I chose Fall Colors (2/3; ends 10/6/25)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/: Sentiment as the focus (1/5; ends 9/29/25)

Digi Choosday Cardmaking & Crafting Challenge: ATG (4/4; ends 9/29/25)

Double D Challenges: Make Your Own Background (2/3; ends 9/27/25)

little red wagon: I'm Still Standing (projects of encouragement) (ends 9/30/25)

The Paper Shelter: Pumpkin Spice Everything (ends 9/30/25)

Inspiration Station: My card has a fall color palette like the inspiration photo (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

Classic Design Challenge Blog: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the 10/12/25)

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge: ATG (unlimited entries; ends at the end of the month)

A Place To Start: ATG with option of leaves and circles (8/8; ends at the end of the month)

613 Avenue Create: ATG with option of lots of leaves (6/8; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (3/5 for the week; 3/10 for the challenge; ends 10/8/25)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with option of changing seasons (6/6; ends at the end of the  month)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: ATG (3/5; ends 10/1/25)

A blessing for all the lovely visitors to my blog: 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

--Numbers 6: 22-26