What is an accordion pleated card?
An accordion-pleated card is a unique and creative way to present a gift card with money. It is a greeting card with multiple folds, allowing it to expand and contract like an accordion. There are many different ways to create an accordion-pleated card, which can be customized to suit any occasion.
Expanding accordion-fold cards are popular for creating unique and eye-catching greeting cards. This seems the perfect way to gift money for a special granddaughter’s upcoming birthday. No doubt she’ll be surprised.
You may have seen some of these cards before. This card is an expanding accordion card. My unique twist on this card is substituting little envelopes instead of the typical cards. The dollar bills are hidden inside the little envelopes.
Accordion Pleated Card
SUPPLIES:
You’ll notice that I use Tacky Glue. It is my favorite craft glue. This is one of those projects that you do not want to use regular school glue. It takes too long to dry and is too watery. Elmer’s Multi-Purpose Glue-All is, in my opinion, a good alternative.
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- Bira Craft 12 X 12-inch Scoring Board & Score and Fold Tool
- Tacky Glue
- Scissors
- Paper Trimmer
- Cardstock and Decorative Papers
- Cricut
- Corner Punch
- Washi Tape
INSTRUCTIONS:
Front, Back, and Extender of Card
This card ends up measuring 5 x 7 inches.
First, cut 2 pieces of 11-inch x 7-inch cardstock for the front and back of the card. Cut one piece of matching cardstock 3 inches x 7 inches for the extender. Note that the cardstock I chose is pink on one side and a pale blush on the other.
Place one of the 11 x 7-inch- pieces on the scoring board with the short side on the left and the 11-inch length butted up to the top. Use the scoring tool to make score lines at 3/4, 1-1/2, 2-1/4, 3, 3-3/4, 4-1/2, 5-1/4, and 6-inches.
Place the 3 x 7-inch cardstock on the scoring board with the 3-inch side at the top. Score at 3/4, 1-1/2, and 2-1/4 inches.
Next, fold each of the scored lines to create an accordion. Start by folding and creasing the first fold in the middle of the card.
Then, with the fold facing away from you, fold and crease the second fold. Continue folding the creased lines accordion style. You should have 3 peaks and 4 valleys. Repeat on the remaining cardstock.
Then, fold the 3-inch-wide piece. You will want to be sure that the middle fold is a valley on the color or pattern for the outside. When it is in position, the edges will face downward over the ends on each section of the card. From the end, it should look like an ‘M’.
Now, apply glue to the outside edge of the center section and place it over the end of the larger piece. Your finished piece should look like the picture below.
Make the Flip Envelopes
Make 18 envelopes 2-3/8 inches x 3-3/8 inches for the flip panels. It’s easy to do this on a Cricut, but you can make your own by hand. Don’t have a Cricut? No problem. For a template, ◄click here. You’ll have to score the fold lines.
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Fortunately, there is a scoring stylus you can buy for your Cricut and it makes it so easy!
You can find the template for this envelope on your Cricut under images. It’s ‘Envelope with Liner #99BBDA.’ Just resize it for a card to fit the dimensions above. When you have it the right size, duplicate it. I didn’t cut the liners, only the envelopes, and cut 2 of each from coordinating patterns from 12 x 12-inch cardstock.
After making these, I set one in place to see how it would work. The length is fine, but the envelope flap is just slightly too long. So, I just used a circle template to draw a curved line and then cut off the end with scissors.
Apply glue to the edges of the bottom flap and press the flap in place. Hold the glued flap flat in place for a minute until the glue grabs.
Making the Letters
For this project, I used the Cricut font DTC Spring Break and made the letters 2.3 inches tall. (In retrospect, maybe I should have made the letters smaller.) My original intention was not to use a mat for the letters, however, you can see in the picture that they didn’t show up so well and competed with the print. I cut more letters in a coordinating blue cardstock.
Mat Background for Letters
So, I cut 18 rectangles 2-5/8 inches x 1-3/4 inches, big enough for any of the letters. When I placed one of the rectangles on the envelope, it seemed the corners didn’t look so finished. So, I used a corner punch to round out the corners. It looks better, right? After adding the letters, set the envelopes to the side.
2-Sides of the Front Cover and 2-Sides of the Back Cover
Cut 2 pieces of decorative paper or paper cardstock 4-3/4 inches x 6-3/4 inches for the front and back covers. Cut 4 pieces of decorative paper or cardstock 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches to use as mats and layer on the fronts and backs of the card.
You can decorate these cutouts using stamped, drawn, or printed images. Wouldn’t it be fun to repurpose old cards for this project? Let your imagination run wild!
Laying Out the Mini Envelopes for the Accordion Folds
Note that there are two blank envelopes on each side of the H-A-P-P-Y cards. It’s best to arrange them in order to avoid mistakes when gluing.
The envelopes for this project are cut from 9 different coordinating papers from the same 12″ x 12″ BoBunny Early Bird Collection cardstock pad. These pads are so nice because all of the papers co-ordinate.
I cut 2 envelopes from each pattern and used one for the top and one for the bottom row. Then, I laid out the top row and reversed the order of the second row.
Glue the Letters to the Mini Envelopes
In order for the letters to be more visible, glue them just a sixteenth of an inch from the top on the front side. The flap will be on the backside.
Gluing the Mini Envelopes to the Accordion Folds
Apply glue to the lower 3/4-inch on the flap side of the envelope. Then, set it in place on the front fold making sure to line up the edge of the envelope along the top edge of the card and along the base of the fold.
Glue the remaining mini envelopes to the accordion pleated card. Make sure the envelopes line up along the top edge.
Then, on the bottom row, begin gluing the envelopes on the backside of the first fold with the letters on the right side and the flaps on the left side. Be sure the envelope lines up along the bottom edge, too.
If I had been on the ball, I would have already had the money on hand and placed it inside the envelopes before gluing, but it really doesn’t matter.
Finally, fold the dollar bills into thirds and tuck the money into the envelopes. I used different denominations of bills to equal the amount we wanted to give. You can see in the picture above that the bill fits nicely folded into thirds. Seal the envelopes with pieces of Washi tape or stickers.
Finishing Touches
If you like, decorate the outside of the card with stickers, stamps, or other embellishments to add a personal touch.
Finally, present your handmade card to the recipient and watch the delight as she unfolds the card to reveal the money gifts inside.
Isn’t this the best birthday card with accordion pleats? My plan is to make a decorative box for it, too. Sign up for our newsletter and look for that post!
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MiloTree
