Pop-up Christmas Tree Card

A red card made from a sheet folded in four. Open it and a green Christmas tree with a garland and a star pops up inside; close it and the tree folds flat.

• Easy
• 2 Letter sheets
• 2 pieces
• 8 cm tree

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 8590

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• 2 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Scissors — small
• Glue stick — or PVA glue
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Sheet 1

1. Sheet 1: green sheet. The green sheet should be under the camera now. The template has 1 sheets. The sheet is white — the pieces will get their color at the coloring step.
2. Tree: outline. Trace the tree with a solid line: three stepped tiers and the trunk.
3. Tree: drawing. Trace the star, ornaments, garlands and the lines under the tiers — thin, without pressing hard.
4. Bridge: outline. Trace the strip with a solid line — you’ll cut along it.
5. Bridge: folds. Three lines across, drawn as a dash-dot line, with the numbers 1, 2, 3 next to them. These are folds toward you.
6. Green. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color: color them in completely, up to the outline. Move the marker in one direction.
7. Color the tree. Star and garlands — yellow, every other light — red, ornaments — red, blue and yellow, trunk — brown, lines under the tiers — dark green.

Sheet 2

8. Red: color the sheet (optional). The sheet is white. You can color it in this color all over before marking it out (that takes longer) — or leave it white: the craft will come out white.
9. Sheet 2: red sheet. Take the red sheet. You don’t need the camera here — follow the diagram on the screen.
10. Base — follow the diagram. You don’t need to draw anything on this sheet: it gets folded in quarters, edge to edge — first along line 1, then along line 2. Fold it when you get to the “Base” stage.

Cut

11. Cut out: Christmas tree. Cut out the tree along the solid line. Cut into the inner corners of the tiers from both sides.
12. Cut out: bridge. Cut out the bridge along the solid line.

Base

13. Fold in half. Fold the red sheet in half crosswise, short edge to short edge. Crease the fold with your fingernail.
14. In half again. Fold it in half again, edge to edge — now you have a card. Turn it so the fold is away from you: that way the card will open upward.
15. Bridge folds. Fold the bridge along all three lines toward you — lines on the inside — then open it up a little. It should make a little box with no bottom.

Glue

16. Bridge into the card. Open the card to a right angle. Put glue on the underside of the long tab at line 1 and glue it to the middle of the bottom page: the end of the tab goes right up against the fold of the card, and line 1 runs parallel to the fold.
17. Close it — and the tab sticks. Put glue on the second tab — on the outside, the side without lines. Close the card and press firmly: the tab will stick to the back page exactly where it belongs. Open it — the bridge pops up into a little box.
18. Tree onto the bridge. Put glue on the back of the bottom of the tree — the trunk and the lowest tier, up to the height of the bridge. Glue the tree to the front wall of the bridge: the bottom of the trunk level with the bottom page, the tree centered.

Check

19. Close and open. Close the card: the tree will fold flat inside. Open it to a right angle — the tree stands up. If it catches on the edge, trim 1/16–⅛ in off the trunk.

Done. Your card is done. Write a greeting on the back page above the tree or on the cover — and give it away.

Make it with your phone camera

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