It's always exciting to receive fun, interactive cards and for most of us card makers -- fun just to make them! This is one of those that had me bouncing in my chair by the time I was finished (I won't lie -- it was a bit of a challenge to get the mechanics of this card all worked out!). But I had a specific dear-to-my-heart-soon-to-be-14-year-old in mind as I was making it, so persistence pervailed! You could use this same concept for any number of occasions:
I always love trying to think of different ways to use a product other than the obvious purpose for which it was intended. So while this Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Picture Wheel die was probably intended to hold many small photos (great idea!), I saw it as a opportunity to create an interactive wheel card! As the wheel is turned by the recepient, one word of the sentiment at a time is revealed (click on any photo for a larger view):
Here's how to get started making this fun card:
1. Die cut TWO Tim Holtz Alterations Picture Wheel die from a Memory Box Dove Gray Notecard. I like using the notecard because it's already just the right size to fit the die through your Big Shot Machine and it's already folded, yielding two die cuts at once! Using a 3/4-inch Square Punch, punch 11 pieces of coordinating MME Chalk Studio 6x6 paper to show through all but one of the openings of the wheel:
2. After adhering the pieces of paper to the back side of the wheel, cover the back with the other die cut wheel. This will help prevent the small pieces of paper from getting caught on the underlying mechanics during the spinning:
Nicely finished back:
I also filled in the cut-outs on the back of the wheel with some of the die cut squares, just to make the back entirely flat and really be sure nothing would get caught on the spinning mechanism:
3. For the slide out sentiment "flag", cut a piece of Neenah Solar White Cardstock 1/2-inch wide by 3 inches long and stamp the Celebrate sentiment with Memento Angel Pink ink pad. Trim the right end into a point, then color the edges of the sentiment piece with BG53 Copic Sketch Marker (sorry, I photographed BG11 instead!). Punch a circle out of Solar White cardstock with a 3/4-inch Circle Punch and color with Copic T6 Sketch Marker. Adhere the sentiment flag to the circle as shown:
The circle will make sure the sentiment flag can't be pulled all the way out of the square wheel opening.
4. Position the picture wheel where you want it on the card front and lightly mark the center of the wheel and through the four square openings where you want the "It's Your Day To" words to be stamped (hold the center of the wheel with one finger while marking the first square with your other hand, then turn the wheel to the right just until you don't see your first square markings and mark the second square space, then 3rd and 4th). Skip two square opening "spaces" and then mark the opening that is perpendicular to the right edge of the card. Also lightly mark the outer left side of the wheel.
5. Next, remove the wheel and position the sentiment strip where it will be coming out of its square space on the wheel (the square you marked perpendicular on the right) and place Copic 1/4-inch Foam Tape as shown on the card front (but do not remove the top tape liner -- you want the tape to stick to the card front but not the back of the wheel, allowing the wheel to spin freely), creating a channel for the sentiment strip to move through. Make sure there is enough space for the 3/4-inch circle at the end of the sentiment:
6. Also place a piece of foam tape on the left end of the channel, just inside the mark you made indicating the left outside of the wheel. On this end piece of foam tape, DO remove the top tape liner and adhere one of the squares of gray wheel die cut-outs to it -- simply because this end piece of tape ends up showig through some of the wheel cut-outs as it spins around and this way the gray cardstock on top of the tape blends into the color of the wheel as opposed to showing the white tape liner through the opening. Bend the right pointed end of the Celebrate sentiment up, so it will pop up through the wheel opening later:
7. Hero Arts Snow Chalk Ink (I LOVE this ink -- it's my favorite white ink!) was used to stamp the "It's Your Day To" part of the Hero Arts ClearDesign Many Birthday Wishes sentiment. I found it easier to stamp the full sentiment onto some of the same black MME Chalk Studio paper and then cut it apart and adhere it where I wanted, over the pencil marks on the card front. I for not snapping a photo of this step -- I was anxious to get the card put together to see if it would work, LOL!
8. Attach the wheel to the card front with a Black Brad. Attach card front to a 6-inch card base made from 12-inch Manila Cardstock. Accent the card front with more enamel dots.
9. Finally, after the last word window opening, use a White Opaque Pen to draw arrows in the next two window openings going towards the pull-out Celebrate strip, and accent with pink and aqua enamel dots.
Now when the recepient spins the wheel to the sentiment flag . . .
. . . the pointed end pops up through the square wheel opening, waiting to be pulled for a surprise!
I hope you'll have fun making all types of interactive cards with this fun die!
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