Today’s project is a handmade slider card, and I think you will love it! I know it’s been a while since I offered a card project. My Christmas cards kind of wore me out, to be honest!
But I’ve used the downtime between Christmas and now to learn some new things, and this slider card is one of them!
Keep Learning, Keep Crafting
I suppose that my love of learning is why I became an educator. And while I am constantly learning new things in order to make teaching and learning better, I also find myself needing to hone my crafting practice sometimes, too.
Earlier this winter, I was feeling in a rut. I wanted to craft, but I was struggling with making it happen. I found myself vacillating between ideas and techniques so much so that I never even started a project!
Have you ever been in this place?
Card Maker Success Summit
The solution? Well, I finally realized that I needed to invest in learning some new things. And it just so happened that I ran across the Card Maker Success Summit. A couple of folks that I follow on social media were participating, and they posted about it.
So I signed up (it was free!) hoping to learn a lot of great things.
But I sign up for summits of one type or another ALL. THE. TIME. And I don’t participate. This is usually because the sessions happen while I am at work.
I really wanted to tackle some new things, though, so this time I purchased the all-access pass so that I could watch the sessions whenever it was convenient for me. I am so glad I did this!
Recently, I was watching a session led by Amy Ulen. She made an adorable ‘prehistoric’ themed (think The Flintstones) card using a slider! I had never made one before, so I had to give it a go.
And today, I am going to share with you my version of the slider card!
What Occasions Can I Use the Slider card?
You may be wondering when you could use a slider card. The good news is that you can adapt this type of card for any occasion!
The cards that I created were ‘Thinking of You’ or ‘Just a Note’ type of cards. But I can see creating these types of cards for birthday cards, anniversary cards, or even Mother’s Day or Father’s Day cards!
You are only limited by your imagination here – and possibly your collection of stamps or dies!
Do I Need Any Special Materials?
If you are a card maker, you probably already have everything you need. Basically, you need cardstock, patterned paper, adhesives, and stamps or dies.
I will say that I used this opportunity to purchase a few items that I did not have, but had been wanting to try for quite some time. One was a scoring board, and the other was a stamp positioner tool.
I want to do even more card making, so I felt like both of those tools were a good investment for me, but they are not essential to making these slider cards.
I’ve listed everything I used in the Materials section below.
For your convenience, I included affiliate links which means I may make a commission, but it won’t cost you any more. Read my entire disclosure here.
Materials
- White cardstock, 65 lb
- Patterned paper
- Farm stamp set (an old Stampin’ Up set, use what you have), similar
- Mouse stamp set (a garage sale find, use what you have), similar
- Butterfly stamp set (a garage sale find, use what you have), similar
- Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
- Double-sided Scor-tape
- Inkpad, black
- Colored pencils or Copic markers
- Circle or slot punch
- Paper cutter (optional)
- Slider SVG/Template (in the Maker Library)
- Tutorial (FREE in the Maker Library)
- Scoring Board (Optional)
- Stamp Positioning Tool (Optional)
- Cricut Maker or other cutting machine (Optional)
Watch my video tutorial here:
What Are The Steps To Making A Handmade Card With A Slider?
Before I begin any project, I like to gather all of my materials. Invariably, I forget something. But I try to have everything handy before I begin.
Prep For A Handmade Card With A Slider
Make sure that you have all the supplies (see list above) within easy reach. Print out the slider template or upload the SVG to your cutting machine and cut it out.
If you are new to cardmaking, you may also want to read my article, What Supplies Do You Need To Create A Basic Handmade Card?
Plan Your Scene
I’ve learned that I need to plan out my card scene before I actually start cutting, coloring, etc. I spent way too much time looking through my stamps, trying to find just the perfect ones.
I have A LOT of stamps. Many of them are 20+ years old! But they still work great. Most of them are mounted on wooden blocks, and I keep telling myself that I am going to remove them and organize them. One day…
Eventually, I settled on three very different sets – a farm set, a floral set, and a mouse set.
TIP: The slider card is all about MOVEMENT. So choose stamps or dies where movement makes sense. For example, one of my scenes has a butterfly moving toward a wheelbarrow of flowers, another scene has a sheep moving toward a farmer, and the third scene has a mouse moving toward another mouse.
Cutting
Cut out all card and paper pieces. You will need to cut a card base, insert frame (pocket), insert, and patterned paper (accent).
You will also need a small strip approximately ½-inch x 6-inch. I found this piece in my scrap box. Don’t worry about the length because we will cut it to fit later in the project.
If using the template, trace the pieces on card stock or accent paper and cut using scissors or a paper cutter. If you are using the SVGs, then upload to Cricut Design Space or other cutting software and follow the directions to cut out each piece.
Follow the instructions on the template for scoring and trimming the base card and the pocket/frame. If you are using a cutting machine like a Cricut Maker, you can change the dotted lines to score lines.
If you cut the templates with scissors, note where the score lines go. Use a bone folder or a scoring board to add the score lines.
When you are finished cutting you should have a set that consists of a folded card base, an accent piece, a pocket/frame with folds, and an insert.
TIP: Cut these pieces in sets, so that you can make more than one card. When I make a card, I try to make more than one with different stamps. Batching this way saves me time down the road, and increases my card inventory!
You will need to have additional white cardstock (scraps are fine) to stamp your images on.
Stamping
You will need to stamp each image individually and cut them out. Since the card involves movement, it is best to have images as separate pieces.
If you have a stamp positioning tool, use it. When I have had a break from stamping, I find that I don’t always get a good stamp the first time, so the stamp positioning tool allowed me to re-ink and stamp again.
Once each image is stamped, cut each one out with scissors, cutting as close to the edge of the image as possible.
You will also want to stamp a sentiment and/or small images on the right side of the pocket insert. Keep these close to the edge. This is what you will see when you pull the slider out to the right.
Alternative Approaches
If you have die cuts, you can use them instead of stamping your images.
If you have a cutting machine and access to lots of images, you can choose your images and have your machine cut them for you.
Add Color
Coloring your images is the longest part of making this card. I enjoy coloring, so I did not mind. I used Prang colored pencils to color, but markers would work well, too. One day I might even invest in some Copic markers!
Assembling Your Handmade Slider Card
First, glue (or tape) the accent paper to the front of the card base and set it aside.
Set the scene
Arrange your images on the pocket/frame and on the card base to set your scene. It is important to know exactly where each piece is to go.
Even more importantly, you need to know where to position the image that will MOVE. It should be on the LEFT so that when you pull your insert out, the image moves to the RIGHT.
Punch A Thumb Tab
Use your circle or slot punch to punch a thumb tab into the right side of the pocket/frame. I punched this about halfway down the right side of the pocket/frame.
Cutting The Slider Split
Now is the trickiest part of the project – deciding where to cut the slit in your pocket/frame and how long to cut it. This may take some trial and error – I know it did for me!
At one point, I had to scrap my whole pocket and insert and begin again. Here is what I settled on and used for all three of my cards.
Make the cut in the center of your pocket/frame, aligning it with the thumb tab that you punched earlier. I started mine about a half-inch from the left side and ended it about 1.5 inches from the right side. I used a paper cutter to do this, so I would have a straight cut.
Make sure NOT to cut all the way to the thumb tab. If you do, your insert will pull completely out!
Aligning the insert
Next, you will want to make sure that the sides of your pocket/frame are folded in and place the insert inside, making sure that it will slide easily. Push the insert into the pocket and then put your long scrap piece in the slider split.
Holding the strip to the insert, carefully pull it away from the pocket/frame. Use double-sided tape to tape the strip to the insert. Replace the strip and insert the card inside the pocket.
Place the image that will MOVE (e.g., butterfly) on the strip with double-sided tape and trim the excess strip away.
Place remaining images
To finish, place your remaining images and attach them with double-sided tape.
Finishing up
Check to make sure your insert pulls correctly and your slider image moves the way you intend. Now all you have to do is add a personal note inside and your slider card is ready for its recipient!
What I Will Do Differently On My Next Handmade Slider Card
I promised when I started this site to share my fails! So I want to share with you a couple of things I will do differently next time I make a handmade slider card.
First, I will make sure to cut more closely around all my stamped images. I did this with the barnyard images and the mouse images. But on the butterfly card, I didn’t cut around the flowers in the wheelbarrow, and I think it would look much better if I had.
The other thing I would make sure to do is to stamp more images on the pocket frame, especially near where the sliding image is in the ‘closed’ position. When the insert is pulled out, the left side of both the barnyard card and the butterfly card seems bare.
For example, a sheep stamped directly on the pocket frame on the left bottom corner would add some interest on that portion of the card when the insert is pulled out.
These handmade slider cards are the perfect card for just about any occasion! And once you see how the pieces come together, they are quite easy to create. If you batch your measuring and cutting, you can make several cards in a short period of time.
I’d love to see some of your slider card creations. Share with me on social media!
Something New To Share
I am so excited to tell you that I opened an Etsy shop a few months ago! My shop is a printables shop. I don’t create physical products, but I do sell lots of printables.
So what’s a printable? Think of anything you can download and print or use at home. So for example, I created several printable Christmas cards, Valentine’s Day, and Easter cards. I have created planners and calendars that can be printed at home (or a copy shop, if you prefer). Gift tags, envelope stickers, coloring books. I’ve even got a few pieces of wall art and invitations!
I’ve been spending time creating inventory, and I have so many more ideas for products that I want to add!
Please go check it out – https://www.etsy.com/shop/payneandsimple
