It’s easy to create festive pop-up cards for friends and family this holiday season. Follow the steps and create a turkey card to share what you’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. BONUS: You can use the same technique to make holiday cards for Christmas and Hanukkah, too.
What you need:
• Cardstock
• Construction or scrapbook paper
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Crayons, markers
• Stickers and other decorations (optional)
What you do:
1. From your decorative papers, cut out two eyes, a beak, a wattle, and two feet. For the turkey feathers, cut a 3×12-inch strip.
2. For the turkey body, cut a 3-inch square and fold it in half.
3. Cut a shape like half a peanut with a smaller top and larger bottom, and crease down the middle. When you open it, the shape should look like a turkey head and body.
4. Fold one piece of cardstock in half to create your card base. Decorate the front of your card using markers, crayons, stickers, etc. Add a message if you’d like.
5. To make the turkey feathers, use the 12-inch strip of paper. Fold inward ½-inch from one end. Then flip the paper over and fold in another ½-inch on top of the previous fold. Continue to flip and fold in this manner to create ½-inch wide accordion fold down the entire strip.
6. Glue one side of the accordion to the inside of your card base. Situate the accordion so that one end sits near the crease in the middle with the other end extending out toward the edge of the card.
7. Add glue to the other side and close the card to attach. Let dry.
8. On the turkey body, attach one eye and one foot to either side of the crease. Make sure feet do not dangle off the paper or the card won’t close correctly. Attach wattle to one side near the crease.
9. Fold the beak shape in half. Then attach one side of the beak to either side of the crease down the turkey body, over part of the wattle.
10. To attach the turkey body to its feathers, add glue to the back sides of the body and attach one half to a side of a fold in the accordion.
11. Decorate the inside of your card with greetings, drawings, and stickers, as desired.
Photos: Scott schwartzkopf
