Good Morning Fellow Stampers -
Wednesday!! Hump Day :-) And a quickly passing week! I don't where I'm busier right now; work or home! Lots of distractions going on as well. I think it's just the time of year.
Two weeks ago we held the Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop for October, and I showcased THIS funtabulous Halloween themed Z-Box Fold card design. I promised in that post that I would be working on a tutorial for you for the Z-Box fold. Indeed, we are busily working away here at DDS Studios, and I'm going to start today with a little bit closer look and discussion regarding this card design. In the meantime, a video is in the works and I hope to have it posted out to you soon!!
The Z-Box fold is not difficult; rather, you just need to be careful about your measurements, and score lines. Trust me! If you don't get it exactly right, the fold won't work. There are some little tricks that ensure you get it right (I'm sure I've gone through about a million pieces of cardstock when trying to make one of these wondering what I did wrong and why it isn't working - LOL). There are also a couple different "sizes" you can use to make this "fancy fold"; additionally, I've seen some other interesting versions of the Z-Box Fold. This one, however, is my preference and the one that I am going to teach you. I have two different "sizes" I'm going to talk about today - my Halloween scene Z-Box Fold is cut 4" x 9 3/4". This causes the "back stabilizer" piece (which is cut 4 1/4" x 5 1/2") to stick up and be seen more prominently. This is okay, and may even be your preference with some scenes you are creating on your card (like the one above).
This is a new design I created!! So no, you are not seeing things -- LOL. I've actually been working on this card for some days. This particular design is not for the faint of heart -- it's much more painstaking than even the Halloween one was, and took me quite a while to get everything cut, stamped, and laid out just the way I wanted. But I have to tell you -- O M G ! This card is beautiful now that it's finished. And I LOVE the Santa's Sleigh bundle. But I digress - that's a conversation for another day. I will indeed showcase this card again, I promise!! In the meantime . . . This card was cut 4 1/4" x 9 3/4". Do you see the slight 1/4" difference there? I'm going to focus on this card today and the measurements of the pieces that go with it. I like this size a little bit better, as it hides the stabilizer piece attached to the back side (still 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). It feels a little more "finished" to me.
The basic measurements of the cardbase for a Z-Box Fold (that I am featuring today) are 4 1/4" x 9 3/4".
Then place a "Main Score Line" at the 5 1/4" mark.
I want to point out two very important details now that will impact everything going forward -- NOTE THIS CAREFULLY!!
You will have a "larger" section to the left of your score line; and a smaller section to the right of your score line.
How you orient your card based on these sections from here on out will impact whether or not your card comes out right!!!!
Now, turn your card base with the short end up, with the "larger section" to the one side of your 5 1/4" score line (that we just talked about) to the top, and the "smaller section" should be to the bottom - the right side of your card should line up with the 1" mark to the right of your trimming blade, and cut a line from 3" to 7 1/2"
Then turn the card base back with the long edge to the top, the cut you just made should be to the bottom, and the "larger section" to your 5 1/4" score line should be to your left.
Line the left end up on the 3" mark, and score from the top just down to the cut you just made at the 1" mark;
Then move the left edge over to the 7 1/2" mark and score just from the bottom up to the cut at the 1" mark.
Now you fold the card inward on the 5 1/4" mark (like you were normally closing a card), and outward on the 3" mark, and the lower "edge" should fold naturally into place to create the little "box" in the front.
Attach the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" stabilizer piece to the back flap and you're set to go.
Now, don't panic -- I will have a video showcasing this so you can "see" it more closely very shortly! So hang on :)
Now you can create panels for the background and start decorating your Z-Box fold any way you want. The measurements for this particular size card base for each of the panels are as follows (keep in mind that this is cut into a front panel, and then a lower edge rectangle for each section):
Left-hand front panel: 2 7/8" x 3 1/8"
Inside left panel: 2 1/8" x 3 1/8"
Right-hand back panel: 3 1/8" x 4 3/8"
Front lower rectangle edge: 7/8" x 5 1/8"
Inside left and right lower rectangle edge: 7/8" x 2 1/8"
Those are your basic first layer measurements for each section. For each layer you add, bring in your measurement by 1/8". So, for example, I have two layers on each of these sections on this design -- my second layer for the Left-hand front panel is 2 3/4" x 3".
Alright -- there you go :-) That should get you started; and like I said, the video tutorial will be coming shortly!! I hope you have enjoyed this and are ready to go give it a try! I think they are so much fun! Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. I'm always here to help! wendyklein@doggonedelightfulstampin.com
Until Next Time . . .
