Completely Web Based Christmas Card

This year's Extreme Christmas Card is all about...well, I'll let you figure it out.

The envelope, with Charlotte and Wilbur.  For best effect, read "terrific" in a sarcastic, oh-boy-now-what voice.

The Christmas card front features a circuit design, with some spots of glitter meant to look like the solder points.

Inside is a folder with a circle cut out.  The star pulls up by the silver string.

The start is meant to be removed and hung up.

When you pull the string, the star pops up to become a tree.  The greeting is hiding underneath.

Video of the card in action.

And surprise!  Inside is a spider hanging from the top of the tree--I mean spiderweb.

Get it?  A WEB based card?  As if, after 25+ years I would stop sending paper cards!

Products used for this card
--Decorative cardstock for circles: DCWV Premium Paper Stack Far East from Joann Fabrics
--Glitter cardstock for trees / stars / spiderwebs: Recollections Ombre Signature Paper Pad from Michael's
--Metallic cardstock for spiders: DCWV The Shimmer Stack from Joann Fabrics
--Card folders: 65 lb black cardstock
--Glitter paint: Stickles silver and diamond
--Small stars: cut from a gold mylar coated gift bag, 2 stars adhered back to back with Xyron




Want to make your own pull-up stars / pop up Christmas trees?

MAKE IT!




How to make a concentric star card that pulls up into a Christmas tree

Click to download file set: Silhouette Studio, PDF, SVG (how to use my SVG files in Cricut Design Space). Files download for free. A huge thank you to the many readers who support my site with a small contribution.

Pay what you wish for the tutorial and to support this site.   Suggested contribution for this project is $2.00.

In this project the direction of the grain line of the paper is important!  Arrange the cutting pattern with the grain line running parallel to the center slit of the concentric star tree. If you are machine cutting, turn your paper so the long grain line runs from the top to the bottom of your card when it's placed on the cutting mat.

How do you determine your paper's grain line?   I use the bend test.

Cut the file: decorative circle, star tree, small star, greeting, gluing guides.

Lightly pinch tree to encourage it to expand when it's popped up.  Ease the paper fibers at the top, parallel to the center slit, and at all the points with joins as shown in the video below.  (This is why the grain line placement was important.)

Add a string to the star if you like.

Insert base of small star into tree top slit.  Bend the base at a 90° angle.  Adhere to inside of tree.

Add your greeting to the center of the decorative circle.   Place the gluing guide on the circle and adhere the star in the cut-out of the guide, then remove the gluing guide.

Adhere tree to circle. I found it easiest to apply glue by holding the tree open like this.  Apply adhesive only on the largest star ring. (Be sure to adhere well the two points shown with green triangles.  That's where the tension is held when you pull up on the tree.)

Place gluing guide on circle.  Line up the points of the tree gluing guide with the points of the greeting!

Glue tree into opening.  Remove guide.

I made my gluing template out of acetate because I was using it 185 times!

Allow to dry completely.  Pull up on the small star!  If the tree doesn't open enough when you hang it, tape a small coin to the back of the decorative circle.

Bonus photos of the design prototyping process
The top left shows the concentric rings that I  taped together at different join points to decide what worked best.  The bottom row shows the refinements of the center design.

The first working model.