Semi Explosion Card (Gift Card Holder) Video

Hello, Crafters.

We are enjoying another mini heat wave at the moment and long may it continue! I’m calling today’s card a Semi Explosion Card because I think the inside looks very similar to my explosion card. I saw a video showing how to make this card but it was in French and there weren’t any measurements! So I was very much on my own when it came to working out the measurements! There wasn’t a particular name for this style of card either!

My first four attempts saw me start with a piece of retired A4 cardstock which I cut using preliminary measurements! As I persevered, my measurements gradually improved until I was ready to move onto my prototype in Pale Papaya Cardstock (CS). This worked out really well except I hadn’t realised at this stage that the card really needed a closure! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photographs of this card!!

I used some retired Heart & Home Designer Series Paper (DSP) together with the two sentiments I used for my video card. They are HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the Garden Birdhouse Stamp Set and NO ONE DESERVES A HAPPIER BIRTDAY THAN YOU from the Flowering Tulips Stamp Set. I wasn’t happy with the small sentiment and layer that I adhered to the front of the card; I knew this is something I’d be changing as I progressed!

I decided to “improve” on the small sentiment by adding some Garden Green CS die-cut greenery I’d found in with the cardstock plus a stamped, painted and die-cut bee I found inside the Honeybee Home Stamp Set. The bee looked sweet but the greenery didn’t improve the look of my card; in fact I think it made it look worse but it was a prototype and I wasn’t going to beat myself up about it.

Next I stamped the longer sentiment directly onto the DSP inside the card. Below the sentiment I adhered a second bee I had found and liked the look of that panel. I should have stopped at that point but I felt the two outside scored panels looked rather plain. Using some Garden Green CS and the Honey Bee Blooms Dies, I die cut some leady sprigs. Once I had adhered them I though the colour was too stark and I didn’t like that idea.

However, overall I was really pleased with the card and it just needed some improvements on the actual design. I was ready to begin my “before the video” card! My choice of DSP was Awash with Beauty which I paired with Merry Merlot CS. The Awash with Beauty Suite also includes the True Beauty Stamp Set and the matching Organic Beauty Dies.

Although I still used the same sentiment for the front of the card, I made the Basic White CS label big enough to allow me to decorate it with some stamped and die-cut flowers and leaves. This idea worked brilliantly! I also adhered a piece of ribbon under the front and back to close the card. Instead of the garden Green leaf die-cuts I used on my prototype, this time I tried stamping some small flowers on the side panels.

I decided to match up the sentiment inside the card with a layer to replicate the front of the card instead of stamping directly onto the DSP inside the card. When the two side panels are glued down, there is room to slide a gift card into the pocket that is created – this can be seen on the video. During the video, I adhered two die-cut leafy branches to the side panels which move up and down as they open.

After I had finished the video, I added two more stamped and die-cut flowers on the bottom half of the card. I also added a small Basic White label as an area for the greeting to be written but I should have added a larger Petal Pink CS layer underneath it. Overall I’m very pleased with my finished card – I hope you like it too! That’s about it from me today and I wish you a very blessed Sunday. Until next time, please take care and stay safe. Happy crafting.

JanB. xx

Measurements

IMPORTANT NOTE Letter-size Cardstock Users – this card requires a full sheet of cardstock which I don’t have so I can’t test these measurements! I’m confident they are correct but I suggest you do a test using a sheet of letter-size computer paper before you start cutting your cardstock.

Petal Pink Cardstock – 8¼” x 11½” (21cm x 29.2cm) US 8½” x 11”

a). On landscape side score at 2⅞” (7.3cm) US 2¾”, turn 180° and repeat

b). On portrait side score at 4⅛” (10.5cm) US 4¼”

c). On portrait side put pencil mark on top & bottom edges at 1⅜” & 6⅞” (3.5cm & 17.5cm) US 1⅜” & 7⅛”

d). On portrait side score from pencil mark at 1⅜” (3.5cm) US 1⅜” up to where horizontal and vertical score lines cross over each other.  Repeat from pencil mark at 6⅞” (17.5cm) US 7⅛”

up to where horizontal and vertical score lines cross over each other.  

e). On landscape side on the top half ONLY, cut from top of left-hand side vertical score line diagonally down towards left-hand side where the horizontal score line reaches the edge of the cardstock.  Repeat on the right-hand side so your cardstock looks like the outline of a house with a roof on it.

Design a Daydream Designer Series Paper – 3 pieces design 1: 4” x 5⅝” (10.2cm x 14.3cm) US 4⅛” x 5⅜”

Design a Daydream Designer Series Paper – design 2: 4” x 5⅝” (10.2cm x 14.3cm) US 4⅛” x 5⅜”

Design a Daydream Designer Series Paper – strip 1¼” x 5⅝” (3.2cm x 14cm) US 1¼” x 5⅜”

Petal Pink Cardstock – die-cut from Stitched Rectangle die no 6 (3” x 4¼”) (7.6cm x 10.8cm) (US 3” x 4¼”)

Basic White Cardstock – die-cut from Stitched Rectangle die no 5 (2½” x 3⅞”) (6.3cm x 10.2cm) (US 2½” x 3⅞”)

Basic White Cardstock – die-cut from Stitched Rectangle die no 4 (2¼” x 3½”) (5.7cm x 8.8cm) (US 2¼” x 3½”)

Petal Pink Cardstock – die-cut from Stitched Rectangle slim die no 3 (1¼” x 3¼”) (3.2cm x 8.2cm) (US 1¼” x 3¼”)

Basic White Cardstock – die-cut from Stitched Rectangle slim die no 2 (⅞” x 2⅞”) (2.2cm x 7.3cm) (US ⅞” x 2⅞”)

Basic White Cardstock – scraps for stamped images

Petal Pink Cardstock – scraps for die-cut leafy sprigs

Product List for this project: please click on any of the links to be taken to my 24/7 online Stampin’ Up! shop. The Hostess Code for JULY 2022 is E3H9HVGE Thank you. xx

Petal Pink A4 Cardstock [147009] £8.75	Basic White A4 Thick Cardstock [159230] £8.25	Design A Daydream 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Host Designer Series Paper [159161] £17.00	True Beauty Bundle (English) [158984] £56.50	Garden Birdhouses Photopolymer Stamp Set [155090] £17.00
Flowering Tulips Bundle (English) [157678] £49.50	Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] £33.00	Petal Pink Classic Stampin’ Pad [147108] £7.50	Petal Pink Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill [147169] £3.75	Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad [147090] £7.50
Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill [100531] £3.75	Polished Dots [158134] £7.00	Petal Pink 3/8″ (1 Cm) Soft Polyester Ribbon [159192] £7.50	Paper Trimmer [152392] £24.00	Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] £117.00
Bone Folder [102300] £6.75	Take Your Pick [144107] £9.50	Paper Snips [103579] £10.25	Grid Paper [130148] £11.75	Silicone Craft Sheet [127853] £6.25
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [154974] £4.50	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] £4.00	Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals [144108] £4.00