A Christmas slider card has a little secret. Pull the red tab and Santa's sleigh flies across a snowy night sky, right over a sleeping village. Nina-Marie Trapani shows how she built this one on her Nina-Marie Trapani YouTube channel. It is a twist on the penny slider. Two pennies ride in a curved slot, and a pull tab lets you steer the sleigh instead of tilting the card.
New to sliders? The general slider card technique is a good warm-up. Want to draw your own Santa instead of stamping him? Try how to draw Santa.
Card size and paper for a Christmas slider card
This card is a standard A2: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, turned sideways. Cut the sky panel a little smaller, about 4 x 5.25 inches, so a border of the card base shows. Use heavy cardstock (100 lb or 110 lb) for the sky panel and the base. Thin paper buckles under the paste and tears around the slot. A 5 x 7 card works too and gives the sleigh a longer ride.
Cutting the slot track without a slider die
No slider die? You can still do it.
- Straight track. Draw two pencil lines 1/4 inch apart with a metal ruler. Cut them with a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat. Punch a 1/4 inch hole at each end to round them off.
- Curved track. Use two nested circle dies about 1/4 inch apart in size, and cut only part of the arc. Or trace the edge of a dinner plate twice, the second line 1/4 inch lower, and cut with the craft knife.
If you own a die cutting machine, see how to use a die cutting machine for taping a die in place so it does not shift.
How to stop the slider snagging
- The foam tape on each penny must be narrower than the slot. Cut tiny pieces.
- Keep the foam tape walls on the back 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the slot.
- Use two pennies, one under each end of the image. The sleigh stays level and does not spin.
- Scrape any dried paste or glitter off the slot edges with your fingernail.
- Test the slide before you glue the panel down. It is much harder to fix later.
Envelope and mailing
A slider card is thick and stiff because of the pennies and foam tape. In the US it will likely need the extra non-machinable postage. Take one to the post office before you buy stamps for the whole list. A sturdy A2 envelope fits, or make your own with this paper envelope tutorial. A sheet of thin card inside protects the tab.
Variations
- Colours. Purple and navy for a midnight sky, or pink and peach for sunrise.
- Kid-friendly. Let a grandchild colour the sleigh with felt tips. A straight track is easier for small hands.
- Quicker. Skip the paste and use a white gel pen to dot the snow.
Making a batch for your Christmas card list
Work in stages. Blend all the sky panels in one sitting, then do all the snow, then cut every slot. Stamp and colour the sleighs while the paste dries. An assembly line of ten cards takes far less time than ten cards made one by one.
