How to Make a Waterfall Card (Interactive Pull-Tab Card)

Cut your pieces before you start so the build flows. You need a 5x7 card blank (or a 10x7 piece scored at 5 inches on the long side and folded in half), two 4.75 by 6.75 white panels for the front and the embossed background, an 11 by 2 strip for the pull mechanism, and a small 1 by 2.75 strip that holds the whole thing together.

For the panels themselves, cut five 3 by 3 colored squares plus five 2.75 by 2.75 white squares to stamp on. Pull out a scoring board, a bone folder, double-sided tape or liquid glue, your stamp set, an embossing folder, and a one-inch circle punch for the pull. Having it all laid out keeps the scoring step quick.

Take one of your 4.75 by 6.75 white panels and run it through an embossing folder. Sam ink-blends one side of the cardstock first with a green distress oxide so the raised pattern picks up color when it goes through the machine. You can skip the inking if you want a clean white emboss, but the tinted version pops against the panels.

Glue the embossed piece to the front of your card blank so it sits flush on all four sides. Any embossing folder pattern works here, so grab one that suits the vibe of the card you're building.

Lay your 11 by 2 strip on the scoring board with the long edge across the top. Score five lines along the 11-inch side at the 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, and 8.5 inch marks. Yes, that's six score lines, but the 6-inch one is the big fold and the rest are the half-inch panel hinges.

Fold the 6-inch section back on itself so it lies flat behind the strip, then burnish every score line with a bone folder until each one snaps cleanly. The big section is your pull tab. The half-inch sections behind it are where each waterfall panel will hook on, one per fold.

Now decorate the five panels you cut earlier. Stamp each 2.75 by 2.75 white square with your chosen image, ink and color it however you like, then layer it onto a 3 by 3 colored square so a thin border shows around the stamp. Sam uses her Perky Pooches set here, but any small stamp that fits inside a 2.75 inch square works.

Finish all five panels flat on the desk before you stick anything down. Stamping them after they're glued into the mechanism is fiddly and you'll smudge the panel above the one you're working on.

Run a strip of half-inch double-sided tape along the top half-inch hinge of your scored strip. Peel the backing, then lay your first panel down with an equal amount of cardstock overhanging on each side. Get this one bang on, because every panel below it lines up against this one.

Fold the next hinge up so it points toward you, add tape, and stick the next panel so its top edge touches the top of the hinge and its sides match the panel above. Press firmly. Keep working down the strip until all five panels are stuck. Tape the panels one hinge at a time. Don't try to pre-stick all five strips at once or you'll lose your alignment.

Flip the assembled strip so the back faces you. The two small unattached sections at the top are where the panels hook onto the card, and they need a holding piece across them to keep the panels from flopping when someone pulls the tab.

Run red liner tape or strong double-sided tape along those two sections. Press your 1 by 2.75 holding piece across them so it spans the gap. Sam hides it over the top this time so the finished card looks seamless, but you can also sit it underneath the panels if you'd rather show the holder as a decorative band.

Trim the pull tab down to about 5 inches so it tucks neatly behind the card front instead of dangling. Punch a one-inch circle from coordinating cardstock, stamp a small image on it or write the word Pull, and glue it to the bottom edge of the tab so it sticks out below the card.

Peel the backing off the red liner tape on the holding piece, line the panels up with your embossed background, and press the assembly onto the card front. Squish it down hard so the holding piece grips. Curl the pull tab outward slightly with your fingers so it's easy to grab, then test the mechanism by pulling the tab. Each panel should drop into view one after the other.