Based on a video by thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich
Opens their YouTube channel
Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step · Published
An easel card folds flat for the envelope, then props itself up on a table like a little picture frame. Lindsay Weirich of The Frugal Crafter shows the simple rule behind it, so you can make one in any size. Her card is an A2 with a coloured pansy panel, a cream stopper strip and two paper butterflies.
It takes no more supplies than a regular card. Two score lines do all the work.
Cut a strip of cardstock as wide as your finished card and twice as tall. Score it across the middle. Then score again halfway between the middle and one end. That second score is the easel fold. Everything else is decoration.
A letter size sheet cut the long way gives you two A2 bases. If your scoring board has no mark for an odd measurement, slide the paper over until a mark lines up, like Lindsay does with her 2 3/4 inch score.
The front panel is glued only to the easel flap, the short section between the two scores. When you open the card, that flap folds back and leans against a stopper on the base. The stopper can be a strip of cardstock, a row of buttons or a sentiment on foam. A flat strip keeps the card mailable. Buttons or foam hold the easel more firmly, so save them for hand delivered cards.
The base carries the weight of the front panel while it stands, so use a sturdy cardstock, around 80 to 110 lb. Thin paper bows and the card slumps. Pick a base colour that picks up one colour in your front image; a thin border of it frames the panel. Lindsay matches her purple base to the pansies and her cream stopper to the panel.
Folded closed, an easel card is the same size as a regular card of its kind, so it fits a standard envelope. Keep every embellishment flat, or fold it so it lies flat, and it mails with no extra postage. Lindsay folds her paper butterflies in half so the wings lift when the card opens but press flat in the envelope.
Write your message on the stopper strip or on the base under the fold. It stays hidden until the card is opened and stood up.
If the easel tips forward, the stopper sits too low or is too thin. Move it up or add a second layer. If the card falls backward, the easel flap is too short; check that the second score is halfway, not closer to the end. Use heavier cardstock if the base bends.
New to card making? Start with how to make a card. For more fun folds, try a pop up card, a waterfall card or a 3D card.
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Tick each step off as you go.
Cut a piece of cardstock as wide as your finished card and twice as tall. For an A2 card that is 4 1/4 x 11 inches, half a letter sheet cut the long way. Lay it on a scoring board and score right across the middle, at 5 1/2 inches. For a 6 x 6 card you would cut 6 x 12 and score at 6.
Score with the long edge against the board's top fence so the line runs square.
Find the halfway point between one end of the strip and the center score. On an A2 base that is 2 3/4 inches. Lindsay's board has no 2 3/4 mark, so she slides the paper up a quarter inch and scores on the 3 inch line. This second score is the easel fold that lets the card stand.
Mark the side you scored with a light pencil dot so you fold the right way.
Fold the card in half on the center score. Then fold the top section back on the second score so it meets the center fold. That short section is the easel flap. When the card is closed it lies flat and fits an envelope. When opened, the flap folds back and props the card up.
Run a bone folder over both folds for crisp edges that hold their shape.
Put plenty of adhesive on the bottom half of your front panel only. Press it onto the easel flap with the bottom edge lined up with the fold, leaving an even border on each side. Lindsay uses a coloured pencil pansy picture on cream cardstock. The top of the panel stays loose so it can tip back over the base.
Glue only to the flap. Adhesive on the base stops the card from opening.
The stopper is what the easel leans against. Lindsay sticks an embossed strip of cardstock, in the same colour as her panel, across the lower base. Place it so the front panel rests on it when the card is open. A flat strip keeps the card mailable. Buttons or foam hold it up better if you deliver by hand.
Test the stand before the glue sets. Slide the strip up if the card tips.
Punch a couple of small paper butterflies and fold each one in half. Hot glue the body to the corners of the front panel. The wings lift up for a bit of dimension when the card stands, but they press flat for mailing. Keep them clear of the fold so the card still closes neatly.
A tiny dot of hot glue is enough. Too much shows through thin paper.
Open the card flat. You can write your message on the stopper strip or on the base under the fold. A little reveal of the base colour around the stopper looks neat. When the card is closed, it fits a standard envelope and mails with no extra postage. Stand it up to check it before you send it.
Write the message before adding a thick stopper. It is easier on a flat surface.
Keep going
How to Make a Thank You Card by Hand
How to Make an Easel Card
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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