VIDEO: Double Letter Press Gatefold Card with Pinkfresh Studio!

Hi friends! I am over on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube channel today with a old-for-most-people-but-new-to-me technique: Gatefold Cards! I used bunches of new Better Press plates, some fancy folding, and touches of springy color to create this unique project. Here’s the video:

Or you can click HERE to watch it on YouTube.

To create this card, I pulled out a supply that doesn’t get much of a spotlight in my office: my score board. This handy little tool has one basic function: to evenly and precisely score your cardstock, creating crisp creases on card bases, fancy folding cards, and rosettes, and you can even use it to create textural patterns in the background of your card front! It’s one of those tools that you don’t realize how much you’ve needed one until you actually have one.

For my project, I used Garnet ink from the Spellbinders Better Press Jet Set Ink Collection to impress the beautiful floral images from the Breezy Blossoms Press Plate set. The Garnet ink is a lovely match for Peony Ink from Pinkfresh Studio, which I paired with Hydrangea Ink to add some softly blended color to my flowers using the Breezy Blossoms coordinating stencils. I used the 1/2″ blending brushes from Pinkfresh Studio to do some soft, but precise, blending on the flowers and foliage, keeping the color palette light and springy with the pink and purple inks. I die cut the finished florals with the Breezy Blossoms coordinating die.

For the interior of my gatefold card, I used the new Stippled Plaid Press Plate without ink to create some subtle texture. I simply ran a panel of Porcelain Press Paper A7 through my Better Press System without inking the plate, which creates a crisp, but still subtle, impression into the letterpress paper. I love to create these subtle patterns for the background of my focal point, enhancing the pattern with some ink blending. I used some larger blending brushes to blend the same Peony Ink and Hydrangea Ink around the edge of my letterpressed panel, trimming the Stippled Plaid panel down to 4″ x 5 1/4″. This slightly smaller size leaves a tiny 1/8″ frame around the edge to make sure that your belly band slides over comfortably!

For the sentiment, I used Mulberry Ink from the Regal Tones Ink Collection to impress a greeting from the Favorite Things Sentiments Press Plate set directly over the center of my letterpressed background. The dark ink creates a stark contrast on the light, slightly textured background!

To create the gatefold card:
Trim down a piece of 4 1/4″ x 11″ vellum. Using a score board and a bone folder, score the cardstock at 2 3/4″, then turn the cardstock 180* and score again at 2 3/4″. This will leave you with a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ rectangle in the center, with symmetrical “gates” on either side.

To create the belly band:
Trim down a 1″ x 11″ strip of cardstock, then score at 2 5/8″, flip 180*, and score at 2 3/4″. The two different scoring measurements leaves a little wiggle room on your belly band so that it slides on and off easily.

After I had created the vellum card base, I die cut a Blanket Stitched Circle die from some pearlescent white cardstock to cover up the gap in my belly band as well as the sentiment behind my vellum “gate.” I popped up a greeting from Basic Banners Celebrate, which I had stamped using Hydrangea Ink and heat embossed over the top with some iridescent purple embossing powder for extra shine and die cut with the coordinating Basic Banners Die. I arranged the floral die cuts around the sentiment banner, popping some up with foam adhesive, adhering others with liquid adhesive for different heights throughout the card. For a little added sparkle, I adhered some Twilight Glitter Ombré Drops on the die cut circle and added some sparkling glitter watercolors to the stamens and flower centers.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I hope this inspires you to use your score board for something other than your typical card bases. I am going to have to look for more fun card folds. So fun to do something outside the box! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!