Monday, February 9, 2009

"Open Your Heart" Gatefold* Tutorial

I am so excited to share this original design with you today. Please stick with me through the many pictures, there is a bit of a "wow factor" at the end! It is not that hard or time-consuming to put together (once I figured out exactly how I wanted it!) You'll need the heart Nestabilities, Scor-Pal, embossing folder of your choice and some oval punches (SU!) for this project. (I was also inspired by a couple of my favorite new papers from Paper Temptress to create this special card. ) You'll need two large die cut hearts the same size and slightly larger scalloped mats to layer each. Here I used Poison Ivory Iridescent and Wild Cherry Pop Tone CS.
Then you need to score both hearts and mats down the middle, lining up the "v" at the top going down through the point at the heart bottom.

Create a gate fold card with the Poison Ivory base with 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece, scored at 2 1/8" and 6 3/8". When folded, the sides meet in the middle. Next I embossed each side with the Leafy Branch Cuttle bug folder. You have to do each flap separately, so emboss your left flap with the left side of the folder(shown below), then repeat with the right, so when they are folded together you will have a continuous pattern across the two flaps.

Now emboss both of the ivory hearts with the same pattern. Place in the spot in the folder where you'll be adhering them on the card (middle, and slightly closer to the top than the bottom), this way the pattern will be continuous when mounted. Adhere each heart to your red scalloped mats.

Put adhesive on only one half of the back of each scalloped heart, one with adhesive on the left side, one on the right. (I used Dot nRoller, but Scor-Tape or Mono Multi will work too)

Fold your scores and adhere your hearts so they wrap around the folds with the adhesive half on the inside. (so you place the heart with adhesive on right back half onto the left panel, and the one with it on the left back half to the right side) When the card is closed, it looks like one heart.
I stamped my greeting "forever" from "Say it with Flowers" and framed it up in 2 SU! large and small oval punch outs (did the same with "friends" from this set for the inside, you'll see in a minute). Then I placed a dimensional on the edge of the left flap in the middle to attach the left half of my oval punched greeting so it will overlap the opening. I did the same thing on the right heart INSIDE, so as it pulls apart, the two ovals kind of "mirror" each other shown below.
If you've ever made a gatefold card, you know it doesn't want to stay closed(and can be really hard to photograph!) To keep it together, I attached a Basic Gay magnet to the right half of the front oval punch, and the other magnet behind the heart on my right flap so that's hidden between the heart and front of the card. The nice things about magnets, you don't have to see exactly where to attach it on the back of the heart, just peel off the adhesive and hold it behind the heart without touching the paper, then move the magnet on the oval towards it, it will jump right into place and snap shut!

I wanted to repeat the red in a few other places and add some embellishments so I punched out a few fancy corners for each flap at the bottom and adorned then with vanilla sateen flowers and a halfback pearl (all attached with glue dots). Don't the flower and the punch look made for each other? I love this flower with the embossing!! And hopefully you can see from this pic why I adore the Poison Ivory so much, it is the exact sheen and shade as these flowers, the sateen flowers add such elegance to a project and the Poison Ivory is like having whole sheet of it!
I added my pearls to each of the framed sentiments as well. Below you can see how the card is holding together with that magnet, ready to spring open at your touch!

And here is how the hearts unfold from each other, revealing the lined inside, this is the Red Pepper Classic Columns CS from Paper Temptress. Beautiful embossed stripes (without having to emboss!), in 8 1/2 x 11 size! This piece is trimmed down to 4" by 5 1/4". (All papers in today's card are in the Paper Temptress Valentines Day Package but can also be purchased separately.) I just love how you still get to see that gorgeous leafy embossing from the front of the card on both the hearts and the flaps on this inside with this design!

I intend to put a picture of my husband and I inside with another framed caption, but still deciding on just the right pic, back with that later! Not just for Valentine's Day, wouldn't this design make the perfect wedding invitation, announcement or anniversary card? And as for symbolism, I'm just over the moon about the whole "two hearts coming together to make one" theme this has going on, you know?? (as well as how they still can be separate, and how in a relationship you need to have open hearts, blah blah blah!! **LOL!) It is such a thrill to come up with a design that not only pleases me aesthetically but also echoes the occasion I am trying to capture, for me it is one of the very best part of the card- making experience!

I hope you'll give this design a try, if so please let me know, and link your creation here! Have a beautiful day!
*which title is better for this? that or "Sweethearts Gatefold"? hmmmm...
** "opposites attract"?? hee hee!!!

45 comments:

  1. {{THUD}}

    You amaze me....no really. Girl, you ROCK, totally ROCK! Wow.

    I {Heart} your creative brain!

    *Gateway to my Heart* would be a great post title, donchathink?
    Kim Marie

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  2. Great tutorial! Beautiful Card!Thank you for sharing!

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  3. This is absolutely beautiful. I just mailed off my Valentines today, but I'm going to make one so I can remember it for next year....Thank-you for the post and the tutorial.
    Becky

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  4. So beautiful and what a great way of making a gatefold - it's stunning and crying out to be tried.

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  5. Oh My!! Your creativity just boggles my mind!! That is so simple, yet SO ELEGANT! Thank you so much for the tutorial! I too have already done my cards for this year (and we JUST celebrated our 49th Anniversary), so I will also make this card to store for next year! Can you imagine having your Anniversary only 14 days before Valentine's Day?

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  6. Wonderfully creative! I love it. Gonna try it. I really like Gateway to my Heart for a name!

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  7. I'm speechless. That one should be on a pg. 86;)!!!! WOW!

    Oh, Kim Marie's "Gateway to my Heart" is awesome!

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  8. Great Card - I really love it! I'll have to save this for next year! Thanks for the great tutorial.

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  9. Melanie, you always put such thought into your creations - your whole heart is in this one (hardeeharharhar). . . Seriously beautiful!

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  10. Your card is lovely and amazing. Thanks for the great tutorial!

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  11. Love your tutorial. Thanks for sharing it with me.
    Ihave my Valentines made but will use this for another time.
    Mary Strauser

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  12. Beautiful card, now all I need are the nesties!

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  13. Ummm...WOW...this is so very pretty and fun.

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  14. This card is magnificent and the tutorial is too. Don't apologize please for the pictures, I love them and I bet the other readers do too. You make everything so easy, and I agree with Kim, you ROCK! (I have a new blog! A Stroke Above got a bug and had to be squashed. so sad..) Linda Crowder

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  15. Hi Melanie, thanks so much for sharing this with us, I love gate fold cards but often go a blank with how to decorate them, this has given me loads of inspiration to have a go at something myself.

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  16. Jaw dropping!!! Love this card and thank you for such an amazing tutorial. I am sure you dh is going to love this card. Have enjoy your day and TFS.

    Debbie/Phx AZ

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  17. Uterly utterly fabulous Melanie!
    This is such a good tute. Even I can do it! This gorgeous card would be suitable for an anniversary or wedding too! Got to have a go at this. (Gotta improvise though, no heart Nesties yet). Awww
    Viv xxx

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  18. That is really beautiful! And now I am so gald that I got the heart nesties instead of the label ones last week. I can't wait to try this out. THank you for showing me how!

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  19. Melaine, this is just so beautiful, and I love your attention to detail, like the placement of the paper in the CB folder!!

    blessings
    Maxine

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  20. gorgeous card. thanks for the tutorial showing how you made it. :)

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  21. Absolutely elegant! I love making gatefold cards & your "take" on the hearts & sentiment layout is awesome. I definitely will have to try this for an upcoming wedding card that I need to make. Also, I love the PT paper. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. AWEsome! What a gorgeous fold & design. Love the embossing on that paper too! You just keep the AMAZING originality coming. How do you do it? You must add an extra sprinkle of creativity to your breakfast or drink originality in your mocha! Have to try this!! Thanks for the stunning inspiration. Hugs, :O) mel

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  23. Yes this card would make a beautiful Wedding invitation. Your card is gorgeous!

    Mary

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  24. Wow - gonna have to try one of those - how wonderful is that card!

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  25. WOWZERS!!! This is fantastic Melanie!!

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  26. Your card is gorgeous! Thank you so much for the tutorial.. Your creations are so inspiring!

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  27. This card is so lovely. Now I want tne cuttlebug folder, that shiny paper and shiny flower.

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  28. Melanie! WHOA...this is really gorgeous...you always seem to outdo the one right before. Awesome, awesome card!

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  29. Melanie, I really don't know what to say because
    "incredible", "fabulous",
    "brilliant", "creative", etc.... just doesn't seem to cover your talents. I love it!

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  30. Good Golly Molly what a Gorgeous Card!! I absolutely love this card. Thanks for sharing your beautiful inspiration...

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  31. This is so gorgeous, clever, and wonderful...Melanie!! Thanks for all of the details!!

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  32. Very creative, lovely card, and very good tutorial. Thanks ikki

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  33. This is gorgeous. What a great way to close a gate-fold.

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  34. *shakes head and closes mouth* You just never cease to amaze me Mel!! This is sooo stunning and just...WOW!! LOVE it! And fantastic tutorial too!

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  35. This has got to be one of your best ideas (and tutorials) yet! It's simply gorgeous and amazing!

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  36. Awesome - from concept to implementation and especially the explanation!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  37. WOW, this is one Very BEAUTIFUL card!!

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  38. This is a wonderful card and your tutorial is great. The explanations and step by step pictures make it possible for anyone to try to CASE this. I can't wait to try it myself and I just have to see if I have the heart nestabilities. If not, I know what's next on my wish list.

    Thanks for sharing your creativity. It is really special and shows what a great heart you have.
    Kristina

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  39. What a gorgeous and elegant card. Thanks for the tutorial. I just may have to try this.
    JoAnn B. scrappingnana4@yahoo.com

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  40. Beeeeautiful!! Oh I can't wait to get my heart Nesties!!!

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  41. This is one of the most beautiful cards I have ever seen. Definitely a wow factor involved. Your work is lovely as is your blog. Great job.
    Blessings,
    Debbie

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  42. Melanie you are so amazing. Come to my blog so that I can show you what I have done with your stamps and a lot of inspiration from you. PLEEEEEZE!!
    http://www.cardiologycardsfromtheheart.blogspot.com

    Actually I have mentioned you quit often!!!! Check out the Rock and Roll Sweet 16 card too, I used the t Shirt stamp on that one

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Your generous feedback helps make my work and this blog better! Thanks for inspiring and motivating me! :)