Welcome to the Pear Blossom Press family! As a special thank you for subscribing to our email newsletter, here are a dozen of our favorite Interactive Elements you can add to your handmade cards, complete with process videos and examples, to show you how to integrate them. You might want to bookmark this list to keep it handy. (Notice as you scroll down, there are tabs in each category; click on those for more examples.)
Add Real Lights
As the inventors of EZ-Lights, and Halo Lights, we love light-up cards. Don’t worry, it’s not hard at all. Check out the links below for several different ways to add lights to your cards.
- EZ-Lights 3 Ways
- Light Up Gems
- Light Up Vellum Windows
- Light Up Shakers
In this video, I share three different ways to add lights to cards. One card is flat, the next two are 3D.
One of the easiest ways to use lights is to put gems on top; as long as they are transparent (no silver paint on the back), the whole thing should glow. Pro tip: clear raindrops are perfect for candle flames.
When you have larger areas to light up, add a little space between your LEDs and vellum windows, to help the light spread out and make the whole area glow.
Halo Lights have a ring of lights, all pointing in toward the center, so you can light up a sentiment, or even a shaker! See the sweet candy card come to life in step-by-step photos on the blog. Or watch the short video with a peek inside the rainbow wreath card.
Altered Box Cards
I’ll be honest. When I first saw box cards, I wasn’t impressed. I thought “why?” But then I saw a few more, and one piqued my interest. I tried one, and I was instantly hooked! In person, they are so impressive. You can either use them like a shadow box without a frame, or turn the base into a shaped card, like I did with the first three cards here. As box cards become more popular, there are more die sets on the market, including one of my favorites, the oval box card (see the last tab for examples).
- Barbeque
- Airplane
- Pirate Ship
- Oval Box Cards
Turn an ordinary box card into a pop-up BBQ for dad. (Or maybe a tool box?)
Repurpose the dies from a basket box card, and turn it into an airplane.
Get creative with the dies in your stash, to make a pirate ship box card.
Click on the images below to go to the posts with instructions for these fun cards.
Rock On
Rocker cards are fun to make, and fun to receive. You can even spice them up with a pendulum for more movement.
- Tropical Scene Rocker
- Sailboat Shaped Rocker
I assembled this card from various die cut shapes. Shop your stash to see if you have what you need to create your own version!
A very inexpensive cut file helped me create this card in a flash!
Sliders
Add movement with sliders. You can either pop elements up on discs, to run in tracks (penny sliders), or attach them directly to pull tabs to move across your cards.
- Pop-up Rainbow
- Pull Tab Slider
- Magnet Slider
- Penny Slider
A fun rainbow pops up when you pull the tab on this card.
The octopus on this card travels on an acetate pull tab, to reveal a fun surprise. Click on the picture to see!
Unlike other pull tab sliders, there are magnets holding the unicorn to the tab on this one. Click the photo for details.
A traditional penny slider consists of a foam dot, or plastic disc, sandwiched between the cut out element you want to move across your card, and a penny on the back. The foam or disc travels in a slot, and the penny (or a small cardstock circle) on the back, keeps your sliding element from falling out of the track. Click the photo for details on this card.
Shake Things Up
Who says you have to use sequins for shaker bits? Don’t be afraid to mix things up. Try birdseed, or rice in a wedding card. Coffee beans, or dried flowers smell great if you use tulle for your window.
- Coffee Bean Shaker
- Rice Shaker
- Liquid Shakers 3 Ways
This card smells delicious!
The sentiments in the windows of this wedding card seemed too plain, so I mixed rice with sequins and tiny paper flowers for fun shakers. Click on the photo for details, and to see a second, similar card. Bath salts would work for spa themed cards. Sprinkles, or tiny candy are fun options for birthday cards. (If you add a zipper, recipients can get to the treats inside. Avoid candy that melts.)
You can even use liquid for really cool underwater scenes!!
Tunnel Cards
Instead of attaching scenic elements to a flat card, why not create a 3D effect by layering them in a tunnel? You can create tunnels in tri-folds, or shadowbox style cards.
- Tri-fold Tunnel
- See-through Shadowbox Tunnel
- Solid Back Shadowbox Tunnel
With tri-fold cards, you see both the front and back sides of the tunnel layers as you open the card, so be sure to decorate both sides.
There are special die sets that can help quickly create shadowbox style tunnel cards. Many have add-on sets that allow you to change the scenes. Plus, you can mix and match with stamps and scene builder dies you already own. Aren’t these punny parrots gorgeous? Unlike some tunnel cards, the back layers have holes cut out too, so you can see all the way through them. Click the photo for more details.
One advantage to a solid back tunnel card, is that you have more room to write a personal message, and sign your card. Click the photo for more details.
Fun Folds
Add interest to your cards with fun folds! Gatefolds, Z-folds, bridges, and steps can create unique and memorable cards.
- Gatefold Card
- Double Bridge with Pendulum
- Diaper Shaped Card
Nesting heart dies helped create the window and sentiment in this gatefold card.
You can even combine fun folds with moving elements for extra cool cards!
For this card, I cut the base into the shape of a diaper, and tucked the sides into slits in the front! Click for more information and the template.
Add Motion
Want to take a card from adorable to AMAZING? Use swinging arms, pull-tabs, and levers to create moving elements.
- Pull Tabs & Levers 4 Ways
- Swing Card
- Peek-A-Boo
- Launching Helicopter
This video has lots of ideas for adding motion!
In this video, I’ll show you how to help a parrot fly across the card on an acetate swing arm.
There is a hidden whale, waiting to peek out and cheer you up, on this fun card.
The helicopter on this card lifts up, and flies up in an arc.
Put Your Own Spin On It
Spinners are a really neat way to add motion to your cards too!
- Yo-yo Spinner
- Spinning Image
I’ll show you how to make a record spin with this card.
Stamps with mirror images allow you to sandwich clear thread between a pair, and create fun spinning elements. Click on the photo below to see how I created this sweet spinning ice skater.
Surprise Inside
Wiper cards offer an unexpected treat. They are surprisingly easy to make too!
- Inside Wiper
- Outside Wiper
Wipers can be tucked inside a card, so that when you open it, arms move, like in this beautiful New Year’s card.
If you prefer to keep the action on the front of your card, make an outside wiper. (I just made that term up, but you know what I mean, right?) A little bird pops up when you pull the sides of this card.
Wobble Springs
Wobble springs are a quick and easy way to pop up an element on your card. As an added bonus, they jiggle back and forth when you flick them.
- Wobbly Spy
- Wibbly Wobbly Police Box
- Wobble Tips
The spy on the front of this card is a little wobbly. Perhaps he had a few too many martinis?
Here’s a quick look at this card. The police box on the front is on a wobble spring. For details on how to create the rest of the card, check out this blog post.
If you have never seen a wobble spring before, this is what they look like. There is adhesive on both ends, so you stick one side to the piece you want to wobble, and the other side to your card. (I prefer to stick the stiff side to my card, and the soft side to my die cut element.) Wobbles come in two sizes, regular, and mini. In most cases, the minis work best for cardmakers. The regular size wobbles are too big and stiff for most projects (unless you are adhering items bigger than 3″ around). Both sizes squish down flat for mailing, but pop up nice and high when they are removed from an envelope. They can make a great alternative to foam tape in some cases. We offer both sizes in our shop.
Pop-ups
There is nothing more impressive than a pop-up card, right? From simple to complex, there are designs to suit all skill levels. (Luckily, special die sets can help take the guesswork out of more intricate pop-up mechanisms.)
- Pop-up Cake
- Pop-up Crib
- Easel Cards
Unfold this card, to reveal a pop-up three-layered birthday cake. (I even added lights to make it more special.) This is a case where the dies do all of the work; it was pretty simple to assemble.
Getting creative with dies in my stash, I was able to make my own pop-up crib for this sweet baby card. Click on the photo for more details.
Easel cards allow the front of the card to pop up and sit on display. They can be rectangular, or die cut into any shape you like. Click on the photo below to see how I created this lovely underwater scene, and a second masculine card with my nesting circle dies.
More to come…
I hope this list of ideas helps and inspires you to add interactive elements to your cards. Of course, there are many other ways too, so it’s a good thing you signed up for our newsletter! We’ll deliver weekly inspiration, keep you up to date on unique new products for papercrafters, and even send occasional discount codes your way. Thanks again for joining the Pear Blossom Press family.
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