Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Kaleidoscope Spin Card [with tutorial]

Hello friends!  Today I'm sharing with you my tutorial on creating this spin card.

The card in this tutorial will be part of my Fun & Fab Friday card workshop on Jan 29th at 6:30 pm and again on Feb 11th at 12:30 pm.  Contact me to RSVP to attend or request a kit.  You can see all of my events here on Facebook.



I posted a preview of my card on Instagram last night.  As luck would have it, my Instagram post turned out better than the one with my big fancy Nikon.  I know it's operator error, and I really need to learn more about my camera.  Below is a video of the card moving.  If you cannot see it, click here to view it on YouTube.


A video posted by Lalia Harris (@craftylalia) on

I used the Kaleidoscope papers with this card.  To see my Penelope versions, click here and here.

Before we get started, here's what I used.

Kaleidoscope Paper Pack
Spring Critters C1638
Ink Blot D1660
Spring Critters Thin Cuts Z3207
3D foam tape Z1151
Green Shimmer Trim Z3087
White Enamel Stars Z2010
Bulk White Daisy Card Base (from Value Pack) X254
Shin Han Markers Vivid Green, Leaf Green, Tender Pink & Golden Yellow
Black Memento Ink Pad
Topiary & Canary Inks
Glue Dots

2 pennies
3D foam circles I used the Studio G 12mm thick circles from Michael's Craft Store.

This is just an A2 card so I started with a basic card base and went from there.
I cut a 3.75" piece of Canary cardstock and random stamped it with Ink Blot with Canary Ink.  I did this because I'm planning a workshop and I love the Ink Blot stamp set.  If you're making only a few of these cards, I'd take the Canary Bokeh B&T paper from the paper pack.  That was my inspiration for the background.  
This Canary Yellow B&T paper would also make a great background.  A background is optional, but I like to have a little color behind the circles.  



To get the piece of paper cut with circles, use this Design Space File for the Cricut Explore or circle dies like these Nestabilities.

The circle and card base are created with the Circle & Rectangle from Design Space.  Anybody should be able to cut that portion.  The butterfly is from the CTMH Artiste Cartridge.

The Circles need to centered on each other and spaced so that your round foam dots can glide all the way around.  I used some ultra thick ones that were 11mm in diameter from Michaels.  Here's some thinner ones on Amazon.  If you were to use the thinner ones, you'll need to stack them.  (more about the dots later.  Right now you need to focus on getting 1/2" diameter foam dots.)

(If you are lost at this step, scroll down and see how the card is put together)


When you have your circles cut, apply 3D foam tape all over the back of the large rectangle and the smaller circle.  Keep it away from the edges of circle so the mechanism doesn't stick.  A couple of my foam pieces were too close to the circle and had to be moved.  

Put the base down first.  This base was 4" x 5.25."  Using a full card front of 4.25" x 5.5" is easier. The Design Space file has a full card front because a Cricut will only cut 4 of these fronts from a single sheet of paper so I optimized the paper. 

Grab the middle ring of paper that was cut.  DON'T ADHERE IT.  Just use it as a guide for the smaller circle.

Now adhere down the smaller circle and remove the ring.  

Set this aside and focus on your mechanism!
It's 2 pennies & a foam circle.  Mine is really thick.  It's twice as thick as the foam tape I just used to adhere the card front.  If you don't have foam circles that thick, stack 2 of them!

You're making a sandwich.


Add a Glue Dot to the top of one side.  (Yes, they are nearly invisible.  Trust me, there's one there.)  First, I gotta say, CTMH now sells the hard to find micro-glue dots!  But for workshops, I use the sheets of glue dots because they can be shared.  

Adhere your frog or item that will be spinning.  I adhered it to the top so it would end right side up more often than not.  


Now gently bend your card so the groove opens up.  

Put the penny on the groove as shown and then push it against the back wall of the card.  Release card from the bent position and the penny should be against the card in its groove.

Check to make sure that it spins freely.  If it doesn't spin freely, determine what is causing the hangup.  Is the circle perfectly centered?  Are there pieces of 3D foam catching the penny?
I had to adjust mine a couple times last night.

Go ahead and embellish as desired.  Don't add embellishments that the frog will run into.  These stars are dimensional, but the frog is taller.   
Feel free to embellish the bottom of the card with fun & chunky elements.  I say this because these cards are best when hand-delivered.  My friend took one to the post office in a padded envelope and it cost nearly $3 to mail because it was considered a parcel due to its thickness.


Here's a sneak peek at next month's Stamp of the Month Balloon Animals S1602. It says Hip Hip Hooray!  The inside of the card says "It's your day!"
 As a consultant, I get to purchase Stamp of the Month sets in advance.

Have you ever thought about the benefits of being a consultant?  
A 22% discount on all of your supplies and being able to purchase items in advance is just the beginning of the benefits.  Let me know if you'd like more information or have specific questions.  

Any links to Amazon.com are affiliate links which means I may earn a small reward to directing you there. See full disclose on the left sidebar of my blog. 



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