Floating Floor Photo Pop-Up Tutorial

Hi everyone! Today I have a Sizzix Christmas pop-up step-by-step tutorial to share, using Karen Burniston's pop 'n cuts system. When I saw Karen's video of a pop-up card with a floating floor, I knew I wanted to try the technique with small cut out photos popping up on the floor. Don't miss Karen's video, it is great, you can find it here.

I used photos from last year's Christmas card photo shoot. I have taken this year's Christmas photos, but haven't developed them yet, so last year's photos had to do. They were already developed in a small size, so it was just a case of picking which photos to use and cutting them out. This card was so hard to photograph, with all the photos popping up all over, everything couldn't be in focus at once. My son loves opening this card and seeing himself as Santa's little helper popping up all over the card. I think we we will use it as an ornament, he is going to be upset if I give it away.

This would work for lots of other types of cards and photos too, not only for Christmas.

This is the front of the card. I wanted to do a card with traditional Christmas colours, green, red, and gold, and with a vintage feel. I don't use patterned papers that much, except for my favourites such as ledger and script. For this card I challenged myself to use patterned papers for my base, using papers from Tim Holtz's Seasonal pad.

I've had fun playing around with Tim Holtz's new Frosted Film lately. Adhere Frosted Film to a 6x6 piece of patterned paper. The film is self-adhesive. To avoid bubbles, start applying the film from one edge of the paper, and burnish it down with your fingers as you go.

The film gives a lovely frosty shimmer to the paper, which is very hard to photograph. I love the look of all the photos popping up from this shimmery paper, but it does make the paper a bit more flexible, and the folded lines aren't quite as sharp. I didn't think it was a problem, but use a fairly heavy patterned paper.

Print out Karen's great template and place it on your floating floor base. Make sure you place it so that the bottom of the template is at the top of your floor. Score along the dotted lines, since I made my card wider than the template, I just extended the score lines. Cut along the solid lines.

Fold along the score lines, using a bone folder.

Cut out the photos and place them on the floor, make tiny marks where they need to go.

I matted the photos on cream cardstock, to make them sturdier.

Cut slots in your paper using a craft knife. For the wider photos, I cut two slots, but it would probably have been enough with one.

For the upper part of the inside, I wanted to use this full 6 x 6 sheet, which meant that I had to tape a strip of another paper (the music paper) at the base of it.

I wanted the fold line of the card to be exactly where the two papers meet, and right in the centre of the Circle Label pop-up insert. Place the die with the cutting side on the paper, lining up the two marks on the die with the place where you want the fold to be, and make sure there is an equal distance to each side of the paper. To make sure the die wouldn't shift, I taped masking tape on top, first making it less sticky by taping it on my clothes. Since my card is wide, I couldn't use the Pop 'n Cuts base die, but instead placed it in my ordinary base tray.

Here you can see that the card folds right where the two papers meet, and that there is as much of each paper in the circle label.

Gold emboss Christmas images on the patterned paper. This sentiment from Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Holidays #4 fits perfectly on the little shelf of the pop-up.

Add some gold embossing on the outside of the card too.


Karen shows how to attach the floor in her video. First tape the pop-up to your cardbase, then place the floor flat, remove the tape backing at the top of the floor, and fold the top part of the card over it. Then attach the front of the floor.

I added a little mini staple on each side at the front to make sure it would stick, and a piece of lace (to hide the slightly uneven paper).

Now we can move on to the embellishments. Ink some manila cardstock with red Distress Inks.

Stamp with a music stamp and then cover with the Frosted Film.

Die cut the Ribbon Tree 3-D pop-up from green kraft core cardstock. This is meant to be a pop-up, but can be used as a flat embellishment too. It is such a pretty tree (check back on Saturday when I'll be using it as a pop-up). Carefully sand to reveal the kraft core.

Die cut the Ribbon tree from the Noel Sizzlits set from the red paper, twice. The second time, turn the red paper around (facing upwards), since the trees are mirror images of each other. Glue to the trees and add baubles with Golden Rod Stickles.

I wanted old fashioned baubles on the card and stamped these baubles from Stamper's Anonymous Classics #10 set on acetate with Stazon ink. You can use Archival Jet Black ink too, but it takes a little bit longer to dry.

Colour the baubles on the back with alcohol inks.

Glue the back of the baubles to aluminium tape and adhere Frosted Film to the front, then cut out. The bauble on the left is already cut out, on the right you can still see the tape and the film.

The combination of alcohol inks, metallic tape and Frosted Film is pretty cool, but hard to photograph.

Die cut Karen's Ornate Plate from manila cardstock, colour with Tarnished Brass Distress Stain and when dry, stamp with a script stamp.

Time to assemble everything. Use the Flagpole die to cut strips, this works nice since they are already reinforced. Alternatively you can cut strips of cardstock and glue together. Make a little foot and tape to the bottom of the floating floor, using a strong tape (this step is much easier to see in Karen's video).

Tape the photos to the piece of that sticks out of the floor. I left it taller for the photos that are taller.

Here you can see the photos from the top. Use the Christmas Words folder and dry emboss a piece of green kraft core cardstock, sand and cut out a word.

Another photo of the pop-up parts. 'Tomtenisse' means 'little Santa'.

I die cut stars from a left over piece of patterned paper, which was first covered with Frosted Film. A piece of wire was sandwiched between two stars and I placed one in his hand, and a larger star on the circle pop-up.

Here you can see the larger star, popping up behind the circle. Glue one of the trees to the circle label.

'Hang' a bauble from a gold embossed branch on the inside, and do the same with the other bauble on the outside of the card.

Layer the Ornate Plate, a vintage image cut from the patterned paper, and also covered with the Frosted Film, the tree and another dry embossed word on the outside of the card and you are done.

Thanks so much for looking at this long tutorial!

Happy Christmas crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Dies: Sizzix: Circle Label 3-D pop-up, Ribbon Tree 3-D pop-up, Ornate Plate Bigz, Noel Set Sizzlits, Party Set #2 Sizzlits,  Flagpole w/Lantern & Sign Sizzlits
Embossing folder: Christmas Words & Dots
Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Classics #10, Classicts #9, Mini Holidays #4, Christmas Time, Mini Holidays #2; Hero Arts Printer's Lowercase alphabet stamps
Surfaces: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Seasonal Paper Stash, Frosted Film; Core'dinations Tim Holtz kraft core cardstock; Ranger manila cardstock, Metal foil; acetate
Ink: Distress Ink: Barn Door, Aged Mahogany, Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black; Stazon Jet Black
Alcohol ink: Adirondack Red Pepper, Meadow, Caramel, Gold
Stain: Distress Stain Tarnished Brass
Stickles: Golden Rod
Embossing powder: gold
Adhesive: Ranger Wonder Tape, Glossy Accents
Other: wire, lace