Monday Mania Challenge #3

Cupcakes anyone?

For this week's challenge, I'm giving you a tutorial! I hope that you can play along and make your very own cupcake card!

I first saw this style of cupcake cards on Valita's blog and hers looked so yummy I just had to try it myself. She even has a template that you can print out. It makes quite a large card though, which is great for some things, but I wanted one that would fit in to a regular A2 size envelope. So I went to work on my own template to make the smaller card in the picture above.

Supplies:
1" circle (for cherry on top)
2 1/4" x 1" cardstock (first icing layer)
3 1/4" x 1" cardstock (second icing layer)
4 1/4" x 1" cardstock (third icing layer)
6" x 3 3/4" cardstock (for base)
Various embossing folders / Cuttlebug or other machine
Scor-pal
Paper Trimmer
Adhesive
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors

Directions:
1. Place the 6" x 3 3/4" cardstock on the Scor-Pal with the 6" side across the top. Score at 3" and fold it in half.

2. Turn it so the FOLD IS AT THE TOP. On the bottom edge, make a pencil mark at 1/2" in from each corner. Trim from the top left corner down to the left pencil mark, cutting through both layers. Repeat on the right side. (See red lines in diagram).

3. Using the Scor-Pal, make lines on the front layer only from the fold down to the bottom edge. This effect resembles a paper cupcake holder.

Here's how I did mine: I made pencil marks on the inside of the card, along the fold and along the bottom edge of the front flap.
On the fold, I put the left edge of the cardstock at 1/8" on my ruler, then made nine pencil marks at 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/4", and 3 1/2".
At the bottom, I put the left edge of the cardstock at 1/8" on my ruler and made nine pencil marks at 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 1 3/4", 2", 2 1/4", and 2 1/2".
Laying it the front of the card on my Scor-Pal, I just "eyeballed" it to make sure both corresponding pencil marks were on the same line to score from the edge to the fold. Repeat from one side to the other.
Of course, you can figure out how to make your lines any way you want, or don't make any at all. You could even use patterned paper for a fun cupcake "wrapper"! (Hey, I just now thought of that but it's a good idea! Another thing to add to my "to do" list!) I used Core'dinations Black Magic cardstock here so I sanded my score lines on the front for the core color to show through.

4. For each of the icing layers, I just cut each piece of cardstock with my scissors freehand. There is no right or wrong for the shape, although I did stay close to the edges, rounded the corners, and made them more straight across the top, and wavy along the bottom. You may be more comfortable drawing your cutting lines with a pencil first. But they don't all have to be the same.

5. After you have them cut out, you can emboss each one if you like that effect. But you don't have to. I used 3 different Cuttlebug embossing folders on mine.

6. Put a thin line of glue or adhesive along the back bottom side of the largest icing layer and adhere it along the fold of the card/cupcake base. It will hang over the top by about 1/2" or so.

7. Repeat with the next two icing layers and the 1" circle/cherry. I used glue with mine and had a ruler nearby for measuring to make sure the total height was not over 5 1/2" tall (to fit in a card envelope). So if I needed to scoot some icing layers down to overlap more, I could do that before my glue dried all the way.

Let me know if something here doesn't make sense. I didn't plan ahead this time so I don't have a lot of pictures to go with this tutorial.

If you make one, please leave me a comment here with a link - I'd love to see it!