A Country Christmas Pop-Up Barn Card Tutorial

Hello, crafty friends, I’m so thrilled to be a guest designer for Spellbinders Blog again. I’m sharing a festive project featuring the Country Christmas Collection by Annie Williams. For this project, I decided to create a charming pop-up card using the Country Christmas Barn Die Set. It’s perfect for adding a touch of rustic holiday cheer to your greeting.

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This pop-up card is quite simple and easy to make, even for beginners.

Step 1: Use the Country Christmas Barn die to die-cut pieces

• White card stock- Barn, Christmas light strings, window, door, snow
• Anchor cardstock - Roof, Roof outline.
• Trees and wreaths: Rainforest, Fern, Forest, Truffle cardstock
• Bow- Cranberry CardStock
• Raven - Barn door frames and window frames

Step 2: Coloring the Christmas string lights

Next, I took the tiny die-cut pieces for the string lights. These little guys are so cute! I used red (R1.5) and green (G 0.6) OLO markers to color each individual "bulb" on the string lights, bringing them to life with a pop of holiday color. This small detail makes a big difference in the barn's final appearance.

Step 3: Assembling and Decorating the Barn

I adhered dark gray roof pieces to the barn, creating a nice contrast. Then, I attached the black doors and window frames. I added die-cut white "snow" pieces to the roof, giving it a classic winter feel. The string lights were carefully glued along the eaves, and a festive green wreath with a red bow was added to the peak. Finally, I arranged and glued various green Christmas trees around the base, creating a cozy countryside scene.

Step 4: Creating the Snowy Sky Background

For the winter sky, I used Seaside cardstock. I applied Altenew's Pool ink at the top with a Spellbinder’s big blending brush, creating a gradient into the lighter blue for a vibrant effect. After blending, I splattered white acrylic paint for "snow". By diluting the Spellbinders Splitter White with water and tapping it over the cardstock, I added a speckled, snowy texture.

Step 5: Creating Pop-Up Element

I cut a piece of white cardstock to 3 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches. Using my scoring board, I scored it at 3/4, 3, 3 3/4, and 6 inches. After scoring, I folded along the score lines and applied liquid adhesive to the end tab, securing it to the opposite end to form a rectangular box, which will be our pop-up mechanism.

Step 6: Attaching the Pop-Up Element to the Background & attaching Barn to the Pop-Up Element

First, I adhered my snowy sky background panel (created in Step 3) to a standard A2 card base, measuring 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches when folded, forming a sturdy foundation for our pop-up. With the background panel in place, I attached the flattened pop-up box by applying liquid adhesive to one side, ensuring the fold lines faced upwards. I positioned the box on the snowy sky background, approximately 1/4 inch from the card base's bottom edge, and pressed down firmly to adhere it. Next, I applied liquid adhesive to the top of the flattened pop-up box and placed my fully assembled barn on it, ensuring it was centered. Once the adhesive dried, the barn pops forward when the card opens, creating a wonderful dimensional effect!

Step 7: Decorating the Barn

I took the two largest die-cut trees and cut them in half. I adhered these halves behind the barn, creating a lovely forest backdrop. The smaller trees were glued to the barn's front. For some sparkle inside, I embellished the tree with tiny red crystal gems, resembling ornaments.

Step 8: Adding “Merry Christmas” Sentiment

I used the Country Christmas Banners & Sentiments BetterPress Plate & Die Set. I hot foiled the "Merry Christmas" sentiment onto cranberry cardstock with white hot foil. The white foil on the rich cranberry creates an elegant look. Then, I used the coordinating die to cut the sentiment into a neat banner shape. Finally, I adhered the "Merry Christmas" banner to the top of my card with foam adhesive, adding dimension and completing the festive scene. A pop-up barn card that will bring joy this holiday season. I loved working with the Spellbinders Country Christmas Collection – the versatile dies allow for creativity. I hope this tutorial inspires you to create your own Country Christmas cards. Happy crafting! XOXO, Heejung