Ready for a blast from the past? We’re going old school with our crafting and teaming up with the very talented Kate Lilley from Minieco to show you how to create an 8-Bit Pop-Up card in the style of your favourite 80s retro game!
When we were little nippers all computer games looked, well… a bit pixelated. We still remember our first Atari and those big old clunky cartridges to this very day.
If like us, you get nostalgic over retro gaming, you’ll love crafting these clever little cards! We think your gee… we mean, your adorable friend who loves old games will also get a kick out of them too.
So, how do you make a retro game inspired card? First, let’s gather some supplies...
You will need:
- Spectrascope Rainbow A4 paper in the colours of your choice
- Craft knife
- Ruler (preferably a metal one)
- Cutting mat
- Needle or compass point for scoring
- Tape or glue for securing the envelope
Downloadable Templates:
- 8-bit-popup-cards-a
- 8-bit-popup-cards-b
- 8-bit-popup-cards-a-envelope-outer
- 8-bit-popup-cards-b-envelope-outer
1. First, print out the envelope and card templates. Set your printing preferences to ‘photo’ and ‘greyscale’. Cut out the outer card, popup insert and envelope (dotted lines).
2. Take your pop-up insert and using a craft knife and ruler cut along the black lines. Next score along the grey lines using a ruler and sharp point (a compass point or needle for example). Take your time and cut and score as accurately as you can.
3. Turn the card over so that the printed lines are facing down, then fold the card slowly along the mid-line and start to fold the bottom of the pixel character. You will notice that the design starts to pop out. This is the trickiest step so make sure you take your time – you might even want to do a test run first using some cheap printer paper. If the shape does not automatically pop out, then use a toothpick (or something similar) to ease the shape out as you are folding. When you have folded the popup insert completely in half, smooth down.
4. Score and fold your envelope template.
5. Glue or tape the pop-up insert inside the outer card. I kept my outer card plain, but you can use patterned paper if you fancy it.
6. Write your card. You can seal the envelope with some washi tape or a sticker.
Here are some ideas of how your cards can look – wow, right?
Short on time or crafting skills? Then browse our ready-made pop-up cards – we even have cards that play a tune and move!
