Gone fishing A pop up box card tutorial

Hello, lovely crafters! 

Welcome back to The Glittery Pink Craft Room!

Today I've got something a little different to share with you — my very first step-by-step cardmaking tutorial! And what better project to start with than this fun fishing-themed pop-up box card, which I made for my son's 16th birthday? 🎂🎣

I absolutely love making cards that have a little surprise when you open them, and this one certainly delivers! It's packed with colourful fish, fishing accessories and lots of lovely dimension.

The best bit? The basic box is made from just one sheet of A4 cardstock, and despite looking quite complicated, it's surprisingly straightforward once you know how.

Even better, it folds flat so you can pop it into an envelope!

So grab your cardstock, scissors and a cuppa, and let's get crafting! ☕✂️

What you'll need

• One sheet of A4 white cardstock
• Patterned papers of your choice
• Decorative images or ephemera
• Scoreboard and scoring tool
• Paper trimmer or scissors
• Strong double-sided tape or wet glue
• Acetate strips (optional, for floating embellishments)
• A ruler
• A little patience and plenty of crafty enthusiasm! 💗

A little shout-out: The gorgeous fishing-themed patterned papers and ephemera I've used for this project are from JSSscrapboutique on Etsy. I just love the cheerful colours and all those fishing accessories!

Step 1 — Score your cardstock

Start with your sheet of A4 cardstock in landscape orientation.

Using your scoreboard, score along the long edge at:

2¾", 5½", 8¼" and 11"

This gives you four equal panels and a narrow joining tab.

Next, turn your cardstock into portrait orientation and trim it to 4¾" high, keeping the leftover cardstock because we'll need some of it later.

Score along the height at 2" to create the fold line for your top flaps.

You should now have the basic outline of your pop-up box card.

Step 2 — Cut and prepare the box

Now it's time to turn those score lines into a box!

Cut down the four vertical score lines from the top edge to the horizontal flap score line.

On the narrow joining tab, remove the section above the flap fold line.

You should now have four top flaps, four lower panels and one joining tab.

Gently fold and burnish all your score lines so everything folds neatly.

Step 3 — Make the internal supports

This is the clever little part that makes all those lovely decorations stand up inside the box!  Cut three strips approximately 1" deep. If you used the piece you cut off earlier, the score marks are exactly the right width, so just trim either side leaving about 1/2 inch on either side for flaps.  The width of the whole tab should be approx 3 1/4 with score lines at 1/4 inch and 3 inches.

Each strip needs a small folded tab at both ends so it can be attached inside the box. Apply strong adhesive to the tabs. Position the strips inside the box, running parallel to one another. These will give you three separate rows for your decorations.

Once they're attached, fold the box at the first fold and secure the opposite ends of the supports. Finally, glue the joining tab to close the box.

And there you have it — your basic pop-up box!

My crafty tip: Before adding glue, check that your box still folds flat. It's much easier to adjust the supports now than after you've added all your decorations!

Step 4 — Add your patterned papers

Now for the fun part — adding some colour! 🎨I've used these gorgeous fishing-themed papers from JSSboutique, including a lovely blue wave design and a cheerful fish pattern.

Cut the following pieces:

Four squares measuring 2½" × 2½"

Three rectangles measuring 2½" × 1¾"

The squares are for the main box panels and the rectangles decorate the folding flaps.

Before cutting your papers, have a little think about which designs you'd like on each section. Some patterns look better facing a particular direction. Adhere the papers to the box, leaving a neat white border around each piece. I've used the blue wave paper on the main body of my box and the colourful fish design on the flaps.

Step 5 — Prepare your decorations

Now we're getting to my favourite part! 💕

For this card, I used a lovely selection of fishing-themed ephemera, including:

• Colourful fish

• Fishing rods and tackle

• Reeds and trees

• A fishing hat

• The number 16

• The alphabet and cut out the word SON

Carefully cut out all your chosen elements, leaving a small white border if you prefer.

I love arranging everything on my desk before attaching it. It helps me decide which pieces should sit at the front, middle and back of the box.

Step 6 — Build your pop-up scene!

This is where the magic happens! ✨

Start adding your decorations to the internal supports, building up your scene in layers.

I positioned the larger elements, including the number 16, towards the back, with the smaller fish and fishing accessories arranged at different heights.

For a few of the decorations, I used small strips of clear acetate. This makes them look as though they're floating above the box — perfect for those little jumping fish!

Keep checking your arrangement from the front and sides as you go.

Try not to overcrowd any one section. Leaving a little space between the layers helps create that lovely three-dimensional effect.

Once you're happy with everything, make sure all the embellishments are securely attached.

The finished card! 🎣💙

And here it is!

A colourful, dimensional fishing-themed birthday card, complete with jumping fish, fishing tackle and a big number 16.

I love how all the little elements come together to create a miniature fishing scene!

And despite all those layers, the box can still fold flat, making it much easier to give or post. It fits into a 6x6 inch envelope.

Just remember to check the thickness before posting, as those extra embellishments may affect the postage.

Fancy making one yourself?

I've also put together a FREE printable tutorial with the measurements and step-by-step photographs, so you can keep it beside you while you craft.

🎀 Download the free pop-up box card tutorial here: Pop up box tutorial

You can also watch my quick video tutorial over on Instagram and TikTok at The Glittery Pink Craft Room.

And don't forget, you can use this same basic box design for so many different occasions — birthdays, Christmas, weddings, baby cards or just because!  Simply change the patterned papers and embellishments to suit your theme.

Thank you for crafting with me! 💕

I'd like to enter this into:

• Creative creases ATG
• AAA birthday - big and bold (the words and numbers)
• Allys angels - ATG
• Crafts galore encore - ATG

I really hope you've enjoyed my first tutorial!

If you give this pop-up box card a try, I'd absolutely love to see what you create. Leave me a comment or tag me over on Instagram.

And if you've enjoyed this tutorial, do pop back for more crafty inspiration, handmade cards and hopefully plenty more step-by-step projects!

Until next time, happy crafting!

Rachael 💗
The Glittery Pink Craft Room
✨ A Little Sparkle in Every Make ✨