Chess, An Angled Pop Up Box Card by Gill Humphrey

A few weeks ago my blog featured custom sized pop up cards which I love however the elements are of course stacked in front of each other making it hard to see all of the details, especially if the elements you have are either big or small. The solution for me was to adapt the sides of the box so that they are angled meaning that the cross bars on which the elements are staggered allowing you to layer your elements in a more upright direction rather than all being front to back on a level.

I have used Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass 12 x 12 papers and Alice through the Looking Glass Collectables for this make.

I have constructed my base from a sheet of grey 12 x 12 cardstock. You will need a piece of card 6" tall by 3" wide for the back of the box. For the main body of the box you need a piece of card 6" tall and 11" wide scored at 1/2", 4", 7" and 101/2".

To create the angled sides of the box I drew a line across the middle panel 3" from the top and then from the score lines for the middle panel diagonally to  the top of the outer score lines

When you fold in the side tabs you are left with an extra piece (the hatched area in photo below) which needs to be cut off.

You then need to attach the front shaped panel to the back panel - I used double sided tape for this. Firstly line up the back panel along one side of the front panel ensuring it is level at the bottom.

Then fold the back panel over towards your left and bring the opposite end of the front panel over to meet it ensuring the score line lines with the edge of the back panel.

I then placed 4 bars across the top of my box - these I cut 5" long and 1" high scoring at 1/2" and 4/1/2" so I had tabs to attach them to the sides of the box. When you attach these pieces it is important that they sit parallel to the top/bottom of the box - I judge by eye and use wet glue for this so I have wriggle room. I also attach all of the pieces on one side of the box and let the glue set before repeating on the opposite side.

You now have the basic box reconstruction and all that is left to do is decorate it. To do this you need to be mindful that the side panels are angled in opposite directions so be careful when cutting these two pieces. I always like a border and so my measurements allow for this - If you don't want a border then you will need to adjust your measurements. The photo below shows you the size and shape of the pieces required to cover the out side of the box and the inside of the back panel. I added strips of paper 3/4" wide by 31/4" long to the cross bars.

I chose to add Black Soot Distress Oxide to the edges of all my pieces of paper and the box itself before adhering everything in place. I cut the chess elements from the Collectables pack and also from the large fussy cut page in the 12 x 12 paper collection. The mini chess board was cut into two pieces at an angle.

Although adding textural elements to the outside of the box will mean you need a much bigger envelope or a custom made box if you are sending it by using resin they do add stability to the piece making it double up as a home decor piece rather than just being a card. I used the Checkmate mould and Amazing Casting Resin as it easy to use and sets really quickly. The pieces were then covered with a mix of Earth and Brown paints for the base layer and then when dry used a dry brush technique to add Nougat over the top before adding gold wax.

Before adhering the finished resin pieces in place I added more fussy cut elements so that they were grounded rather than looking as though they were added as an after thought.