Hey y’all! It’s time to reveal another Mystery Monday Stamping card, and this week’s mystery has a fun surprise! We’re making an Accordion Fold Card with a Belly Band, and I’m sharing TWO versions to show you just how easy it is to make this design your own!
You know what I always say during Mystery Monday Stamping: No stress, use what you have, and GO ROGUE! Well, I took my own advice this week!
Mystery Monday Stamping: The Mystery Is Solved!
Our mystery card starts with a simple piece of cardstock, a few score lines, and some pretty Designer Series Paper. But once you start folding, something fun happens!
The accordion panels open to reveal all that beautiful paper, along with a space inside for your handwritten message.
And the best part? A removable belly band keeps everything neatly closed until the recipient is ready to open their card.
I made two versions using the same basic card design, but with different looks!
Version #1: Following the Mystery Stamping Clues
For my first card, I followed the clues using Secret Sea cardstock and the beautiful Country Cottage Designer Series Paper.
I love the combination of the dark Secret Sea with the soft floral patterns and Crumb Cake tones. It gives the card such a pretty, coordinated look!
For the belly band, I stamped “Hello!” along with the flowers from the Round About Messages Stamp Set using Secret Sea ink on Basic White cardstock.
I also colored the flower leaves with my Secret Sea marker for a little extra detail.
The rectangular sentiment layer is exactly what our Mystery Monday clues called for.
But then I got to thinking…
Version #2: I Decided to GO ROGUE!
You know I can’t resist changing things up!
For my second card, I used the same accordion fold design but switched to a different pattern from the Country Cottage Designer Series Paper.
This time, I paired Crumb Cake cardstock with Secret Sea, giving the card a completely different look.
And instead of using the rectangular sentiment layer from our clues, I grabbed my circle punches!
I stamped the birthday greeting from the Round About Messages Stamp Set on Very Vanilla cardstock, punched it out with a circle punch, and layered it onto a larger Secret Sea circle Matt.
That little change gives the belly band a whole new personality!
Same mystery card. Same basic measurements. Two completely different looks!
That’s why I encourage everyone to GO ROGUE during Mystery Monday Stamping. The clues are a starting point, but your creativity gets to take over!
Accordion Fold Card Measurements
Ready to make one yourself? Here are the measurements we used for our mystery.
Colored Cardstock:
- 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ — backing layer
- 11″ x 4 1/4″ — accordion fold
- 1″ x 11″ — belly band
- 1 1/2″ x 3″ — sentiment Matt
Designer Series Paper:
- 4″ x 5 1/4″
- 1/2″ x 4″
- 2 1/4″ x 4″ — cut 2
- 1 1/4″ x 4″ — cut 2
Basic White Cardstock:
- 2 3/4″ x 4″ — inside message layer
- 1 3/8″ x 2 7/8″ — sentiment layer
Scoring: Score the 11″ x 4 1/4″ cardstock at 3″, 5 1/2″, 8″, and 9 1/2″ along the 11″ side.
Fold back and forth to create your accordion panels.
For my GO ROGUE birthday version, I replaced the rectangular sentiment layers with punched circles of Very Vanilla and Secret Sea cardstock.
Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
- Round About Messages Stamp Set
- Country Cottage Designer Series Paper
- Secret Sea Cardstock
- Secret Sea Classic Stampin’ Pad
- Secret Sea Marker
- Crumb Cake Cardstock
- Basic White Cardstock
- Very Vanilla Cardstock
- Circle Punches
- Paper Trimmer and Bone Folder
- Adhesive
Watch the Mystery Unfold!
There’s something so much fun about Mystery Monday Stamping! You start with a handful of supplies, follow the clues one at a time, and before you know it, you’ve created a card you didn’t even know you were making!
Watch the Mystery Monday Stamping replay here:
Whether you follow the clues exactly or decide to GO ROGUE, I hope this card inspires you to pull out your favorite Designer Series Paper and give this fun fold a try.
Join Us for Mystery Monday Stamping!
Have you ever joined one of my Mystery Monday Stamping classes? If not, I’d love to have you!
We gather on YouTube LIVE on Mondays at 7 PM Central to stamp, laugh, visit with friends, and solve a new cardmaking mystery together.
It’s FREE, it’s FUN, and there’s absolutely NO STRESS!
Invite a friend to join us, too. After all, stamping is even better when we share it!
Sign up for my FREE newsletter so you don’t miss the next mystery:
And don’t forget to share your finished card in our Mystery Monday Stampers Facebook group. I especially love seeing how everyone uses different papers, colors, and stamps to make the same design their own!
Until next time, remember…
Cardmaking Made Easy, Fun, and Stress-Free!
Pin this to your favorite cardmaking board on Pinterest for the future!
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Author Bio — TxStampin Sharon
Hi y’all! I’m Sharon Armstrong, better known as TxStampin Sharon — your friendly online teacher for card-making techniques and creative confidence!
I’ve been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for 29 years, teaching stampers around the world through my Mystery Monday Stamping live classes, YouTube tutorials, and my 110 Cardmaking Techniques Library.
My mission? To help you make beautiful handmade cards with no stress — just go rogue!
Explore more tutorials at TxStampin.com/Card-Making-Techniques
Happy Stampin’ y’all!
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