Making An Explosion Book

About

You Will Need (10 things)

Steps (12 steps, 120 minutes)

1. 1

   Begin by cutting 3 pieces of 12" x 12" cardstock to 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ square.

2. 2

   Score each piece of cardstock at 4 1/4″ and then give a half turn and score again at 4 1/4″ from top to bottom. Fold on each score line to get a crisp fold. Do this for all of the sheets of cardstock

3. 3

   Position the cardstock, as shown in the picture, so that one corner is at the top of the scoring board and score down the center. Do these for the remaining 2 sheets of cardstock. Note: Only score or fold 1 corner. Do not do this step for the other corner. It helps to keep the edges lined up by placing it against the side of the scoring board while folding the score lines.

4. 4

   Fold in half at the score line that you just created on all 3 of the pieces of cardstock to get crisp folds.

5. 5

   Place one sheet of cardstock to be the middle page of the explosion book and add tape to the left and right sides. The center fold should be facing downward (valley fold) on this piece.

   Attach one sheet to the left of the center page and one to the right of the center page as shown. Be sure to notice the folds so that the book closes properly. The left and right pages have the center folds facing upward (mountain fold).

6. 6

   Fold the left piece of cardstock so that it forms a square over the center piece of cardstock. This is why it is important to make sure all folds are crisp so that they will fold in the correct direction naturally.

7. 7

   The pages will look like this when held on its side if folded correctly. On the left and right pages, the folds (points) should fold upward and on the middle page, the folds (points) should fold downwards.

8. 8

   Now cut 2 pieces of heavy chipboard or card board 4 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ square. A box works well for this step.

9. 9

   Cut (2) 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ squares of patterned paper. Center the chipboard square on the paper and adhere together using a tape runner. Make a cut from the corner of the paper to the corner of the chipboard on all 4 corners with a small pair of scissors. Add a strong glue to the edge of the chipboard square and fold the paper over it. Tip: If you score a line along each edge of the chipboard on the paper it helps to fold it easier. Repeat this step for the second piece of paper and chipboard. The small flaps that are created when the corners are cut will be folded inward after being scored to create a nice, crisp corner.

10. 10

    Add glue to the center of the chipboard cover and adhere the first square piece (the left hand square from the assembled set of pages) of the cardstock pages to it. It helps to have the book folded closed at this point. Do the same things for the back cover making sure the patterns of the paper face the same direction.

11. 11

    Here you will cut (7) 4″ squares of 2 different patterned papers. Four of the squares should be left whole and 3 of them cut in half from corner to corner and adhere to the book using the tape runner.

12. 12

    Cut a piece of 20″ long x 3/8″ (can also use 5/8” ribbon) wide ribbon and cut it in half. Glue it to the front and back covers, but do not glue it around the edge of the book as it will interfere with the opening of it.

    Now add the embellishments to each page and enjoy your new explosion of fun!