Folded Surprise: Paper Greeting Card

This unique greeting card can be made by just one sheet of paper. It requires no gluing, cutting or measurements, and can be completed in less than 5 minutes!

Use this amazing paper folding technique to create a greeting card with a surprise message within the folds!

Supplies

All you need is:

1 sheet of square paper

2 colored markers for identification

Stationery for design/decoration

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Step 2: First Set of Horizontal Folds

Take your square piece of paper and fold it into half. As this a folding card, it is important that the folds are crisp and neat. Take your time, carefully join the ends of the halves together, and press down on the fold gently. Press the fold firmly to develop the fold.

Once you have a folded half, fold into half two more times, as shown.

Step 3: First Horizontal Folds

Once you have made these folds, it should look something like the picture shown.

Step 4: Repeat to Make the Second Set of Horizontal Folds

Now that we have folds in one direction, let us repeat this in the perpendicular direction as shown. Remember, each fold needs to pressed down gently, and firmly.

Step 5: Second Set of Horizontal Folds

After this set of folds, the sheet of paper should be folded along the lines indicated in the image.

Step 6: Let Us Make the Diagonal Folds

Now make a diagonal fold as shown in the image along the blue line indicated. Press firmly to develop the fold.

Step 7: Repeat Along the 4 Corners

Repeat these diagonal folds along the 4 corners of the sheet of paper as shown. The blue lines indicate the diagonal folds.

Step 8: Draw the Valley Folds

Now, draw the pattern shown in the image along the folds that you have just made. The blue lines shown here will be the valley folds, or the lines along which the paper is to be folded inwards.

Step 9: Draw the Mountain Folds

Similarly, draw the other set of folds using a second color. The red lines here indicate the lines along which the paper is to be folded outwards.

Step 10: Carefully Crease the Red and Blue Fold Lines

Crease the lines marked red outwards, and the lines marked blue inwards as shown. Do this carefully and gently so as to not make unnecessary folds around these edges.

Step 11: Fold the Greeting Card!

Carefully go around the corners by folding the red lines outwards, and the blue lines inwards. You will begin to notice that it looks sort of like the top of a cardboard box when we close and secure it.

Step 12: And You Are Done!

You will now have a structure as shown in the images. By pulling across any two opposite ends of the square, you can open the greeting card to reveal your secret message!

We encourage you to play around with this technique, and add your own creative elements to this card!