How to make a card of birthday candles for your recipient
The folds of the concertina folded base card make the candles - you just have to decorate it. You can use any patterned paper or card to decorate it and just a black pen to add some detail.
This card folds quite flat so is ideal if you have to post it
Follow the below link to find out how the card was made
You will need
- A4 piece of white card
- Some patterned paper or card (I used a couple of sheets from 'Lovely Mystery' 12" design pad by Craft Sensations)
- Yellow card
- Pencil
- Black pen
- Greeting stamp (I used 'Happiest Birthday' from Cool Treats stamp set by Stampin Up)
- Black ink pad
- Stamping aid (I use Stamparatus. The stamping aid is not essential but helps placement of greeting)
- Guillotine with cutting and scoring blades
- Craft knife and metal ruler
- Glue
- Cut the piece of A4 card down to 28 cm in length and then score at 7 cm intervals - you should have 3 score lines as shown by the black lines in the below photo:
- Starting on the right hand folded section draw a candle top and flame fairly low down in the section. Draw candle tops and flames gradually getting higher across the next two folded sections as per the below photo. It doesn't matter if you have to redraw or adjust your lines as you will be covering the pencil lines with patterned card or paper
- Using a craft knife and metal ruler, cut out as per the below photo
- Glue a piece of yellow card over the flame on the smallest candle on the right. Use a craft knife to cut around the flame on the base card through the yellow card. You then end up with a yellow flame.
- Because the card concertinas, the piece of yellow card for the next flame needs to be glued to the back. Cut out as before
(This shows the reverse side of the card with the second flame) 
This is how it will look once folded - The last flame has to have yellow card glued on the same side as the smallest candle flame. Cut around it again. Your card should now look like this:
This is how it will look when all candles are covered and the card is concertina folded - The card has 4 sections and I have used just 2 patterned papers. Use one for the smallest candle and the third candle. Then use a different patterned paper for the second candle and the last biggest section. Use the base card to draw around the smallest candle section on the back of your chosen patterned card. Cut out and glue to the front of the candle
Draw around back of candle onto back of patterned paper 
Cut out the drawn shape 
Stick onto candle front - Now cover the third section in the same way
- Because your card concertinas, you need to turn the card over to cover the second and fourth sections as below with the other patterned paper. Then once folded, your card will look like the photo below:
Back of card with 2nd & 4th sections covered 
Once folded you can see the candles starting to form - Using your black pen, draw a wick on each of your flames and then draw a dashed line around the flames and around each patterned piece of paper
- Line your greeting up on the shortest candle, ink your stamp and stamp onto the card
Your card is now finished. You could use lots of different patterned papers instead of just two like I have used and vary the colours to your recipients favourite colours.
