Winter is here and it’s time to hit the slopes! Well…maybe not for me—I haven’t proven to be the most coordinated on slick objects strapped to my feet whilst being propelled down snowy hills. But, for all of you who do enjoy making use of that fresh mountain powder, I have a fun and unique new project just for you. Commemorate the holiday season with this adorable, interactive ski card!
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My wonderful patrons chose this awesome design! Each month, my Patreon subscribers help me select a couple of the projects I create, and this design was one of the top picks for the month of December.
If you enjoy my work and would like to help choose future projects/freebies, consider becoming a patron of Designs By Miss Mandee!
Watch a short video of me putting this project together on Instagram.
Interactive Ski Card
Materials
- Cardstock
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Bone Folder optional
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
Instructions
- Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces for your interactive ski card. This design does include “print then cut” elements.For machines that support “print then cut:” upload the SVG file along with each of the separate “print then cut” image files. The images should already be the correct size, and your machine should recognize them as “print then cut,” so the only additional setup will be with the few score lines on the card backing.For machines that don’t support “print then cut:” you can use your machine to cut out the pieces in the SVG file. Then, use a printer to print out the last two pages in the PDF version of the file and cut those ones out by hand.Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video. I also used a Cricut marker to draw the designs on the birdhouse walls, but if that’s not an option for you, then you can delete those lines before cutting the design.
- We are going to work front to back on this card. So, begin by attaching the trees together and to the border piece.Next, Attach the tree border to the frontmost white piece (the one that includes the poles for the ski lift as well as a curved top edge).
- Flip the card over. Attach the mountain range piece to the top portion of the card, and the “holy” section to the bottom part of the card (matching up all the holes with the piece in front of it). These two pieces will create a channel for our ski lift pull-tab.Next, attach the large rectangular piece that has the ski lift printed on it to the back, only adding glue around the edges. But, don’t seal off the top right corner just yet.Then, take the ski lift pull tab section and slip it into the channel created for it. Once it is in place, glue the edges of the top right corner of the card. Be sure not to get any glue on the pull tab or the mechanism won’t work.
- Take the solid white backing piece and fold along the score lines. Fold each of the tabs inward and attach them to the inside of the card—keeping the open edge at the bottom.Finally, slip your skier card into place, and your festive creation is complete!
Notes
View the full-size tutorial photos below.
Supplies
- Cardstock
- Precision Craft Glue or a Glue Stick
- Bone Folder (optional)
- A Cutting Machine or X-ACTO knife
- My Free Template
How to Make It
1. Use your cutting machine or X-ACTO knife, along with my template, to cut out all of the pieces for your interactive ski card. This design does include “print then cut” elements.
For machines that support “print then cut:” upload the SVG file along with each of the separate “print then cut” image files. The images should already be the correct size, and your machine should recognize them as “print then cut,” so the only additional setup will be with the few score lines on the card backing.
For machines that don’t support “print then cut:” you can use your machine to cut out the pieces in the SVG file. Then, use a printer to print out the last two pages in the PDF version of the file and cut those ones out by hand.
Note: If you are using the SVG files that includes the score lines, don’t forget to set them as such in Cricut Design Space and attach them to their shapes before sending them through your cutting machine. I used a lime green color to mark the score lines, so hopefully that helps! If you’re having trouble with the score lines, check out this video. I also used a Cricut marker to draw the designs on the birdhouse walls, but if that’s not an option for you, then you can delete those lines before cutting the design.
2. We are going to work front to back on this card. So, begin by attaching the trees together and to the border piece.
Next, Attach the tree border to the frontmost white piece (the one that includes the poles for the ski lift as well as a curved top edge).
3. Flip the card over. Attach the mountain range piece to the top portion of the card, and the “holy” section to the bottom part of the card (matching up all the holes with the piece in front of it). These two pieces will create a channel for our ski lift pull-tab.
Next, attach the large rectangular piece that has the ski lift printed on it to the back, only adding glue around the edges. But, don’t seal off the top right corner just yet.
Then, take the ski lift pull tab section and slip it into the channel created for it. Once it is in place, glue the edges of the top right corner of the card. Be sure not to get any glue on the pull tab or the mechanism won’t work.
4. Take the solid white backing piece and fold along the score lines. Fold each of the tabs inward and attach them to the inside of the card—keeping the open edge at the bottom.
Finally, slip your skier card into place, and your festive creation is complete!
If I’m being honest, when I pitched this idea to my Patrons I didn’t actually know how it would work. All I knew was that it would be fun to have a card that included a movable ski lift. Well, once I actually sat down and tried to work through the logistics, I figured that the best way to make that happen would be to incorporate a “pull-tab” element, like the ones you see in children’s books (those things that you do your best to make sure your kids don’t tear off…but that eventually succumb to the ferocity of a child’s grip).
While the ski lift idea was fun, I felt like I couldn’t stop there. I decided that there should be skiers making their way down the mountain too. I figured that the best way to achieve this would be to include them on the card itself, and make the “skiing motion” occur when the recipient slips the card out. There wasn’t any kind of reference for this effect, that I could find, but I came up with the idea for these little round windows where glimpses of each skier would be seen as the card was pulled out, and I just ran with it!
I use Adobe Illustrator for all my designs, and a Cricut Maker to bring my creations to life. For tips on creating fun paper cuts like this one, see the FAQ section on my website. Also, be sure to check out the other fun freebies available on my blog!
Enjoy making this interactive ski card for someone you think would appreciate it! I’d love to see your results, so be sure to share them with me by either tagging me on Instagram or by sharing your work in my Facebook Group.
*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through my links to make a purchase, you are supporting this blog and the hard work that goes into providing free, quality designs.
Mandee is a professional graphic designer, amateur bird watcher, and rollercoaster enthusiast. She is a wife to hardworking high school teacher and mommy to three adorable little humans. She fell in love with graphic design when she started working on a comedy website with a guy she met her freshman year of college. Design wasn’t the only thing she fell in love with, and they were married a year and a half later. She created Designs By Miss Mandee to be a place where she could merge her passion for design with her lifelong love of crafting. 2 Comments on Interactive Ski Card – Holiday Card Cut File
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Shirl
December 14, 2023 at 7:52 am (9 months ago)This is so cool. I am not a skier, but just have to make this card! I will find someone to give it to!!!
Mandee
December 14, 2023 at 4:38 pm (9 months ago)I’m sure you will find someone who will appreciate it!! ☺️