How to Make Easel Cards ⭐ Card Making Countdown BONUS Projects!
Make impressive and decorative easel cards that fold flat for posting.
This tutorial shows how to make the six easel cards that come as a bonus file in the Instant Access Bundle of the 2026 Card Making Countdown.
If you’re taking part in the 2026 Card Making Countdown on a free ticket, then please be aware that you will not receive these designs.
These cards are currently exclusive to the Instant Access Bundle, so that is the only place to get the SVGs.
They will be added to my SVG shop to purchase individually in August 2026.
This tutorial can also be used to see how to make the other easel cards that are already available in my SVG shop.
Easel cards supply list
Here is a list of the materials that are used to make this project.
Please note that some of the links included in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.
- Cricut machine
- Light blue Cricut cutting mat
- Cricut scoring wheel or scoring stylus
- Coloured card (thick, solid core cardstock works best for the base card pieces)
- Glue (I like Bearly Art Glue and Collall)
- Foam squares
- Patterned paper (optional)
- Decorations/embellishments/toppers (optional)
This project is suitable for the following types of Cricut machines: Explore series, Maker series, Joy Xtra, Joy and Joy 2. You will need to make the templates smaller to cut with a Joy or Joy 2. Some of the more intricate patterns might be hard to cut on the Joy or Joy 2.
The download comes with a printable sheet of instruction guides that you can cut and put inside the envelopes with your cards, to show the recipient how to display them.
Foundation learning
If you're new to making papercrafts with your cutting machine, check out these links to get you started.
They include videos on topics such as: which file to use with your type of cutting machine, how to load the files into your cutting machine's software, how to cut cardstock with your type of cutting machine, how to recolor and modify/customize the cut files and tips for displaying your projects.
- Help guides for Cricut machines
- Help guides for Silhouette machines
- Help guides for ScanNCut machines
The following tutorials are Cricut-specific, but many of the ideas will work similarly with a Silhouette or ScanNCut machine and any cut files that are shared in them are compatible with all types of cutting machine.
- How to score with a Cricut (even without scoring tools)
- Print then cut tutorial
- Design Space tools (Combine, Attach, Slice, Weld, Flatten, etc.)
- Pattern fill tutorial (for making backgrounds & cutting images to a specific shape/size)
- Free envelope SVGs that can be sized to fit any card
- Presentation boxes for handmade cards
- How to write inside cards with Cricut pens
- How to cut layered designs at a small size
- Design Space tips & tricks
- Cricut pens tutorial
- How to mount multiple designs in the same frame with magic guides
Easel cards video tutorial
Watch the video below to see how to make this project. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.
How to make easel cards with a Cricut
The same steps shown below can be used for any of the easel card templates included with the Instant Access Bundle of the Card Making Countdown, as well as my older easel card designs.
Note that the older designs will not have the lime green size box mentioned below, so you can skip that steps. The designs should load into Design Space at the correct size.
Step 1) Download the cutting files & upload to Design Space
Download the files from within the Instant Access Bundle of the Card Making Contdown.
Before you upload the SVGs to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that they come in.
- How to unzip a folder on Windows computer
- How to unzip a folder on a Mac
- How to unzip a folder on an iPad/iPhone
- How to unzip a folder on an Android device
After unzipping, upload the SVG file(s) into your cutting machine software.
Not sure how to use cut files with your type of machine? The following links lead to videos on how to open cut files in:
- Cricut Design Space
- Silhouette Studio
- CanvasWorkspace (for ScanNCut machines)
The download folder also contains printable PDF versions of the templates for hand cutting.
If you are using Cricut Design Space, start a new project and then click the “Upload” button on the left of the screen.
You can then either click “Browse” to find the file on your computer, or drag-and-drop it.
Upload the file within the “01 Cricut Version” subfolder.
Press “Upload” on the next screen.
After uploading, the design should be automatically inserted onto your Canvas.
To hide the left sidebar (to give you more space for designing!), click the arrow that’s about half way down the page.
If the design doesn’t get inserted onto your Canvas, it will show under “Uploads” in your “Recently Uploaded Images”. Click on it and then press “Add to Canvas” to put it onto your Project.
Need help uploading SVGs? Get step-by-step instructions here in our detailed help guides for Cricut, Silhouette and ScanNCut.
Step 2) Check the template size
Check the size that shows in the lime green box on the top-left of the box card template.
Make sure your easel card is showing at that exact size. If it isn’t, then change it to match.
Click the design and press the “Ungroup” button at the top of the layers panel.
Click the green size guide box and delete it.
The two different bright colours in the easel designs (green and pink) are to show the parts that you may wish to cut with patterned paper.
I made them in different colours in case you want to use different papers for each of them.
However, you can combine the colours if you prefer to use less papers.
The white shape is the message panel to write on.
Step 3) Format the score lines
Click the base card pieces to select it, then click the chevron arrow that appears next to it in the layers panel to open it up.
Click the top layer within that group to select just that piece. It looks like two horizontal lines.
Change it to “Score” in the Operations dropdown.
Click to select the group of the score line and the base piece, and press “Attach” to join the score line to the base piece.
Step 4) Design your card
You can now add any other decorations or embellishments that you choose, or change up the colours.
Alternatively, you could cut the project as-is and then decorate it afterwards using existing items from your craft stash.
Step 5) Cut out all the pieces
When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the pieces.
To change the paper size, go into the dropdowns over on the left side of the screen and choose the paper size that you want to use. You need to change it for every single colour.
To save space on your cardstock, you can move things around by clicking and dragging. Make sure when you’re moving things about that nothing overlaps because otherwise, it won’t cut out properly.
However, be careful NOT to rotate any patterned paper pieces, otherwise they will not cut with the pattern the correct way up when you put the card together.
I recommend strong, solid-core, double-sided coloured cardstock for the base pieces of the easel cards. Ideally around 250-300gsm (110lb).
TIP: New to using cardstock with your cutting machine? Check out these machine help guides for Cricut, Silhouette and ScanNCut that go through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your machine.
Step 6) Put the card together
My favourite glues to use on papercraft projects are Bearly Art Glue and Collall All Purpose Glue.
These are great because they don’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!
Bearly Art Glue comes with a tiny nozzle to make it easy to apply glue to small areas of card. The Collall glue doesn’t come with this, so it’s easiest to decant it into needle tip applicator bottles so that you have more control.
The foam squares I’m using are from Dot & Dab, but any will do.
Glue all the pieces of the front of the card together.
The download folder contains an “Assembly Guide” for each individual card design to show the order to put the pieces together in.
Glue the white message panel pieces onto its coloured backer, and glue the patterned paper piece of the “stand” onto its backer.
Add any other decorations or embellishments to these three pieces that you wish to use. Alternatively, you can decorate them at the end once they are all attached to the base card.
Fold the base card piece along the score lines to make a triangular tent shape.
Add glue to the outside of the front section of the base card.
Glue the decorated card front on top, lining up the bottom of the shape with the bottom of the base card front section.
Glue the white message panel to the underside of the card.
Put foam squares on the back of the “stand” piece.
It’s important to use foam squares to attach this piece to the card, not glue, as it needs the depth in order to hold the card upright.
Attach to the card, near the front. Try to get it central horizontally.
This will hold the card in place.
Fold the card flat and go over it firmly with a brayer or similar.
This helps to “train” the card into position so it stands better.
Easel cards tutorial
I hope you enjoy making these easel cards.
I am looking forward to seeing all your creations!
Put your cards in a custom envelope or 3D presentation box to make them even more special.
Happy crafting,
Sarah x
