Popup cards are lots of fun to make and fairly easy once you understand the basic idea. I highly recommend The Popup Channel if you want to learn the foundations and Matthew Reinhart for how to make art with them.

This Christmas I've decided to do a popup reindeer. The basic design is similar to one of those cardboard taxidermy deer heads mounted onto a v-vold instead of into the main crease so you get a bit of movement. The arms reaching out to hug you are just a counterfold in the v-fold.

Final Product

Materials

You can use whatever, but this is what I used.

1. Masking tape to attach the head sections onto the supports.
2. Double sided tape to attach the center fold into the card (You can use glue, but trust me this is a lot easier)
3. A couple sheets of heavy cardstock.
4. A printer
5. An Exacto knife or a cutting machine

Assembly

1. Print out the template (make sure you print with margins off at full 8.5" x 11" Size)
2. Fold the printed paper in half
3. Cut out the shapes

Assemble the head

Assemble the head onto the supports (the rectangles)

1. Cut the lines going up the head and face (for mounting to the supports)
2. Attach the head, face and nose to the supports using the masking tape as shown in the assembly model below.

Make sure to:

• tape the back faces so it's not visible from the front
• make sure to keep the printed side of the supports pointing outwards.
• use the lines on the support to line up the head and face.

Assemble the body

1. Cut the lines on the reindeer chest and fold that bit in the reverse direction (see assembly model below)
2. Glue or double-sided tape the arms into the counter-fold you jut made so they stick out forward

Attach the head to the body

1. Use the masking tape to attach the center support to the peak of the body V-Fold
2. Use with with the head and the V-Fold folded flat tape the other two supports to the sides of the bode V-fold.

Add the body to the card

1. Fold the tabs on your body V-fold behind the vfold along the provided lines.
2. Put double sided tape along the corner of the tabs and remove the backing from one side only
3. Carefully line up the V-fold so it's crease is aligned with the card crease
4. Stick down the V-Fold.
5. fold over the V-Fold to one side and fold the tab so the bottom is facing up. Now remove the backing on the tape.
6. Fold over the card to stick it to the other side of the V-Fold.

Template