How to Make Bend Out Cards 🍀 St Patrick’s Day Card

Bend Out card for St Patrick's Day

Learn how to make bend out cards in this Cricut card making tutorial.

Bend out cards feature “single line” cuts that are gently bent outwards (hence the name!) to make a 3D effect.

What’s great about this effect is that the cutouts push down flat again for posting which makes the cards more affordable to send in the mail.

To add even more dimension, use foam squares to build up the layers.

They look especially beautiful when layered up with holographic, gold or silver card for some extra-special sparkle.

In this tutorial I’ll show how to make a St Patrick’s Day card, but the same steps will work for all my bend out card designs.

Materials supply list

Here is a list of the materials that I 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.

This project is suitable for the following types of Cricut machine: Explore Air 2, Explore 3, Explore 4, Maker, Maker 3, Make 4, Joy Xtra and Joy. You will need to hand-cut the base layer if using a Joy Xtra or Joy. Make the card front smaller to cut on the Joy.

Video tutorial

Watch the video below to see how to make bend out cards. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.

Written tutorial (with photos!)

Here’s how to make bend out cards using a Cricut machine.

Step 1) Download the cutting file & upload to Design Space

Download the files using the box below.

Download the Free Cutting File

TERMS OF USE:
You may sell finished, handmade physical craft items that you have made using this product but must not sell or share the digital files. Read full terms of use

Before you upload the SVGs to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that they come in.

After unzipping, upload the SVGs file into Cricut Design Space. These are the files that start svg- in the filename.

Not sure how to do this? Here’s how to upload SVGs to Cricut Design Space. Make sure you upload the file which starts svg- in the filename!

If you are making one of my square bend out cards then the design should load in at 11.5 inches wide and 5.75 inches tall. This will make a 5.75 x 5.75 inch card when it’s finished, which is perfect for fitting into a premade 6×6 inch envelope or you can make your own envelope.

Or, even better, make a presentation box instead of an envelope so that you don’t flatten out the 3D effect.

Step 2) Add a score line

If you have a scoring tool or scoring wheel for your Cricut machine, it’s a good idea to add a score line to the middle of the base card to make it easier to fold in the correct place.

If you don’t have a way to score with your Cricut, move on to Step 3.

Click the card and Ungroup the layers to separate them.

Click “Shapes” and insert a Score Line.

Make the score line 5.75 inches tall.

Select the score line and the base card, then click “Align” and “Center” to put the score line exactly in the middle of the card.

Select the score line and the base card, then press “Attach” at the bottom of the layers panel.

Attach is what tells the Cricut that we want it to do the score line down the middle of the base card.

Move the base card down to the bottom of the layers panel and drag it back into position.

This is a good time to change the colours if you are planning on cutting them differently to what’s on the screen.

Step 3) Cut the bend out card from cardstock

When you’re happy with how the project is looking in Design Space, click “Make” to begin the cut process.

I recommend cutting the solid background pieces from either silver or gold metallic or holographic card.

Cut the pieces with the holes/single lines from card that’s coloured on both sides as you’ll be able to see the underside of the card when the shapes are folded upwards.

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.

TIP: New to cutting cardstock with a Cricut? Check out this in-depth tutorial which goes through every step of the process, including tips for getting the best quality cuts from your Cricut.

Click “Continue” and then choose your material type.

Follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the different pieces of card.

Tip: When taking the card off the mat, turn the mat upside down and peel the mat away from the card. Use one hand to keep the card pressed flat against your work surface. This ensures the card stays flat when it comes off the mat.

Step 4) Stick the card together

Fold the base card in half along the score line.

I am using Bearly Art Glue to stick the project together.

It’s SO good because it doesn’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!

Collall All-Purpose Glue is another great one to use for cardstock, which is more readily available in the UK.

To add some depth and spacing between the layers, you’ll need some foam squares.

Glue on the largest square of your holographic card.

Glue on the next square. If your card design has single lines cut out from it then gently pinch the sides together to make a 3D effect.

This St Patrick’s Day card doesn’t have cutouts on this square, so it can be glued straight on.

Glue the largest background layer of the card to the middle of the squares.

Pinch together the edges of the single line cut images on the matching mandala piece, then glue it to the card.

Use foam squares to attach the next “solid” layer to the card.

Don’t worry if it flattens out the folded images from the bottom pieces – we’ll sort that out at the end.

Pinch together the edges of the single line cut images on the matching mandala piece, then glue it to the card.

Repeat these steps for all the layers of the bend out card.

Your finished cards will have so much dimension!

Easy popout cards with a bend out effect

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial on how to make bend out mandala cards with your Cricut.

Here’s what my finished St Patrick’s Day card looks like:

If you are giving your card by hand, I recommend using a card box instead of an envelope as it will keep the bend out sections in their correct positions, whereas an envelope will flatten them out.

If you are mailing a card then an envelope will keep it more secure. This will flatten the fold-out effect when you put the card in the envelope, but it should “pop out” again when it is taken out the envelope.

If you like these cards and would like more in the same style, check out these free Christmas bend out cards.

For even more popout fun, check out these extra bend out card making designs, including the beautiful flower cards shown below..

Happy crafting,
Sarah x