Tunnel of Love Star Card

Materials and Tools:

two 5-3/4" x 5-3/4" squares of mat board
decorative paper to cover mat board
glue stick
waxed paper
two 12" lengths of 1/2" ribbon
7 pieces 5-1/2" x 11" red card stock
7 pieces 5-1/2" x 9" pink card stock
7 pieces 5-1/2" x 7" white card stock
craft knife
ruler
cutting mat
industrial-strength double-sided adhesive tape
bone folder
gold gel pen or gold ink pen
for decorating pages: rubber stamps, stickers, photo corners, fibers, wire, beads, etc.

Steps:

1. Cut two pieces of the decorative paper (we used mulberry paper) at least 1 inch larger than the mat board on all four sides.

2. Place the mat board in the center of the paper and fold each corner to the mat board gluing as you go. Fold the side edges in and glue to hold. These are the covers for your book.

3. Fold all 21 pieces of card stock in half crossways. You will have seven pieces 5-1/2" x 5-1/2", seven pieces 5-1/2" x 4-1/2" and seven pieces 5-1/2" x 3-1/2".

4. On two of the pink pieces of card stock and two white pieces, draw and cut out a heart shape so the center of the heart is on the center fold. You can use a template or trace a heart if necessary. The heart should be about 4 to 4-1/2 inches high and wide.

5. Draw a rectangle on one piece of folded white card stock. It should be 1-1/2 inches up from the bottom, 1-1/2 inches down from the top, and 2 inches in from the folded edge.

6. Draw or trace a smaller heart on two pieces of white card stock. This should be between 2 and 3 inches high and wide, with the center of the heart on the fold of the page. Cut out the heart.

7. Rubber stamp and decorate all pages before assembling. Note: You might find it helpful to stack the pages on top of each other to help you visualize what will go where before stamping or decorating. The white pages are on top of the pink ones which are on top of the red ones.

8. To assemble the book, place one folded red page on your work surface. Put double-sided tape on all outside edges as well as along the folded edge. Put another strip of tape diagonally across the center of the page.

9. Carefully place another folded red page on top of the first, beginning with the folded edges and slowly matching up the three remaining edges. Smooth the pages with a bone folder to ensure a smooth and secure fit.

10. Repeat this procedure of putting tape on the top red page and securing it to another red page placed on top of it until all seven pages are joined. This is the base of the star book.

11. Open the book to the first red page. Select one of the pink pages with the larger heart cut out. On the back side of this page along the side edge, place a strip of the double-stick tape. Line up this edge with the side edge of the red page and press down. Smooth with bone folder.

12. Close the pink page on itself and place another strip of the double-stick tape to the side edge of the page. With the pink page still folded, bring the red page on the left over to the right and press the outside edge to the tape. Both edges of the two pages should line up perfectly. When the page is standing up and opened, you will see the tunnel effect.

13. Continue to assemble the book by taping pink pages to red pages and then white pages to pink pages.

14. When all of the pages are joined, attach the ribbon by taping one length to the front page and one length to the outside of the back page.

15. Attach the covers (decorate further if you wish with various supplies) to the front and back of the book, covering the ribbon ends as you do. Add any further embellishments. Trace the edges with a gold felt-tip or gel pen if desired.

16. Tie the book closed to present to that special someone. Tie the book open for display and to see the star.