Magic Slider Card Tutorial with Free Templates

This tutorial on how to make a magic slider card will certainly bring that wow factor to your next card-giving occasion. Get your free magic slider card template and craft along!

I designed this Super Dad magic slider card for my kids to make for Dad for Fathers day. My kids are young so I had to help them out in with the folding of the base card and a little bit on the tracing front for my younger one but they were able to do the rest.

I have to say, it’s not magic but it is pretty magical. I have fun myself pulling the card in and out.

If you like this DIY Father’s Day magic slider card, check out some of my other Father’s day cards free templates.

Following the success of this initial attempt, my kids were hooked and decided they needed to make DIY superhero magic slider card for all their upcoming friend’s birthdays. As it turned out, we had a couple lined up so timing was great.

I used the same slider card template and just added different superheros and a different message.

It worked out great! These super hero magic slider card were a total hit at the birthday party.

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Materials for a diy Magic Slider Card

Cardstock – I like using medium weight cardstock for this project (65lbs). Here are some of my favorite brands

• Assorted Starter Pack – Basic assorted colors, great starter pack, perfect weight for most papercraft projects
• Cricut Joy Insert Card Packs – You don’t have to use these with the Cricut Joy, they are nice material kids for cardmaking.
• Cardstock Warehouse Brand on Amazon – I love the quality of all the matte-colored cardstock with Cardstock Warehouse. It is my go-to brand for individual matte colors that I might need
• Poptone Assorted Variety Pack – This is the perfect peppy assortment of colors of heavy cardstock. It’s a heavy cardstock assortment with colors I actually use frequently for cardmaking.
• Seasonal Assorted Variety Pack – This is a slight variation on the Poptone assortment and has a quite few neutrals that complement almost any accent color.
• Stardream Metallics Line – For paper crafts, the Stardream line is the go-to for a metallic shimmer finish. It is the perfect sheen to make any project pop. The core is also colored is which hard to find for metallic paper.

Clear Plastic Film – there are a number of things you can use here. The easiest for me was an cold Cricut cutting mat cover. Transparencies also work. You can also use lamination sheets. If you need to buy something for this project, I suggest getting mylar sheets which can be used for many other projects as well.

Sharpies – You will need a sharpie to trace on the plastic film. I also used sharpies to color in the base card.

Glue – I have a few favorites for card making:

• Scotch Adhesive Roller Dispenser
• Rubber Cement
• Glue Pen
• Art Glitter Glue
• Foam Tape

Cricut – I use a cutting machine to do some of the cutting for this project. This of course is optional but it sure makes things go faster. Check out my reviews for Best Cricut machines for beginners if you’re new to the Cricut.

Templates – This base magic slider card template along with the set of superhero graphics are available in both printable PDF and SVG file formats for free in my Resource Library.

magic color slider card instructions

First prepare all the different pieces of the card using the magic slider card SVG set from my resource library. If you are making this by hand without a cutting machine, there is a printable PDF version of the templates set for you to use.

The graphics part of the card can be done in a couple of different ways. I found the easiest was to just set it as a “draw” line and attach it to the base card template.

Alternatively, you can print that part out as well.

There will be another outline of this same graphic on the clear plastic film which can also be done by the Cricut if you’d like. I decided to just trace this part by hand to make it it aligned exactly. If you are looking to make a Captain America superhero, you can download my free shield SVG as well.

If you prefer, you can trace it in pencil first to make sure you like the image placement. Then, you can trace over it in Sharpie or fine point pen.

Next up is some gold old coloring. For the purposes of this tutorial, I colored this one myself. In the future, when I remake this card, I will obviously have my kids do this part.

Whether you or your children enjoy using colored pencils, crayons, or markers, you can color the image using whichever medium you prefer.

In my tutorial, I used red, yellow, and blue to resemble the Super Man comics. Of course, you or your children can select a color palette that Super Dad may like. You can even model it to resemble his favorite super hero.

If your children are completing the magic card DIY, you can try to help them stay in the lines as well. This makes for a seamless transition when their dad pulls out the card.

Next we are going to prepare the insert. This insert assembly consists of three parts; a top tab (blue), clear plastic film and base card with colored graphic.

First, you should create your top blue tab. Ideally, your tab should match the width of your card. The height should also be large enough to fit each card component securely. You can use your Cricut machine to create the ribbon slit cutout.

Once you’ve prepared your tab, you need to stack and align your magic color slider card pieces by the ribbon slit cutout. Importantly, the transparency paper should go on top, and your colored card goes underneath. Then, you can fit these components inside of the tab and glue each layer together.

For the best results, try to keep the glue inside inside of the tab area. Next, trace the outline of the graphic onto the top plastic sheet. Importantly, try to set aside some time for the acetate paper to dry. This way, you won’t smudge the image.

We need to fold and crease the tabs of the casing for the sliding insert. You can score your card first if you are using thicker cardstock. Alternatively, you can just do a preliminary creases by aligning the corners and then securing it by scraping against that crease.

There are four fold total. These include folding the window over the base, the base and side tabs of the casing and the base of the dividing insert sheet (white blank card in photo). When you make your folds, try to make all the corners align to one another. I also put a small half circle slit in the top of the magic slider card casing when I was figuring out how to make envelopes to make it easier to pull out.

Next, position on the divider blank card inside the casing. The base tabs should be aligned. This is important to make the magic happen. By fitting your background inside the card, you create a seamless white background for when you pull the card out.

Glue the white base tab to the blue base tab and then the base and side blue tabs to the window frame. Then, paste the base and side blue tabs to the window frame.

Here, you should not glue the side blue tab to the white card stock. This will not allow your card to fit inside the envelope.

In addition, do not glue the back of the white card stock to the blue envelope casing. You need this pocket open to allow your card to slide through. The side blue tab will attach to the window frame as shown.

This is where the magic starts to happen and your frame comes together. You can start to see how the window beautifully frames your card illustration.

The final step is to insert the slider. Be sure to insert it such that the blank divider is sandwiched between the plastic sheet and the base colored graphic. For an added touch, you can tie a ribbon through the slit. You might even use this as a gift tag.

This DIY superhero magic slider card is a great hands-on craft for you and your kids to make for Father’s Day. Undoubtedly, this is the perfect way to tell the super dad in your life how much you appreciate him. Consider these steps to learn how to make a magic slider card. Of course, be sure to sign up for my newsletter for more fun SVGs and craft templates!

Simplified Even more Kid Friend Version of the Magic Slider Card

As I started working on these cards with my kids, my younger one started getting frustrated after she couldn’t trace the base outline on the top clear sheet. I had to help her out with that one. I then designed a simplified version of the original magic slider card. It is one without the top clear sheet and only involved cardstock.

This one only involves 2 layers and a middle slider piece. All you need to do is fold the tabs in, color or decorate the base and then glue the top cutout piece to the colored base. This one is simple enough for my four year old.

You can also add additional accoutrements or messages for a more complex card but it’s not necessary for this card to look complete.

Related Articles:

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