Waterfall Card Tutorial

Waterfall cards are fun interactive cards that you can use for any occasion.

I actually only recently discovered waterfall cards. I think I came across a tutorial on Pinterest and was immediately intrigued.

At first I thought it was super complicated but then upon further research, it actually turned out to be quite simple.

Here in this tutorial, I will explain the basics of how to construct a waterfall card. Once you understand the basics, there are many ways you can accessorize and customize you card.

*this article contains affiliate links for your convenience, see full disclosures here

Materials for Waterfall Card

Cardstock – I like using medium weight cardstock for this project. It flexes a little bit easier. Here are some of my favorite brands:

Recollection Assorted Starter Pack – Basic assorted colors, great starter pack, perfect weight for most papercraft projects
Metallic Shimmer Assorted Set from Amazon – This set is a little lighter in weight but the colors are beautiful in 3D
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
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.
Assorted Pink Set from Paper Paper – This is a must-have for paper flower makers. The variety is perfect to create a bouquet.
Assorted Purple Set from Paper Paper – This is another must-have for paper flower makers. I love the variety of finishes in this pack.
Metallic Variety Set from Paper Paper – I don’t know any avid paper crafter that doesn’t use Stardream metallics line of shimmer paper. It is the only metallic cardstock line that I know of that has such variety and has colored cores.

Glue – I have a few favorite glues and adhesives for cardmaking. I like glues that don’t warp the paper:

String or ribbon – you don’t need a lot, just a 4 inch strip is enough to attach to the bottom tab for pulling.

Cutting Machine – I use a Cricut. Check out my recommendations for Cricut machines and accessories for beginners for more info.

Template – Both the basic template and the ice cream cone waterfall card template are available in both SVG and printable PDF formats for free in my resource library.

Tutorial for making waterfall cards

Step 1: Cutout all the different pieces using the template

Step 2: Mark the pull tab strip

The easiest way to do this is to slip the center pull tap into the cutout base and align the bottom of the tab with the bottom of the panel.

Then align the top of pull down strip to the base of the cutout strip.

Step 3: Fold the pull out strip

Once that initial crease is created, you can take the pull out strip and mark the subsequent folds with a ruler. The first crease is the base crease, I find a 1cm increment above that base crease works best.

Make as many folds as the number of tabs you want to attach.