In and out cards are something a little bit special and a great addition to your cardmaking repertoire. They will certainly surprise your family and friends and will show off your newly acquired skills. They are not commonly available to buy on the high street so they can make a very special gift.

The technique works best with stamps that have a solid shape so they are easy to trim with scissors. Start by looking through your stash of stamps and dies and study the outlines to see what works best. If a stamp is difficult to cut out, or if you have dexterity issues, you can stamp the image through the aperture onto the card below for a similar effect.

Clean and simple designs using good quality cardstock give the best results. You want to centre the recipient's attention on the image popping out through the aperture, so a plain design will draw their attention to this focal point.

You can personalise your design using this technique. Think about which way you would like the card blank to unfold and reveal the inner message. Gatefold or tent-fold, these tri-fold cards will give you lots of space to write or stamp your greetings. Two-part sentiment stamps are best, but you can handwrite a personalised message if you prefer.

Although these cards may look complicated, the look can be achieved with a variety of stamps and dies. No matter which stamp sets you use, this technique is sure to produce great results and will delight the recipient.

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To create a tri-fold card blank start by taking two identical card blanks

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Adhere the right-hand side of the first card blank over the left-hand side of the second card blank

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Open the card blank and use a die to cut an aperture into the card front

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Stamping Die-cutting Paper techniques Tri-fold cards Layered Cardmaking skillbuilder tutorial Papercraft Essentials aperture PE163 Fiona Wilkes papercraft how-to