Valentine’s Day Waterfall Folio

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to create something sweet, interactive, and full of love. Today, I’m sharing a Valentine’s Day Waterfall Folio that’s perfect for documenting memories, adding notes, or tucking in little surprises for someone special.

For this project, I used the Printable Cuttable Creatables Pink Dots Stripes Digital Paper Pack, paired with a fun recycled base (yes, a cereal box!) and finished it off with a pretty Heart Mandala embellishment, also from PCC, for that extra Valentine’s Day charm. As a pink girlie, I enjoyed working on this Valentine’s Day Waterfall Folio because it is all the pretty shades of pink!

Materials Used:

• Pattern Paper: Printable, Cuttable, Creatables – Pink Dots Stripes Digital Paper Pack
• Solid Cardstock
• Paper Trimmer: Cutterpillar Pro
• Score Board: Cutterpillar Crease
• Adhesive: Bearly Art Precision Glue
• Cardboard: Recycled cereal box
• Double-Sided Tape
• Scissors
• Decorative Embellishment: Printable, Cuttable, Creatables – Heart Mandala Set
• Optional: We R Makers Book Cover Guide
• Optional: Decorative corner punch
• 3D decorative flowers
• Glue Gun: Surebonder
• Ribbon

Instructions

1. Cut your album base from recycled cardboard (I used a cereal box, saving these is automatic in our house!):

• 2 pcs – 4.5 x 8.5
• 1 pc – 0.75 x 8.5

2. Cut a solid cardstock to 11.5 x 10 and score all sides at 0.75.

3. Adhere the cardboard pieces onto the cardstock, using the score lines as guides.

4. Add double-sided tape to the corners of the cardstock.

5. Miter the corners. You can do this manually, but I like using the We R Makers Book Cover Guide to avoid overcutting.

6. Remove the tape backing and adhere the flaps over the cardboard.

7. Score the gaps between the cardboard pieces so the album folds easily.

8. Cut patterned paper to 9.5 x 8.25 and adhere it inside to fully cover the cardboard.

9. Reinforce all score lines again once the patterned paper is adhered.

10. Pocket & Waterfall Base

Cut a plain cardstock to 4.5 x 5.5.

• Mark 1.75 inches from the top (4.5 side)
• Mark 3.75 inches from the right (5.5 side)
• Cut a diagonal line connecting the two marks
• Score 0.5 inches on the two uncut sides

11. Trim small diagonal notches where the scored flaps meet and glue the pocket to the left side of the album.

12. Cut solid cardstock to 4 x 8 for the waterfall foundation and adhere it to the right side of the album. I added a decorative curve using a corner punch for extra detail.

Waterfall Pages
13. Cut 8 pieces of solid cardstock to 4 x 4.5.

• Score each one at 0.5 inches on the 4.5 side
• Punch decorative corners if desired

14. Adhere the first page to the top of the foundation piece, then stack the rest, each one directly below the previous page.

15. Let everything dry completely.

Layering

16. Cut patterned paper layers to 3.75 x 3.75 and punch corners to match the pages.

17. Adhere the layers to the top portion of each waterfall page.

18. Flip the pages and adhere layers to the back side as well.

19. Cut thin strips measuring 3.75 x 0.36 to cover the exposed flaps and adhere them neatly.

21. For the focal embellishment, I used the Printable, Cuttable, Creatables Heart Mandala Set:

• Cut the intricate layer from glitter cardstock
• Cut the base heart from solid cardstock
• I used my Cricut Maker for this step

Cricut Tip:

Upload the file into Design Space, ungroup the elements, hide what you don’t need, resize, and cut each layer on its corresponding material.

22. Adhere the layers together, then attach the heart to the cover using foam tape for dimension.

23. Add 3D flowers and secure them with a glue gun.

Finishing Touches

24. Add a ribbon closure by gluing it to the center back of the album so you can tie a pretty bow when closed.

25. Fill the pocket with tags, little cards, or even small Valentine treats.

And that’s it! A sweet, interactive Valentine’s Day Waterfall Mini Album that’s perfect for gifting or memory keeping, and made even more special with Printable, Cuttable, Creatables digital designs. 

Now tie that bow, flip those pages, and enjoy your handmade project!

-Ana

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