The artisans of the Victorian era took great pains to achieve intricate designs in their furniture, jewelry and clothing. Even amateur crafters made sure their work was as beautiful as possible, and proudly displayed their exquisite workmanship throughout their homes. One of the popular greeting card techniques was the paper “beehive” that allowed the recipient to pull a string to reveal a secret message. Here are the instructions to make your own handmade beehive Valentine card:
Supplies
Card Stock Paper Decorative Trim Faux Flowers Faux Pearl Beads Glue Paper Doilies Rhinestones Ribbon or Thread Scissors Wrapping Paper or Decorative Paper
How to Make a Victorian Paper Beehive Greeting Card
The focal point of your card is the beehive center, so devote most of your energy to deciding how you want it to look. I opted to create two different cards: an elegant wedding invitation that resembles a wedding cake and a traditional Victorian card similar to one I saw on EBay. Once you know the technique, you can go wild and make as many different types of beehive cards as you can imagination.
1. Cut a 3″ inch square out of your decorative paper; increase that measurement to make an invitation. Fold the square in half, and then fold it in half again. If your paper has a pattern, fold it so that the pattern is on the inside.
2. Hold the folded square so that it is in the shape of a diamond, with the folded edges on the bottom and the open edges on top.
3. Make a semi-circular cut from the right side to the left side, without cutting through the left fold. Then, make a cut from the left side to the right side, without cutting through the right fold. Alternate cutting one folded side and then the other folded side. Keep making cuts until you have moved all the way to the top of the folded sides and cannot cut anymore. Here is a great video from the show “Home with Lisa Quinn” that will help you with the cutting.
4. Open your square, and lift the center to test your beehive.
5. The “message” paper is the paper you want to reveal when you lift your beehive. It should also measure 3″ inches. You can use a wedding invitation, contrasting decorative paper or write a handwritten message.
6. Cut your card stock paper so that it measures 5″ X 7″ inches. For the wedding cake inspired card, I cut the corners to make an octagonal shape.
7. Next, glue the message paper to the stock paper.
8. Glue your beehive on top of the message paper, but make sure that you only glue the edges so that your beehive can lift open.
9. Insert a ribbon or sew a string through the center of your beehive. If you use a needle and thread, be sure to knot the thread so that it will stay in place. The thread must be secure since the recipient is going to pull the thread to read the hidden message.
10. Glue lace doilies to the exposed areas of your stock paper. Overlap the doilies to make the card multidimensional. Get creative by adding faux pearl beads, sequins, rhinestones or ribbon.
Children will love the fact that these beehive cards combine both pop-up and peek-a-boo elements. You can change the theme and design of these cards to fit any occasion, such as Christmas, Mother’s Day or birthdays. This is one of my favorite card crafts, and I hope you enjoy making this Victorian greeting card as much as I do.