Polkadoodles Digi Choosday Project | Double Gatefold Birthday Card featuring Pickles Hedghog

Hi everyone!

I’m back with another fun project for this week’s Polkadoodles Digi Choosday challenge, and our DT theme is “Birthday Card with a Different Fold.”

For this project, I created a Double Gatefold Card featuring the cute Pickles the Hedgehog. I also used the Gnome Men Football USA Pattern Paper Set - a proof that, Polkadoodles papers are so versatile and can work for just about any theme!

This card may look a little complicated at first glance, but it’s actually super easy and so fun to make!

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Materials Used

• White cardstock

• Pattern Paper – Polkadoodles Gnome Men Football USA Pattern Paper Set

• Digi Stamps – Pickles Hedgehog Balloons & Pickles Hedgehog Sitting

• Sentiments – Spring Tons of Love Sentiment Pack 

• Plain blue cardstock (perfect for scrap busting!)

• Tim Holtz Guillotine Paper Trimmer

• CutterPillar Crease Score Board

• Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

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Instructions

1. Prepare the Card Bases

• Trim white cardstock:

• Main card base: 9.5 x 5.5 inches

• Mini card base: 10 5/8 x 3 inches

Main card base: 9.5 x 5.5 inches

Mini card base: 10 5/8 x 3 inches

• Score:

• Main card base at 1/2, 2 5/8, 6 7/8, and 9 inches

• Mini card base at 2 1/8, 4 1/4, 6 3/8, and 8 1/2 inches

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2. Create the Pop-Up Tabs

• Mark 1 1/2 inches from each corner of the main card base

• Cut along the 0.5 x 1 1/2 inch marks to form tabs

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3. Prepare the Inner Layers

• Dark blue cardstock: 4 x 5 1/4 inches

• Light blue cardstock: two pieces at 1 7/8 x 5 1/4 inches

• Pattern papers:

• One piece: 3 3/4 x 5 inches

• Two pieces: 1 5/8 x 5 inches

Layer your pattern papers onto the solid cardstock, then adhere them inside the main card base.

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4. Assemble the Mechanism

• Fold the mini card base

• Glue it to the center panel of the main card base

• Attach the right panel of the mini card to the right tab

• Repeat for the left side

Test your pop-up mechanism, it should open and close smoothly!

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5. Decorate the Inside

• Cut:

• Dark blue: 3 pieces (1 7/8 x 2 3/4)

• Light blue: 2 pieces (same size)

• Pattern paper: 2 pieces (1 3/4 x 2 5/8)

• Blue cardstock for sentiment layer: 1 piece (1 3/4 x 2 5/8)

• Add your sentiment: “Have the happiest of birthdays”

• Place your Pickles Hedgehog images on the outer panels

• Add a tiny golden heart sticker for a sweet detail 

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6. Finish the Outside

• Light blue cardstock: 2 pieces (1 7/8 x 5 1/4)

• Pattern paper: 2 pieces (1 5/8 x 5)

Layer and adhere these to the front panels of your card.

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 And that’s it! Your Double Gatefold Birthday Card is ready!

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This project was fun to make! It's cute, interactive, and perfect for using up those paper scraps while creating something extra special.

If you give this fold a try, We’d love to see your creations!

Don’t forget to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Polkadoodles Digi Choosday for a chance to win, and come hang out with me on my socials for more crafty inspiration.

Instagram: @my.cat.and.crafts

Facebook: My Cat and Crafts

Second Weekend in Bahrain - April 17-18

Since we had such a great time the previous weekend, and we skipped our usual monthly Bahrain trip last month, we decided to go back again. We’ve kind of made it a thing to have one Bahrain getaway per month since we started going, so this felt like making up for it too. Plus, the promo at Fraser Suites Diplomatic Area is ending this month (though I’m hoping they extend it).

This weekend was a bit different. It was Ton’s first time joining our friends for their weekend badminton session, and since I am not a sporty girl, I happily booked myself a salon appointment instead. My hair definitely needed saving after all my DIY boxed dye experiments - I tried different colors over the past year and… yeah, it showed. 

Good thing I found Friends Salon (Thank you, Happy Sandscapes!), a Filipina-owned salon with an all-Filipina team! Prices are just slightly higher than Manila but still very reasonable. But honestly? It's totally worth it. I love how my hair turned out, it feels like my old self again back when I maintained it regularly in the Philippines. Definitely planning to come back next month for roots and a touch-up before our June trip.

After my appointment, Ton picked me up and we headed straight to Bahrain where we will meet up with our friends he had badminton with. Lunch was at Itsumo Bahrain for unlimited samgyup - yes, again because it's always a good idea.

We checked in again at Fraser Suites Seef Bahrain and rested for a bit before walking to Starbucks for drinks. The baristas were Filipino, so of course, instant connection! When they asked if I had the Starbucks app, I scanned my QR code and that’s when they realized we were from Saudi. The app only works in the country it’s registered in, but they were still a bit surprised that we weren’t Bahrain-based. Like I mentioned in my last Bahrain blog, it still feels like a “thing” that people from Saudi are visiting Bahrain again. As we were leaving, I noticed they wrote “Stay safe” on our cups. I joked to Ton that I wasn’t sure if it was sweet… or slightly taunting haha.

Back at the room, I video-called my mom while trying out a new hobby - air dry clay! Tbh, it was harder than I expected. I think the AC didn’t help either because it slowed down the drying time. Depending on how it turns out once I paint it this week, I might redo it… or at least give it another shot.

After our call, we headed to the pool and once again, we had it all to ourselves. We stayed for a bit before heading back up since we had a massage scheduled.

Before leaving for the spa, we ordered our complimentary dinner and asked for it to be delivered and brought inside our room, around 11:30 PM, just in case we were still at the spa. And yes, the massage was just as amazing as the first time. We were even tempted to book another one the next day… but decided to behave. Too much of a good thing, right? 

By the time we finished, the restaurant had already delivered our food to the room. This time, I came prepared for the mixed grill, even if it had lamb (which I’m still not fully sold on). I brought my own DIY garlic sauce, the same one I make for shawarma at home, which is now a fridge staple because it goes with everything. It paired perfectly with the mixed grill! I even brought cheese powder for the fries. Extra? Maybe. Worth it? Super!

The rest of the night was just pure chill - Ton playing on the Switch while I did some watercoloring.

The next morning, we had another hearty complimentary breakfast while on a video call with my cousin, another nice and easy catch-up.

Before heading back, we stopped by a craft store (of course), did a bit of shopping, then returned to the hotel to rest again. I also made sure to squeeze in another bubble bath, this time using peel-off masks I got last Christmas. I realized I actually prefer these over sheet masks. There’s something better about peeling them off and seeing that instant glow, compared to the sticky residue sheet masks leave behind.

We really maximized our late checkout this time, heading down just about 10 minutes before 7 PM. This time, na sulit! hehe!

Before heading back to Saudi, we made our mandatory stop at Bahay Kubo Restaurant - because no Bahrain trip is complete without it. Since we can’t bring pork back home, we made sure to finish everything! Hehe! I did grab some leche flan to go though, one for us and one for our cat sitter!

And that’s it! Another relaxing, fun, and slightly indulgent Bahrain weekend wrapped up. 

PS. Sharing photos of my TN spread for this trip.