Video: How to Make an Interactive Spiral Pop-Up Card

March 17, 2026

Hero Arts

Interactive cards always bring an extra element of delight to handmade creations—and today we’re sharing a project that is just as fun to make as it is to open! As part of our Beary Sweet creative collaboration with Carly Tee, we’re excited to feature one of Carly’s playful and colorful card designs.

Carly is known for her cheerful style, creative techniques, and love of all things sweet—making her the perfect partner for this candy-inspired collection. In today’s project, she’s showing how to create a spiral pop-up card using die cuts from the Candy Kebob Die Set, the Penny Candy Jar Die Set, and sentiments from the Big Hugs Stamp Set.

This clever interactive design may look complicated, but Carly promises it’s surprisingly simple to assemble—and the results are absolutely delightful. Let’s turn it over to Carly so she can walk you through the process!

Hi Crafty Friends! Carly here with a question for you…do you like to create interactive cards? I love them…as long as they're easy, LOL! The spiral pop-up looks really tricky and complicated but I promise it is so super easy to put together!

You don't need any special tools to create the interactive pop-up mechanism. All you need is an acetate circle, a pair of scissors, and a bunch of cute die cuts (like the sweets from the Candy Kebob Die Set) to decorate with!

Check out the video to see how I assemble the candy, create the spiral pop-up mechanism, and put everything together for a really fun interactive design!

Watch the step-by-step video

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instructions

To create this colorful interactive card, I started by making lots of sweet candy die cuts to decorate the spiral mechanism. The best part about this design is that once the spiral is in place, you can fill it with as many fun elements as you like to create movement and dimension when the card opens. Here’s how to put it together!

Start by creating lots of paper candy with the Candy Kebob Die Set. I like to die cut white cardstock and then ink blend the pieces, but using colored cardstock would be fun too (and speed the process up!).
Stamp the sentiments on the inside of a folded card using the Big Hugs Stamp Set. Stamp the “hugs” first, then add “big squishy.” I like to test the placement first by stamping on a piece of acetate placed over the card.
Die cut a circle of acetate and use scissors to cut it into a spiral to create the pop-up mechanism.
Adhere the acetate spiral inside the card, attaching one side at a time.
Add the candy die cuts to the spiral. For sections where both sides of the spiral are visible, sandwich the acetate between two pieces of candy.
Decorate the front of the card with the Penny Candy Jar Die Set and more candy pieces spilling out of the jar.

Distress Oxide Candy Combos

Heart – Spun Sugar & Picked Raspberry
Worms – Picked Raspberry, Salvaged Patina, Cracked Pistachio & Dried Marigold
Orange Slice – Carved Pumpkin & Dried Marigold
Cherries – Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Salvaged Patina & Cracked Pistachio
Peach Ring – Carved Pumpkin & Dried Marigold
Butterfly – Milled Lavender & Shaded Lilac
Gumdrop – Milled Lavender & Shaded Lilac
Strawberry – Saltwater Taffy, Abandoned Coral, Salvaged Patina & Cracked Pistachio
Swedish Fish – Saltwater Taffy & Abandoned Coral

SUPPLIES

A big thank you to Carly for sharing this wonderful project and video tutorial with us! We love how the colorful candy pieces from the Beary Sweet collection bring this spiral pop-up design to life. The interactive mechanism is simple to create, but the finished card makes such a fun and memorable surprise when opened.

The Candy Kebob Die Set is full of sweet possibilities beyond this pop-up card! Use the individual candy pieces to create shaker cards, colorful borders, or patterned backgrounds. They’re also perfect for embellishing treat bags, birthday cards, or candy-themed party invitations. If you’re looking for even more inspiration and creative techniques, be sure to check out our Candy Kebob Die Tutorial page for additional ideas and project inspiration.

Be sure to visit Carly’s blog and follow her on Instagram for even more creative ideas and inspiration using the Beary Sweet collection. We’re so grateful to have Carly as part of this collaboration and can’t wait to see the sweet projects you create!