Make a Festive Tunnel Book

Learn to make a tunnel book based on our Home is Where the Art Is art print! We’ll show you how to color, cut, and assemble this project for a sweet holiday card or decoration. You can use this technique to create more tunnel books with artwork of your own, using as many layers as you’d like.

For this project, you’ll need the following tools and materials:

• A printer
• 2 pieces of 8.5” x 11” cardstock
• Colored pencils, watercolors, or other coloring tools
• An X-ACTO knife and cutting mat, or sharp scissors
• Ruler and pencil
• Glue 

You’ll also need to download and print the template for the layers of the tunnel book:

• Click here to download the PDF template with layer 1 (top), layer 2 (middle), and layer 3 (background)

Before starting, print the template onto two pieces of cardstock or watercolor paper. If your printer can’t handle thicker cardstock, you can also print the illustrations onto printer paper and glue them on top of your cardstock or trace them on.

To Make the Tunnel Book

1. Cut out the rectangular illustrations from your cardstock. Each of the three layers should measure 4” x 5.5.”

2. Color in the illustrations using your coloring tool of choice. You’ll be cutting the the center out of layer 1 and the background out of layer 2, so don’t worry about coloring those in!

3. Use a knife or scissors to carefully cut the blank white spaces out of the center of layers 1 and 2.

4. Using the leftover cardstock from your printouts, cut two 4” x 2” rectangles. Use a ruler and pencil to draw three lines ½” apart on each rectangle, dividing it lengthwise into four skinny rectangles. Fold along the lines to create two paper accordions.

5. Turn the first “accordion” so that it makes a W shape. Put a line of glue on the inside of the W’s outer fold.

6. Place the edge of layer 3, your background layer, onto the glue. Press it firmly.

7. Repeat this step on the other side. Your background layer should now have two accordions popping off the front.

8. Put a line of glue on top of the next accordion fold. Place the edge of layer 2, the middle layer, on top. Press it firmly. Repeat on the other side.

9. Finally, glue your top layer, layer 1, onto the outer folds of each accordion.

10. Let the glue dry. If the layers are curling, you can flatten the tunnel book under a heavy book overnight.