Jacob’s Ladder

by Beate Johns

Turn chipboard coasters into a fun mini album.

Supplies

  • Twelve 4" x 4" coasters medium weight
  • Twelve 4" x 4" pieces of patterned paper
  • Twelve 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" pieces of coordinating cardstock
  • Cardstock for book cover
  • Stamps
  • Ink
  • Three 46" strips of ribbon (organdy works well)
  • Adhesive
  • Sanding block
  • Ruler and pen
  • Sticky Strip™

Step-by-Step

  1. Step 1

    Cover one side of a coaster with patterned paper.

  2. Repeat with all twelve coasters.

  3. Step 2

    Trim paper around the corners.

  4. Step 3

    Sand around the edges of the paper.

  5. Step 4

    Draw a line at ¾"', 2" and 3 ¼" on the back of six of the coasters.

  6. Step 5

    Add Sticky Strip™ over the drawn lines as well as on the tops and bottoms of the coasters.

  7. Step 6

    Center cardstock squares over the covered coasters and tape down. Repeat with 11 of the coasters. Make sure the one left blank has Sticky Strip™ on the backside.

  8. Step 7

    Decorate the last 3 ½" square to make the front of the Jacob's Ladder, then tape down on the last coaster.

  9. Step 8

    Flip the Book front over and peel off the three Sticky Strips™ liners from the center of the coaster.

    Line up the end of the ribbon pieces with the end of the coasters. The middle ribbon will run left, the top and bottom ribbons will run right.

    Optional:
    Add additional adhesive in between the ribbons for an extra strong hold.

  10. Step 9

    Take one of the coasters without Sticky Strip™ and adhere covered side facing up. Press down hard on top and bottom to make it stick.

  11. Step 10

    Take the ribbon and run it across the coaster to the opposite side.

  12. Step 11

    Take a coaster with Sticky Strip™, remove the red liner and put face down on the coaster sandwich. Make sure the ribbon underneath is not twisted, or the ladder won't work later on.

  13. Step 12

    Pull ribbon tight and press down, running it to the opposite side of the coaster again.

    Repeat this pattern.

  14. Step 13

    On the last coaster with Sticky Strip™, cut the excess ribbon off at the end of the coaster.

  15. Step 14

    Tape the last coaster on top of the ribbon covered one. You are done!

  16. Step 15

    Finished Ladder.

Variations

    Make a mini scrapbook
    Add pictures after the Ladder is assembled, making sure the pictures are underneath the ribbon.
    Try paint

    Instead of patterned paper, try brushing acrylic paint on the edges of the coaster, and inside about 1".
    Work it
    Play with the finished Ladder! The more you make it work, the easier it will flip.

Your Turn

You've seen the tutorial, now you try it! We've got a section of the gallery set aside for Jacob’s Ladder. Try this technique, then upload your artwork to the gallery. Show us your creations!

***Please note - Internet Explorer/Edge is not a supported browser, and will not allow you to see the videos. Please use Chrome, Firefox or Safari to view our tutorial videos.

Questions and Comments

We'd love to get your feedback or questions. Leave your comment below.

I had forgotten how to do this, & thought it would make a neat book.
How about the other 'thing' of two rectangles ribboned together in such a way, that a dollar bill would seem to disappear??
JoAnna W. Gualtieri  |  Mon Feb 4, 2008 at 7:47 PM
I love thhis idea, will make a wonderful stocking filler with little pictures or photos on it. Would love it is anyone remembers how to make a magic wallet like joanna was talking about... another cool stocking filler with a £5 in it!
But I have no idea where to get the plain coasters from in Liverpool, UK. I am wondering if thickish cardboard would be heavy enough to work? What does anyone think? Av
Avril  |  Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 10:36 AM
I loved this! I am stuck at the store today, an incredibly slow afternoon, and had fun figuring it out. I am not very good with instructions, but I got it on the first try. Thanks for the tip about double checking that my ribbons were not twisted!
Allie Gower  |  Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 12:25 PM
Is it possible to make the ladder a little longer or wouldn't that work, I need to add another pair or 2 pairs of coasters more. I haven't started yet but thought it was worth asking.
Pam  |  Sun Sep 6, 2009 at 10:41 AM
I just finished my book today. I did not have any coasters, so I just glued 2 pieces of chipboard together to get the thickness. Worked great. Just a lot of cutting. Your directions are very detailed and easy to follow and I just wanted to thank you for that.
Karen  |  Sun Feb 20, 2011 at 9:51 PM
I am looking for a tutorial on making an interactive card. I do not have a window punch so can a card be made using something other than a window punch?
claudia cullen  |  Fri May 25, 2012 at 4:17 PM

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