The Library · At the worktable

One Memory Leads to Another

Make a waterfall flip journal

Featuring A Grateful Heart

Lift a page and another waits beneath it. Then another. A waterfall journal turns a handful of memories into a small unfolding sequence, with room for a little surprise at the bottom.

Four overlapping floral waterfall leaves mounted on a blue-and-white patterned base.
A Grateful Heart • Project inspiration

Finished base size: 5 wide × 8½ tall.

Inside: four overlapping lift-up leaves.

Allow: about one hour, plus drying.

Gather and Cut

  • One sturdy cardstock base, 5 × 8½.
  • Four cardstock leaves, each 4½ wide × 6 tall.
  • Optional decorating panels, up to 4¼ × 5¼.
  • Strong paper glue or double-sided crafting tape, ruler, and scoring tool.
Waterfall guide showing four overlapping leaves, half-inch spacing and tab-only attachment.
Construction guide • Click to enlarge. All measurements are in inches.

Let's Make It

  1. On each 4½ × 6 leaf, score horizontally ½ inch down from the top. Fold that narrow tab backward. The usable leaf below the hinge is 4½ × 5½.
  2. On the base, make faint horizontal guide marks ½ inch, 1 inch, 1½ inches, and 2 inches down from the top.
  3. Start with the lowest leaf. Place glue or tape on the back of its ½-inch tab only. Align the tab's top edge with the 2-inch guide. Center the leaf across the base, leaving ¼ inch on either side.
  4. Press the tab flat. Its hinge crease is now 2½ inches down the base, and the bottom of the leaf reaches 8 inches down, leaving ½ inch below.
  5. Add the next leaf with the top of its tab at the 1½-inch guide. Its tab sits immediately above the previous tab. The free leaf overlaps the one below.
  6. Continue upward, placing the next tab at 1 inch and the final tab at ½ inch.
  7. Let the tabs dry fully. Then lift the top leaf upward at its crease, followed by the next, until all four are open.
  8. Decorate the fronts and backs with thin paper and writing. Keep the ½-inch hinge tabs free of extra layers.

Make It Yours

Leave a small caption near the bottom of each leaf, where the staggered edges reveal a hint of what's next. Use the hidden base beneath the last leaf for a final message.

A Little Worktable Help

This is a manually lifted waterfall, not a pull-tab mechanism. Do not glue the large leaf areas to the base. Only the narrow tabs attach.

Before You Call It Finished

Lift each leaf separately. If any catches, look for stray glue or a decorating piece crossing a hinge. The last leaf should end ½ inch above the base's bottom.

Your First Little Story

Choose four photographs from the same day. Write what happened just before or after each one on its reverse.

Project images are illustrative concepts. Use the construction diagrams and written steps as your making guide.

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