Here's a 9-minute card idea using the Stampin' Up! Exclusive O Christmas Tree die.
The card I'm showing in the video is this one:
Stampin' Up! Products used: O Christmas Tree exclusive pop-up die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, 2-Step Bird Punch, "Hello, You" and "Forest Friends" stamp sets, cardstock, patterned paper, buttons, mini-brads, inks
And then here is the video tutorial for assembling the O Christmas Tree pop-up die:
Happy May, everyone!
WINNER, WINNER, CHESHIRE GRINNER!!!
It's time to announce the FIVE winners (because three just wasn't enough!) of the UStamp passes for this event.
UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Classes, Clubs and Camps, Spring Edition 2011
The winners are . . .
Penny Silva - Karen you make things look so easy. LOL thanks for giving a chance to win
Sharon F. - Wow, Karen.. what a fabulous opportunity to win a free pass to UStamp with Dawn and Friends, I'd LOVE to win... I'm sure you pop up project is fabulous! Hugs!
Michelle Potts - I would love to see more of your designs in the upcoming catalog! The xmas tree die really WOWs the customers. Can't wait to see if I can win the USTAMP free pass.
Melissa Goodwin - What a great way to interact with other great stampers! I would love to win a chance to interact with Dawn and friends!
Betsy Z. - I'd love a chance to win! I've been thinking about trying U-Stamp as it is, lol! Checking it out and getting extra help with interactive dies would be double good!
Congratulations, Winners! I look forward to getting to know you all better during the event. If you see your name here but no e-mail from me in your in-box, please leave a comment here (or e-mail me using the link in the sidebar) so I can get in touch with you.
Don't see your name on the above list? Scoot on over to GRETCHEN'S BLOG and enter her contest for another five chances to win! Dawn asked Gretchen to be a guest designer for this next event, too. If you're not familiar with Gretchen's work, definitely poke around her blog a bit - she's incredible! She is drawing her winners on Monday, April 4th, so you still have a couple of days to enter her contest.
And of course you always have the option to register for the event and take advantage of Early Bird Pricing. Learn all about it here: UStamp with Dawn and Friends
Thanks for all the great comments! (Did I mention that I love comments?)
Remember how I was asked by Dawn Rapsas to be a Guest Designer for her Big Shot Brilliance event? Well that event is in full swing and we're having a blast! In fact, I'm having so much fun connecting with the fabulous crafters, that when Dawn asked me to design for her next event, I jumped at the chance!
It's Early Bird Pricing time right now, and you can find out all about this event on Dawn's site: http://ustampwithdawnandfriends.com/
Opening Day Website Invites go out
April 29, 2011
Last Project posted May 18, 2011
*****
My projects will feature the Stampin Up! Pop-up dies. (In other news . . . water is wet!)
The online event is worldwide (it's so fun to hang out in the Chat Room and meet new friends from all over the world!) and features a new project posted every 12 hours, complete downloadable PDF tutorials for every project, (Pssst: I also post exclusive video tutorials for my projects!) a gallery where you can post your own re-creations of the projects, live chats, prizes, tips GALORE . . . it's really a wealth of information and inspiration if you are a demonstrator or fan of Stampin Up! products.
But wait - it gets better. Dawn has given me THREE FREE REGISTRATION PASSES to give away on my blog! Just leave a comment on this post and I will draw 3 random winners on Saturday morning, April 2, 2011 at 8 am, CST. That gives you three days to get your comments in.
I will annouce the lucky winners on Saturday, giving everyone else time to register for Early Bird Pricing if they so desire. Here is the website again: http://ustampwithdawnandfriends.com/
Good luck everyone!
At long last I have made a video showing assembly of the Pop-up Cake die . (cue applause)
Because it has several steps and requires a lot of adhesive, it will take about 15 minutes to assemble the cake die. Knowing, however, that you don't like watching 15-minute tutorials (stats don't lie, yo!) I sped it up so it will only take 7 and a half minutes to watch the video. Plus, it's kind of fun to watch me assembling the cake lightning fast. Smokin'!
Here is the finished card from the video:
Sizzix supply list:
Bigz XL Pop-up Cake, by Karen Burniston (AVAILABLE NOW!)
Originals Bird w/Branch and Flower, by Karen Burniston (AVAILABLE NOW!)
Sizzlits sets - Celebrate & Flower, Swirl & Butterfly , by Karen Burniston (May 2011 ship)
Bigz Clear Scalloped Circle, by EL
Mini Bird and Cage set, by Tim Holtz
On the Edge Ornate, by Tim Holtz
Texture Fades Pattern & Stitches Set A2, by Tim Holtz
Texture Fades Damask & Regal Flourishes, by Tim Holtz
Black Matboard
Other Supplies:
Rubber stamps ("congrats" "best wishes" swirl on top tier) - The Stamps of Life
Grunge Paper, Metal frame, ball chain, mini paper clip - Tim Holtz for Advantus
Luminarte paints - Creative Imaginations
Patterned Papers, border punch-out - My Mind's Eye "Meadowlark"
Cardstock - Core'dinations
Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch - Stampin' Up!
Write-on transparency (top tier) - Office Max
Inks - Ranger & Tsukineko (Staz On for swirls, top tier)
Slot Punch - EK Success
Tacky Tape - Therm-o-web
Stash items (source unknown) - bead, elastic, eyelets, metal flower brad, rhinestone, pearls, white acrylic paint (top tier, back of transparency)
I'll finish with a few close-ups. The bird die is steel-rule, so you'll be able to cut thicker materials with it. It is available NOW at your local independent Crafter's Home scrapbook store.
On my card, I die cut the bird from red cardstock and then embossed it with a Texture Fade folder. Then I used Poppy Red and Heavenly Luminarte paints on it. The "congrats" word came from the Banners4All stamp set from The Stamps of Life. That same stamp set has the "best wishes" greeting and then I also used the Swirls2Build stamp set for the top tier.
The closure was born from necessity - my first idea didn't work! I thought I could just shove the tip of the Ornate edge through the slot, (LOVE my EK Success slot punch!) but I underestimated the pop-up power of the cake, so it just popped right back out again. (grrr!) Never one to admit defeat, I came up with Plan B - use my slot punch to add cut-outs on the sides of the Ornate point and then use elastic around it. Adding the bead was (pardon while I pat myself on the back) a stroke of genius, right? Because it's easy to grab, that's why!
Final photo is the cake. You can see me assemble the cake in the video, but in case you don't want to watch it (why not?) I will tell you what's going on here. The cake pops down. That requires folds in those tiers and thus you will always have a slight amount of "footballing" when the cake pops up. Still, it's a 3-tier cake that POPS UP and you sent it through the MAIL, so if your recipient is unimpressed because of a slight almond shape when viewed from above, well . . . one word . . . Hallmark. Heh.
But . . . you can do a lot to minimize the footballing. Here are my best tips, all of which I've used on the above cake:
One last piece of advice . . . BUY THIS DIE! It was released two years ago, so I'm sure the clock is ticking on its longevity. Check your local store, or contact your Stampin' Up! demonstrator to buy the SU! version of this die, which assembles the same way. I will say that this die, despite its material and construction requirements, remains my very favorite pop-up die and the one that I have made the most cards with.
EDITED TO ADD: I totally stole the idea of collaging all those cake cards from my dear friend, Gretchen, from this post!
Just got this reminder e-mail and thought I would pass it on:
If you have not registered yet, you still have time to jump in!!
Don't miss even one minute of the BIG FUN!!
Join us for UStamp with Dawn & Friends!! Big Shot Brilliance...projects to DIE for!!
We are OPENING THE WEBSITE VIRTUAL DOORS AT Midnight TONIGHT!!
To see a list of all the FABULOUS Designers and to learn more about the event...
Visit www.ustampwithdawnandfriends.com to jump in today!!
I'm sure you've all heard the phrase "Winner, Winner, chicken dinner!" right? Well someone had to think that up and now they can boast of adding a phrase to the American vernacular! Well done, unknown coiner!
I think there's room for another "Winner, Winner" phrase, though. Coined, perhaps, by yours truly!
I decided to come up with my own "Winner, Winner" phrase to announce the winners of the Registration Passes to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Big Shot Brilliance event.
The problem is . . . I thought of WAY too many EXCELLENT phrases and can't decide which to use. I've got:
Obviously it is too close to call, so we'll just need another GIVEAWAY to decide.
BUT FIRST! Let's announce the THREE WINNERS of the registration passes to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Big Shot Brilliance event. They are:
Tami Gilmartin - "Your pop-ups are amazing and FUN! Looking forward to learning more...."
Cas Rifkin - "Oh Karen, I always love your projects and I love, love, love learning about what seems to me to be magical: pop-up cards. I bought a whole book on them but am still intimidated to try them. Thank you for all of your inspirations!"
Carol G. - "I would love to be part of this. Thanks for offering the chance to win it.
It sounds like fun."
BUT WAIT! Let's give away TWO MORE registration passes to the event! They are:
Jannette E. - "I will love to win!, that was the first thing that popped up in my head when I was reading your email!! Hopefully my name pops up as a winner and I'm not popped out of the list!!"
Laura T. - "Would love to win this! I love Stampin' Up! and the Big Shot. Can't wait to see what you've done with the tree and cake pop-up dies!"
Congratulations to you all! I will be e-mailing you with the news and particulars. If you don't see anything in your in-box from me today, please e-mail me using the link in the sidebar.
Remember, just because you didn't win a free pass doesn't mean you can't participate in this event. Early Bird registration ($5 discount!) runs for two more days. Go to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends website to register.
So let's talk about the next GIVEAWAY!
It's the Bigz XL Hearts-a-Plenty Pop-up Die! Here's what it looks like:
The card in the above photo was made by the uber-talented Deena Ziegler.
And here's a card using this die that I posted a few weeks ago:
So here's how you win your very own Hearts-a-Plenty die AND help me decide on a new "Winner, Winner" phrase to announce it -
Example: "Winner, Winner, you look thinner! Congrats winners!" or "Winner, Winner, fish with finner! Way to go, winners!"
On Monday, February 28, 2011, at 6:00 pm, CST, I will choose a winner by random draw. The winner will be announced in a blog post at that time (Titled with the most popular "Winner, Winner" phrase) as well as contacted by e-mail for an address to send the die.
Good luck and thanks for playing!
This is going to be SO COOL! Dawn Rapsas, a Stampin' Up! Creative Coach, has invited me to be a guest designer for her upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends event featuring the Big Shot and all the dies that Stampin' Up! sells.
Early Bird registration ends in 4 days, so you really need to scoot on over to Dawn's site and register if you're a fan of awesome projects made with 100% Stampin' Up! materials. Dawn has an excellent video on her site to show you what her events include. You can also read the Q&A in the right sidebar for a great overview. Here's the link again: UStamp with Dawn and Friends
I will be teaching two projects using the O Christmas Tree die and the Pop-up Cake die.
The event starts on March 18th and runs through April 6th with a new project posted every 12 hours, complete downloadable PDF tutorials for every project, live chats, 30 designers, giveaways, swaps, fun, frivolity, dancing babies . . . (OK, so maybe not that last one)
But wait - it gets better. Dawn has given me THREE FREE REGISTRATION PASSES to give away on my blog! Just leave a comment on this post and I will draw 3 random winners on Saturday morning, February 26, 2011, at 10 am, CST. That gives you all of today, all of tomorrow and a little bit of time on Saturday to get your comments in.
Oh! And do make sure that when you're filling out the comment form that you include your e-mail. I've got to be able to get in touch with you if you're one of the lucky winners! I'll also announce the winners on my blog Saturday morning and you can e-mail me.
If you don't win, you'll still have two days to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discount.
I mentioned that this event is 100% Stampin' Up! If you're unfamiliar with Stampin' Up!, take a few minutes to watch this video by the founder, Shelli Gardner. There are some awesome projects in this video!
Hope to see you at this fun online event!
SATURDAY, 2/26/2011 UPDATE: Winners and a new Giveaway are now posted!
I'm introducing something new. And cheap! It's a template (plus assembly instructions) for two dollars!
First up we've got the Explosion Box. I posted a Christmas version of this box the other day and promised that I'd show the same box in a completely different theme.
I created another box using Stampin' Up! supplies, this time in a floral/birthday theme and using the Pop-up Cake die.
The box, when closed, measures 5.75" square on top, and is about 5.5" tall with the lid on. I designed it to be constructed out of three pieces (or half a pack) of Stampin' Up! #114320 On Board Long Board chipboard. You could also use 3 sheets of Sizzix matboard, any color, or any other chipboard you have on hand.
When you lift the lid straight up, the four sides will fall open. This box will accomodate pretty much all of the Sizzix pop-up dies, including the cake. Simply build your pop-up in the usual manner on any of the interior folds and it will pop-up when the box falls open.
Here is a close-up of the cake, which was constructed using the Reinforced Cake Instructions (available in this blog's sidebar) and Whisper White cardstock. The side tiers are made from Designer Series Paper (Sweet Pea) with two layers of white lace ribbon on the bottom and top tiers. The center tier is covered in felt flowers.
Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Why do I need to build the cake over a card fold? Why don't I just construct a static cake and stick it in the center of the box?
Good question! You could certainly center the cake in the box as a static object, but by taking advantage of the fold-a-bility of the pop-up cake, it will end up positioned diagonally inside the box when closed, leaving you room to add a small gift or gift card next to it inside the box! (Plus, it's just fun when things pop up!)
All Supplies Stampin' Up! with exception of: ribbon lace (Wyla), pink ribbon (source unknown), big buttons (general craft)
Want to make your own Explosion Box and don't feel like measuring? How about an inexpensive template set with some pictorial instructions to walk you through creating the box? The templates are for the box itself - not the pop-up parts, which are dies that have their own instructions included in the packaging.
(However, I do, within the Explosion Box instructions, tell you where to place the base piece if you're using the O Christmas Tree pop-up die inside the Explosion Box so it fits properly. From there you would just follow the instructions that came with the die to complete the tree.)
After your payment of $2, you'll be e-mailed the 5-page PDF file. The first 3 pages are pictorial instructions and the last two pages are templates.
Reiterating - this template set is only to make the Explosion Box itself, as shown in the diagram above, in whatever colors/themes you choose. It does NOT include templates for the pop-ups - those are made using my pop-up dies and a Sizzix Big Shot die-cutting machine. The pop-up dies come with their own instructions and can be purchased through your Stampin' Up! demonstrator or, for non-SU! dies, wherever you normally purchase Sizzix dies.
Delivery of this template set is via e-mail upon payment.
So here's a wild story.
A little over a year ago I made a project for a door prize at a SU! charity event in Colorado Springs that Holle invited me to. (And yes, that's a lot of prepositions for one sentence) I made an explosion box with four SU! O Christmas Tree pop-up trees inside. You can see pictures and read about it here: Stampin' Up! project - Box full o' Trees
Within that post, you will find reference to a demonstrator named Kirsteen, who, unbeknownst to her, inspired me to create the project, which I refer to as "Four Trees in a Box."
Flash forward a year and now I live in Katy, Texas. Holle calls me one night and says she's at SU! convention, has met Penny Thomas, a demonstrator from Katy, Texas, and would it be OK to share my phone number with her? Well of course!
Penny graciously invited me to her monthly meeting (with 25 demonstrators!) last night and gave me the opportunity to show samples and demonstrate the O Christmas Tree die. Guess who was there? KIRSTEEN! How funny is that?!! Thusly, I declare the world to be rather small.
Because . . . coincidences continuing, I arrived to the meeting with another explosion box as a thank-you gift for Penny! It is designed to accomodate one pop-up tree and can be made from 3 sheets (or half a package) of Stampin' Up! #114320 On Board Long Board chipboard.
When closed, this box measures 5.75" square on top, and 4.5" square on bottom. It's about 5.5" tall with the lid.
Speaking of the lid, just lift it straight up and the four sides will fall open, and the Christmas Tree will stand up.
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - you must own the Medallion stamp! In addition to being awesome in every way, it also makes a great tree skirt (and cake plate!)
All Supplies Stampin' Up! except heart button, glitter glue and rickrack
Here's a quick 58-second video of me opening the box. The lighting is underwhelming, but you'll get the idea of how the box works:
Make sure you come back here tomorrow for the Blog Hop project and then on Saturday I'll be uploading another explosion box sample in a completely different theme!
There is a Two Dollar Template available for the Explosion Box itself. Read about it in this post: Two Dollar Template - Explosion Box
