Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 70: Baby or Wedding

Welcome to our June Designer Challenge with a theme of Baby or Wedding. The team's cards are, as usual, wonderful creations!

For my card and video I am showing how to style the Iron Fence Pop-up as a rainbow.

Watch the video below to learn how to make this card:

My card measures 5" x 5.5" when closed. The front of the card features rainbows made from the Circles - Crosshatch die. Other dies used on the front include Border Blends - Trims, Baby Charms, clouds from Landscape Scene and Welcome.

When the card opens, two rainbows pop up, made by adding strips over the Iron Fence die. Clouds are from the Landscape Scene and Outdoor Scene. The borders are from Border Blends - Trims. 

The baby blocks are from Baby Charms and the stork is made by altering pieces from the Beach Charms. 

As mentioned in the video, I was reminded to try this technique after seeing a clever card by Sandy Diller using the Iron Fence as a vase. The arching mechanism lends itself well to other interpretations - perhaps a wishing well or a bridge. Or try the rainbow styling in other colors and themes.

Ready to give this card a try? Here are the dies used on my card:

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful Baby and Wedding inspiration by our talented Design Team. In each case you can click the designer's name to open their blog post in a new window. On their blog posts you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, even videos!

Suzanne Smit chose wedding anniversary for a theme and I love her adorable Tiny Gnome couple in the Adirondack Chair. Using a hippo tutu to make a lacy wedding dress is particularly clever! Be sure to click over to Suzanne's blog to see her second version of this card. Lovely!

Sandy Diller created an exciting Slider Box and stacked Surprise Cube combo as a gender reveal. I love how she also added a Bam Box Pop-up on top of the stack of cubes for even more excitement when the drawer pulls out. Be sure to click over to Sandy's blog to see a video of this card in action. Fabulous!

Sue Small-Kreider cleverly created a pop-up cradle swing by combining dies in unique ways. The cradle itself is made using a Bam Box, so it can be flattened for mailing but will pop into a cradle as soon as the card is opened. Click over to Sue's blog for a photo tutorial of how she made this card. Love it!

Jen Webster stacked Surprise Cubes inside a card to make an exciting baby blocks card. The front of the card is also adorable, so be sure to click over to Jen's blog to see all the details including a video of this card in action. I love the sparkly letters on the alphabet blocks. Adorable!

Lois Bak created a gorgeous 3-page Landscape Rectangle Accordion for a baby girl card. I love how Lois uses Border Blends dies to decorate the outside frames and as shimmery corner details in the center panel. What a precious pink keepsake!

Nicky Foden made a wedding card in non-traditional but beautiful colors. I love this idea of customizing the card to favorite or wedding colors plus the addition of shimmer and embossed elements. As usual, Nicky has included a full photo tutorial for how she created this lovely Little Twist Panel card. Love it!

Frances Byrne has the perfect mix of papers, stamps and dies in this lovely baby girl card using the Paper Frames Pop-up. The addition of the Safari Animals is so sweet and I love her use of a partial label as a place to sign the card. So precious!

Fran Sabad made me go "Awwww" with this super sweet baby card featuring a Mini Ball Lion sitting atop a Surprise Cube. The front of this card is equally awwwdorable, so definitely click over to Fran's blog to see all the photos.

Well hopefully you're inspired to celebrate some new arrivals and new beginnings with these card ideas. Join us next month, on July 5, 2023 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of COLLECTION PACK CREATIONS. We sent each Design Team member a patterned paper collection pack to incorporate into their challenge card. 

Also be on the lookout for the Mission Poppable challenge for June. It will go up next week. Check out the May Mission Poppable challenge here - you still have a week to add your cards to the album to be in the running for website cash!

Happy Crafting!

May 2023 Mission Poppable Challenge - Bejeweled!

Happy May!

This month's mission is . . . BEJEWELED! 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a card following the inspiration prompt; BEJEWELED. This means any type of sparkle, shine or shimmer on your card. Think rhinestones, mirror card, glitter, etc. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. When posting in the Peeps Facebook group please add your card to the Mission Poppable photo album for that month. (On your phone - hamburger {3 lines} menu, choose Albums. On your computer - go to Media, then Albums) You have until June 21, 2023 to complete your mission.

We will randomly choose a winner from all entries to receive a $25 credit to our website. This is not a judged competition - all cards of any style/complexity are welcome. It's just for fun!

Congratulations to Nancy R. for winning the April - SPRING Mission. She made a lovely doublewide Woven Basket Box card in an Easter theme. 

Note - this is a Karen Burniston (KB Riley) brand challenge. You are welcome to mix products, but if you're making a pop-up card, our dies MUST be used for the interactive portions. Additionally, our dies should be prominently featured and really stand out as the "star" of the card. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 69: Bejeweled!

Welcome to our May Designer Challenge with a theme of BEJEWELED! The team is incorporating items that are sparkly and/or shiny into their cards.

For my card and video I am showing a fun window card idea using the old timey TV from our Memory Charms die set.

Watch the video below to learn how to make this card:

My card measures 4.5" x 4" when closed. There is a corner tuck closure and you can glimpse the fast food framed in the TV's.

Untuck the corners and the Bam Box pops up inside the card and lifts up the table.

The card's interior includes the Fast Food Charms on the table and a greeting cut with Word Set 14 - Hugs. An oval charm from the Memory Charms set provides a place to sign the card. There is also a built-in pocket to hold a gift card.

Want to give this card a try? Here are links to the dies and supplies used in the video:

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful BEJEWELED inspiration by our talented Design Team. In each case you can click the designer's name to open their blog post in a new window. On their blog posts you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, even videos!

We extend a fond farewell to Karen Aicken with this challenge. Karen has been on my various design teams for a decade and I treasure her friendship in addition to her amazing talents. Karen is freeing up more time to focus on family and travel. We will miss her incredible creations and out-of-the box ideas as an official member of the Design Team, but just like with all former members, we hope to welcome her back from time to time as a guest designer. We love you, Karen, and wish you beautiful vistas, doggy snuggles and plenty of hugs and carefree laughter in all your upcoming adventures!

Karen Aicken created this shimmery slimline anniversary card using the Heart Pivot Panels die set with a shortened front flap to allow the greeting to be viewed with the card closed. I love all the different types of mirrored and shimmer stocks used on this card for a vibrant and elegant feel. Click over to Karen's blog to see a video of this card in action!

Frances Byrne is a pro with teacher thank-you cards and I especially love this mirrored and sparkly slimline. She's used the Little Labels Pop-up and the Bookworm among other dies. I love the bright colors and shimmers plus the addition of jewels for even more sparkle. Perfection!

Nicky Foden made this wonderful shaker card using the Swirls Pattern plate in very unique ways. I love all the layers and the bright colors and all the sparkly bits in the shaker. This is such a clever use for the pattern plate for a vibrant and fun card. Love it!

Fran Sabad created a marvelous fairy garden window card using the Katherine Label Pop-up. I love her stenciled cloud background and all the flecks of shimmery paint in the sky. She also bejeweled the centers of the flowers from the Backyard Charms. Click to her blog post to see the front of this fabulous card.

Lois Bak used the Spinner Square Pop-up to pour a glass of wine on this congratulatory window card. I love how the wine is made from rhinestones! Lois also incorporated a rhinestone flourish on her card. Be sure to click to her blog post to see the front of the card. So cheerful!

Jen Webster creates such dimension on die cut pieces by coloring them with Comic markers. I love this gorgeous Flower Pot Pop-up card with rhinestone sparkle centers to the flowers. Jen also mixed in the Flutter Charms into her sweet bouquet. Click over to her blog to see the rest of this amazing card.

Sue Small-Kreider has this jaw-dropping amazing Mother's Day flower cart that she constructed by repurposing other dies! It's so brilliant that you simply must click over to her blog to see her step-by-step photo instructions. Absolutely incredible!

Sandy Diller created this gorgeous slimline card featuring the Purse Pop-up and Dolled Up Charms, but also a big oval mirror animated with a Bam Box. Click over to Sandy's blog for a video of this card in action. It's such a wonderful example of how our dies build on each other for new looks. So cute and clever!

Suzanne Smit has plenty of shimmery sparkles in this elegant Cupcake Pop-up card. What a wonderful soft and pretty color scheme for this pop-up. I love how she added floral elements as well. Exquisite!

Well we hope you feel inspired to bejewel and bedazzle your next card. Join us next month on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of BABY OR WEDDING. The team has been challenged to make a card featuring either theme.

Also be on the lookout for the Mission Poppable challenge for May. It will go up next week. Check out the April Mission Poppable challenge here - you still have a week to add your cards to the album to be in the running for website cash!

Happy Crafting!

April 2023 Mission Poppable Challenge - Spring!

Happy mid-April!

This month's mission is . . . SPRING!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a card following the inspiration prompt; SPRING. This could be the season or something that "springs" up. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. When posting in the Peeps Facebook group please add your card to the Mission Poppable photo album for that month. (On your phone - hamburger {3 lines} menu, choose Albums. On your computer - go to Media, then Albums) You have until May 17, 2023 to complete your mission.

We will randomly choose a winner from all entries to receive a $25 credit to our website. This is not a judged competition - all cards of any style/complexity are welcome. It's just for fun!

Congratulations to Darcy A. for winning the March WAVY Mission. Her card featured the Parcel Pop-up animating a surfer. Super fun!

Note - this is a Karen Burniston (KB Riley) brand challenge. You are welcome to mix products, but if you're making a pop-up card, our dies MUST be used for the interactive portions. Additionally, our dies should be prominently featured and really stand out as the "star" of the card. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 68 - Bunny!

Welcome to our April Designer Challenge with a theme of BUNNY! We're all incorporating bunnies into our cards.

For my card and video I wanted to show another way to combine the Slider Box and Surprise Cubes by anchoring the Surprise Cubes into the box and decorating them as a tower. My tower is decorated as an Easter Bunny, but you could absolutely swap out the animal and theme to use this technique for any occasion.

Watch the video below to learn how I made this project.

My finished Slider Box measures 2 3/8" x 4 3/8" x 7/8" and can be mailed in a bubble mailer. The Easter Charms chocolate bunny on the front of the Slider Box is cut from brown cardstock with clear packing tape over the cardstock before die cutting. This creates a glossy surface. I also used the packing tape trick for the bunny's nose.

Slide the drawer out and the tower of Surprise Cubes pops up, decorated as an Easter Bunny using ovals from the Slim Frames set, plus pieces and parts from Mini Ball Add-ons 2 and the whiskers from Animal Add-ons 1.

The bow tie comes from the Big Birthday Charms and the eggs from the Easter Charms. The grass is from Nature Edges.

Ready to make your own Surprise Cube tower? Here are the dies and supplies used on my project. The patterned papers are older designs from my stash. The cardstock colors are also from my stash, a mix of My Colors and The Paper Cut.

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful BUNNY inspiration by our talented Design Team. In each case you can click the designer's name to open their blog post in a new window. On their blog posts you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, even videos!

Suzanne Smit cleverly created a bunny bottom from shape dies from other sets. I took inspiration from Suzanne's cute bunny feet when I was constructing my bunny's feet. Suzanne has a great how-to on her blog for making this sweet rearview rabbit Woven Basket Box Card. Adorable!

Jen Webster used the Parcel Pop-up to animate a bunny rising out of her Woven Basket on this fun Easter card. I love Jen's signature Copic shading on the die cuts (look at that bow!) and the way she constructs a scene. Lovely card!

Frances Byrne created a 3-page Landscape Rectangle Accordion in bright cheery Easter colors and decorated with a mix of Spring Animals, Easter and Garden Charms. I just love her cloud stenciling and white pen detailing. Stunning!

Sue Small-Kreider made the most adorable Chocolate Bunny farm! I just love how she's combined the Barn Pop-up with the Farm Edges and an extra Bam Box Pop-up to animate a chocolate bunny off of the fold. Click over to her blog for a video of this amazing card in action. Love it!

Fran Sabad is sharing two cards for the challenge. The first is a sweet Little Labels Pop-up decorated with the Spring Animals. Love those peeking bunnies and just-hatched chick!

Fran also shared an Easter-themed Waterfall card. Definitely click over to her blog to see more photos of each waterfall page. Adorable!

Lois Bak made a doublewide Woven Basket Box Card in an Easter theme and I adore her colors and styling on this. The braided border along the edge plus the entire scene inside the basket makes for a wonderful display piece.

Sandy Diller has made a bunny gnome for her adorable Fancy Label accordion card and it is soooo cute and clever! Click over to Sandy's blog for a video on this great combination of the Spring Animals bunny with the Tiny Gnomes. Love it!

Karen Aicken cleverly created a shadow box scene inside the Slider Box for her challenge card. I love all the layers and the entire fun scene created inside the drawer. Click over to Karen's blog for a video of this wonderful card.

Nicky Foden created a wonderful personalized Easter card by combining the Coffee Cup Pop-up with the Woven Basket Box Card. She gives a full photo tutorial of her process on her blog, so be sure to click over for more info. I love this!

Hopefully you feel inspired to craft some bunny cards. Join us next month on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 for our next Designer Challenge  with a theme of BEJEWELED. The team has been challenged to make a card featuring sparkle and bling.

Also be on the lookout for the Mission Poppable challenge for April. It will go up next week. Check out the March Mission Poppable challenge here - you still have a week to add your cards to the album to be in the running for website cash!

Happy Crafting!

 

March 2023 Mission Poppable - Wavy!

Happy mid-March!

This month's mission is . . . WAVY!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a card following the inspiration prompt; WAVY. This could be water waves, a character waving, something that "waves" in the wind, or even a wavy edge on your card. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. When posting in the Peeps Facebook group please add your card to the Mission Poppable photo album for that month. (On your phone - hamburger {3 lines} menu, choose Albums. On your computer - go to Media, then Albums) You have until April 12, 2023 to complete your mission.

We will randomly choose a winner from all entries to receive a $25 credit to our website. This is not a judged competition - all cards of any style/complexity are welcome. It's just for fun!

Congratulations to Meghan K. for winning the February HEARTS Mission. Her card featured the Landscape Accordion die decorated with adorable pandas. She won a $25 credit to our website.

Note - this is a Karen Burniston (KB Riley) brand challenge. You are welcome to mix products, but if you're making a pop-up card, our dies MUST be used for the interactive portions. Additionally, our dies should be prominently featured and really stand out as the "star" of the card. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 67: Vacation!

Welcome to our March Designer Challenge with a theme of VACATION! I challenged the team to create their perfect vacation in a card. You're going to be blown away by their clever die combinations.

For my card and video I'm showing a fun doubling technique for our Flip Frame Pop-up die set. My card theme is cruising, but this card could easily be adapted to any other theme. 

Learn the technique by watching the YouTube video here:

My finished card measures 5" x 7" and can be mailed in an A7 envelope. The patterned paper is an older one from my stash by Bo Bunny called "Weekend Adventures Beachy", but any type of swirl, polka-dot or waves paper would work. The front of my card features the decorator frame and rectangle from the Flip Frame Pop-up, the waves from Tropical Scene and the Cruise Charms. Our new Rectangles and Labels - Crosshatch is sized to fit 5x7 cards.

As the card opens the double pop-up starts to expand.

Inside, pop-ups on both sides of the card are revealed. I took inspiration from the cruise ship charm to craft a similar large version using shape dies. (Watch the video to learn how I did this) The background uses the same large crosshatch rectangle and the decorations are created using combinations of Tropical Scene, Flip Frame Pop-up and Cruise Charms.

I mentioned in the video that I'll be an instructor on a cruise next year. You can find all the information on the Cruise and Crop website here.

Want to give this card a try? Here are the dies and supplies used on the card.

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful VACATION inspiration by our talented Design Team. In each case you can click the designer's name to open their blog post in a new window. On their blog posts you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, even videos!

Jen Webster created this absolutely delightful cabin by a lake in the woods and I want to go there right now! Her coloring on the Tiny House is exquisite! Be sure to click over to her blog post for more information about this card and to see the equally stunning card front.

Frances Byrne has me longing for sand and surf with this wonderful beachy birthday card. Frances is showing just how seamlessly new dies (Sea Charms, Beach Borders, Beach Bar, Word Set 16) coordinate with what came before, in this case the Adirondack Chair Pop-up, Nature Edges and Outdoor Scene. I also love her custom greeting.

Lois Bak created a Photo Collage card with images of her dream vacation destinations. This is so clever! It's a card version of a memory or vision board. Click over to her blog for the card front, with more destinations. Love this!

Sue Small-Kreider created this absolutely stunning train ride through the Canadian Rockies as her dream vacation card. I love how the patterned paper creates the background and her combination of the Train Pivot Panels with the Twist Panel creates a dynamic double pop-up. Sign me up for this trip!

 

Fran Sabad made this Circle Tag Book decorated with Cruise Charms as a "Miss you" card. I love the nautical colors and the clever two-part greeting. (Click over to her blog to see the card front) Fabulous!

Karen Aicken used the Slider Box so cleverly to house an accordion fold card with a shimmery sea theme. It even has a shaker front! Click over to Karen's blog for a video of this project in action. What a wonderful keepsake birthday card!

Sandy Diller amped up her Beach Bar pop-up card by adding a Bam Box pop-up to animate the palm trees. I love the texture she created on the sand! Click over to Sandy's blog and let her transport you, via video, to her beach oasis. Love it!

Nicky Foden created an entire scene by the lake for this wonderful Father's Day card. This is the perfect way to mix dies from multiple sets to create a custom scene. Nicky has a full photo tutorial for this card on her blog post, including some great tips for creating a cloud stencil, styling the animals and charms, and creating the foamy surf. This is so creative!

Suzanne Smit made a great card to send to someone embarking on a vacation. She used the House Pivot Panels but also mixed in some pre-made elements that match the theme. I love the bright colors and happy feel to this card! 

Hopefully you feel inspired to plan your next trip! Join us next month on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 for our next Designer Challenge  with a theme of BUNNIES. The team has been challenged to make a card featuring a bunny.

Also be on the lookout for the Mission Poppable challenge for March. It will go up next week. Check out the February Mission Poppable challenge here.

Happy Crafting!

 

February 2023 Mission Poppable - Hearts!

Happy February!

This month's mission is . . . HEARTS!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a card featuring a heart or hearts. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. When posting in the Peeps Facebook group please add your card to the Mission Poppable photo album for that month. (On your phone - hamburger {3 lines} menu, choose Albums. On your computer - go to Media, then Albums) You have until March 15, 2023 to complete your mission.

We will randomly choose a winner from all entries to receive a $25 credit to our website. This is not a judged competition - all cards of any style/complexity are welcome. It's just for fun!

Congratulations to Becky C. for winning the January PETS Mission. Her card featured a delightful stacked pop-up ball dog! She won a $25 credit to our website.

Note - this is a Karen Burniston (KB Riley) brand challenge. You are welcome to mix products, but if you're making a pop-up card, our dies MUST be used for the interactive portions. Additionally, our dies should really stand out as the "star" of the card. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston February 2023 Blog Hop

Welcome to our Karen Burniston Products - KB Riley LLC February Release Blog Hop. The Design Team (plus me!) have come together today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the release of 6 new dies. Sneak peeks of the new release started last week, and the dies are available to order NOW!

 

This small but mighty release hits all of our die categories, including:

• 1 new Charm die set
• 1 new Word set
• 1 new Tiny House Add-Ons sets
• 1 new Pop-up die set
• 1 new Crosshatch shape die set
• 1 new Border die set

Dies are available to order now at KarenBurniston.com 

 

For my project I'm sharing the assembly video for our new Beach Bar Tiny House Add-ons set. This die is the sixth Add-ons set to fit our popular foundation Tiny House Pop-up.

 

Learn the assembly by watching the video here:

 

 

In addition to the new Beach Bar Tiny House Add-ons, I also used three more of the new release dies - Beach Borders, Word Set 16 - Beach Happy Hour, and Rectangles and Labels - Crosshatch. The foundation die (required) is the Tiny House Pop-up.

 

 

My card measures 5" x 6" when closed and can be mailed in an A7 envelope. The front features the cocktail border and crabs from the Beach Borders, the scalloped rectangle and labels from Rectangles and Labels - Crosshatch, a palm tree and flamingo from Beach Bar Tiny House Add-ons, and a greeting from Word Set 16 - Beach Happy Hour.

 

 

Open the card and the Beach Bar pops up, complete with thatched roof, sand, palms, flamingos and fancy drinks. 

 

 

Here's a closer look at the Beach Bar. I also used the thatched roof die to make a fringed edge for a little beach towel.

 

 

The thatched roof can be styled with as much windblown and curled thatch as desired, as you can see in this similar card (the packaging sample) which is a 5x5 square card. To attach a cluster of drinks on the bar I used a strip of transparency attached to a side of the opening and then the drinks attached to the transparency.

 

On April 15, 2023 I'll be teaching a Zoom Class featuring three of the new dies, including the Beach Bar Tiny House Add-ons. Find the details on our Events Page. Kits must be purchased through a participating store.

 

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release each participant will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to some lucky person who comments on our blog posts, so make sure you join the hop and comment on everyone's blog post. Winners will be randomly chosen from ALL of the blog hop comments received on our blog posts by Monday, February 27, 2023. Lots of chances to win some goodies, so just leave a comment on this post or any other blog hop posts to enter! Don't forget to leave some way for us to contact you, in case you are a lucky winner!

 

Karen B. <--- YOU ARE HERE!

Lois Bak

Sue Small-Kreider

Karen Aicken

Frances Byrne

Suzanne Smit

Sandy Diller

Fran Sabad

Nicky Foden

 

Here are the dies and supplies used on my card. The waves paper is an older PhotoPlay design from my stash called "Cool Off" (#FS2528). 

 

Sneak Peek - Karen Burniston February 2023 Release

Today we are starting a week of sneak peeks for our February 2023 release. We have a small but mighty release of six new dies that will start shipping to stores this week. For those without a local store option, the dies will be available for ordering from our website, KarenBurniston.com, starting February 20, 2023.

Learn about these dies by watching the preview video here:

Throughout this week the Design Team will be sharing ideas for the new dies on their blogs. You'll find links to the designer blogs in the sidebar of this blog.

Next Monday we will have a blog hop that includes prizes for leaving comments and the new dies will be available for purchase from our website. 

Stay tuned for lots of ideas and videos this week!

Happy Crafting!