Welcome to Designer Challenge 64 with a very fun theme. I challenged the team, plus our two guest designers, to each take on one month of the year to deck out our Fireplace Pop-up for that month. The creativity will astound you!
This is also Sneak Peek Week for our December 2022 Release so you'll see some of our brand new dies in some of the cards.
The only rule of the challenge was that the Fireplace Pop-up had to be used. You'll see that some of the cards have converted the fireplace into another item. It's a very versatile die set that is a favorite year-round foundation die.
My month and theme was May for Mother's Day. In addition to the Fireplace Pop-up, I also used the new Bam Box Pop-up, which is shipping to stores this week and will be available on our website starting Monday, December 12, 2022.
Learn how I made this card by watching the YouTube video here. I recently polled our Facebook group, Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps, about their preferences for video length and content. One of the suggestions was to add Chapter Marks for easier navigation. It was a great idea, and going forward all videos will include chapter marks. Thanks for the feedback!
My card is a top fold 5" x 6" card with a small foldover flap at the bottom with a magnetic closure. The front of the card is a simple lead-in to the magic inside. The greeting is from Word Set 9, the shapes are from the Bam Box Pop-up and the basket of flowers is made using Fireplace Extras 2.
Release the closure and the Bam Box will pop up (Bam!) inside the card. I recommend a #8 Firm Stretch rubber band for the Bam Box, but it will also work with a #12 Soft Stretch Rubber Band. We will offer both sizes in small baggies on our website under Tools and Accessories.
Once open, the Fireplace pops up, decorated with floral bouquets befitting the theme. Three hearts from the Bam Box Pop-up dangle in front of the fireplace, suspended from the greeting using thread. The greeting is our Happy Mother's Day die and the watering can is from our Garden Charms set. The rug is made with shapes from the Bam Box and the rest of the decorations are elements from Fireplace Extras 2. The papers are from Carta Bella - woodgrain (older) "Stay Awhile" and floral "Farm Grown".
As I mention in the video, this technique is very transferable to other occasions. Simply swap out the greeting and decorations and this could make a great Birthday card or any other occasion. Ready to give it a try? Here are the products used in my card:
Let's take a look at the rest of the year and the cards made by our talented Design Team plus two guest designers. If you click on a designer's name their blog post will open where you will find more photos, including the equally impressive card fronts, supply lists and, in some cases, videos or photo tutorials.
Karen Aicken chose the JANUARY WINTER theme and my jaw dropped when I saw this beautiful card. There are so many gorgeous elements to this, from the wall decor to the candle sparkles to the coal from the Holiday Charms used as stones. Click over to Karen's blog for more on this stunner!
Nicky Foden took on FEBRUARY - VALENTINE'S DAY and made this delightful scene complete with bare feet, champagne, chocolate and a bear skin rug! I love the wedding photo on the wall and the snow-capped windows. Click to Nicky's blog for a full photo tutorial. Love it!
Kelly Booth has retired from the Design Team but joined us this month as a guest to take on MARCH - ST. PATRICK'S DAY. Kelly shares a birthday with this holiday and her name is also a shade of green so I knew this theme was perfect for her! Check out this fun leprechaun's hearth, including a fun close-up photo on the mantel, a Friend banner on the wall, and a hat full of shamrocks. We're very lucky to have Kelly back this month. Click to her blog for more details.
Lois Bak chose APRIL - EASTER as her theme and made this super sweet slimline fireplace scene. Notice her clever use of a Slim Frame over scenery paper to create a windowscape. The Easter baskets on the mantel is another great touch. Click over to her blog for the equally impressive card front. So sweet!
MAY - MOTHER'S DAY is my card, shown at the top of this post.
Sue Small-Kreider took on JUNE - FATHER'S DAY and her card is absolutely epic. She converted the fireplace into a big screen TV for a game day theme and then added another card inside the card to animate the Family Room Pop-up. Notice her pizza box on the end table, the suede paper carpeting and the bears on the couch watching da bears! Click over to her blog post for more photos and a great download for how to operate the card. Amazing!
Suzanne Smit chose JULY - PATRIOTIC as her theme. Because Suzanne is from The Netherlands, she decked out her card with all the patriotic images of her country. I love how she added stacks of books to the mantel. (Those can be found in our new Bookworm set) and the red, white and blue tulips and pots. Click to Suzanne's blog for more details on this lovely card!
Jen Webster took on the AUGUST - BEACH theme and completely converted the fireplace into a tiki hut! As usual, Jen shows off her amazing skills with alcohol markers and inks to add shading to the dies. Notice the way the water turns to sand. I love her creative repurposing of the Fireplace into something completely different. Click to her blog post for more details. Fabulous!
Sandy Diller chose SEPTEMBER - SCHOOL and cleverly converted the fireplace into a teacher's desk. She chose a vintage theme for her school card and even recreated vintage school desks using Bam Boxes and snowman hats. So much cleverness in one card! Be sure to click to her blog for a video about this card. Love everything about this!
John Watterson joins us as a guest designer crafting for OCTOBER -HALLOWEEN with a spooky fireplace scene. He combined the fireplace with the floating floor from the House and Fence die set. He created the custom Halloween characters by combining pieces from several sets, and I love the witch's cauldron in the fire. John's card is made even more epic by having back-to-back pop-up scenes inside. Here is a short YouTube video of the card in action. Amazing!
Fran Sabad took on NOVEMBER - THANKSGIVING for her card and the autumn splendor on display is so pretty! The colors on the fireplace are perfection and I love the fruit and pumpkin medley on the mantel. The turkey warming by the fire (hey - not too close!) is so cute, and you'll definitely want to click to Fran's blog to see the equally charming card front. Fabulous!
Frances Byrne ends the year with DECEMBER - CHRISTMAS and uses the Bam Box in her festive room to animate a stamped girl wrapping presents. I adore how Frances incorporated a Christmas tree next to the fireplace and the wonderful wall and mantel decor. Click over to her blog for more on the Christmas creation! Love it!
Well we hope we've convinced you of the fun and functionality of the Fireplace Pop-up for cards throughout the year. Join us next month, on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of RUBBER BAND POP-UPS. We'll be making cards using any of our pop-up dies that require a rubber band, including our ball dies, Surprise Cube and Bam Box pop-ups.
Happy Crafting!
