Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 61 - Just!

Welcome to our September Designer Challenge with a theme of "Just." I challenged the team to create a card featuring a greeting that starts with the word Just. We have a great new Word Set 15 - Just Because die set that is perfect for the theme.

For my card and video I am showing the assembly of our new Label Charm Pop-up die set. The three words I would use to describe this set are versatile, generic and easy! 

See how this die set works by watching the assembly video here:

My card is a landscape A2 size - 5.5" x 4.25" in the closed position - and will mail in an A2 envelope for a single stamp. On the front of the card I kept it very simple, with just a strip of patterned paper and some of the scribble elements from the set.

Open the card and the front label pivots to become part of the inside decoration. This feature really helps those of us who struggle with card fronts for our pop-up cards. With this style of card it's double-duty decoration. The paper is Bows n' Blooms by Dare 2B Artzy. The owl is from our Feathered Animals die set.

This is also a good example of how copying your own card can make things easier. I made just a few changes to colors and elements, but generally followed the packaging card as inspiration. 

Here is the Halloween mini-slimline shown in the video. For this card I used our new Slim Pattern Plates - Bats and Spiders, plus the new Skeleton and Bat die sets. I framed the front of the card with the Short Rectangles Crosshatch and used our Happy Halloween set for a greeting. The pot comes from the Good Luck Charms.

Here are supply links to the products used in the video:

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful "Just" 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!

Fran Sabad made this epic Halloween card with a greeting of "Just a Boo for you!" It's amazing how she stacked all the balls and it still folds flat. Click over to her blog for more photos and a link to her Very Hungry Caterpillar card with the same configuration of stacked balls and a video showing how they open and close.

Jen Webster created a lovely Label Charm Pop-up card featuring a mixture of dies and some of her favorite stamps. I like how she created a custom title using the die cut "Just" and then stamped words. Click over to her blog for a clever tip on creating a border piece to frame the opening.

Lois Bak has created a lovely Thanksgiving-themed Landscape Rectangle Accordion. This definitely has me longing for fall weather (and for pumpkin pie!). Click over to her blog for the card front.

Karen Aicken created a stunning mini slimline Heart Collage card with a greeting of "Just because." I love her mix of paper, stamps and dies here. What a lovely card!

Suzanne Smit created a pair of fun Halloween cards using our Cupcake Pop-up with Halloween dies. I love all the fun details in her cards, like the jack-o-lantern-headed skeleton and the bones sticking out of the cupcake. Click over to her blog to see the other version of this card. Love it!

Sue Small-Kreider has included a full photo tutorial for how she made this lovely "Just sewing a hello" card using the Label Charm Pop-up and Sewing Charms. The blue and yellow color scheme is so fresh and lovely. Plus the stitching details are a great touch. Fabulous!

Sandy Diller went with a greeting of "Just chill" and then made a wonderful pop-up snowman for inside the card. I love her choice to add snowflakes to the sides of the snowman for dimension and texture. Who wouldn't love to get a card like this? So delightful!

Frances Byrne has such a way with colors and elements. This slimline Little Labels card shows off the new Sewing Charms perfectly. I love all the elements of this card and the clever punny title. Gorgeous!

Nicky Foden mixed colors and flowers to perfection on this Label Charm Pop-up "Just saying hi" card. I especially love the rhinestones put around the opening on the front of the card. Who doesn't love a little bling? Beautiful card!

Well we hope you feel inspired to make a few "Just" cards of your own. Join us on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of HALLOWEEN. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 60: Labels!

Welcome to our August Designer Challenge with a theme of "Labels." I challenged the team to create a card featuring a label as or on the pop-up. This is also the first Designer Challenge with our newly expanded team so you'll have supersized inspiration this month and going forward.

For my card and video I have combined the mechanisms of two of our pop-up dies; Landscape Rectangle Accordion and Little Labels Pop-up. I also used our Crosshatch Labels and the result is a card filled with labels and label frames and perfect for showcasing any of our charm sets.

Learn this technique by watching the full tutorial on YouTube here:

Because I added the large label frames to the card and didn't chop off the overhang, the card measures 4 1/8" tall by 6" long. My suggestion is an A7 envelope for mailing. The front features the "crabby" crab (pre-coffee!) styled with a frown and crabby eyebrows. The crab is from our Ocean Animals die set.

Open the card to reveal the entire scene. The Little Labels Pop-up has been altered to fit inside the fold, creating two pop-up frames perfect for dangling charms. The crab has turned happy with a mug of coffee. The greeting is one of my favorite stamps from Riley and Company.

The Coffee Charms are assembled on both the front and the back (double-sided) to look good from all angles. They are attached using 10mm metal jump rings.

Because the pop-up ended up covering two of the happy crab's legs I cut a second one and glued just the legs to the side of the pop-up. 

The papers I used are old ones from my stash. Here are supply links to the dies and supplies used in the video:

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful Labels inspiration by our talented Design Team. This is the first DC for our expanded team, so be sure to bookmark their blogs. 

Frances Byrne shows how perfectly the Little Labels Pop-up works to showcase all your favorite stamp sets. I love how she also incorporated the grass from the Long Nature Edges along the bottom of the pop-up and used the Mini Alphabet for a custom greeting. This card is Dino-mite! 

Jen Webster combines several die sets to make a gorgeous Landscape Rectangle Accordion with a scene from the garden. I just love all the layers of fun elements and her excellent coloring. This card would brighten anyone's day!

Karen Aicken created an absolutely stunning anniversary card using the Paper Frames Pop-up. There are so many textures working seamlessly in this card, including some shiny iridescent elements. Make sure you click to Karen's blog to watch a video walk-through of this card. So pretty!

Sue Small-Kreider has created a full photo tutorial for how she created this clever easel card using several of our die sets. The pop-up bee and hive spins as the card opens, for an exciting reveal that you can see on video if you click to Sue's blog post. Such a sunny and sweet card!

Lois Bak created a wonderful sea-inspired Happy Birthday card featuring the Little Labels Pop-up. I love how she's mixed the Ocean and Sea Animals sets and used cute little googly eyes. I also like how she subdivided the front of the slimline card into two areas. Sometimes the long cards can be difficult to fill but this is a great tip for how to use the space. Wonderful!

Suzanne Smit shows a wonderful feature of our Little Labels Pop-up - that you can cover the labels and have it pop up anything! In this case Suzanne made an entire Summer Camp scene and you can almost feel the cool mountain breeze and hear the rush of the river. What a gorgeous, creative card!

Sandy Diller brought such a smile to my face with this card. It's so clever! Congratulate YourSelfie! I love how she added a label in the middle of the Photo Collage Pop-up to hold the Tiny Gnome holding a selfie stick. Plus all the little gnome selfies are precious. Make sure you click to Sandy's blog for more information, including a video tutorial. Love this so much!

Nicky Foden created a full photo tutorial for this amazing Paper Frames Pop-up slimline birthday card. The black elements make everything "pop". (Pun intended) I also love how Nicky's stacked labels feature the inside label turned so that the curves are opposite each other. The effect is lovely. Gorgeous creation!

Fran Sabad has a Fancy Label Accordion dedicated to summer friendship. I just love the entire scene she created by combining several dies. I love that the animals are all paired up with a bestie and that several are wearing cool shades. Fran really shows here how building a collection of our dies can make for some wonderful combinations as many of the die sets coordinate perfectly with each other. Fabulous card!

Well hopefully the team has inspired you to make some pop-up LABELS cards of your own. Join us next month on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of JUST... The team will be making cards featuring greetings that start with the word "Just". We hope you will join us!

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 59: Spinners!

Welcome to our July Designer Challenge with a theme of "Spinners." I challenged the team to create a card using any of our motion dies. Once again, their creativity is off the charts!

For my card and video I'm showing how to add three Spinner Square Pop-ups to a card for triple the motion. 

Learn how to make this card by watching the full tutorial:

This top-fold card measures 5" x 6" in the closed position. Patterned papers are from Photo Play's "Add Another Candle" collection. The decoration for the front is made by combining rectangles and banners from the Slim Flaps and Frames die set with a streamer from the Big Birthday Charms and the corners from the Spinner Square Pop-up.

Open the card and all three spinners bring up items. The back spinner animates the right pole. The middle spinner brings up the Happy Birthday greeting and the front spinner animates the present. I added the slice of cake from the Big Birthday Charms to the front square and used rectangles from the Slim Flaps and Frames as a place to sign the card. The pole comes from our Street Lantern Pop-up die set. 

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

Now let's take a look at the inspiring Spinner creations by our talented Design Team. For each of their cards you can click on the name to open their blog post in a new window. The information you seek about supplies, tips, tricks, photos and videos are on their blogs.

Fran Sabad used the Pop 'n Swap die set to create this delightful slimline card with a fast food theme. She followed the basic structure of this video tutorial and then customized with her own colors, theme and styling. What a fun card!

Frances Byrne made this bright and cheerful slimline double spinner birthday card for the challenge and I adore it! Click over to Frances's blog to see a short video of this card opening and closing. It has fun opposite motion that is sure to delight the recipient!

Karen Aicken did something very clever for her card. The Spinner Square is added to the card in the usual manner for a side fold card, but then she turned the card and decorated it as a top-fold card. This allows the pop-up square and spinner arm to suspend above the card's floor panel and creates a delightful spin reveal to the Celebrate greeting. I absolutely love how Karen used the Memory Charms on the back wall of the card. Definitely click over to Karen's blog for a full video walk-through of this card. Amazing!

Lois Bak used the Spinner Square for a fun Quidditch-themed card including a clear spinner arm for a flying effect. Make sure you click over to her blog to see the front of the card and to watch a video of this card opening and closing. I love how she added the initials of the houses to the banners. Great card!

Sandy Diller has a card that is more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Oh wait - it IS a barrel of monkeys! Sandy used the Mailbox Pop-up mechanism to make the double spinner card, having a monkey spin on the front of the barrel while two more spin up behind the barrel. She has a full YouTube tutorial for how she made this card, so definitely click over to her post to watch that video. This card is spectacular!

Well hopefully the team has inspired you to make some SPINNER cards of your own. Join us next month on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of LABELS! The team will be making cards featuring pop-up labels. It will also be the first challenge of our expanded Design Team with four new members. You won't want to miss it!

Happy Crafting!

Well hopefully the team has inspired you to make some SPINNER cards of your own. Join us next month on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of LABELS! The team will be making cards featuring pop-up labels. It will also be the first challenge of our expanded Design Team with four new members. You won't want to miss it!

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 58 - Mini Slimline

Welcome to our June Designer Challenge with a theme of "Mini Slimline." I challenged the team to create a Mini Slimline card measuring 3.5" x 6" in the closed position.

For my project and video I wanted to showcase one of the many pop-up dies that will fit in Slimlines and Mini Slimlines. I chose the Explosion Pop-up die set.

Learn the assembly of this card by watching the video below:

My card measures 6" x 3.5" in the closed position. This is a particularly nice size for fitting in those shorter business envelopes you can find at any office supply store. Our Short Rectangles - Crosshatch die set is designed to work with this size card perfectly so I used it on the front of the card along with some Crosshatch Hearts and a butterfly from the Flutter Charms.

Open the card to reveal all the pop-up excitement. The explosion sides were cut with sharp scissors while folded to achieve the lace look. (Similar to cutting a paper snowflake) For the butterflies, I layered bee wings and dragonfly wings with the butterfly to create variety. The greeting is created by combining our Sending Love die set with the Mini Alphabet and Numbers die set. The patterned paper is an older Blue Fern Designs piece from my stash. The explosion sides are cut from origami paper.

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

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Now let's take a look at what our Design Team came up with for the challenge. In each case, clicking on the designer's name will open a new window to their blog post, where you will find full details about their card.

Sandy Diller modified the lattice in the Flower Pot Pop-up to create a pop-up that really wows! Even better? She has a full video for this card on her blog post. Definitely check out this clever modification of a foundation die to create a completely new slimline-friendly look. Brilliant!

Lois Bak has a wonderful card front for the challenge that combines many of our dies. I love that she's showing the versatility of our die sets by mixing and matching with patterned paper to create a custom scene. Mermazing!

Karen Aicken created an exquisite anniversary card featuring the Heart Collage Pop-up. The colors are so gorgeous and I love her touches of foils for an elegant look. Head over to her blog to watch a video of this card in action. Love it!

Fran Sabad took advantage of the dimensions of our new Landscape Rectangle Accordion, which matches a Mini Slimline size. This three page birthday card is so much fun, partying until the cows come home! Fabulous!

Frances Byrne added our new Long Flap and Closure to a mini slimline size card to be able to add the new Mini Ball Pop-up inside, decorated as a cupcake. Everything about this card is terrific. I love the sweet pink color scheme and the way she styled the cupcake with the borders and candle. Awesome!

Well hopefully the team has inspired you to make some Mini Slimline cards. Join us next month on Wednesday, July 6th, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of SPINNERS! The team will be making cards with spinning elements.

PS Last month I promised that I'd issue a new Mission Poppable challenge mid-month. Well, the month of May had other plans, so I apologize. I will issue a Mission Poppable challenge for June. Look for that information in a separate blog post and e-mail on June 15, 2022.

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 57: Ball and Small

Welcome to our May Designer Challenge with a theme of "Ball and Small." I challenged the team to create an animal or character using our pop-up ball dies and then to pair it with the same animal or character made using our small die sets. The creativity on display this month will blow you away!

For my project and video I am teaching assembly of our newest ball die, the Mini Ball Pop-up, and then decorating it using our new Mini Ball Add-ons 1 - Gnomes set. These dies are part of our new May 2022 release and will be available for purchase on our website starting Monday, May 16, 2022. 

Learn the assembly of this card by watching the video below:

My card measures 4" x 6.5" in the closed position. Options for mailing include a No. 10 business envelope (for slimline) or an A7 envelope (for 5x7 cards). The front of the card features the "small" part of the challenge - a matching gnome made using our Tiny Gnomes die set. I also used a greeting from our Word Set 14 - Hugs set. The flap is made using our brand new Long Flap and Closure set, designed to shorten easily into other sizes.

Open the card to reveal the pop-up gnome. The Mini Ball Pop-up on its own can be hidden in a 3.5" wide card, but when Add-ons are used the footprint enlarges slightly to 4". I've also used our new Short Rectangles - Crosshatch and Mini Alphabet and Numbers sets. The mushroom comes included in the Mini Ball Add-ons 1 - Gnomes set.

Ready to give this card a try? Here are the dies and supplies I used on this card. The patterned papers are just older ones from my stash. All cardstock is from The Paper Cut, including our new (available next week) Exact Pack 9 for the gnomes.

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Now let's take a look at the amazing Ball and Small inspiration from our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

We extend a fond farewell to Kelly Booth with this challenge. Kelly has been on my various design teams for about a decade and in addition to being an amazing designer and all around good human, she's a close friend. She's freeing up more time to focus on family and travel. We will miss her beautiful spirit and gorgeous work as an official member of the Design Team, but she assures us that she'll pop-up from time to time (I approve of this pun!) to share her talents using our dies. We love you, Kelly, and wish you the grandest of adventures!

Kelly Booth created this too-too-cute baby card by pairing the Mini Ball Pop-up styled as an owl with the small owl from our Feathered Animals set. Kelly's attention to color is on full display on this sweet card. Plus she shows the wonderful functionality of the new Mini Alphabet set being able to make custom greetings. Click over to Kelly's blog for more photos and a full supply list. 

Karen Aicken cleverly styled the new Mini Ball Pop-up as a bee and then paired it with the bee from our new Flutter Charms die set. Her big bee has such character! The closure is magnetic, giving it an instant reveal. Make sure you head over to Karen's blog for a video walk-through of this happy card. Love it!

Lois Bak made an absolutely epic card for this month's challenge where she put a new Mini Ball inside a clear Bitty Ball to mimic the look of an astronaut helmet! Then she paired her large astronaut with a smaller one using the Space Charms. Brilliant!

Frances Byrne created this fun monkey slimline card using the new Mini Ball Pop-up plus Mini Ball Add-ons 2 - Monkey and Lion. Her nature colors are perfect to set the scene and you'll definitely want to click over to her blog for a video walk-through of this card in action. The team this month made great use of the new Mini Alphabet and Numbers set, fashioning custom greetings. This card is "chimply the best"!

Sandy Diller added an Ocean Animals octopus to the belly band that keeps this card closed and then created a whole underwater seascape inside the card with a ball octopus. I love her single-ball version of the octopus - such a great way to reduce the thickness of the card. The eyelash googly eyes are so fun! 

Fran Sabad made this incredible Goldilocks and the Three Bears card featuring all three sizes of pop-up ball die. You simply must click over to her blog to see the front of this card plus a video of the card opening. I love that the "small" version of the animal is the baby bear holding a teddy bear! Absolutely amazing!

Well hopefully the team has inspired you to make some Ball and Small pairings of your own. Normally this is where I put the information about the next Mission Poppable challenge but we've decided to move the Mission Poppable challenges to mid-month, so look for a separate blog post and e-mail announcement about this month's challenge on May 18, 2022. In the meantime, we are extending the deadline for the April Mission Poppable challenge with a theme of Flowers. You have an additional week to post a card for that challenge before it switches to the May challenge on the 18th. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 56: Flowers

Welcome to our April Designer Challenge with a theme of "Flowers." I challenged the team to create a card featuring floral elements.

For my project and video I am teaching how to get more use from the Mailbox Pop-up mechanism by using it for double spinner cards.

The inspiration for this card came from a class card I taught last weekend on Zoom. When I showed this monkey spinner card in our Facebook Group it was requested that I teach the technique for my next YouTube tutorial. 

I started with the same card size and format as the monkey spinner card, but since our theme this month is Flowers, I swapped out the hearts for labels and the monkeys for our Garden Charms.

Learn this technique by watching the full YouTube tutorial here:

My card measures 5" x 5" when closed, meaning it will mail in an A7 envelope. The front of the card is a simple lead-in using leftover materials and a sentiment from our Word Set 4 die set.

As the card opens the pop-up lifts and the two spinners start to rotate.

Fully open, the scene is revealed. A watering can on the upper spinner rotates to "spray" (with wire water streams) a cluster of tulips on the lower spinner. The patterned papers are beautiful muted Maja Designs papers (Nyhavn collection) so I added punches of color with the die cut elements. I used a distressing tool to rough up the edges of the patterned papers for a more rustic feel.

In the video I show how I reversed the direction of the watering can and styled it with a scratch pattern from a worn cutting pad pressed into the silver cardstock for texture. 

Ready to give this technique a try? This would also make a lovely Mother's Day card, thinking of you, sympathy or birthday. Here are the supplies I used in the video for the floral card. 

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links where I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. 

For the Monkey version, in addition to the Mailbox Pop-up I used four other dies: Hearts - Crosshatch, Monkey and Lion, Cake Trims and Word Set 6 - Summer.

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Now let's take a look at the beautiful floral inspiration from our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

Sandy Diller made this jaw-dropping adaptation of the Cake Pop-up to turn it into an Easter basket. Even better - she made a full video tutorial for how she did it! Head over to her blog to learn this clever (and beautiful) technique. Mind blown!

Lois Bak had framed our Paper Frames Pop-up with a box to change the look. You'll find the technique video here. I just love her bright and cheery colors on this lovely card. Click over to her blog to see the equally beautiful card front. So sunny!

 

Kelly Booth used her signature teal color and combined it with sunny yellow for a gorgeous Woven Basket Box Card. I love her stacked greeting, giving it a lot of dimension. This sweet little paper bouquet will brighten anyone's day! So pretty!

Fran Sabad used the mechanism from the Heart Collage Pop-up to make a floral collage card and I am here for it! The card front is equally stunning and well worth a click over to her blog to check it out. The shading on the flowers is so realistic. Gorgeous!

Karen Aicken created the loveliest scene for this stunning Mother's Day card. She's used the Garden Bench Pop-up and then decked it out with flowers galore. I love her signature white pen detailing on the elements. Click over to her blog for a video walk-through of this card. Gorgeous!

Frances Byrne has an absolute explosion of flowers on this gorgeous Little Labels Pop-up card. I love how she's covered two of the labels with large flower pots and used the center label for the greeting. Such a great customization of the pop-up die. The colors are vibrant and cheery and the recipient is sure to be delighted to get this card. Just lovely!

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some floral pop-up cards of your own. Join us next month on May 11, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of BALL AND SMALL. We'll be combining animals and characters made from our pop-up ball dies with the same type of animal or character from our small sets. 

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the March challenge our winner (by random draw) is Cindy Manott, who posted a St. Patrick's Day shaker card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of  "FLOWERS." Make sure your card features our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (May 11, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

 

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some floral pop-up cards of your own. Join us next month on May 11, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of BALL AND SMALL. We'll be combining animals and characters made from our pop-up ball dies with the same type of animal or character from our small sets. 

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the March challenge our winner (by random draw) is Cindy Manott, who posted a St. Patrick's Day shaker card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of  "FLOWERS." Make sure your card features our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (May 11, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 55: Shaker Cards

Welcome to our March Designer Challenge with a theme of "Shaker Cards." I challenged the team to create a card featuring a shaker element.

For my project and video I created a Heart Collage Pop-up card with a shaker heart and a peek-a-boo window on the front.

Learn how to make this card by watching this full YouTube video:

The card measures 5" x 7" in the closed position. The front of the card features a peek-a-boo small heart window that aligns over the shaker part of the pop-up. The rest of the front decorations are a mix of hearts from the Heart Collage Pop-up and Crosshatch Hearts, plus the Butterfly Collage Add-ons.

As the card opens the mechanism starts to twist open, revealing a larger heart-shaped shaker attached to the pop-up.

Once open the entire shape collage is revealed with a mix of hearts and butterflies. The greeting is from Word Set 14 - Hugs. 

The shaker is filled with a mix of sequins, glitter flakes and seed beads. The brick patterned paper is an older Bo Bunny design from my stash. The corrugated papers are from DCWV.

Ready to give this technique a try? Here are supply links for the products used on my card.

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links where I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. 

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Now let's take a look at the clever shaker cards created by our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

Karen Aicken created a stunning Mother's Day shaker card that she plans to give to her daughter. The colors are gorgeous and I love the clever way she's created a heart pop-up with expanding butterflies. Make sure you head over to her blog to watch the video.

Kelly Booth made this absolutely charming Parcel Pop-up card featuring a shaker front and adorable birthday monkeys. Everything about this card is delightful, including the tiny monkey confetti in the shaker. On her blog you'll find a close-up photo.

Sandy Diller always impresses with her clever takes on challenge themes. I love how she used the shadow die from the Happy St. Patrick's Day set to be the shaker opening with a floating title and spilling gold. Inside the card she's used the Rockin' Rectangle and Good Luck Charms. Such a clever idea to have the rainbow end at the hat!

Frances Byrne created a full shaker front slimline card and it's so happy! Frances used the Little Labels Pop-up for this birthday card, with a lovely color scheme drawn from the paper. Click over to her blog for a video of this delightful card in action.

Lois Bak made a Flower Pivot Panels birthday card where she customized the panels with Big Birthday and Fast Food charms instead of using the flowers that come in the set. I love her large shaker card on the front of the card, featuring charming tiny shaker bits. 

Fran Sabad created two cards for this month's challenge. The first is a froggy shaker card where she's used our Crosshatch Labels to create the shaker opening and then embellished with the Bayou Animals. So charming!

Next Fran created a wonderful Coffee Cup Pop-up with a full-front shaker. Make sure you click to her blog to see all the other photos and supplies. Love this!

Kelly Booth made a second card for this month's challenge, this time a Sending a Smile card with a large heart-shaped shaker on the front. If you click to her blog you'll see the pop-up interior of this card, featuring the Katherine Label Pop-up. So pretty!

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some shaker cards of your own. Join us next month on April 6, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of FLOWERS. We'll be making floral infused pop-up cards.

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the February challenge our winner (by random draw) is Karen Inchak, who posted a beautiful triple Heart Collage card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of  "SHAKER CARDS." Make sure your card features our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (April 6, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 54: Mod Valentine's Day

Welcome to our February Designer Challenge with a theme of "Mod Valentine's Day." I challenged the team to create a Valentine's (or love-themed) card without using pink or red as the primary color. As usual, they came up with beautiful creations. 

For my project and video I am showing an idea for putting three Heart Collage Pop-ups inside one slimline card. My mod color scheme is black/white/gray/silver.

Learn how to make this card by watching the full YouTube video here:

My card is a top fold slimline measuring 3.75" x 8.75" when closed. For the card front I created a very simple lead-in using leftover materials. The patterned papers are older designs from my stash. (Pebbles on the plaid and Echo Park on the wood)

As the card opens the three mechanisms start to spin and pop-up.

The full reveal is an explosion of shapes on three side-by-side mechanisms. I used all of the flat hearts from the Heart Collage Pop-up, but also incorporated the XOXO from Word Set 9 - Love and several of the Love Charms. This mechanism lends itself well to swapping out for other shapes to customize the collage.

Ready to give this technique a try? Here are the dies and supplies I used on my card. 

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links where I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. 

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Now let's take a look at the awesome MOD VALENTINES cards created by our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

Fran Sabad created such a unique card this month using our Rocket Pop-up for a "Love you to the moon and back" Valentine's Day theme. Such a creative idea and a great way to customize for the recipient. Fabulous!

Sandy Diller created a fun fold card using the Crosshatch Hearts die. Learn how she created this effect by watching a video on her blog post. I love the elegance of black/white/gold for the color scheme.

Lois Bak made a super sweet Heart Collage card using purple as her main color. The little love monkeys on the front add a touch of whimsy while the foil elements inside add some shimmer. Adorable!

Kelly Booth was able to use her favorite color, teal, in her amazing Heart Collage card. I love that she's used a larger card and mixed various patterns for a bold exciting reveal. Amazing card!

 

Frances Byrne used the new Mailbox Pop-up for a fun Love-themed card featuring purple as the main color. She incorporated some adorable stamped owls into the design. So sweet!

Karen Aicken with a rainbow explosion of wonderfulness! She's used the Heart Collage Pop-up in a mini-slimline with such a vibrant WOW reveal She even has a tiny shaker on the front of the card. I love it!

Have you had a chance to check out my business partner Tanya Kostynuk's creative ideas on the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo's virtual @home events? She's been showing fabulous projects using our dies. Here is her latest, which works perfectly for the Mod Valentine's Day theme, so I had to include it for the challenge. Tanya has combined the Tree Pop-up along with Border Blends - Argyle, Word Set 9 - Love, and tiny hearts from the Cake Trims die set. You can watch Tanya explain the ease of this card's assembly on Saturday, February 12, 2022 on the SSBE Facebook and YouTube channels at 12:40 pm, CST.

 

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some Mod Valentine's Day cards of your own. Join us next month on March 2, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of SHAKER CARDS. We'll be incorporating shaker elements into our pop-up cards.

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the January challenge our winner (by random draw) is Clara Bondie, who posted a beautiful birthday Pop 'n Swap card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of "MOD VALENTINES" or we will also accept your version of the "TRIPLE COLLAGE" technique in any theme/color. Make sure your card features our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (March 2, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

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Well I hope you feel inspired to make some Mod Valentine's Day cards of your own. Join us next month on March 2, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of SHAKER CARDS. We'll be incorporating shaker elements into our pop-up cards.

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the January challenge our winner (by random draw) is Clara Bondie, who posted a beautiful birthday Pop 'n Swap card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of "MOD VALENTINES" or we will also accept your version of the "TRIPLE COLLAGE" technique in any theme/color. Make sure your card features our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (March 2, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 53: Birthday Cake!

Welcome to our January Designer Challenge with a theme of "Birthday Cake." I challenged the team to create a birthday card featuring cake or cupcakes. (Donuts are also acceptable!)

For my project and video I'm teaching how to double and shorten the Twist Panel Pop-up die set to fit in a slimline card.

This is a technique that I first taught as a Zoom class in 2021 and then received requests to create a YouTube tutorial. Learn the technique by watching the video here:

My card measures 8.5" x 3.5" when closed. I took full advantage of the patterned paper, an older design (Abstract Moments) by Vicki Boutin for American Crafts, to fill and decorate the majority of the card. I used our Crosshatch Long Rectangles and Crosshatch Circles and then added streamers cut from our Border Blends - Trims set. The slice of cake is from the Big Birthday Charms and the heart is included in the Twist Panel Pop-up die set.

As the card opens the two Twist Panel mechanisms start to twist and open. The Happy Birthday greeting and the rectangle for signing the card are placed strategically to avoid creating catch points for the mechanisms.

Once open, the two panel sets are popped up and decorated with the Big Birthday Charms. The borders are from the Border Blends - Trims set.

Ready to give this technique a try? Here are links to the dies and supplies used in the video. The papers are from my stash - American Crafts and Echo Park. Cardstock is My Colors.

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links where I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. 

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Now let's take a look at the awesome BIRTHDAY CAKE cards created by our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

Karen Aicken created an absolutely marvelous Coffee and Cake birthday card. The papers are so bright and happy. The Coffee Cup Pop-up is further embellished with a peeking cupcake and big Happy Birthday greeting. Click over to Karen's blog to see the card front. Stunning!

Sandy Diller cleverly repurposed the Flower Pivot Panels die set to hold her HB2U birthday greeting. I love the way she made a circle-edged card using the Crosshatch Circles die set and the addition of the Big Birthday Charms. Click over to Sandy's blog to see the card front. Super!

Lois Bak made a lovely Circle Tag Book for the challenge with little cupcakes from our original Birthday Charms die set. I love how Lois used the rickrack borders throughout the background and her pops of black. Click over to Lois's blog for a look at the card front with a great tip for how she created it. I also love how she used the cherries from our Tree Fruit die set on the cupcakes. Pretty in pink!

Frances Byrne created a bright and lively Cupcake Pop-up card and also incorporated the new birthday candle from the Big Birthday Charms. This is really the perfect showcase of our brand philosophy to create timeless staple dies with new exciting decorator combinations to give them fresh looks. I love the colors Frances used for this card!

Fran Sabad followed a video tutorial I created for Designer Challenge 9 to make a side fold Cupcake Pop-up window card. I love how Fran was able to incorporate our newest dies for a fresh amped-up version of the card, adding extra pop-up balloons animated with our Mini Pops Pop-up die set. Love it!

Kelly Booth used our Cake Pop-up die set to make a lovely teal birthday card. I love how she incorporated the new Crosshatch Labels and added pops of yellow to the design. Click over to her blog to see the equally fabulous card front.

Kelly Booth mentioned that once she has a die set out, she'll often make multiple cards, especially for birthday cards. She created two additional Cake Pop-up Cards and while all of her cards follow the same basic measurements and layout, they each have their own personality by swapping out papers and embellishments. Amazing!

Have you had a chance to check out my business partner Tanya Kostynuk's creative ideas on the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo's virtual @home events? She's been showing fabulous projects using our dies. Here is her latest, which works perfectly for the Birthday Cake theme, so I had to include it for the challenge. Tanya has combined the Cupcake Pop-up with Border Blends - Trims, Big Birthday Charms, Crosshatch Ovals, Happy Birthday and Happy Birthday Shadow. You can watch Tanya explain the ease of this card's assembly on Saturday, January 15, 2022 on the SSBE Facebook and YouTube channels at 11:50 am, CST.

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some birthday cake cards of your own. Join us next month on February 2, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of MOD VALENTINE'S DAY. We'll be making Valentine's Day cards in unexpected color schemes.

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag way back on Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted each month. For the December challenge our winner (by random draw) is Gail Jean, who posted several wonderful mod holiday cards using a teal color scheme.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of "BIRTHDAY CAKE" Make sure your card features some sort of cake, cupcake or donut and uses our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (February 2, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 52: Mod Holiday!

Welcome to our December Designer Challenge with a theme of "Mod Holiday." I challenged the team to create a Christmas card in non-traditional colors.

For my project and video I chose a piece of plaid paper from Echo Park's Witches and Wizards collection for a maroon and gold Christmas Tree Duo mod holiday card. I made a second card in more traditional colors with a single tree.

The technique for this card is to swap out the 4-sided base that comes included in the Christmas Tree Pop-up die set for the 6-sided base that comes included in the Palm Tree Pop-up die set. This allows the Christmas Trees to collapse straight forward instead of at a diagonal. When placing two trees in one card a straight collapse is preferable so they don't crash into each other in the closed position. Learn the full technique by watching the YouTube video here:

My card is a large 8.5" x 5" top fold card. It can be mailed in an A9 envelope and, if I removed the rhinestones, would lay very flat. For the card front I repeated elements from inside the card using leftover materials. The cardinal comes included in the Christmas Tree Pop-up. The labels are our Crosshatch Labels and the border is from Border Blends - Trims.

As the card opens the trees start to lift straight up instead of from a diagonal. For a greeting I used our Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas Shadow dies. As a shared tree-skirt I used the second-largest crosshatch-pattern rectangle from our Long Rectangles - Crosshatch set.

Once open the two mod trees are revealed. I chose solid cardstocks to match the plaid paper and decorated with die cut circles from the Christmas Tree set. On the solid ornaments I added rhinestones. The same labels and borders are used inside the card.

One of the things I realized after fully decorating my card is that the tabs I created on the big trees to allow for the base swapping were weaker than the more substantial tabs at the base of the palm tree. To stiffen them I added small strips of cardstock, but this was definitely more difficult to do once the outer trees were on. Instead, I recommend adding the cardstock strips before adding the outer trees. In the video I made a green tree to show this process. I decided to finish out the card for the green tree by using it solo in an A2 top-fold card. 

For this more traditional Christmas card I used the same dies as the double but added the candy canes and peppermints from Gingerbread Tiny House Add-ons and the tree and reindeer edges from the Outdoor Scene die set. The patterned papers are older designs from Bo Bunny's Merry and Bright collection.

Ready to give this technique a try? Here are the dies and supplies used in the video for both cards:

NOTE: Amazon links are affiliate links where I receive a small commission on the sale at no cost to you. 

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Now let's take a look at the awesome MOD HOLIDAY cards created by our talented design team. For each of these cards there is a full blog post, supply list and, for some of the cards, a video as well. Click the designer's name to visit the blog post, which will open in a new window.

Fran Sabad made a delightful elf using the Bitty Ball Pop-up and Character Add-Ons 2. I love her repurposing of the mustache (cut in two) as elf ears! And the non-traditional color scheme of this card is so eye catching. Check out the front of the card with a colorful sleigh by clicking to her blog post. Swoon!

Frances Byrne used the new Little Labels Pop-up for a slimline card in a chic color scheme. I love the pinks and blues and the addition of the Street Lanterns next to the pop-up to set the scene. Absolutely gorgeous!

Sandy Diller used the Katherine Label Pop-up to lift up a trio of mistleTOADS! (Get it?) I love this clever use of the Bayou Animals for a holiday card and the teal/orange/white color scheme is so unexpected and delightful!

Lois Bak used the Little Labels Pop-up for a sweet purple-toned Christmas card using the Holiday Charms and others. I love how she wove the Border Blends together to make a peppermint stick border. Click over to Lois's blog to see the equally lovely card front.

Kelly Booth used the Snowflakes Pattern Plate as a stencil for this striking Snowman card. The pop-up is the Little Labels Pop-up and I just love how the snowmen are wearing colorful hats to match the scheme. Kelly's signature use of white space really draws the eye to the pop-up. Click over to Kelly's blog to see the card front and her beautiful staging.

Karen Aicken finishes us up with a show stopper of a Snowman Pop-up card. I absolutely LOVE the snowman cut from blue/teal and the gorgeous frosty colors on this. Karen's card front is equally shiny and pretty. Click over to her blog for a video walkthrough of this card.

Have you had a chance to check out my business partner Tanya Kostynuk's creative ideas on the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo's virtual @home events? She's been showing fabulous projects using our dies. Here is her latest, which works perfectly for the Mod Holiday theme, so I had to include it for the challenge. Tanya has combined the Twist Panel Pop-up, Winter Animals, Word Set 13 - Snow and trees from the Evergreen Pivot Panels. You can watch Tanya explain the ease of this card's assembly on Saturday, December 11, 2021 on the SSBE Facebook and YouTube channels at 10 am, PST.

Well I hope you feel inspired to make some mod holiday cards of your own. Thank you everyone for a wonderful year of challenges. Join us next month (and next year) on January 5, 2022 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of BIRTHDAY CAKE. We'll be making birthday cards that feature cake or cupcakes.

We started our Mission Poppable hashtag with Designer Challenge 45 and have been delighted with the projects posted. For the November challenge our winner (by random draw) is Dorothy Kleber, who posted a delightful "Does this card make me look flat?" window pop-up pig card.

Each challenge will bring a new mission and you have a month to complete it. You are welcome to post more than one card for the mission, which will increase your chances to win by random draw.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make your own card following this month's challenge theme of "MOD HOLIDAY" Make sure your card features a non-traditional color scheme for a holiday (doesn't have to be Christmas) card, plus uses our die(s) heavily. Post your card on Instagram using the hashtag #missionpoppable OR on our Facebook Group Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps OR both. If posting in the Facebook group, please add it to the photo album for this month's challenge, which you'll find in the Media section of the group. You have until the next Designer Challenge date (January 5, 2022) to complete your mission. This message will not self-destruct because I don't know how to do that.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all the cards for a $25 credit to our website. The winner will be contacted via messenger or e-mail. 

Make sure if you're posting on the Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook Group that you follow the rules of the group. Outside product is allowed, but not for the pop-up portion of the card. Cards posted on the group must heavily feature our brand. You can find us on Instagram @karenburnistonbrand and also my personal account @karenburniston

Happy Crafting!