Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 95: Rainbow!

Welcome to our July Designer Challenge with a theme of "RAINBOW". I challenged the team and our guest designer to make a card featuring a Rainbow or using "Rainbow" as a color prompt. You'll be very impressed with their creations. For my card and video I am combining our Rainbow Add-ons with the Whirly Wheel die set to create an expanding rainbow wheel card. 

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

My postcard-style card measures 5" x 7" and features rectangles from Rectangles and Labels, Crosshatch. For stamps I used Whirly Wheel Words and Rainbow Greetings. I used Distress Inks in Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean and Wilted Violet to ink the stripes of the rainbow and the edges of the rectangle. I used Marvy Brush markers to color the arrows on the wheel.

Start turning the wheel and both rainbows start moving, revealing a hidden "Happy Birthday" message behind the front rainbow.

Keep turning the wheel and the rainbow expands, arcs across the card and then starts to lower again.

The back of the card is where I will sign the card. It can be mailed in an A7 envelope.

Ready to make your version? Here are the dies and supplies used in the video. 

Now let's take a look at the wonderful Rainbow inspiration by our talented Design Team and guest designer. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Meghan Kennihan joins us this month as a Guest Designer and used the RAINBOW theme as a color prompt for an adorable Photo Collage card. I love how Meghan has mixed the stamped images with coordinating patterned papers for the backgrounds of her photo frames. Be sure to click over to Meghan's blog for more info. Thanks for joining the challenge as our special guest, Meghan!

Meghan made a second card for the challenge in a summer theme, once again using the Photo Collage and rainbow-inspired colors. Meghan's coloring is exquisite on the stamped images and I love the combination of patterned paper, dies and stamps. Click over to Meghan's blog for more photo of this delightful card.

Sue Small-Kreider used the Rainbow Add-ons with the Flip Frame die set for a different look. It's always difficult to make pet sympathy cards but Sue created such a comforting card featuring the rainbow bridge. Click over to her blog for a process video on this card. 

Sandy Diller created a wonderful Wizard of Oz card for the Rainbow Challenge. I particularly like Sandy's clever corner closure and how her card hinges at the edge of the gold so that the gingham background is visible when the card is closed and open. Be sure to click over to Sandy's blog to see a video of this card in action. 

Jen Webster added a rainbow to a Wide Woven Basket card and the results are spectacular! This card would brighten anybody's desk and would be so fun to pull out of the envelope and display. I particularly like the way the rainbow ends suspends the sun and clouds. Delightful!

Frances Byrne made a stunning slimline rainbow birthday card and I love every detail! The Curved Edges are used for the grass and clouds and I love how Frances sprinkled in some birthday elements to the scene. Click over to her blog for more photos of this bright and happy card!

Lois Bak cleverly repurposed the cauldron from the Witch and Cauldron set to be a large pot of gold at the end of her rainbow. I like how the pot is attached half to the card and half to the rainbow. Click over to Lois's blog to see the front of this birthday card. Fabulous!

Nicky Foden finishes up this month's challenge with an absolutely amazing creation featuring the Tag Book Pop-up and a bunch of colorful fairies painting the scene. There are so many amazing details in this card! You can click over to Nicky's blog for a photo tutorial on this card. Love this so much!

In honor of Independence Day I made a version of the video card to celebrate 4th of July. I used the same dies and followed the video directions for the card, adding in decorator dies from Fireworks, Celebrate, Alphabet (USA), Numbers (4th) and Circle Charm Pop-up (large star).

Hopefully you feel inspired to add some colorful rainbows to your next card. Thank you to our amazing team and guest designer for this month's inspiration. Join us next month on Wednesday, August 2, 2025 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of BOTTOM FOLD CARDS. The team will be flipping the script on top-fold cards showing some fun ideas for cards that have the fold at the bottom.

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 94: Animals and Characters

Welcome to our June Designer Challenge with a theme of "Animals and Characters". I challenged the team to use any of our Animal or Character dies for a card of any theme. For my card and video I wanted to explore a shaped card that would also hold a pop-up. I opted for a circular card and the Photo Fan Pop-up. I've always enjoyed the phrase "What's the word, bird?" to ask someone what's up, so I went with that theme for my animals, choosing birds from Feathered Animals and Spring Animals.

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

My card measures just under 4.25" x 4.25" when closed and will mail in an A2 envelope. On the front of the card I used Word Set 14 - Hugs and the same birds as the inside of the card, the owl, ostrich and chick from Feathered Animals and Spring Animals, with some of the birds embellished with, pearls, glasses, hats and hearts from Tiny Accessories 2.

Open the card and the Photo Fan pops up, revealing six framed birds. The oval frame from the Memory Charms is a great choice for the circular card because the oval shapes are easily hidden inside a rounded card. The "Let's catch up!" greeting is from our Fishing Phrases Clear Stamps set. The "What's the word, bird?" greeting was computer-generated.

My favorite thing about these monthly Cardmaking with Dies video is seeing how others interpret the generic techniques. I chose to fill the frames with birds but they could easily be filled with anything - photos, stamped images, dies, shakers, greetings, etc. Be sure to post your creation in our Karen Burniston Pop-up Peeps Facebook group if you give this technique a try!

Ready to make your version? Here are the dies and supplies used in the video. 

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful Animal inspiration by our talented Design Team. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Nicky Foden has made a jaw-droppingly awesome project that mere words are insufficient to praise. First, she was able to fashion all the Disney Princesses using pieces from various die sets. Then she cleverly created a magnetic board where they can be put into fun scenes, like you might do with colorform sets. Nicky has a full photo tutorial for the board and some great tips on the magnets or alternates. She also has a video of the board linked on her blog post. Amazing!

Sandy Diller has crafted the perfect birthday pun! The fence is animated using the Flip Frame mechanism and then decorated with several cows. If you click over to Sandy's blog you can watch a video of this card opening and closing. I love it!

Lois Bak loves Harry Potter and this month's theme was the perfect prompt for a nod to the new Epic Universe park additions. She re-created a scene where Harry rides a dragon. The Paper People can be a great base for any character, as Lois shows here. Be sure to click over to see the card front. Amazing!

Frances Byrne had a baby card in mind when she assembled the cute Safari Animals and Monkey but then changed to a birthday card, complete with full shaker front and doubled Lorna Label interior. I love all the little touches, like the balloon strings slipped over the arm of the giraffe. Click over to Frances's blog for more info on this happy card. Perfection!

Suzanne Smit created a custom birthday card for her niece, who plays field hockey. The Garden Bench is the perfect backdrop for this feathered creation. Click over to Suzanne's blog to see the card front. Love it!

Jen Webster has such a talent with Copic markers on die cuts. I love the texture she created on her safari-themed Landscape Rectangle Accordion. Take a guess at which of the three Safari Animals is Jen's favorite and then click over to her blog post to see if you're right! Stunning work!

Sue Small-Kreider wraps up the magic this month with this wonderful Wizard of Oz scene. She was able to combine die sets to create all the characters for the front of the card and styled the Tiny House as the perfect Kansas farmhouse. Be sure to click over to Sue's blog to watch the process video on this magnificent card! Also set your calendar's for Sue's debut on Craft Roulette this week, June 6, 2025. Set a reminder here: Sue Small-Kreider - Craft Roulette

What a wonderful challenge! I am blown away by the team's Animal and Character cards. Join us next month on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of RAINBOW. The team and our special guest will be interpreting the word RAINBOW in sure-to-be clever ways!

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 93: Make it Fluffy!

Welcome to our May Designer Challenge with a theme of "Make it Fluffy". I challenged the team to interpret the word "Fluffy" in any way they wanted. I think you'll agree that their interpretations are spectacular! For my card and video I wanted to use a few fluffy things. The first thing I thought of was clouds, so I incorporated them throughout the card. I also thought that frosting, ice cream and marshmallows are pretty fluffy, so I went with a birthday "sweet treats" theme to this Pop 'n Swap card altered to create a quadruple pop.

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

My card measures 4.5"x 5.25" when closed, and can be mailed in an A7 envelope. For the front of the card I combined Nature Edges, Postage Pop-up (plane), Big Birthday Charms (candles) and Special Delivery Clear Stamps to create a cloudy scene with a plane dropping candles onto the slice of cake. 

Open the card and the Pop 'n Swap reveals four swing arms, each decorated in a sweet birthday treat theme. I used Big Birthday Charms (candle, cake, streamers), Camping Charms (S'mores), Sweet Treats Charms (ice cream cone, donuts) and greetings from Sweet Treats and Photo Memories Clear Stamps. To continue the cloudy sky theme from the front of the card I added clouds in the background from Outdoor Scene.

One of the features of our brand is how well all dies coordinate so that as you build a collection you have more and more combinations to try. For this card I did not spare the dies and stamps - I just used anything and everything that worked for the Fluffy card I was creating. The technique itself, however, is made using just the Pop 'n Swap die set. From there you can decorate it in any theme for any style.

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

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Now let's take a look at the wonderful Fluffy inspiration by our talented Design Team and guest designer. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Kelly Booth has joined this month's challenge as our guest designer. Kelly was on our Design Team for many years and we're thrilled to welcome her back as a guest. For the Fluffy Challenge Kelly created two magnificent cards. The first is a Woven Basket Box Card featuring some fluffy animals (with googly-eyed peepers) and Bouquet Bits. 

For Kelly's second card she made a scrumptious Ice Cream Sundae Pop-up. I just love how Kelly uses color with the dies to add dimension.

Sue Small-Kreider had the most cleverest of clever ideas and created the 3-headed dog named Fluffy from the Harry Potter series! The motion she created on this dog is spectacular and I highly suggest a click over to her blog to watch the process video. Amazing!

Suzanne Smit used the Triple Platform for a cute and fluffy birthday card. I love her use of the Alphabet for the greeting where she created a shadow layer around her custom layout. Adding whipped cream to the fluffy bunnies is adorable! I love Suzanne's signature use of just a few cohesive colors. Click over to her blog for more about this wonderful card!

Frances Byrne went with fluffy cupcakes for her challenge card and chef's kiss to the result! She combined the Triple Platform with the Cupcake Add-ons for a scrumptiously fluffy sweet card. The stenciling on the cupcake liners is just perfect for tying in the colors of the patterned paper. Perfection!

Jen Webster decided to use the word fluffy to describe the pillows on a wonderful Garden Bench Pop-up birthday card. Jen's signature coloring is on full display with those gorgeous butterflies. She also cleverly used chopped up bluebonnets to create the pink flowers on the tree. Wonderful combination of dies here! 

Lois Bak thought of fluffy cats and fluffy pillows and combined both for a card that is the cat's meow! Love this use of the Lorna Label Pop-up to frame a fluffy scene. The color combo is so chic! Be sure to click over to Lois's blog to see the card front. Love it!

Sandy Diller made an adorable Little Twist Panel birthday card complete with a bunch of fluffy lambs. Everything about this card is Awwww-dorable and the "ewe" pun is perfect inside the card. I'm a fan!

Nicky Foden celebrates all types of fluffy farm animal with this adorable 1st birthday barnyard card. What a fun party inside the card! Nicky has posted a full pictorial tutorial for this card on her blog so be sure to click over. Amazing! 

 

What a wonderful challenge! I am so impressed with the ways the team interpreted the word "Fluffy". Join us next month on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of ANIMALS & CHARACTERS. The team will be showing off our various animal/character-themed dies.

Happy Crafting!

 

 

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 90 - Bouquets!

Welcome to our February Designer Challenge with a theme of "BOUQUETS". I challenged the team to make a card featuring a bouquet of some sort, which did not necessarily mean flowers. For my card and video I am teaching a version of the Tag Book card technique from our January Zoom class. The inspiration card had a baking theme and you may still be able to get a kit for the inspiration card by consulting the list of stores on our Events tab.

Learn this card technique by watching the full tutorial here:

My card is a 5" x 5" square card. I made full use of the beautiful 49 and Market papers and made a simple embellishment matching the one inside the card by combining the pot and greenery from the Garden Charms with tulips from Flower Pot Add-ons, hearts and bow from Bouquet Bits and the beaded rectangle from the Tag Book Pop-up.

Open the card and the altered Tag Book mechanism pops up, decorated with the same decorator dies as the front with the addition of the "love you" from our Pop 'n Swap die set. To make flower centers quickly I pulled the circles die from the Paper Frames Pop-up, my "go-to" when I need a lot of small stars, hearts or circles.

This alternate assembly of the Tag Book creates a different look to the pop-up, allows it to fit in a smaller card, and provides lots of surfaces for decorating. The stamped greeting came from our new Bouquet Sayings Clear Stamps, which fit the rectangle in the Bouquet Bits die set perfectly.

The inspiration card was from our January Zoom class. I you love the Baking theme of the inspiration card you may still be able to get a kit. Contact one of the stores listed on our Events tab to find out if they still have kits. Stores include Scrapp'n Savvy (TX), Stamped Designs (NH), Dutch Paper Crafts (NY), Creative Pals (WI) and StampsandCards (The Netherlands)

Ready to give this card a try? Here are the dies and supplies I used in the video. Patterned papers are 49 and Market Alena collection.

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team and guest designer interpreted the BOUQUETS challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

We have invited the incredibly talented Kat Rock to be a guest designer for this challenge. We discovered Kat in our Facebook Group where she posts clever adaptations and combinations of our die sets. Kat's project for the challenge is a deliciously wicked Galentine's Day card. I love the heart-shaped card (with rough edges) featuring gorgeous floral bouquets and then the turn to the dark side with the Flip Frame Pop-up animation inside. Click over to Kat's IG for a video of this card in action. Fabulous!

Jen Webster made a greenery bouquet for a pop-up sympathy card. I love the way this conveys the solemnity of loss while also offering nature's beauty to provide comfort. Jen created a flat version of the plant for the card front so be sure to click over to see everything. Beautiful.

Sue Small-Kreider cleverly created a bouquet for a lover of books and I am swooning! She combined the Bookworm set with the Tea and Coffee Borders for a cozy little custom bouquet. Be sure to click over to Sue's blog for a Process Video of this card. I love it!

Frances Byrne shows off the new Flower Pot Add-ons and Popcorn sets to fit the original Flower Pot Pop-up. I love the idea of using the Popcorn set to create a striped pot of flowers. She also chose a top fold for this card, giving it a different custom look. Stunning! 

Ken Chien cleverly doubled and altered the Photo Fan Pop-up to create a fun bouquet of teddy bears. I love Ken's out-of-the-box thinking with the dies and his ability to combine and alter mechanisms into new looks. So lovely!

Suzanne Smit made the most adorable Pivot Panels card that is covered with Animals and the new Bouquet Bits set. I love how Suzanne added pen detailing to the greeting cards and all the fun giant lollipops for the animals. Click over to Suzanne's blog to see the card front. Adorable!

Sandy Diller took my breath away with this heart bouquet Valentine made with the Little Twist Panel, Bouquet Bits and a variety of heart dies. Be sure to click over to Sandy's blog so you can see a video of this card. Stunning!

Lois Bak made the perfect "from the gang" birthday card and I am smitten! She features a standard flower bouquet on the front of the card so be sure to click over to her blog to see it. Inside there are two Photo Fan Pop-ups creating a bouquet of co-workers, all made with the new Paper People die set. Clever, clever, clever!

Nicky Foden made a wonderful bouquet card featuring the Stocking Pop-up to add motion to the scene. I just love the color combination on this card. Be sure to click over to Nicky's blog to see the full photo tutorial for this creation. Absolutely fabulous!

Well I hope you are inspired to make some expected (or unexpected) bouquets of your own. Join us next month on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 for Designer Challenge 91 with a theme of LAKE OR OCEAN. The team will be back on the water with new vessels and seaside (or lakeside) interpretations.

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 89: The First 100 Dies - Butterfly Circle Charm Pop-up

Welcome to our January Designer Challenge with a theme of "THE FIRST 100 DIES". I challenged the team to make a card featuring any of our dies numbered between 1001 and 1100 - the first 100 dies of our brand. These dies were released between May 2017 and June 2019 - a testament to their timeless appeal. For my card and video I am teaching an alternate assembly of the Circle Charm Pop-up to create a chain of rings with dangling butterflies. I gave myself a secondary challenge to put away the patterned paper this month and create a card with solid colors. It forced me out of my comfort zone but I ended up really liking the simple yet vibrant look to the card.

Learn this card technique by watching the full tutorial here:

My card is a landscape 6" x 4.5" card that can be mailed easily in an A7 envelope. When closed the five butterflies are stacked on top of each other. The borders are from Border Blends - Argyle and the greeting from Word Set 1 - Greetings.

Open the card and the front ring pivots to the inside, where five rings of dangling butterflies are revealed. I kept the same simple styling throughout the card, using just 5 bright cardstock colors plus white and black.

This technique will be a great one to customize with different colors, patterns, textures and themes. There are solid circles in the die set that can be used to cover the rings if you prefer solid circles popping up, or try a combination of rings and circles.  Change out the butterflies for any of our charm sets to customize the theme. Or use the butterfly design but change the greeting to birthday, thank you or Happy Mother's Day. As with all Designer Challenge videos the goal is to spark an idea!

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

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted THE FIRST 100 DIES challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Nicky Foden made a poppin' pink window card featuring the Katherine Label Pop-up and various birthday elements. Nicky has created a full photo tutorial for her card so be sure to click over and see all the great tips and tricks. I particularly like her method of making the twine swirls and her signature white pen detailing. So creative!

Ken Chien celebrates Chinese New Year by cleverly converting a squirrel die into a snake! I especially love Ken's signature mixed-mechanism effect (Oval Frames plus Spinner Square) plus the use of the Howdy die on the front of the card styled to resemble Chinese characters. Click over to Ken's Instagram to see this card in action.

Lois Bak made a birthday card using a card assembly of the Tag Book Pop-up. She used several of the early die sets that include birthday-themed pieces and styled them to perfection. I love the hint of patterned paper showing behind the pop-up in the base tags. Be sure to click over to Lois's blog to see the rest of this card. Gorgeous!

Frances Byrne created an absolutely delicious Fancy Label Accordion featuring the Ice Cream Sundae. The way she rotated through colors, matching the diagonal striped paper to the coordinating solids is so striking! Be sure to click over to Frances's blog for more photos of this amazing card.

Sandy Diller made a side fold Twist Panel birthday card for a friend. The landscape orientation of the card changes the panel set to vertical and gives it an entirely different feel than a top fold Twist Panel Card. She incorporated her friend's favorite colors into this fun card.

Sue Small-Kreider made a wonderful staggered Charm Accordion in a birthday theme. This will make a wonderful display piece and I particularly like how Sue spelled out HAPPY through the pages of the accordion. Be sure to click over to her blog where you'll find a process video for this card and additional photos. Beautiful card!

Suzanne Smit cleverly converted the Tree Pop-up into a bouquet of flowers. She was in need of a sympathy card and this was perfect for it. What a great idea to use the tree as a floral bouquet! Click over to her blog to see the card front, featuring her own calligraphy. Lovely!

Jen Webster finishes us out this month with a bright and happy Tag Book birthday card. I love Jen's signature coloring skills on the animals and the way she twisted the Border Blends - Party borders together for a custom border. Be sure to click over to her blog to see the card front. Fabulous!

Well I hope you are inspired to take a look back at some of those early dies. Join us next month on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 for Designer Challenge 90 with a theme of BOUQUETS. The team will be incorporating bouquets into their cards (and bouquets do not necessarily have to be flowers!)

Happy Crafting!

 

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 88: Happy New Year

Welcome to our December Designer Challenge with a theme of "Happy New Year". I challenged the team to make a card celebrating the arrival of 2025 and they came through in spectacular fashion! For my card and video I am teaching an alternate assembly of the Postage Pop-up to create a 5-layer floating floor for a massive fireworks display.

Learn how I created this card by watching the full video tutorial here:

My card is a 5" x 6" top-fold card that can be mailed in an A7 envelope. I created an embossing plate using the Fireworks die and then embossed cardstock panels for the front and inside of the card. I brayered black ink over the embosssed pieces to highlight the fireworks and then overlaid glitter fireworks on the front panel, slightly offset to create a drop shadow. I filled in with stars and the Celebrate die.

Open the card to reveal a big display of fireworks. The Postage Pop-up box mechanism is doubled and altered to create a floating floor with five surfaces to decorate. Each of those surfaces has clear strips attached to it to suspend the fireworks in the sky. I used our Numbers set for the year, which is attached to the front face of the box.

To animate the Happy New Year greeting I took advantage of the slot on the front of the box, added a pull arm and then used it to lift the greeting for an extra bit of pop-up action.

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

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted the HAPPY NEW YEAR challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Frances Byrne is back this month with a wonderful double Postage Pop-up decorated throughout with Fireworks. I love how Frances added the numbers to the centers of the fireworks on the front of the card. Click over to her blog for more info on this vibrant celebratory card. Love it!

Jen Webster created a spectacular New Years on the water card with the Boat Pop-up and Sailboat Add-ons. The front of this card is also amazing so be sure to click over to Jen's blog where you will also find a tutorial video. Amazing!

Suzanne Smit celebrated a Disney-themed New Year with the Castle Pop-up complete with floating fireworks display. Everything about this card is magical! Be sure to click over to Suzanne's blog for more info.

Sue Small-Kreider bids adieu to 2024 on the front of her card and then uses opposite Katherine Label Pop-ups to animate the fireworks inside the card. Be sure to head over to Sue's blog for a process video on this amazing card. Fabulous!

Sandy Diller made an amazing mixed media centerpiece by decorating an antique bed spring with the Photo Fan Pop-up and Fireworks dies. She also added Poinsettias to the base of the piece. I love the addition of streamers into the explosion of fun fireworks. Brilliant!

Nicky Foden personalized our Snowman die set into happy Christmas carolers, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Each flap of this card is a delight! Click over to Nicky's blog for a photo tutorial of this card. Adorable!

Lois Bak made a wonderful window card where the front of the card celebrates Christmas and the inside, complete with Spinner Square Pop-up, explodes fireworks for New Year. This is such a great reveal. Be sure to click over to see the card front as well. Clever!

Ken Chien had epically used the Triple Flip on the front of the card to create a countdown effect. Then the fun continues inside the card where two opposite Mailbox mechanisms clink champagne flutes together. The best way to appreciate this card is to click over to Ken's IG to watch the video. Brilliant!

Well we hope you feel inspired to craft some New Year's cards. Join us next year on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of THE FIRST 100 DIES. Everyone will be crafting with dies with item numbers between 1001 and 1100. 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 86: Haunted Location Pop-up Skeleton Card

Welcome to our October Designer Challenge with a theme of "Haunted Location." I decided to make a spooky graveyard for my location and then, as a centerpiece, to style the Snowman Pop-up die set as a famous skeleton.

Learn how I created this card by watching the full video tutorial here:

My card measures 5" x 6" when closed and features backgrounds made with Distress Oxide inks. I used Circles - Crosshatch for the moons, Halloween Scene for the bats, Halloween Borders for the bones and Small Script- Halloween for the script greetings.

The graveyard, tree, spider and web are from Halloween Scene. The birds, jack-o-lantern, hands and "Boo!" are from Halloween Elements. The skeleton (Jack) is made using the Snowman Pop-up.

To animate the graveyard I used the base piece from the Snowman Pop-up - one behind each half of the graveyard. The base was then also used to animate the moon and the trees, creating a triple layered scene,

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

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted the HAUNTED LOCATION challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Sue Small-Kreider created a haunted Adirondack chair in a pumpkin patch. She cleverly used the Spinner Square behind the chair to animate three ghosts. Just imagine sitting in the chair and feeling those creepy hands touching the back of your knees. EEK! Be sure to click over to Sue's blog for a process video on this card. Love it!

Ken Chien has epically recreated the Overlook Hotel from The Shining. There are so many levels and reveals on this card that it's definitely worth a click over to KC's IG to watch the video of this card in action. Excellently eerie!

Suzanne Smit created a haunted pirate ship in the style of Pirates of the Caribbean. I just love the giant Octopus! Be sure to click over to Suzanne's blog to see additional photos and details of this haunted vessel. Spooktacular! 

Nicky Foden created a delightful haunted castle card using a triple Spinner Square. I just love all the details in this card, including Nicky's signature white pen detailing. Click over to her blog for more information. Scary good!

Jen Webster created a haunted forest using the Tiny Trees Pop-up and vellum ghosts from the Halloween Elements set. Take a stroll through Jen's creepy woods . . . if you dare! Click over to see more details for this great card.

Lois Bak invites you aboard the Haunted Express with this wonderfully shiver-inducing train card. Love that ghost driver and the great graveyard backdrop. Click over to Lois's blog to see the card front. Wickedly wonderful!

Sandy Diller shivers our timbers with this haunted pirate ship. Love all the layers of fun in the boat and her great postage frame collage on the front of the card. Skeleton fish! Frighteningly delightful and clever! Click over for a video of this card in action. 

 

Well I hope you are sufficiently inspired with some hair raising ideas for haunted cards. Join us next month on Wednesday, November 6th for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of AUTUMN OR CHRISTMAS CHEER - we will be celebrating the season.

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 85: Four Seasons

Hello! Welcome to our September Designer Challenge with a theme of FOUR SEASONS. I challenged the team to create a card celebrating the seasons. Their projects are so clever and inspirational, as always!

For my card and video I wanted to teach the assembly of the Tree Add-ons to fit the Fancy Label Accordion. This card could also be made with the Birthday Candle Add-ons or the Heart Add-ons that fit the same accordion and assemble the same way.

My project is a copy of the packaging card, but changed to an Anniversary theme for my upcoming 29th wedding anniversary in October. Making a card a month ahead rather than an hour ahead is an entirely new experience! :) 

Learn the assembly with this full tutorial:

This 4-page accordion measures about 4.75" square when folded up. A 5x7 envelope is perfect for mailing. In the closed position I used the square die from the Fancy Label Accordion to cut portions of the seasons trees as a nice lead-in to the inside display. The Fancy Solid Frame, cut from woodgrain paper, was perfect for the outer frame decoration. I repeated it on all pages, front and back.

Open the card to reveal the picturesque forest of trees decked out for each season.

For greetings I used our Seasons Sentiments Clear Stamps, which coordinate perfectly with the Trees Add-ons. The numbers came from our Mini Alphabet and Numbers set.

For the final page I added a greeting from Word Set 9 - Love. The personal note will go on the back.

Want to give this card a try? Here are the dies and supplies I used on my card. The woodgrain paper is from Echo Park and the other papers are from the scrap bin.

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted the FOUR SEASONS challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos!

Sandy Diller extended the Triple Flip into a Quintuple-Flip for this wonderful Seasons Friendship card. I love all the little scenes she created for the seasons and the ombre effect with the colors. Fabulous!

Lois Bak created a marvelous Slim Flaps and Frames card featuring Tiny Trees decorated for each season. I love all her custom touches, like the shrunken picnic blanket, and the mix of die cut and stamped greetings. Click over to Lois's blog to see the front of this card. Love it!

Sue Small-Kreider changed up the Spinner Square die to have a raising greeting behind a large sun. I love all her seasonal trees on the front of the card. Sue mentions that this card would be perfect for a variety of occasions. Be sure to click over to see a video of this card. So creative!

Ken Chien cleverly interlocked four Iron Fence pop-ups to represent the four seasons and then decked out Knights in seasonal costumes. What a clever way to use these dies! Ken also dangled charms from the ironwork on the fence die - love it!

Suzanne Smit recently visited Japan and used the challenge theme as a great chance to add to her trip's memory journal. I love how she customized the Tree die to make it into a cherry blossom and added the cute dragons. She pays homage to both Spring and Summer in Japan with this page. Wonderful!

Nicky Foden created a wonderful Golden Anniversary card using the Twist Panel and the Tree Add-ons. I love the striking black and gold base to this card and the cute styling on the trees. Be sure to click over to Nicky's blog for a full photo tutorial for this card. Gorgeous!

Jen Webster created a gorgeous Waterfall card to celebrate the four seasons. I just love her signature Copic coloring on the die cuts to give them depth. This card is so happy! Click over to Jen's blog to see all the pages. Perfection!

Well we hope you are inspired to try some seasons-themed cards of your own! Join us next month on October 1, 2024 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of HAUNTED LOCATION. We will be featuring cards that have spooky locales! 

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 84: Let the Music Play!

Hello! Welcome to our August Designer Challenge with a theme of LET THE MUSIC PLAY! I challenged the team to use our new music-themed products for a card of any theme.

For my card and video I needed a birthday card and I thought it would be fun to create a window card where the Piano Keys Pop-up is visible through the window in the flat position. 

Because the Piano Keys Pop-up requires a top fold, I used the Katherine Label Pop-up to create the top fold. Learn this technique by watching the full video tutorial:

My card measures 5x6 in the closed position. On the front of the card I highlighted the cute chickens from the patterned paper (My Mind's Eye 2019) with Music Charms and a hat from the Birthday Charms set. Through the window the Piano Keys are visible along with half of the stamped greeting.

Open the card and the Piano Keys pop-up and reveal the second half of the greeting. 

I mentioned in the video that I needed birthday cards for my twins, but this card took longer than I expected so I was faced with a short time to create a second birthday card. I decided to copy my first card with just minor changes - gnomes paper in place of chickens and "Celebrate with Cake" instead of "Hip Hip Hooray!" By using the same measurements the second card came together quickly and I had two cards just in time for our dinner celebration. Whew!

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

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted the LET THE MUSIC PLAY! challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos! Frances is on sabbatical right now.

Ken Chien created a masterpiece of a card converting the Piano Keys Pop-up into an accordion! Be sure to click over to Ken's IG post to watch a video of this card in action. I love the closure as well! Brilliant!

Nicky Foden converted the Pop 'n Swap die set into a Pop 'n Pop to make a lovely 25th Anniversary card. Be sure to click over to Nicky's blog to see a full picture tutorial for this card and head over to her IG for a video of the card opening and closing. Stunning!

Sue Small-Kreider unfortunately needed a sympathy card. She converted the Piano Keys Pop-up into a double-decker organ to honor the deceased, an organist. It's so thoughtful to honor the special talents and joys of a person who has passed. This card will surely bring comfort to the family. Be sure to click over to Sue's blog for a video.

Lois Bak created two versions of a lovely slimline Christmas card featuring a doubled Piano Keys Pop-up. I particularly like how Lois customized the piano keys in Christmas colors. Click over to her blog to see the card fronts. Lovely!

Jen Webster pays homage to her favorite musical, The Phantom of the Opera with this fabulous card. She combined the Parcel Pop-up with the Piano Keys Pop-up so the mask rises up from behind the music as the card opens. This card is stunning!

Sandy Diller created a fun music-themed card featuring the Lorna Label Pop-up, Piano Keys Pop-up and the Music Charms. I like how Sandy created postage stamps for the front of her card and the bold red, black, gold and white color scheme. Click over the Sandy's blog for a video on this card. So clever!

Suzanne Smit created a rock star of a card with the Lorna Label, Happy Birthday Lorna Add-ons, Piano Keys Pop-up and several rocking Lions! She styled the card in the colors of the Hard Rock Cafe, a favorite of the recipient. Click over to Suzanne's blog for a look at the card front. This card rocks!

I also wanted to share this wonderful card made by Delores Sanders, from our home office, and her daughter Kelly Haven. They used the Music Charms on the front of the card. What a clever and striking card style!

Well we hope you are inspired to try some of these musical numbers! Join us next month on September 4, 2024 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of FOUR SEASONS. We will be featuring cards that celebrate all four seasons.

Happy Crafting!

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge 83: Sail Away

Welcome to the July Designer Challenge with a theme of Sail Away!

I challenged the team to create a project utilizing our new Boat Pop-up die with or without the new Sailboat Add-ons or Pirate Ship Add-ons.

For my project I'm teaching a rowboat fishing card.

Learn how I created this card by watching the full YouTube video here:

My card is a top-fold mini slimline measuring 6" x 3.5" when closed. For the front of the card I used the Short Rectangles - Crosshatch, Circles - Crosshatch, a word from Word Set 6, the fishing hat from Camping Charms and tiny fish made from Border Blends - Party. 

The card opens to reveal a pop-up rowboat with Tiny Gnomes fisherman. 

The seat of the rowboat can be easily converted to hold a rower with the addition of a slot and L-support. 

To make the custom greeting I used partial stamping of the Sail Away Sentiments Clear Stamps and then added with word FISH using our Mini Alphabet and Numbers set. I embossed with white powder to make the stamp and the die cut words resemble each other. I also embossed the word "enjoy" for a weathered look.

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

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Let's take a look at how our talented Design Team interpreted the SAIL AWAY! challenge. In each case you can click the designer's name to go to their blog or social media post where you'll find additional photos, supply lists and, in some cases, videos! Frances is on sabbatical right now.

Suzanne Smit created a birthday ship using the Pirate Ship Add-ons but converting the colors and theme into a birthday ship instead. I love the addition of the banners to the ship! Check out all the fun details by clicking over to Suzanne's blog.

 

Sandy Diller created a lovely sailboat card using the Sailboat Add-ons with the Boat Pop-up. I especially love how she made a flat version of her sailboat for the front of the card. Brilliant! Be sure to click over to Sandy's blog for a video!

Jen Webster created a bright and happy sailboat card and then created a lighthouse using various shape dies. She animated the lighthouse using the smaller Bam Box. What an absolutely delightful card! Be sure to click over to Jen's blog to see the card front.

Sue Small-Kreider created an incredible pirate card using the Pirate Ship Add-Ons and a treasure map for the card. Sue has created an entire tutorial for this card plus a video on how to make pirates. Be sure to click over for all the treasure!

Lois Bak created a bright ship using the Pirate Ship Add-Ons with the Boat. I just love the striped sails, the ombre water and the happy colors on this. Be sure to click over to Lois's blog to see the card front. Love this!

Ken Chien made an amazing depiction of the move IT including converting the boat into a paper boat and adding the sewer complete with reaching hand using the Stocking Pop-up mechanism. Click to watch a reel of this card . . . if you dare!

Nicky Foden thought way outside the boat for a delightful birthday card featuring a giant frog where the Boat Pop-up creates the mouth. This is such a clever way to get a completely different use out of the Boat Pop-up and Nicky teaches exactly how to do it on her blog post. Amazing!

 

Well we hope you are inspired to try some of these nautical ideas. Join us next month on August 7, 2024 for our next Designer Challenge with a theme of LET THE MUSIC PLAY. We will be featuring the music dies from our new release.

Happy Crafting!