Karen Burniston Pop it Ups Designer Challenge – Spooky September!

Hi, it’s Karen Burniston with the September Pop it Ups Designer Challenge. Each month I challenge my Designer Challenge team to use Pop it Ups dies for a specific theme. This month the challenge was to make Halloween cards and you are going to LOVE what they’ve created.

For my project and video I will teach the technique for doubling the Lorna Label Pop-up since it’s something that a lot of the designers have been doing and I get regular requests for a video tutorial showing how to do it. I added a second technique for adding a skinny box platform through the Double Lorna, allowing animation of a taller and/or heavier object (like a mummified penguin). Watch the video here:

Here are photos of the finished card, which measures 5″ wide by 5.5″ tall and will mail in an A7 envelope (5″ x 7″) for additional postage because of the bulk.

Here’s a close-up photo of my Chilly Mummy. Because of the ribbon wrapping, the arms have bulk and will naturally fall down into the “I’m going to get you!” position when the card is opened.

Here’s a side view of the card so you have a visual of all the different platforms in the double-Lorna-plus-extra-box card. The lower Lorna label, made automatically in the doubling process, acts as a floating floor and you can add horizontal slots anywhere along that floor to animate other objects, such as my tree. Use a slot/foot system to animate items all over the floor if you choose.

If you’re wondering why I didn’t simply use a slot/foot system to animate the mummy, it was only because the mummy was going to be heavy with all the bandages and especially top-heavy with the arms coming out. For that reason, I went with a full box platform instead of just a slot/foot. If you need a reminder of the video measurements:

1. Measure 1.75″ from the center fold of the card to place the slot die.
2. Use a 3/8″ x 9″ strip of cardstock, folded in half, then in half again, to create a box platform with 2.25″ sides. Trim the outer sections into small feet to make it easier to attach them through the slots.

SUPPLY LIST

Elizabeth Craft Designs Pop it Ups Dies by Karen Burniston:

• 915 Lorna Label Pop-up
• 908 Chilly the Penguin
• 781 All Seasons Tree
• 779 Lucy Label Pop-up (for the slot die)
• 902 House Pivot Card (for the fence)
• 769 Accordion Circle Card (for the circle moon)

Other Supplies:

• Patterned Paper – Graphic 45
• Clear stamp (Trick or Treat) – My Mind’s Eye
• Happy Halloween ribbon – Creative Impressions
• Magnets – Basic Grey
• Cardstocks – Bazzill
• Red pen (for bloodshot marks) – Stampin’ Up!
• Stash items, source unknown – black bat, washi tape, ribbon for bandages, spiderweb stamp

Ready for some amazing inspiration across every category of Pop it Ups dies? Sit back and let the Designer Challenge Team amaze you. If you have any questions about their projects or supplies, simply click the name to head over to their blog post where they have posted additional photos, supply lists, tips, tricks, etc.

PIVOT CARDS

Raquel Mason created this fun haunted house card using the House Pivot Card, Poppy the Owl, the All Seasons Tree and the Holiday House dies. Poppy sits atop the broom from the ECD snowman die and because the handle of the broom is attached behind the house, Poppy will “fly” when the card is opened. So clever!

Donna Wright also used the House Pivot Card with the Holiday House and All Seasons Tree, but went for a more ominous spooky feel with her black houses, Outdoor Edges silhouetting the horizon and bright glittery moon.

Donna Wright blew me away with this creation, where she created a double-House card (use the same “cut into a folded card” technique as shown in this month’s video) but then continued on with another clever technique which was to invert the folds so the double-house is a pop-up inside the card rather than a pivot. She mixed house parts from the Holiday House and the House Pivot Card to fashion her two houses and stamped and colored some cute trick-or-treaters to complete the look.

Fran Sabad also used the House Pivot Card and wanted to show that a new stamp set from Stampin’ Up! will work perfectly with this die. Make sure you click over to see her card’s interior, too.

SPIRAL CIRCLE PULL CARDS

Helen Cryer created the cutest Frankenstein card ever using the Spiral Circle Pull Card. Helen comments on her blog that this card was made easier by having all the control over card size and fold placement. The Spiral Circle Pull Card needs only a card with a fold (and the fold can be anywhere) to turn it into a z-fold flip card.

Frances Byrne also used the Spiral Circle Pull Card, but did something completely different – she created a gatefold double pull with the Clock and Gears on the first circle and the spiral inside the second circle. Check out the eyeballs on the spiral – what a great spooky idea!

Karen Aicken shows yet another look for the Spiral Circle Pull Card – leaving the spiral exposed so it is visible in the closed position. You’ll see her cute googly-eyed crows peeking out from within the spiral. Then, pull the card open and the crows will fly. How fun!

GENERAL POP-UPS

Summer Hills-Painter and I were definitely wave-lengthing on our ideas this month. She, too, created a Chilly-the-Mummy card. The pop-up die is the Lots of Pops, which comes with several platforms for decorating. She used just the shadow layer of Chilly, cut from green cardstock and wrapped with bandages from her first aid kit! I especially love the inking on her moon.

Shelly Hickox created a towering haunted house using the Holiday House die with folded paper so each section of the house would become taller. She explains this process on her blog. Shelly used the Lorna Label pop-up to animate her spooky house and fence.

Kelly Booth also created a double-Lorna card this month and decorated it to perfection using stamped and colored images and her own background inking technique. Kelly is amazing with her Copics as you can see here!

Karen Aicken used Hoppy the Frog on the Lucy Label pop-up die for a fabulous Hoppy Halloween card. This side view shows the differences between the Lucy and the Lorna pop-up dies. Lucy (used here) is a smaller label that sits very far forward into the card. The extra box platform (used for the bat) is optional. 

Karen Aicken‘s next card uses the Lorna Label pop-up. You can see that the Lorna is a larger label that sits close to the back wall and atop a required box platform. In this card Karen used it to animate the Holiday House die and made a clever path using the Outdoor Edges.

Caz Counsell blew me away with her FrankenPop card, not only for the very clever and cute styling of Poppy the Owl as Frankenstein, but also for the amazing texture she created with the Damask Embossing folder for the foreground and the trees. Everything about this card is amazing!

ACCORDION ALBUMS

Shelly Hickox made a sensational 3-page Katie Label Accordion with clear pages that have been stamped with spider webs. What an amazing combination of patterns and textures. Shelly explains how she created this look on her blog post. I also have a video tutorial for adding clear pages to Accordion albums.

Raquel Mason shows off the brand new Halloween in Frame peel-off stickers, designed by Judi Kauffman to perfectly coordinate with the Katie Label Accordion die. For Raquel’s card, she used the silver peel-off stickers, plus microfine glitter and bright greens, purples and oranges. The Katie Stars Frame Edges are used on the album and she also added a string of banners across the pages using pieces from the Lots of Pops die. What fun!

Kelly Booth also used the same dies and stickers as Raquel, but chose to do a four page Katie Label Accordion with the black peel-off stickers and despite similar color choices, the two cards feel completely different. That’s the wonderful thing about die cutting, where every card is a new card, even with the same ingredients.

Frances Byrne used Poppy the Owl and the broom from the ECD snowman die for a fabulous 3-page Fancy Accordion Album. This card is fabulous – clean, crisp and loads of fun!

Fran Sabad recently injured her arm and has been crafting one-handed (and her left hand, too!) I certainly can’t tell a difference in her amazing creations, can you? Check out this 3-page Circle Accordion with fabulous pieces and parts. Fran found the perfect green bubbles for her brew.

Fran Sabad also made a 2-page Oval Accordion card with a witchy Poppy the owl and the new Oval Clouds Frame Edges. What a perfect combination of colors!

CHARACTER DIES

Karen Aicken made this wonderful card front for her haunted house card shown above. I love her styling of Poppy the Owl with shiny eyes and patterned body. She added a stamped and glittered witch hat and illustrates how perfectly the All Seasons Tree works as a branch for the Character dies.

Caz Counsell shows how perfectly the decorator dies in the Pop it Ups collection can be used for flat card fronts. Here she has used Hoppy the Frog for a wonderful witch’s brew card. Notice the cauldron’s feet – eek! Love that!

So how about it? Feeling spookily inspired to try your own version of one (or more) of these cards? One thing I can guarantee is that pop-up cards ooze fun. They’re fun to make, fun to give and most definitely fun to receive!

I’ll be back next month on October 15th for the next Designer Challenge. In October we’re doing a theme called Make it Manly where we will inspire you with card ideas suitable for the men and boys in your life using Pop it Ups dies.

Until then . . . Happy Haunting!