It’s Frances Byrne here. For my card today I am using a few more of the new dies that were released earlier this month from the Els van de Burgt Studio and Joset Designs collections available from Elizabeth Craft Designs. There are so many fun ways to use the Fitted and Stitched basic shape dies that include Squares, Rectangles, Circles and Ovals. I have also used the new Kites die set which is suitable for all ages.
Another thing that was released earlier this month was the new Through the Lens 6″ x 6″ Patterned Paper Packs that bring Els’s awesome photography to your creations. Today I am using one of the papers from the Stone Series Paper Pack.
Here’s how I created my card
Cut a piece of teal cardstock that measures 5 1/2 inches x 11 inches. Score this piece along the 11 inch side at 5 1/2 inches. Fold along the score line. This will be the card base. Continue Reading
It’s Jackeline and for my project today I decided to create a fun card using the new Joset Designs ‘Hot Air Balloons’ die set from Elizabeth Craft Designs making its debut at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) trade show in California this weekend!
Let’s get started:
Cut a 9 1/4″ x 6″ rectangle from White Soft Finish Cardstock.
Make a score line at 4 3/4″ and fold the rectangle in half to create a top-fold card base.
Die cut a Stitched Rectangle from Bluebell Soft Finish Cardstock using the largest rectangle in the set.
Die cut 6 clouds from White Soft Finish Cardstock using the cloud die from the Rainbow Sky die set. Using a Mini Ink Blending Tool, ink 3 clouds using Faded Jeans Distress Ink. Keep the other 3 clouds white.
Die cut a sun from Sunflower Soft Finish Cardstock using the sun die from the Rainbow Sky set.
To make the banner: Cut a 2 3/4″ x 3/4″ rectangle from White Soft Finish Cardstock. Position only short end of the white rectangle inside the Big Banner die with the V-shaped cutout at the end and run it through the machine only partway to cut the V. Do NOT run it all the way through!
Repeat the same process with a 2 5/8″ x 1 /2″ rectangle cut from Black Soft Finish Cardstock, this time using the small V-shaped Banner die. Layer the black piece on top of the white piece, securing with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape.
Add a Gold Happy Birthday peel-off to the banner. (Option: Use a different greeting.)
To create the striped balloon die cut 5 hot air balloon overlays from Spring Green, True Blue, Ladybug Red, Sunflower. and Mustard Soft Finish Cardstock backed with Clear Double Sided Adhesive. Using the Fine Pointed Scissors cut each balloon into pieces following the score lines. Build a striped balloon by arranging pieces in the color progression shown or as you prefer. Set aside the extra pieces for additional cards. Add 2 rows of Red Glitter Lines Peel-offs to the basket as shown below.
Assemble the card front as shown on the project photo, using Clear Double Sided Adhesive to secure the pieces. Optional: Add foam tape beneath some of the clouds to add extra dimension.
I hope this tutorial will help you to find inspiration for your next project and that you enjoyed it.
It’s Frances Byrne here. I love the New Year as it also means new products being released by Elizabeth Craft Designs at CHA, and who doesn’t love new things! I am super excited about the new dies being released this week. For my card today I have made a Circle Stand Up Helper (easel style) card using some of the new Fitted Frames 5 – Lace Circles, Fitted Circles, and Stitched Circles dies from Els van de Burgt Studio as well as the yummy new Joset Designs Cupcakes die set.
Here’s how I created my project:
Cut a piece of White Soft Finish Cardstock 100lb so it measures 5 1/2 inches x 11 inches. Score at 5 1/2 inches and fold in half.
Using the largest circle die from the Fitted Circles die set, position it on the front of the folded white card so that part of the cutting edge of the die is beyond the fold line. Refer to photos above. Run through die cutting machine.
When you remove the die and open up your card it should like the photo above.
Fold one of the circles in half so it lines up with the edges and reinforce the score line with bone folder.
2. Die cut another large circle from the Fitted Circles die set from White Soft Finish Cardstock.
Adhere a piece of Clear Double Sided Adhesive Sheet to the back of three different shades of pink cardstock. Using the Fitted Frames 5 – Lace Circles die, run through die cutting machine with each color.
Select the first and fourth largest frame from the dark pink cardstock; the second largest frame from the mid pink cardstock and the third largest frame from the pale pink cardstock.
Position these so they are centred onto the large white circle we die cut previously. (Tape in place if necessary with removable tape.)
Remove the protective backing from either the outer or inner circle and position that onto the card with the others still in place and then careful remove protective backing from each of the other frames and position them onto your large circle.
3. Apply adhesive to the white half circle and attach the decorated circle onto the card base.
4. Using the second largest circle from the Stitched Circles die set die cut a piece of dark pink card which is approx. 5 inches square.
Find the centre of the circle and measure down approx. 1/2 inch and place the Happy Birthday Stand Up Helper word die onto the card and run through die cutting machine.
Optional: cut a strip of dark pink cardstock and adhere it to the back of the large pink circle under the hole created by the stand up die.
Adhere pink circle to the bottom white circle of the card base.
Using the pale pink card die cut another Happy Birthday birthday sentiment using the Happy Birthday Stand Up Helper Word die. Cut along the scored line created when die cutting and adhere over the dark pink Happy Birthday sentiment. (Adhere Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape to the back of pale pink cardstock prior to die cutting making it easier to hold the word strip in place.)
5. Using the flower and flower centre from the Cupcake die set die cut 5 pale pink flowers and 5 mid pink flower centres. Adhere the flower centre to the flower and adhere to the dark pink circle on the card base. (Optional: Shade pale pink flower with Copic Markers if desired).
6. Using the Cupcakes die set die cut the following:
(1) Cupcake base from White Soft Finish Cardstock
(1) Cupcake Icing from designer paper.
(1) Ribbon from mid pink cardstock
(1) Bow from mid pink cardstock
(3) Candles from White Soft Finish Cardstock
(3) Candles from dark pink cardstock
Color the cupcake base using Copic Markers.
Color the flames on the white card with yellow Copic Markers. Cut off the flame from the dark pink candles and adhere the dark pink candles to the white candles.
Assemble the cupcake referring to photo above and adhere to the centre of the decorated circle using foam tape for dimension.
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.
Karen Aicken here with a masculine birthday card. It’s a Spiral Circle Pull Card with an extra flap, which gives you more room to write a message or add a larger greeting. Here is the card in the closed position:
Here is the card part way open;
And finally, opened all the way;
Here is how to make the card:
1. Cut your patterned paper 12 x 5-1/2″ and score at 4-1/4 and 8-1/2″. Line up the Spiral Circle Pull Card’s alignment nubs on the 4-1/4″ score line (pattern side up), centring the circle and stopping the cutting pad before the notches. You do not want to cut the notches for this card. Fold the right flap to the inside (patterned sides together). Fold the left flap to the inside on the 4-1/4″ score line, (patterned sides together) then fold the smaller section back to the left (pattern side out). This is your base card which is now ready for layers and embellishing.
2. Cut a second patterned paper as follows: one 3-1/4 x 5-1/4″ and one 4 x 5-1/4″. Adhere the larger panel to the inside centre of the card, and the smaller panel to the front of the right side flap (when it’s folded in).
3. Cut a white panel 3-3/4 x 5″ and centre it over the larger patterned paper centre panel from Step 2.
4. Using the decorator dies that come with the SCPC, cut a circle from the second patterned paper and adhere it to the front circle. Draw or computer print a number 4, fussy cut and add colour with markers if desired. Add to front circle with foam tape. Cut a few elements from the first patterned paper and adhere around card with foam tape. (Alternatively, you could use the Numbers & More die set.)
5. Using the Clock and Gears set, cut two large black gears, one small black gear and one large gear from the second patterned paper. Pierce a hole in the two large black gears and adhere a red mini brad through each. Add a red mini brad to the small gear. Layer one black gear with one patterned paper gear on the inside panel, and the others as shown or as desired.
6. Using adhesive backed red card stock, cut two red stars from the Happy Birthday Pop-Up and the letters to spell your name of choice. Adhere to card. Using adhesive backed black card stock, die cut the Happy and Birthday from the Happy Birthday Pop-Up and adhere to the inside panel as shown.
Note – If you want more room to write a message or note, add a second white panel to the inside right flap.
This type of extra flap works for many different occasions, and all the Pull Cards! It’s an easy way to change up the look of your cards in addition to giving you extra room for decorating. Try adding a spinner to that inner fold – or add the spiral to that extra inner flap!
Hi, It’s Kelly Booth and I have a birthday card tutorial today using the Lorna Label Pop it Ups die by Karen Burniston and a great Bluebird stamp created by Petroschi Designs by Bianca.
Here’s the front of this top-fold A2 card:
And the inside:
Here are the pieces required for this card:
2 – 4 1/2″ by 11″ pieces of Soft Finish cardstock scored at 5 1/2″ to make top-fold cards.
1 – 4″ x 5 1/2″ piece of spotted blue patterned paper or make your own by coloring the paper with Copic markers and using Copic blending fluid on a paintbrush and lightly touching the card stock to make droplets.
1 – 4″ x 5 1/2″ piece of white Soft Finish cardstock
4 – blue die cut “Celebrate” words backed with transparent Double Sided Adhesive (keep the negatives)
1 – white die cut “Celebrate” word backed with Transparent Double Sided Adhesive.
1 – blue large stitched Lorna Label die cut from the leftovers of the spotted blue paper.
1 – white small Lorna Label decorator die with the sentiment stamped or hand written in black.
1 – 4″ x 5″ light blue cardstock
Directions:
Stamp the Bluebird in the center of the single panel of Soft Finish cardstock and color with markers of your choice.
From the panel of blue spotted paper die cut an Oval Accordion page and snip out the center and side tab to leave just an oval frame. Adhere the frame around the stamped bird and then trim a small amount from all four sides to leave a white shadow when attached with pop dots to the front of one of the top fold cards.
Remove the adhesive liner from the backs of the light blue Celebrate die cuts and begin adhering them in a stack at the bottom of the oval on the card front, placing the negative pieces into the letters for each layer. Remove the negative pieces from the white Celebrate and place it on top of the stack.
Switching to the other white card, center the Lorna Label die over the fold of the card and die cut. Work the scored lines and fold according to the package instructions. Adhere the pop-up card inside the backing card, making sure to avoid the pop-up areas with adhesive and working one side at a time.
From the remaining oval of spotted blue paper, die cut the large stitched Lorna label and adhere it centered on the pop-up label. Keep the scraps of spotted blue paper.
Use pop dots or foam tape to adhere the small stamped Lorna Label in the center of the blue label.
From the 4″ x 5″ panel of light blue cardstock die cut a Gift Card Accordion panel and snip away all of the tabs to isolate just the slotted rectangle to hold a gift card. Adhere it to the inside of the card, making sure not to use adhesive under the tabs that will hold the gift card.
From the scraps of light blue cardstock and spotted blue paper, die cut 7 hearts using Poppy the Owl’s little heart. Add two hearts to the front of the card and the remaining five hearts to the bottom pop-up platform inside the card as shown in the photo.
Your card is now finished! I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and it has inspired you to give it a try. Thank you for stopping by the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog and have a wonderful day!
It’s Jackeline and for my project today I decided to create a fun card using the new Happy Birthday word die from Elizabeth Craft Designs.
To build the stand up helper:
1. Cut a rectangle piece of 11″ x 6 1/4″ in white cardstock.
2. Make 3 score lines: the first one at 2 1/2″, the second at 5 1/4″ and the last one at 8″.
3. Stick down 2 Stand Up Helper dies from Stand Up Helpers 3 – Hinges at the first score line (2 1/2″), and run it through your die cut machine. Repeat the process 2 times more at the same score line.
For more info on how to create a Stand Up Helper card, watch a tutorial by Els Here
To create the glitter background:
4. Adhere a piece of double side of adhesive to white cardstock.
5. Cut a rectangle piece of 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″. Remove the backing, exposing the sticky side.
6. Cut a rectangle of approx. 6″ x 5″ of the the backing tape paper .
7. With the assistance of the backing paper, mark the line for the first glitter stripe. Apply the Silk Microfine Glitter and polish.
8. Repeat the same process to create the other 5 stripes.
To create the bottom part:
9. Die cut the flowers using Bunch of flowers 4 and Bunch of flowers 2 in fuchsia and pink patterned paper .
10. Place the flowers on the stand up helpers base and decorate the center with gold glitter dots.
To decorate:
11. Adhere a piece of double sided adhesive to Gold Shimmer Sheetz and die cut the sentimental using the “Happy Birthday” die from our new A Way With Words collection. Make sure to use the metal adaptor plate when die cutting Shimmer Sheetz.
12. Add some gold lines peel-offs on the first score line.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it will help you to find inspiration for your next project.
It’s Frances Byrne here today for Pop It Ups Wednesday. Today I am sharing a fun trifold card I created using the Lucy Label Pop Up Card die, Buster the Dog and the Barn Pop Stand Card die which I turned into a dog kennel.
Here is how I created my card:
1. Cut a piece of designer paper so it measures 5 inches x 12 inches. Score along the 12 inch side at 5 inches and 10 inches.
2. Position the pop up die from the Lucy Label Pop Up die set so that the centre lugs of the die are centred on the 5 inch score line. Run through die cutting machine.
Train the folds so that it will pop up.
3. Using white card, die cut the Lucy Label Pop Up die again, and trim off the label section only, adhere over the label on the designer paper panel.
Cut a piece of green card which measures 1 1/2 inches x 12 inches, score along the 12 inch edge at 5 inches and 10 inches as we did in step 1. Use the rolling hills die from the Outdoor Edges die set to create our grassy border which is adhered to the bottom of the card as per photo above.
4. Creating our Scene:
Dog Kennel –
Die cut the barn from designer paper.
Die cut the Barn roof from tan card and adhere to barn.
Use the large oval shape from the Oval Accordion Card set and die cut a brown oval, position the oval so half of the oval is adhered to the lower portion of the barn and trim off excess.
Die cut a bone from the Props 4 – Pets set and attach bone to kennel, refer to photo for placement.
Attach kennel to card using foam tape.
Bowl of Bones and Ball –
From the Props 4 – Pets die set die cut the bowl from red card, use a craft knife to create a slit in the bowl using line created by the die as a guide.
Die cut ball from orange card and adhere to the left side of the card.
Using Buster the Dog set, die cut 2 bones from kraft card and 3 from white card, insert into dog bowl and attach to right hand side flap.
Dogs – From the Buster the Dog set die cut the following:
(2) Solid Dog from black card
(2) Dogs from white card – use black or dark grey marker to color ears, bottom of feet, tail and spots on body. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to dog as per photo.
(1) Tongue from pink card (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to dog as per photo.
(2) Noses from black card (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to dog as per photo.
(2) sets of eyes from white card. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to dog as per photo.
(1) Collar from blue card (attach turquoise glitter dots to collar). (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to dog as per photo.
Attach one dog to the left hand side of card using foam tape. Trim the second dog, so you only have the head and attach this to the oval on the dog kennel using foam tape.
Branches –
Using the Leafy Branch die, die cut two branches from green card (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back before die cutting.) Attach portions of the Leafy Branch to the card to resemble branches from a tree.
Woof –
Use the Alphabet 1 – Caps die set and die cut the letters “W O O F” from brown card (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back before die cutting.) Adhere letters to white label.
5. Cut a piece of blue card which measures 5 inches x 12 inches. Score along the 12 inch side at 5 inches and 10 inches. Attach the inner pop up card panel to the outer blue panel. Round corners of card.
6. Using the Happy Birthday stamp from the Farm Greetings Stamp set, mask the stamp using removable tape so you only ink the “Happy Birthday” portion of the stamp and stamp this onto white card. Karen Burniston has a photo tutorial of how do this this here.
Use the two larger labels from the Katie Label Pivot Card die set to create labels … die cut the smaller label from white card and the larger one from brown card.
Layer the labels together and attach the label so it is centred on the card and is adhere to the right hand flap only.
Place a small square of adhesive hook tape to the left side of the back of the label, attach the loop tape on top of the hook tape and close card, so the hook and loop tape keep card closed when needed.
7. Using the Props 4 – Pets die set, die cut 4 solid paw prints from tan card and 4 inner paw prints from brown card (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Assemble Paw Prints as per photo above and adhere to card.
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.
It’s Frances Byrne here today. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love owls which is why my blog is called StampOwl’s Studio. So, of course, I was super excited when I discovered that one of the dies being released by Elizabeth Craft Designs at the end of this month was going to be an Owl die!! When mine arrived it was the first thing I had to play with. I decided to create a Stand Up card this time around and instead of die cutting the Brick die for the background, I have embossed it which makes this die even more versatile.
Here is how I created my card:
1. Cut a piece of pale pink cardstock 4-1/4″ x 11″. Score at 2-3/4″ and 5-1/2″. Fold along score lines as shown above. Lightly score at 8-1/4″ but do not fold.
2. Position the Grass Stand Up Helper die so that the bottom of the die is lined up along the 8-1/4″ score line created in step 1 and approx 5/8″ from the left side of the card. Die cut, remove the die from the card and now line it up again on the score line but this time approximately 5/8″ from the right side of the card.
Place a piece of Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to green cardstock that will be large enough to fit the Grass Stand Up Helper die twice. Die cut so that the adhesive is on the bottom, trim along the bottom edge of the grass and adhere on top of the Grass on the pale pink card.
Cut a piece of pale pink cardstock 4-1/4″ x 2-5/8″ and adhere to the panel behind the Grass to hide the opening.
3. Cut a piece of cream cardstock 4″ x 2-1/2″ and a piece of pink designer paper 3-3/4″ x 2-1/4″. Ink around the edges of each piece using light brown ink. Layer the designer paper to the cream card. Adhere this to the panel in front of the Grass Stand Up Helper die cut.
Place a piece of Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to dark brown cardstock that will be large enough to fit the “Happy Birthday” die. Die cut and attach to the center of this panel.
Use a dark brown Copic marker to color seven large and six medium dots from the Transparent Glitter Dots Peel-Offs. Use four of each size to decorate the corners as per sample above. Set aside the others for later.
4. For Main Panel
a. Cut a piece of cream cardstock 4″ x 5-1/4″ and ink around edges using light brown ink.
b. Cut a piece of burgundy cardstock 3-3/4″ x 5″. Center the Brick die on top of the card and emboss. (Tip: To emboss the die rather than die cutting it, you will need to place the cardstock onto a silicone embossing mat and then the die-cut-side down onto the card, which is then sandwiched between the cutting plates. If you are using a Big Shot, you will be using tab 1. For other die cutting machines refer to your machine’s embossing instructions.)
c. Use a sanding block to sand over the embossed bricks and the edges of the burgundy card.
d. Layer the burgundy card to the cream card.
e. Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of the bottom half of this panel, ensuring the adhesive does not extend past 2-1/2″ from the bottom. Attach panel to the folded stand up card we created in step 1 so that there is an even border around the two sides and bottom.
5. Using the Owl Die die, cut the following:
(2) branches – one from dark brown cardstock and one from green cardstock. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of the dark brown card before die cutting branch.) Remove leaves from brown branch and adhere over the green branch.
(1) Solid Owl – from brown cardstock.
(3) Outline Owls – one from brown cardstock, one from cocoa brown cardstock and one from pink designer paper. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Remove the outline only from the dark brown owl and attach this to the solid owl. Before attaching the pieces from the remaining owls use a black marker to color the eyeballs black. Refer to the photo above for placement of attaching the pieces from the cocoa brown owl and the pink designer paper owl.
(1) Set eyes – from white cardstock. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to owl as per photo.
(1) Beak & Feet set – from yellow cardstock. (Apply Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive to the back of all pieces before die cutting.) Attach to owl as per photo.
Attach owl to card using foam tape.
6. Die cut Speech Bubble from the Accordion Rectangle die set from cream cardstock. Ink around edges using light brown ink.
Using the Alphabet 1 – Caps die, die cut the letters “HOOT” from dark brown cardstock (which has been backed with Transparent Double-Sided Adhesive). Attach letters to Speech Bubble.
Use foam tape to attach Speech Bubble to card.
7. Attach the remaining colored Glitter Dots that we set aside in step 3 to the burgundy panel as per photo.
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.
Hi, it’s Karen Burniston with the April 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 I invited each of the ten team members to invite one of their blogger friends to join the challenge. The ten guests each picked out an Accordion Album die and it was up to each pair if they wanted to coordinate their projects or do something completely different. You’re in for some amazing inspiration and are sure to find new blogs to bookmark as you peruse the work of the talented team and guest designers.
I just returned from the Collins Rep Group Spring Retailer Training Event in Boston where I launched a mini Farm Collection that will be shipping to stores at the end of April. I thought they would be perfect for my Accordion. I used the new Barn, Hay There, Brownie the Cow and Farm Greetings Clear Stamps.
Here is the video tutorial:
When the album is closed you can see Brownie peeking through the upper window. Slide open the barn doors and you see a haystack.
One of the techniques in the video shows how to create a debossed frame for an Accordion Album using Frame Edges. For my project I used the Katie Flourish Frame Edges.
Elizabeth Craft Designs Supplies:
1021 Barn Pop Stand (shipping end of April, 2015)
1025 Hay There Pop Stand (shipping end of April, 2015)
1022 Brownie the Cow (shipping end of April, 2015)
CS001 Farm Greetings Clear Stamps (shipping end of April, 2015)
Echo Park Patterned Paper – Jack & Jill Cute as a Button (woodgrain) and Pink/Brown
Brown ink and blending tool
Twine, colored pencils
Time to send you on a journey to 20 blogs to see amazing inspiration from the Designer Challenge team and 10 distinguished guests. In all cases you can click on the designer’s name to travel to their blog post for more information about techniques and supplies used. Have fun!
Helen Cryer is the queen of patterned paper and her creation for this month’s challenge is no exception. Check out these bright fun colors and the clever way she adapted Honey the Bear into a sock monkey! I love this project!
Rita Edwards is Helen’s guest. “I was so pleased that Rita agreed to be my guest for this challenge! We ‘met’ each other when we were both on the Elizabeth Craft Design DT, and I love all her work – she colours exquisitely, and the details on her cards are just beautiful!” writes Helen. I agree! Check out this Rectangle Accordion by Rita:
Shelly Hickox can create one heck of a tunnel card using a technique with the Accordion albums. She has a link to her tutorial for this effect on her blog post. This month she incorporated the new Barn die into her scene. Love it!
Lisa Hoel is Shelly’s guest this month. Lisa also converted the Rectangle Accordion into a tunnel card, but vertical for her “under the sea” creation. So clever! Writes Shelly; “When we were asked to invite a blogging friend to join in the Accordion die challenge, I knew immediately that I would choose Lisa Hoel. I’ve been a longtime admirer of Lisa’s and love the way she uses Karen’s dies. Her unique vision is a breath of fresh air – I knew she’d wow us and she definitely has!”
I must say that when I saw Caz Counsell‘s creation for this month’s challenge I squealed with delight. Caz modified Dutch the Fox and Honey the Bear so they would be sleeping! What a clever idea and such a sweet card. She used the Circle Accordion.
Caz invited her friend Suzy Q to join the challenge and Suzy made this WOW! mixed Oval/Rectangle accordion. Says Caz; “This for me was a “No Brainer”. I chose my friend Suzie Q who I work with at Crafts U Love. Suzie makes lovely cards but unfortunately has suffered from lack of time and lack of mojo, I hoped in that choosing Suzie she might find her mojo and believe me she has!!” I agree!
Fran Sabad styled Brownie the Cow so sweetly for this 3-page Rectangle Accordion also featuring the new Farm Greetings Clear Stamps. The yellow and brown color scheme is fabulous!
Vicki O’Dell is Fran’s guest this month. Says Fran; “I met Vicki online and she is one of the most creative and upbeat people I know! She is all about DIY and gets involved in almost every craft out there!” Vicki chose the Circle Accordion and created a clever 3-page card with two connected pages and a third free-flowing. I love the serene feel.
Donna Wright made an adorable baby album using the Star Accordion and matching Star Buddies peel-off stickers. She also incorporated the Star Fancy Frame Edges on her second page. What a sweet project!
Sandy Diller is Donna’s guest and they both used the Star Accordion. Donna describes Sandy as “wonderfully talented” and I couldn’t agree more! Sandy not only flipped the pages to give the star a different look, but attached a clear spiral shooting through the album to suspend her floating stars. This is brilliant!
Frances Byrne shows off the new Cheepers the Chicken and Farm Greetings Clear Stamps on this fun 3-page Rectangle Accordion with Katie Star Frame Edges. I just love the colors and styling of this congratulatory album.
Maryann Einam joined the challenge as Frances’ guest. Maryann makes the coolest cards and this time used the Rectangle Accordion for a 4-page homage to shoes. Great sentiments, colors and imagery! Frances writes, “I chose my friend Maryann to be my guest for this month’s challenge as I know how much she loves Karen’s dies. We get together each month and enable each other when we go shopping out our favourite craft store.”
Kelly Booth made this superhero birthday card using the Star Accordion. Kelly has the greatest way with color and this Star Accordion project is no exception! She used the Star Fancy Frame Edges to make it a bright fun explosion of stars. It’s super!
Alice Wertz is Kelly’s guest. Writes Kelly, “I love the way Alice’s coloring brings things to life and she has been a friend of mine for many years.” Alice colored some adorable pups to use on her Star Accordion. She used the striped frame edges from the Star Fancy set. Absolutely fabulous!
Raquel Mason made this wonderful mixed Accordion to show off the new farm collection. She used all three new Characters and the Farm Greetings Clear stamps, plus Props1 and Props2. Love these party animals!
Debra Hensley was invited to the challenge by Raquel. “I like Debra’s work because she has a great eye for the little details. There’s always something extra or interesting on her cards,” says Raquel. Debra made this wonderful Star Accordion featuring the Star Buddies Peel-off stickers and the Palm Tree & Pail die. The glitter is so sparkly and I love the balloons!
Alicia, Raquel’s 12-year-old neighbor, also participated in the challenge as Raquel’s guest. She did a great job with the Star Accordion making this birthday album. Says Raquel, “I enjoy crafting with Alicia because she’s so eager to learn and loves glitter just as much as I do!”
Summer Hills-Painter made this hilarious anniversary card featuring a “Hogs and Kisses” theme with Virgil the Pig (And Virgilina!) on the Fancy Accordion album. The color scheme is perfect! Summer’s guest had something come up and was unable to participate.
Karen Aicken made an absolutely brilliant 4-page beachy Rectangle Accordion featuring Buster the Dog and the beach dies. She made the beer bottles using the Props2 Party Blower die. Brilliant!
Jackie Smith was Karen’s guest for the challenge. “I always looked forward to Jackie’s posts on the ECD Blog, as she has amazing way with texture and layers on her cards.” says Karen. Jackie made this amazing 4-page Rectangle Accordion with a Paris theme. All the layers are so intriguing! Love it.
Hopefully you’ve found plenty of inspiration this month and found some new designers to follow as well.
Join us May 13, 2015 for the next Designer Challenge, which is titled BARNS! BARNS! BARNS! The team will be using the new Barn die in a variety of clever ways.
Hi, it’s Karen Burniston with the January 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 incorporate dies from three (or more) categories in the Pop it Ups collection. Categories are: Accordions & Frame Edges, Pivot Cards, General Pop-ups, Pull Cards, Pop Stands, Edge dies, Characters & Props, Embossing Folders, and Accessory Dies.
For my project I took requests while attending the CHA show last week. Several people asked me to make a video for how to construct a stacked star accordion album like the one I made to showcase the Designer Challenge team. I also had some requests to explain the technique for making the Characters into sketch cartoons like on my Garden Bench/Poppy Card. I combined both those techniques to make a Happy Birthday Sketched Stacked Star Accordion card. (Say that five times fast!) My three categories are: Accordions & Frame Edges (Star, Star Fancy, Fancy, Fancy Seasons), Embossing Folders (Clouds) and Characters & Props (Rocky, Whiskers, Chilly, Honey, Buster, Hoppy, Dutch, Poppy, Props 1-4)
I used every Character and every Prop Set so you’d have a “go-by” for each Character’s sketch marks (not that I’m an expert – I just hash away with a pen until I like it) This would be a great project to simplify with fewer pages, fewer Characters and/or mix in some photographs, greetings, other dies, etc. This technique requires only heavy white cardstock, adhesive and a good black gel pen plus whatever dies you want to layer, trace and hash mark.
Bazzill Card Shoppe “Marshmallow” white cardstock, Zebra Sarasa 0.7 black gel pen, Fineline 20 gauge glue bottle filled with Lineco pH neutral Adhesive, Black baker’s twine
Let’s see how the Designer Challenge Team and invited guest Sandy Diller interpreted the three-or-more categories challenge. Get ready for twenty inspiring ideas.
Helen Cryer created a very clever, colorful and beautiful hybrid card that features two Accordion pages with a Pivot Card in the middle. Categories: Accordions & Frame Edges (Rectangle, Katie Stars), Characters & Props (Whiskers the Cat, Buster the Dog), Pivot Cards (Tags), Edges (Outdoor), and General Pop-ups (Happy Birthday)
Summer Hills-Painter made this bright and fun Rectangle Pull Card using the Categories of Pull Cards (rectangle, balloons), Accordions (barn star) and General Pop-ups (banner). She created fun action inside the die through the use of a double spinner. (The spinner die comes included with the Rectangle Pull Card)
Caz Counsell has another great example of the Rectangle Pull Card using the Categories of Pull Cards (rectangle), Accordions (star), Pivot Cards (tag) and Characters/Props (Buster, paw print and bone). She styled Buster with the positive pieces from the Detail Layer for an alternate look. The spinner die spins the star up into the card when opened.
Fran Sabad has mixed the Circle and Star Accordions together for a wonderful Grandfather Father’s Day card. I just love the color scheme! Categories: Accordions & Frame Edges (Star, Circle & Star Fancy Frame Edges)
Kelly Booth made this stunning 3-page Rectangle Accordion featuring the All Seasons Tree and Eiffel Tower. She used Glitter Dots on the tower decks – what a great idea! Categories: Accordions & Frame Edges (Rectangle), Pop Stands (Eiffel Tower), Accessories (All Seasons Tree), Pivot Cards (Heart)
Frances Byrne made this sensational park scene using the Adirondack Chair placed in the park instead of the beach. Whiskers the Cat is styling in a pair of shades. Categories: General Pop-ups (Adirondack Chair), Characters & Props (Whiskers the Cat, Props 4), Accessories (Palm Tree & Pail), and Accordions (speech bubble)
Helen Cryer created a “helencredible” card for the challenge. This one is a Katie Label Pivot Card and it’s gorgeous! Categories: Pivot Cards (Katie Label), Pop Stands (Eiffel Tower), Edges (Paris), Accordions (hello)
Shelly Hickox has made another amazing Shellypiece for this month’s challenge. She combined the Rectangle Pull Card with the Clock & Gears and Tags Pivot Card tags. The way the gears on her three spinners miss each other to open and close is very impressive. You can see this card in action on Shelly’s blog in a little video. Categories: Pull Cards (Rectangle), Pivot Cards (Tags), Accessories (Clock & Gears)
Raquel Mason created this absolutely fabulous Tags Pivot Card with a fun “Calling Dr. Love!” theme. There are so many wonderful details in how she styled Dutch the Fox. Categories: Pivot Cards (Tags), Accordions (speech bubble, heart frame), and Characters & Props (Dutch, Props1).
Donna Wright used the new Bathtub Pop Stand die to make the perfect pea green boat to animate The Owl and The Pussycat. She has so many amazing (and accurate!) details in this piece. Categories: Pop Stands (bathtub), Edges (Beach, Outdoor), Characters & Props (Poppy the Owl, Whiskers the Cat, honey), Accessories (Palm Tree & Pail), Accordions (Katie Label)
Caz Counsell was so inspired by Donna’s bathtub-into-boat transformation that she made another version, this time using the Bathtub on the Lots of Pops die for a traditional pop-up (versus a standing pop-up like with the Pop Stands). Categories: Pop Stands (Bathtub), General Pop-ups (Lots of Pops), Characters & Props (Rocky the Crab), Edges (Beach), and Accessories (All Seasons Tree clouds)
Karen Aicken made this adorable House Pivot Card, styled as a dog house for Buster the Dog. Categories: Pivot Cards (house), Characters & Props (Buster, bone), Accessories (Palm Tree & Pail, Holiday House), Edges (Outdoor Edges) and Accordions (speech bubble & hello)
Sandy Diller was extremely clever in what she did for this fabulous hybrid card. She used the Rectangle Pull Card but then cut the Tags Pivot Card into it! And then if it wasn’t awesome enough she added two spinners inside the card for more action. A video on her blog post shows the card opening and closing. Make sure you click over to see it. Categories: Pull Cards (Rectangle), Pivot Cards (Tags), Accessories (Butterflies)
Kelly Booth made this wonderful mixed accordion for her grandson, who loves superheroes. The first page is from the Circle Accordion and the second page is from the Star Accordion. These two accordions mix together just perfectly. Categories: Accordions & Frame Edges (Star, Circle, Star Fancy Frame Edges), Edges (Beach)
Summer Hills-Painter made this funny (or should I say punny) card using the Spiral Circle Pull Card die. What a great idea to create a little “scene” on the front circle. Categories: Pull Cards (Spiral Circle plus the spinner from Rectangle), Accessories (Palm Tree & Pail), Characters & Props (Rocky, lips, bow), Edges (Beach), Pivot Cards (tags)
Fran Sabad made a gorgeous wintry Spiral Circle Pull Card featuring the Paris Edges and ECD snowflake dies. So lovely! Categories: Pull Cards (Spiral Circle), Edges (Paris)
Kelly Booth combined the spinner from the Rectangle Pull Card with the Adirondack Chair to make an angled pop-up platform for Rocky the Crab. This is an easy way to add a different look to the General Pop-ups. Her waves are cut from the glittered lace technique. Categories: General Pop-ups (Adirondack Chair), Characters & Props (Rocky the Crab), Accordions (speech bubble), Accessories (Palm Tree & Pail), Edges (Beach)
Frances Byrne found the perfect paper to use with Rocky the Crab. By using the spinner inside the Rectangle Pull Card she creates the illusion that Rocky is suspended in the water. A second spinner animates the greeting. Categories: Pull Cards (Rectangle), Characters & Props (Rocky the Crab, Props 2), Edges (Beach), Accordions (speech bubble from Katie), Embossing Folders (Clouds)
Raquel Mason made this chic chien card featuring a French Buster the Dog, Paris Edges and a shortened Eiffel “bone” Tower. Categories: General Pop-ups (Garden Bench), Pop Stands (Eiffel Tower), Characters & Props (Buster, Props1, Props4), Edges (Paris), Pivot Cards (Tags)
Karen Aicken created another fun Rectangle Pull Card with Rocky the Crab and created her own ice cream cone using the party hat Prop with the All Seasons Tree cloud as the ice cream. Smart! Categories: Pull Cards (rectangle), Characters & Props (Rocky, cone), Accessories (cloud), Edges (beach) and General Pop-ups (happy birthday)
Well I’m inspired – how about you? These new dies are available now online and in independent craft stores around the world and thanks to the team you can see how well the new dies will integrate with your previous purchases. With Pop it Ups each new die is meant to enhance your collection and bring new possibilities. (Or should I say “pop-abilities”?)
Join us next month when the team is taking on the Artsy/Cutesy Challenge. They may choose to make a card that leans very “artsy fartsy” or very “cutesy wootsie”. Many team members are creating two cards to be able to try both styles. The compilation post and a new video from me will be posted here on the ECD blog on Wednesday February 11, 2015.
