Karen Burniston April Challenge - Accordions With Friends!

Hi all! This month's challenge from Karen Burniston is a fun one. Each of the designers got to choose a blogger friend who would receive an accordion die and create a card for the challenge. I chose my friend Lisa Hoel. I've been following Lisa's work since we were a part of the Inspiration Emporium design team. She has made several amazing cards using Karen's dies, so I knew she would be the perfect friend to invite. She'll be posting her card tomorrow, so be sure and check her blog to see what she came up with!

Here is what I came up with for the challenge. I knew I wanted to do a tunnel card using the Rectangle Accordion die, but I wasn't sure what direction to go in. My friend Michelle suggested using the new Pop it Ups Barn die and doing a country scene - complete with a clothesline - and I was off and running! We've both fallen in love with Graphic 45's new Home Sweet Home collection, and it was perfect for creating this sweet, country-themed card. Thanks for the inspiration, Michelle!

I have to admit I am a bit addicted to this style of card! It is the perfect excuse to pull out the scissors and go crazy fussy cutting your your favorite Graphic 45 papers. And how cute is that barn in the back? It's part of Karen's latest release and you'll be seeing me use it a lot! It will be available at the end of April, along with her new characters. See this post for more info.

What I love about creating a tunnel card like this is that it folds flat for mailing, but expands into this three dimensional gorgeousness. And using Karen's Accordion dies make it so easy - no measuring or thinking involved.You can find a full tutorial for creating a tunnel card with Accordion dies in this post from last year. Even though I used the Oval Accordion, the process is exactly the same.

I love this image of the woman hanging out her wash, and adding the clothesline was as easy as punching a couple of holes and threading a piece of baker's twine through them. The cow in the background and the label on the barn are both from G45's Home Sweet Home stamp sets.

Like I always say, still photos will never show the dimension of a card like this, so here's a quick little Vine video that shows how the card expands.

All the supplies I used can be found at Simon Says Stamp via the links below. I'll be sure and update this post when the Barn Pop it Ups die becomes available.

Elizabeth Craft Designs ACCORDION RECTANGLE Pop It Ups Die 972 Graphic 45 Home Sweet Home 2 Cling Stamps Graphic 45 HOME SWEET HOME 1 Cling Stamps IC0332 Graphic 45 Home Sweet Home 8x8 Paper Pad Graphic 45 HOME SWEET HOME 12 x 12 Paper Pad 4501077 EK Success CUTTER BEE Scissors EKCB01 Simon Says Stamp CUSTOM COPIC FRIENDLY WHITE CARDSTOCK 12 Pack Memento TUXEDO BLACK INK PAD Full Size me-900 EK Success 1/8" CIRCLES 3-D Foam Dots Adhesive SPAF-PD or 55-01046 Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 *Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 656850

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Thanks so much for stopping by today! Remember to check Lisa's blog tomorrow for her take on the challenge. On Wednesday, Karen Burniston will have another incredible tutorial on the Elizabeth Craft Designs blog, as well as all the cards from the DT and friends as well. You won't want to miss that post!

New Pop it Ups Release!

Do you see a familiar face up there? Yes, it's Cheepers! Cheepers has been immortalized in Karen Burniston's latest release with Elizabeth Craft Designs. I thought she deserved a card commemorating the achievement!

The Cheepers die is made up of several layers, so you can mix and match the colors to create your own custom chicken. My card base is Karen's Star Accordion die, which I cut from red cardstock. I used her Star Fancy Edges stamped using Tim Holtz's wood grain die to create a frame. The stars are covered with ECD's microfine glitter and the sentiment is from Artistic Outpost. I used the glasses die from the Props 1 set to create little sunglasses for my star.

There are five new die sets plus coordinating stamps for each die - a new product for Karen which I'm very excited about. One of the coolest dies is a new Barn Pop Stand. I have a super cute card using it that I'll share soon. In addition to Cheepers, there are more two more farm animals that coordinate with the Barn: Brownie the Cow and Virgil the Pig. To complete the release, there is a set of accessory dies that includes a haystack, pitchfork, a greeting and more. So perfect for spring cards!

Here's a photo of me with my little star, Cheepers. We always knew she'd do great things! If you're on Facebook, make sure you follow both Karen's and the Elizabeth Craft Designs page for the latest updates!

Below are the products I used to make my card. The new farm dies will be available at the end of this month - I'll make sure to update this post when they are in the stores. Don't forget to ask your favorite local and online stores to carry them!

Karen Burniston Star Accordion Karen Burniston Star Accordion Die Karen Burniston Star Fancy Frame Edges Elizabeth Craft Designs PROPS 1 Pop It Ups Dies 911 Karen Burniston Props 1 *Tim Holtz Rubber Stamp WOOD GRAIN Stampers Anonymous X1-1798 Ranger 8.5 x 11 KRAFT CARDSTOCK Inkssentials Surfaces ISM35244 Ranger METAL FOIL TAPE SHEETS 6 x 12 ISF29793 *Elizabeth Craft Designs 5 x 12 TAPE SHEET Double Sided Pack of 5 Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival CARNATION RED Ink Pad AID41399 Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499

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Shabby Metal Flowers Memo Board

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share this project with you. Quite a few of you have been asking for a more detailed tutorial for the rusty metal flowers I created for my Ranger Designer Challenge piece last year, and also for the Sizzix Jumbo Tattered Florals release. Well, you will be happy to know that I have a full, stepped-out tutorial for these grungy painted flowers over on the Ranger site today!

I had a blast creating this double duty memo tray - be sure and check out the tutorial to see what other handy use it has. I hope you're inspired to create one yourself.

I'm also sharing the vintage postcard I used below. Feel free to download it to use in your spring creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful Easter!

Inspiration Team Surprise Baby Shower!

Surprise! Today, the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team is hosting a special surprise baby shower for our teammate, Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Anna-Karin recently gave birth to the most adorable little boy, Leo. Even though we can't be there to celebrate, we wanted to do something special for her, to let her know how much we care.

I decided to use Eileen's elephant die to make a tiny little pull toy. Since these dies are Thinlits, the thickest material they can cut is very thin chipboard. By stacking the die cuts, though, you can make the pieces quite thick and sturdy. I also used one of the die cuts from Eileen's new Make it 3D die to make this into a cute little container. Here's how I made it:

I started by cutting six elephant dies from thin chipboard (I used a cereal box). I glued them together in two sets of three. I also cut two of the detail layer die.

Using the same dies, I cut coordinating paper to cover the inside and outside of the chipboard elephants. I covered another piece of chipboard with polka dot paper and cut the 3D piece.

To assemble the pull toy/container, I painted the edges of the stacked chipboard white and then covered the front and back with paper. I cut the 3D piece to length and adhered it to each of the elephant panels, creating a box. I finished the box off with vintage buttons tied with baker's twine.

We invite you to visit each of the team member's blogs to see what they created for baby Leo.

Diana

Lisa

Oxana

Pam

Donna 

Tracy

Nicole

If you'd like to leave a message of congratulations for Anna-Karin, be sure and stop by Eileen Hull's blog and leave your well wishes in the comments!

The supplies I used can be found at Amazon and Simon Says Stamp via the links below.

Sizzix Make-It-3D Box Sizzi by 6-Inch by 13.75-Inch ScoreBoards Die, X-Large Sizzix Thinlits Dies, Elephant and Giraffe, 7-Pack Be Amazing Follow Your Heart 6X6 Paper Pad (My Minds Eye) Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Stain PICKET FENCE White Ranger TDW31246 *Beacon's 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210 Lawn Fawn CLOUDY Single Cord Trimmings

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Spring & Easter Inspiration Round-Up

Hi all! Today I thought I'd share a round-up of some of my favorite Spring and Easter projects. There is a little something for everyone - from building a birdhouse using Sizzix dies, to pop-up cards, to favors for your Easter table. Hopefully you'll find something that inspires you!

Spring Butterfly Crown - I made this a few years ago using one of Tim Holtz's On the Edge dies, the Tattered Florals die, and a lot of glitter and embossing powder. One of my all-time favorite projects!

Dollar Store Easter Cloche - If you're looking for a pretty, easy Easter decor piece, this is it! Made from a dollar store wineglass and Tim Holtz's adorable Mini Bunny die.

Tattered Florals Birdhouse - When I made this for Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals challenge, most people thought the structure was something I bought. It's not! It's made from Tim's Cameo Frame die and treated with a faux metal finish.

Pop-it Ups Easter Card - Karen Burniston's dies always elevate a card from pretty to pretty amazing - this card is a great example of that. It only takes a couple extra minutes to create a card that will really 'wow' the recipient!

Graphic 45 Easter Basket - I made this sweet Easter favor using Eileen Hull's Cube die and Graphic 45's Sweet Sentiments paper. Eileen's box dies make projects like this a breeze!

Shabby French Peat Pot - If you want a project that literally takes 10 minutes to make, but looks like you bought it from a fancy shop, this is the project for you! Tissue paper, a peat pot, and some white paint are all you need for this rustic looking project.

I hope you've been inspired by this collection of some of my favorite projects. Most of them are easy enough to finish in a couple hours - you could have your Easter decorating done in an afternoon, or make a special card to brighten someone's day.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Come back tomorrow when I'll be sharing a very special Easter project that I created for the Ranger blog. I think you'll love it!

12 Tags of 2015 - Pop it Ups Style

Hi all! Today I'm sharing my version of Tim Holtz's March tag. I needed to make a card for my Dad's birthday this month, so I used a bit more masculine colors and images and incorporated the design into a card using Karen Burniston's Accordion Rectangle Pop it Ups die.

I have to say, Tim's embossed texture paste technique totally blew my mind! I can't wait to try this with other stencils and embossing powders...you know how much I love my embossing powder. :) I can see so many different possibilities using this technique!

To made the card, I cut two panels from black cardstock. I cut two more panels from Ranger's manila cardstock and removed the center portion. I used Tim's fantastic tutorial to create my background on the manila, then adhered them to the black card. To finish it, I added gears cut from metal sheets plus various idea-ology bits and pieces. The Happy Birthday greeting was cut from black cardstock and rubbed lightly with metallic rub-on paste (I love that stuff!).

All the supplies I used to make my card can be found at Elizabeth Craft Designs, Simon Says Stamp, and Amazon via the links below.

Karen Burniston Accordion Rectangle Card Karen Burniston Accordion Rectangle Die Karen Burniston Clock and Gears Die Set Karen Burniston Happy Birthday PopUp Die Tim Holtz Mercantile Tim Holtz Idea-ology TISSUE TAPE COMMUTE TH93019 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology LABORATORIE Tissue Tape TH93095 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology TISSUE TAPE SYMPHONY Music Self Adhesive Vintage Paper Tim Holtz Layering Stencil 2015 TYPO THS040 Ranger TEXTURE PASTE 4oz INK44444 Tim Holtz Distress Paint CRACKED PISTACHIO Ranger TDD43577 Tim Holtz Distress Paint WILD HONEY Ranger TDD36531 Tim Holtz Distress Paint SALTY OCEAN Ranger TDD36449 Ranger Archival Ink Pad JET BLACK AIP31468 Ranger Inkssentials 8.5 X 11 MANILA CARDSTOCK Surfaces ISM28246 Ranger Surfaces BLACK CARDSTOCK ISB42105 Ranger Embossing Powder SILVER EPJ37361 Ranger Embossing Powder CLEAR 3 Oz Jar EPL45694 Tim Holtz Idea-ology NUMBER BRADS Metal Hardware TH93123 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology SPROCKET GEARS Watch Parts Hardware Tim Holtz Idea-ology PEN NIBS TH92909 Sizzix MAGNETIC PLATFORM FOR WAFER-THIN DIES Accessory 656499

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Thanks so much for stopping by today!