Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - Letter

It's time again for the Karen Burniston Designer Challenge.  This month's theme is "Letter."  We could interpret this any way we wanted -- use a letter in the mail, or maybe just a letter of the alphabet.  I chose the second and made a birthday card/gift for a 3-year old -- some letter blocks.

Using both the Alphabet set and the Mini Alphabet and Numbers set, I made a Slider Box with pop-out blocks, adding a matching birthday card.  Google images provided the small blocks on both the card and the box.

Be sure to check out the "Letter" cards made by the rest of the team, and maybe you'd like to play along with us.  It was fun!

Karen Burniston New Release Sneak Peek Day 1

It's an exciting day.  Sneak peeks of the new dies from Karen Burniston start today.  There are 10 new dies and 5 new coordinating stamp sets.  When Karen showed the design team the new dies, Nicky Foden made a comment that she saw me using the gowns from the Graduation Elements as robes and making a Harry Potter card.

Not one to back away from a challenge, I did just that.  I used some Gryffindor patterned paper on the relatively simple front.

And here are Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the inside wearing their robes.   I used dies from Word Sets 13 and 18 as well as the Mini Alphabet & Numbers set to create my sentiment.  The Graduation Elements set includes a banner with the word "congrats" on it; but, as you can see, the Mini Alphabet & Numbers set letters work perfectly as well.

I have had lots of fun using the new dies.  I'd love for you to stop back tomorrow for another sneak peek.

Twins

My daughter asked me to make a card for her to give to a co-worker whose wife just presented him with twins -- a boy and a girl.  I thought Karen Burniston's Fancy Label Accordion would be perfect because you can have several canvases on which to create.

The front label welcomes the babies, and the next two are decorated for each baby individually.

I was fortunate enough to have the same new baby patterned paper in both pink and blue, so that's what I used for the frames.  I decorated the centers with some baby-themed ephemera that I have had in my stash for a long time.

 

I hope her co-worker likes this card.

Craft Roulette #246

I have recently been doing challenges with Craft Roulette.  The idea of this challenge is to take four different parameters (project, colors, element, and random) picked by spinning a wheel and make a card.  This week's parameters were Project/Holiday Card, Colors/Trees, Element/Drinking Vessel, and Random/Something from your floor.

I met these parameters as follows:

    Holiday Card -- New Years card

    Trees -- shades of green (even though they appear tan in the photo)

    Drinking Vessel -- Champagne glass

    Something from your floor -- My cardstock is in boxes stored on the floor.

I used several of Karen Burniston's dies on this card:  Postage Pop-up, Fireworks, and Mini Alphabet and Numbers, as well as a stamp from her Season of Cheer stamp set.

I'm enjoying the challenge each week and was glad I could incorporate some of Karen's dies in my card.

Wicked Cool Birthday

Many years ago I read Wicked by Gregory Maguire and enjoyed it very much.  Since then I have seen the play.   Hopefully, I'll get to see the movie.  But, in the meantime, I have made a card.  That patterned paper from My Favorite Things seemed to be the perfect choice.  

 

On the inside we find Glinda and Elphaba resting on the Karen Burniston Little Labels Pop-up.   The sentiment stamps come from two different KB stamp sets, Photo Memories and Birthday/Belated.

I like that several of Karen's label dies have different size labels, so you can mix and match.  I used labels from two different sets -- Little Labels Pop-up and Paper Frames.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you come back again.

Karen Burniston New Release - Day 2

I'm glad you stopped by my blog today; I've got another sneak peek at several of the new dies from Karen Burniston.  This card has the Photo Fan, Happy New Year, and Fireworks dies.

I had mentioned to Karen Burniston some time ago that I'd love to have a fireworks die set.  I'm so happy she was able to put one in this release. The front of my card is relatively simple -- just the sentiment and a few fireworks.

The inside, on the other hand, has two rows of the Photo Fans and lots of fireworks, all of which were cut from glitter paper.

Hope you can come back tomorrow for another sneak peek.  And don't forget the blog hop next Monday.  You could win a $25 gift certificate to the Karen Burniston website just for commenting.

Happy Star Wars Day

May the 4th be with you!!!   Happy Star Wars Day!

I hadn't played with Karen Burniston's Photo Collage Pop-up in a while, and I thought it would be perfect for a Star Wars Day card.  It's for my son, who is a Star Wars fan, as am I.

The stamps are from a couple of Kindred Stamps sets, Galactic Adventures and Galactic Travel.

I had to do a bit of word-surgery to create the sentiment for this card.  Obviously, we don't have a "Happy Star Wars Day" die, but we do have a "Happy Father's Day" die, which is what I used.  After cutting the sentiment and the shadow, I cut the words apart -- discarding "Father's" and gluing the words to the shadow.  I then carefully cut around "Happy" and "Day."  The other letters are from Karen's Mini Alphabet and Numbers set.

I decided that I would use the same color cardstock for each of the photos rather than make them multi-colored.  The blue is just slightly lighter than the cardstock I used for the base of the card (and the background for the characters).  I had to place the Millenium Falcon and the X-wing fighter strategically so that they would not create catch points when the card is opened.   That is the same reason the oval for my signature is oriented vertically rather than horizontally.

Buzzing By

I recently watched a video of a card that Karen Burniston made using the Lorna Label, on which she cut a frame into the label.  I thought it was so clever that I wanted to try it.  

My card measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4".  As there is no word die for the "buzzing by," I used the KB Mini Alphabet & Numbers set for that part of my sentiment.  The bee on the front of the card is from the Flower Pot Pop-Up set.  He is placed at the center of three dies from the Circles - Crosshatch set.

I didn't think the honeycomb would be easily seen if it were placed directly on the floral background, so I cut a white label and placed it behind the frame.

Here is a close-up of the frame.  This bee and the honeycomb are part of the Flutter Charms set.

I'm very happy with the result of my experiment.

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge -- "Thirst Quencher"

The theme of this month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge is "Thirst Quencher."  The new Tea & Coffee Pop-Up was the perfect choice.  I was really happy when I saw a tea cup in the new release.  It seems that the world drinks coffee, but I'm a tea drinker.

I made a birthday card for my challenge card.  The front is pretty straight-forward with a congratulations wish for the recipient.  I did add a small teacup up in the corner from the Tea & Coffee Borders set.  The mat layers are shiny gold.  The "IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY" sentiment was computer-generated.

But the inside has a little play-on-words for the sentiment, using the Mini Alphabet set.  I decided to "fancy-up" the teacup with some gilding.  I sponged on some gold ink for the design and drew in the gold lines with a pen.  The cup handle and the spoon are gold cardstock.  

I had tried to use vellum for the steam behind the cup, but it didn't show up well, so I used a white cardstock of a different shade than the cup for some contrast.

Karen Burniston New Release Blog Hop

Hi Crafty Friends,

Welcome to our Karen Burniston Products - KB Riley LLC December Release Blog Hop. The Design Team have come together with Karen today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the release of 12 new dies. Sneak peeks of the new release started last week, and the dies are available to order NOW!

This release includes:

• 2 new Pop-up Die Sets
• 1 new Ball Add-on Die Sets
• 4 new Border Die Sets
• 2 new Sentiment Die Sets
• 1 new Word Set Die Set
• 1 new Tiny Accessory Die Set
• 1 new Stand Alone Die Set

Dies are available to order now on the website.

My card was inspired by the fact that I live in Florida, where we enjoy the sun, sand, and surf almost all year long.  The front of the card is relatively simple, using a bit of surf for the background.  I used the "Enjoy the Ride" die set, substituting the word "sunshine" from Word Set 6 for "ride."  There is one new item on the front -- the surfboard from Beach Elements.

The inside carries forward that surfing theme with a surfing alligator!  I had made a more simple card using that same alligator from Bayou Animals.  I liked him so much that I used him again.  The main feature of the inside of my card is the double Lorna Label and it's "floating floor." Additional previously released sets included on this card are the Mini Alphabet & Numbers, Beach Borders and the "stand-up piece" from House & Fence onto which the alligator is attached.

To celebrate the release Karen Burniston and each of the Karen Burniston - KB Riley LLC Design Team members will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to some lucky person who comments on our blog posts, so make sure you join the hop and comment on everyone's blog post.  That's nine chances to win!  Winners will be randomly chosen from ALL of the blog hop comments received on our blog posts by Monday, February 26, 2024. Lots of chances to win some goodies, so just leave a comment on this post or any other blog hop posts to enter! Don't forget to leave some way for us to contact you, in case you are a lucky winner!  Your e-mail address is the best way to do this.

Karen Burniston

Lois Bak  (that's me)

Sue Small-Kreider

Frances Byrne

Jennifer Webster

Fran Sabad

Suzanne Smit

Nicky Foden

Sandy Diller

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - "Vacation"

 This month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge is all about vacations.  Where would you like to go for vacation -- to the beach, to the mountains, to a big city you've never visited?  I decided that a "dream vacation" would be a trip around the world.  How fun and exciting would that be?!

For the front of my card I used the little photo frames from the Photo Collage Pop-Up and the Circle Crosshatch, adding the sentiment using the Mini Alphabet & Numbers die and one of the dies from Word Set 6 - Summer.  And just for the record, my first choice of a destination would have been those pyramids in Egypt.  That's really the only place outside of the U.S. I've ever had a desire to visit.

And my world tour continues on the inside of the card.

I'm not much of a traveler, but I have been to several of these places in my life -- not many, but some.  I was born in Philadelphia, so the Liberty Bell was a no-brainer.  I now live in Florida and have visited the Kennedy Space Center on several occasions.  The only other three places I've seen for myself were the Grand Canyon, New York City (Statue of Liberty), and Washington DC (Washington Monument).

I hope you enjoyed sharing "my dream vacation."  The rest of the members of the design team are also sharing their vacation dreams today.

Karen Burniston New Release Blog Hop

 Hi Crafty Friends,

Welcome to our Karen Burniston Products - KB Riley LLC December Release Blog Hop. The Design Team have come together with Karen today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the release of 11 new dies. Sneak peeks of the new release started last week, and the dies are available to order NOW!

This release includes:

• 2 new charm die sets
• 1 new stand-alone die set
• 2 new Tiny House Add-Ons sets
• 2 new Pop-up die sets
• 1 new Woven Box Basket die set
• 2 new Crosshatch die sets
• 1 new Box die set

Dies are available to order now on the website.

I'm a big sports fan; and, when I first saw a card Karen Burniston made using the Surprise Cube Pop-Up set, I had an idea pop into my brain using it with the new Sports Charms and has been floating around in there ever since.

The teams depicted on the top panel are teams that I root for -- the Miami Dolphins football team and the Florida State Seminoles football team, as well as the local professional teams  -- the Orlando Magic basketball team, the Orlando City men's soccer team, and the Orlando Pride women's soccer team.  You can see them better on these photos.

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release Karen Burniston and each of the Karen Burniston - KB Riley LLC Design Team members will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to some lucky person who comments on our blog posts, so make sure you join the hop and comment on everyone's blog post. Winners will be randomly chosen from ALL of the blog hop comments received on our blog posts by Monday, 12th December 2022. Lots of chances to win some goodies, so just leave a comment on this post or any other blog hop posts to enter! Don't forget to leave some way for us to contact you, in case you are a lucky winner!

Karen Burniston Lois Bak Sue Small-Kreider Karen Aicken Jennifer Webster Frances Byrne Nicky Foden

Sandy Diller

Suzanne Smit Fran Sabad

Karen Burniston New Release - Sneak Peek Day 5

Another new die set from Karen Burniston that will be released next week is the Sports Charms.  It covers a wide range of sports -- basketball, golf, soccer, football, baseball, and volleyball.

To say that I'm a football fan is putting it mildly.  When my kids were young, my daughter told me that I embarrassed her because she said she could hear me screaming at the TV all the way down the street.  I rather doubt that, but I am pretty enthusiastic when I'm watch the Miami Dolphins on TV.  The card I have today is going to my son, who is also an avid Dolphins fan.  I used the Label Charm Pop-Up with the Mini Alphabet and Numbers showing on the front.

For the inside, I stenciled the yard lines (using a stencil from Kindred Stamps) and added the Dolphins logo.  Hanging in the center panel is one of the new Sports Charms -- the football.   My blog hop post on Monday will show several more of the Sports Charms on the card I made.  So I hope you'll check it out.

Only a couple more days before the new dies will be available to purchase on the Karen Burniston website!

CCEE2241 - Reptiles

Lynn has a fun challenge this week for the CCEE Stampers.  She tells us that tomorrow (Oct. 21) is National Reptile Day.  She said to be sure our card this week features the reptile of your choice:  an alligator, a lizard, a turtle, a snake, a dinosaur!  Or, include them all!  

As a resident of Florida, I should be a Gators fan.  Unfortunately, I am not.  Go 'Noles!  But I have friends who definitely cheer on the Gators of the University of Florida.  So I have Albert the Alligator for you today, made with the Karen Burniston Bitty Ball Pop-Up.  The football field on the inside was created using a stencil from Kindred Stamps.

As you can see, Albert is able to leave the card in case the recipient wants to display him separately.

Be sure to check out the CCEE Stampers blog for some more reptile fun!

Karen Burniston New Release Sneak Peeks Day 6

Today's sneak peek set is a word set, Word Set 15 - Just Because.  I have a relatively quick, simple card using this set.  I saw this layout on a card on Pinterest, and I really like it.  My sentiment is a play on words (or numbers).

Another card made with this set is a bit more creative -- using the new Label Charm Pop-Up as well.  I did a bit of "word surgery" on the sentiment, cutting the "because" apart and adding an extra "e."  I added a few very small black pearls in several places.

The panels on the inside are decorated with pieces from the previously released Flutter Charms set.  Along the bottom is one of the Border Blends - Trims.

Only two more days until these new dies are available for purchase.

CCEE2229 - National Picnic Month

My last CCEE Stampers challenge for the month is to celebrate National Picnic Month.  It's the middle of summer, so I asked the team to include something on their cards that would be part of a picnic (picnic  basket, checkered tablecloth, picnic food, or even ants).

Some of my favorite stamps are from Paper Nest Dolls.  The one on my card is called Lemonade Avery, and she's bringing some lemonade to our summer picnic.

Inside the card I used one of my favorite go-to dies from Karen Burniston, the Katherine Label Pop-Up.  You can use this die for any type of card.  I put a checkered picnic tablecloth, picnic basket and a pitcher of lemonade on it.  Oh, look -- there are even some ants.  The new Mini Alphabet & Numbers were perfect for spelling out the operative word for our challenge.

Be sure to check out the CCEE Stampers blog for some more summer fun.

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - Spinner

The theme for this month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge is "Spinner."  We were to create a card where something spins.  This could be the Spinner Square, modified Mailbox, Pop 'n Swap, or something wound on a string.  I chose the Spinner Square, which is a really fun die.

I did bring my love of coloring and anything Harry Potter into my card for today's challenge.  The front of the card has a Paper Nest Dolls stamped image.  Those images are so much fun to color.  He is mounted on a layered Crosshatch Oval.

Inside you'll find Harry trying to catch the snitch.  I mounted the snitch onto a piece of acetate so that it looks like it's flying.   I used the new Mini Alphabet and Numbers die for the banner (made with one of the dies from the Twist Panel Pop-Up) representing the four houses of Hogwarts.  The stone wall along the bottom of the card was made with pieces from the Castle Pop-Up.

Here's a short video showing the card in action

I hope you enjoyed my card -- even if you're not a Harry Potter fan.

CCEE2224 - National Insect Week

Lynn informed the CCEE Stampers that Juen 20-26 is National Insect Week.  She asked us to feature some type of creepy crawly creature on our design this week.

I don't really consider bees as "creepy crawly" creatures, but I did check to make sure they are considered insects (which they are).  My card this week is a mini slimline one featuring several brand-new dies from Karen Burniston.  That cute little bee and honeycomb are part of the new Flutter Charms set and the "Hi!" was made with the new Mini Alphabet and Numbers set.  I have been using that new alphabet set a lot -- I LOVE IT!  The frame was created using two dies from the new Short Rectangles - Crosshatch set.

Be sure to check out more creepy crawlies on the CCEE Stamper blog.

Karen Burniston Designer Challenge - Mini Slimline Cards

The theme for this month's Karen Burniston Designer Challenge is "mini slimline cards."  Both mini and regular-sized slimline cards are so very popular at the moment.  I admit that I have succumbed to the latest "fad" in card-making as well, so I really enjoyed making a card for the challenge.

My daughter is a big fan of mermaids, so she will probably wind up with this card.

 I used two of the newly released die sets on this card -- the Short Rectangles - Crosshatch and the Mini Alphabet and Numbers.  I am a big fan of that alphabet set, by the way.  I added the "you are" from Word Set 11 - Treasure and a mermaid from the Princess and Mermaid set.  The background is a piece of patterned paper from Whimsey Stamps, one of their packs of slimline backgrounds.

CCEE2221 - Country Cooking Month

Lynn starts her month-long turn as the hostess for the CCEE Stampers with a very interesting challenge.  She let us know that June is Country Cooking Month.  She asked us to create cards which feature fabulous bounty from the garden in the form of fruits or vegetables that we love to prepare and serve our family during the hot months of summer.    I had used the word "interesting" because I don't cook, so you can imagine my dilemma.  I pretty much stopped cooking after my husband died 19 years ago.  

I was, however, able to come up with a card for this challenge -- using my ABC's! A is for Apple; B is for Beets; C is for Corn.   And the new Mini Alphabet and Numbers from Karen Burniston were the perfect size!

I'm sure you'll find lots more fruits and/or vegetables on the CCEE Stampers blog!  Be sure to check it out.