Just made this pop-up card which answers some of the question “Who is Dorian Robert-Houdin?” It is a thank you to his creator, Gigi Pandian, for writing the tenth book in the Accidental Alchemist mystery series….The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve. If you like a cozy mystery series with a touch of mystical creativity and world travel, I encourage you to explore Gigi’s work.
CARDBASE: I started with a 5×7-inch purchased cardbase and added the typewriter Courier font “Little Gray Cells” paper (4.5 x6.5-inch) mats as background to the front and back of the card. Inside the panels were covered with 5×7-inch sheets of William Morris glossy paper.
FRONT: The card front is a mock-up of one Dorian’s mystery boards, but this time of himself. 1) Theater poster of his father’s the magician, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin 2)image of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris 3) Elixir of Life 4) Child’s cape 5) Baking elements 6) Red twine to tie all the elements to the name – Dorian Robert Houdin
INSIDE: A pop-up image of the gargoyle, Dorian, with wings that flutter made using i-crafter’s Heart Hands Wiper Insert mechanism die and hand-drawn wings. The gargoyle image is from clip art and the sentiment was digitally created and die cut with a label die by Karen Burniston.
BACK: The impish face of the statue that came to life.
Cardbase and Images: I used purchased top-fold A2 cardbase and matching envelope. The images were stamped onto two pieces of 4×5.25-inch white cardstock. I colored them with watercolor pencils and a water brush.
CARD BACK
Sentiments: All the stamped sentiments come from the Fang-tastic set. The die cut label and pop-up mechanism are from the Katherine Label Pop-Up set. The candy corn “fangs” are cut from decorative paper.
Envelope: The card fits into an A2 (4.25x 5.5-inches) size envelope with the back flap covered with the same decorative paper that the two candy corn “fangs’ were cut from.
Disclaimer:Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
This card was made for Craft Roulette #335 whose parameters were include a gatefold project, vacation colors, CAS (copy and sample) from last week’s gallery as element and paper strip(s) as random. I used Karen Burniston dies and stamp set to CAS Megan Francis’s leafy card from Craft Roulette’s #334 galley.
Watch the video below to learn how I made this card.
Cardbase:Watch the video above for how to cut and score the cardbase. Cut an 8.5×11-inch sheet of white 65lb. cardstock down to 8.5×10-inches and scored at 2.5-inches and 7.5-inches along the long side and then flipped the cardstock sideways to score at 7-inches. Cut away the small rectangles at the sides of the long rectangle.
With the gatefold flaps closed, begin drawing the window aperture over the two flaps. Using a 2.5×3.5-inch rectangle of scrap paper, find the best placement for the ATC cut-out. With a T-square ruler, drawn in the lines to cut out with a craft knife as shown in the video. (My border measurements are 1.75-inches at the top, 1.25-inches at the sides and 2-inches at the bottom.)
Card Back
Background: Using torn strips of decorative papers, create the 4.875x 6.875-inch background for the inside of the card. Cover the bottom flap on both sides with your grass-colored paper. (I ended up using scrapes for the flap, and some extra leaves to decorate the side of the flap with the “Pull” and arrow stamped on it. I used My Favorite Things Interactive Labels stamp set.)
Tree: Cut six trees from brown using the Tree Pop-Up die set. Glue three trees together twice as shown in the video above and adhere them to the card. Add leaves cut from the same die set. (I cut three sets of leaves and colored some of the leaves to get three different shades of redusing two shades of cardstock – kraft and red.)
Cat Swing: Cut two black cats from the Skeleton and Bat die set. Glue together. Use die stencil to color eyes. (Yes, the eyes on this cat can look like four eyes or very large cat eyes. Which did you see first?) Add bow tie also in the same die set. Cut two seat pieces from the Tree Pop-Up set and glue together. Glue cat to seat and add orange twine as shown in video above.
Leaf Pile with Pop-up Dog: Cut a squat arch large enough to cover the Parcel Pop-Up mechanism and cover it with die-cut leaves. Watch the assembly video at the bottom of the linked page for the Parcel Pop-Up. Cut the three pieces for the mechanism from white cardstock and assemble as shown in video above. Cut the upper half of the largest mechanism piece from grass colored paper. Trim and adhere it to the mechanism as shown in the video above. Cut two of the dog from Doghouse Tiny House Add-Ons set. Use die stencil to color eyes, nose and belly. Color ears black. Use bow tie from Skeleton and Bat die set in orange as collar. Glue dog onto pop-up strip.
Sentiments: Stamp “Warm Autumn Wishes” from Karen Burniston’s Fall Phrases stamp set onto a 1.5-inch circle of yellow. (My circle die slipped when cutting it out and so my moon goes was placed at the top edge of the card.)
Belly Band: Using a sheet of 4×6-inch decorative paper and a scrap piece of clear vellum, I made the belly band to keep the card closed. Again, stamping the “Pull” and arrow using My Favorite Things Interactive Labels stamp set.
Envelope: The card fits into an A7 (5x 7-inch) size envelope.
Above is my pop-up card in the left two photos and Megan Francis’s card that I CAS’ed on the right. Can you see what elements from her card that I sampled?
It’s time for the Karen Burniston Design Team August 2026 Challenge whose theme is MEALTIME. I chose to make a pop-up Thanksgiving Day card in the form of a cascading feast using double Cascade Pop-Up mechanisms and the Dessert Elements and Mealtime Elements. The stamped sentiments come from the new Mealtime Phrase stamp set.
Watch the process video to see how I made this card.
Cardbase: Fold a 10×7-inch piece of cardstock in half to make a 5×7-inch top fold cardbase. Using the largest rectangle die in the Rectangles and Labels – Crosshatch, cut four panels to cover the cardbase inside and out. (I had to use scraps of my decorative papers to cover all of the back panel.)
Cascade Pop-Up: Watch the video above for the assembly of the two Cascade Pop-Up mechanisms. Cut two each of the large die and small strip dies from gray medium weight cardstock. Cut from heavy white cardstock, four large plates using the large plate die in the Mealtime Elementsset. Cut two large slotted circles from the Cascade Pop-Up and then position the large plate die so that the plate has the slot still cut in it. Cut the two slotted plated from heavy white cardstock.
Card Front Kitchen: (Follow the instructions in the video aboveto assemble.) From the Oven Pop-Up, cut one oven piece from a white coated cardstock. Cut from silver foil cardstock one oven handle, four stove knobs and eight cabinet knobs. Also cut from silver cardstock, using the Oven Extras, one hood vent, two pots and one pan. From woodgrain cardstock, cut eight sets of the cabinet panels using the Oven Extras. From black cut two 1/2×1-inch strips for the stove burners. from gray metallic textured cardstock, cut a 2-inch square for inside of the oven and a strip that is at least 1/4×6-inches for the kick-plate at the base of the cabinets. (I used three different silver metallic cardstock/paper – one was mirror cardstock packaging, one was a matte silver envelope and the last was a textured, shimmer, gray cardstock.) Cut one turkey leg bone piece from white and one turkey from kraft cardstock using the Oven Extras. Color and shade with Distress Inks and markers.
Sentiments: The front “What’s cookin’?” and the inside “Hope your day is delicious” are from the Fall Phrases stamp set with the fancy labels cut using the Greeting Labels. “Happy Thanksgiving” inside the card uses Word Set 7 – Autumn die set. “Hope your day is Delicious” is from Mealtime Phrase.
Envelope: The card fits into an A7 (5x 7-inches) size envelope with “Thankful, Grateful, Blessed” stamped on the back flap from the Fall Phrases stamp set.
___________________________________
Thank you for experiencing this blog post.
I hope this inspires you and makes you smile.
Please subscribe, like and leave comments 😊
___________________________________
Disclaimer: Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
This card was made for Craft Roulette #330 whose parameters were: a tag with pocket, Trick or Treat colors, robot (s) element and three strips of paper as random. I used Karen Burniston’s Circle Tag Book Pop-Upand her new Tool Time Stage Add-Ons along with Trinity StampsRobot Builder die sets to make this interactive card.
Watch the video below to learn how I made this card.
Cardbase: Follow the assembly video at the bottom of the linked page for how to make the tag book pop-up cardbase using the Circle Tag Book Pop-Up die set. I added from the Tool Time Stage Add-Onsa front pocket using the large side die and inside borders using the border dies.
Robots: The outside white has the Craft Roulette Mug Clubstamp of a robot. Inside the card are the head, arms, legs and body of the Trinity StampsRobot Builder die set.
Sentiments: I used my computer to create the “Some Assembly Required” sentiment and used my trimmer and scissor to cut the fishtailed banner.
Envelope: The card fits into an A2 (4.25×5.5-inches) envelope.
Watch the video below to learn how I made this card.
Cardbase: Cut a 5×7-inch rectangle and a 5×7.25-inch rectangle scored at .25-inches. Fold and glue tab to back of smaller rectangle to form a top-fold A7 size cardbase. Cut four of the largest crosshatch rectangle die in the Rectangles and Labels – Crosshatch from patterned paper and glue to the four panels of the cardbase.
Paper People: Cut three figures using the body die in the Paper People Summer Styles set. Stamp faces on them using the Fun Faces1 stamp set. Watch the video above to learn more about how I styles this family of three using just the dies in this die set. (I accidentally mixed up my body dies between the original Paper People set and the new one and so the original body shape with the very thin waist was used for the little girl. The feet are a bit different so the flip flops look big on her.)
Deck: (My original idea was to have a half gazebo on this card, but the roof and side panels only work for a free-standing gazebo, hence the deck.) Cut one base piece, one side piece and one polygon decorative piece from the Stage Pop-Up die set. Cut one grassy side piece from the Grass Stage Add-Ons set. Cut one railing from the Gazebo Stage Add-Ons. (In hindsight, I would recommend gluing the grass strip whole to the brown side strip, but not to train any of the folds. Add railing as shown in the video. Also cut a rectangle the size of the deck instead of the polygon decorative piece. Trim the siding piece to the size of the rectangle.) Add two Display Helpers to either side of the deck to keep the card open.
Bench Pop-Up: This is an alternative way to use the Little Bench Pop-Up. Cut one bench and trim off the table strip as shown in the video above. Assemble as shown in video. Add glue to bottom of legs and to the back of bench to attach bench to deck and blue background. (Suggest bending Paper People bodies to fit bench, before styling them with clothes. This will allow you to avoid bending through three layers of clothing having to do “knee surgery” to get them to fit and bend up when card is closed.)
Sentiments: The front sentiment “Hope your day pops” comes from the Beer and Soda Sayings stamp set. Using the fancy label die from the Rectangles and Labels – Crosshatch for the inside sentiment of “Sitting here thinking of you” which comes from the Garden Greetings stamp set. The fireworks on the card front and inside are cut from glitter cardstock using the Fireworks die set.
Envelope: The card fits into an A7 (5×7-inch) envelope.
Disclaimer: Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
Welcome to our Karen Burniston Products – KB Riley LLC July 2026 Release Blog Hop. (See GIVEAWAY details at the end of this post for blog hop list.) The Design Team have come together with Karen today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the release of ten new die sets and five new stamp sets. Sneak peeks of the new release started last week, and the dies are available to order NOW on Karen Burniston’s website.
Watch the process video to see how I made this card.
Stage Pop-Up Base: (Watch the assembly video at the bottom of the linked page for Stage Pop-Up.) Using the Stage Pop-Updie set and a medium weight cream textured cardstock, cut two of the large stage pieces, two of the side strips, two of the polygon decorator shapes and five of the rectangle side labels. From white cardstock cut two of the polygon decorator shapes and one of the rectangle side labels. Cut two of the “L” strips from black for the groom and one strip from white for the bride. Following the assembly steps in the video above, waiting to insert the bride & groom between the two stage sections, before gluing the base together. Stamp sentiment labels. Add the rectangle labels to the stage side strips before attaching to stage base.
Gazebo Stage Add-Ons: Using the Gazebo Stage Add-Ons set, cut four of the woodgrain posts and two railings from cream cardstock. Cut two of the scalloped roof pieces from medium to lightweight white cardstock. Color the slate roof with alcohol markers. Assemble the gazebo as shown in the video above – adding the two posts to each roof section and then attaching the roof sections together. Cut and emboss six of the vine die from the Little Bench Pop-Upset and highlight the leaf veins with a fine tipped green marker. Weave four of the vine decorations around the four posts before gluing posts to the stage base. Once the posts are attached to base, glue down the remaining two vines to the sides.
Watch this video to see how I styled the bride and groom figures.
Bride: Using the Paper People Summer Styles die set, cut one of the figure, two sets of hair style pieces, five of the long skirt, two of the curvy top and one set of the flip-flop sandals. From gold foil cardstock, cut one diamond using the Wedding Charms die set. This will be the tiara that tucks behind the front hair piece. Assemble as shown in the video making sure to attach the “L” strip on to back side of the bride before gluing on her back skirts. (I used the Fun Faces 1 stamp set to stamp on her face before I added her hair.)
Groom: Using the Paper People die set, cut one of the figure, two sets of hair style pieces, two pants, two sets of shoes, one long sleeved shirt (use this shirt to trace the back piece with the open collar closed). Using the Wedding Charms die set, cut one tuxedo and one of the shirt triangle piece. Trim the tuxedo’s loop, sleeves and pants off. Glue in shirt triangle and assemble the coat as shown in the video above. (I used the Fun Faces 1 stamp set to stamp on his face before I added his hair.)
Flowers: Using theLittle Bench Pop-Upset, cut four or more sets of the flowers. Add yellow centers to the flowers. (I used a liquid resin to add the flower centers, so I did this first when cutting out all my pieces so the resin had time to dry.)
Sentiments: “Congrats” is from the Seasons stamp set While the “Love is the secret ingredient” is from Sweet Life Sayings set.
Envelope: The card fits into a catalog (6×9-inches) size envelope. The back envelope flap is decorated with the word “Congratulations” die-cut using Word Set 17 from the same purple paper that was used for the gazebo flowers.
Disclaimer: Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
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 Thursday, July 30, 2026. 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!
Cardbase: I used a purchased (4.25×5.5-inch) cardbase and covered the four panels, inside and out, with frames and rectangles of patterned paper cut using the the two largest dies in the Rectangles – Crosshatch set.
Tea Party: The teapot and tea cup borders used inside and out on the card are from the previously released Tea and Coffee Bordersdie set. The square plates of cupcakes, doughnuts and sticky buns along with the croissants are cut using the Dessert Elements dies. (I used white cardstock and alcohol markers to colour the food.) The square plate dies have an emboss feature which works well with heavy cardstock.
Cascading Circles Pop-Up: From medium to heavy cardstock, cut one of the large mechanism piece, and one of the small strip using the Cascade Pop-Up die set. (I cut these pieces from white and colored them with a gray marker.) Following the directions on the packaging, install the mechanism. (I cut the slotted square from the Square Cascade Add-Ons and then used one of the smaller squares in the set to make the platform smaller, but still retaining the slot. I positioned one large square plate die with the movable slot die to fit on the middle platform and still stay inside the card when closed.) Next, add the three square plates with the slotted square on the middle platform with the strip going through the slot. Decorate with food and flowers. ( I used the green leafy stem from the Cascade Pop-Up die set, with leftover tiny purple and yellow flowers that I had from the Little Bench Pop-Up set.)
Sentiments: All the stamped sentiments come from the Sweet Life Sayings stamp set. They are cut out with the postage edged dies from the Square Cascade Add-Ons set.
Envelope: This card fits into an A2 size envelope decorated with teapots cut from the Tea and Coffee Borders die set..
Disclaimer: Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
Materials Used:
Dies
Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Little Bench Pop-Up – 1341
Karen Burniston in cahoots with Riley and Company – Dessert Elements – 1339
Cardbase: I used a purchased (4×5.5-inch) cardbase and covered the four panels, inside and out, with rectangles of patterned paper.
Food: The two plates of food come from the Mealtime Elements die set. Cut two of the large plates from white cardstock and use the embossing feature of the die to get the ridged rim of the plate. Cut one of the large slotted circle from the Cascade Pop-Up die set and then cut and emboss the large plate from the slotted circle making sure to leave enough space around the slot. Use a blue fine-tipped marker to mark the inner circles of the plates. (I cut all the food from white cardstock and then colored them with alcohol markers. The parmesan chicken uses the die stencil feature for the grill marks and some Nuvo Drops for the cheese slice.The trick to coloring broccoli is to color the top florets a yellow green and then add dots of the darker green so some of the yellow green shows.) Glue food to plates. Stamp sentiments before gluing in place.
Cascading Circles Pop-Up: From gray cardstock, cut one of the large mechanism piece, and one of the small strip using the Cascade Pop-Up die set. (I cut these pieces from white and colored them with a gray marker.) Following the directions on the packaging, install the mechanism and the three plate circles with the slotted circle on the middle platform with the strip going through the slot.
Card Front: I cut six of the smaller square plates from the Dessert Elements die set using thin, white paper and then cut on the diagonal to make triangles. These triangles cover the edge of the plate that over-hangs my cardbase because the cardbase is .25-inches less than a traditional A2 (4.25×5.5-inches) cardbase. The two wine glasses and wine bottle are cut from clear vellum using the Wine Charms die set. Alcohol markers were used to color the bottle and glasses.
Sentiments: The “Ristorante Italiana” menus were computer generated using a script font. “You are pasta-tively amazing” and “You have great taste” are from the Mealtime Phrases stamp set. All the circles were cut using the plate dies in the Mealtime Elements die set.
Envelope: This card fits into an A2 size envelope.
Disclaimer: Karen Burniston products are provided free of charge by the manufacturer for review and use. All other items were personally purchased. Compensated affiliate links used where or when possible, meaning I will receive a small percentage commission from these manufacturers at no cost to you. This will allow me to add more content to my YouTube channel and help out a lot. Thank you.
