Going Cuckoo!

Hi folks, and welcome!

Before I get on with today's blog, I want to let you know that things may be a little bit irregular around here over the coming weeks.

We have to have some electrical work done which is going to mean the place is more-or-less going to be turned upside down.  In preparation for this we have to de-clutter and de-stash.  We've been living here for over 20 years and the amount of stuff that we've accumulated is, frankly, embarrassing...

Anyway, it's well overdue!  So between that and the day job, blog scheduling may have to be suspended for a while.

I have a number of projects filmed and ready to be edited.  However, because of the current disruption, the finished articles have, seemingly, wandered off and hidden, so I apologise for the poor quality photos - I've had to rely on screenshots!

Sooooo..today's project is made with the Cuckoo for You bundle.  I love a kinetic card, I truly do!  

via GIPHY

It's not compulsory to make this so that the little door opens...but why wouldn't you?  

There are a couple of things to be careful about when making this card.  I made a couple of schoolgirl errors the first time I tried it and wondered why the little door wasn't opening properly!  I got it right in the end though!

I really enjoyed making this card and, for an action card, it was quick and easy to do.  (If you want to get hold of this bundle, you can shop with me by clicking the product links below!)

Right, so now I'm off to do some more de-cluttering...I may be some time..!

Keep crafting,

Keren

Product List

Cuckoo For You Bundle

[151117]

Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[149613]

Pool Party A4 Card Stock

[124391]

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Pool Party Light Stampin' Blends Marker

[144595]

Poppy Parade Dark Stampin' Blends Marker

[146879]

Crumb Cake Light Stampin' Blends Marker

[144582]

Mint Macaron Dark Stampin' Blends Marker

[147021]

Ivory Stampin' Blends Marker

[144606]

Up and Away wiper card

Hello, and welcome!

Today I've been making this wiper card.  These are very popular right now.  In case you haven't seen this kind of action card, when you pull gently at the edges of the card, the pop-up arm appears (like a windscreen wiper).

via GIPHY

Here's how it looks in the open position.

I've been making this kind of card for a long time (one of my earliest YouTube tutorials was a wiper card)  but I'd never thought of making the front panel a different height from the back until I saw some of the inspirational cards being posted on YouTube and Pinterest.  Then I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it before!

Here's how I made this one.

Don't you think that the hot air balloons are so suitable for this card?  I'm rather sorry that they will be retiring when the new catalogue goes live at the beginning of June, but they've been around for a while, so I can't complain!

That's all for now,

Keep crafting,

Keren




Product List

Pool Party A4 Card Stock

[124391]

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

[106549]

Lovely Lipstick Classic Stampin' Pad

[147140]

Brights A4 Cardstock

[146997]

Twinkle Twinkle Designer Series Paper

[146284]

Up & Away Thinlits Dies

[142748]

Lift Me Up Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[142896]

Pour me a cuppa!

Hello and welcome!

I’ve always been fascinated by pop-up and kinetic mechanisms in paper craft.  (If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you might just have noticed that!)  As a child I spend hours trying to figure out what made the magic happen in my pop-up books – and then when my own children were small I did the same with their books.

So I’m always thrilled when I get a new (to me) mechanism to work the way I want it to.  Here's what happens when you open up the card - 

I found the instructions for this in a book BY Duncan Birmingham Pop-Up! A Manual of paper mechanisms.  (The book is out of print, and second-hand copies sell for ridiculous prices, so if you spot one at a reasonable price I’d snap it up if I were you.  You can also visit Duncan’s YouTube channel – The Pop-Up Channel).

Of course the Tea Together stamps and framelits were perfect for this kind of movement.  I wanted it to look as if the teapot was getting ready to pour tea into the cup.This is how I made it - 

There was some trial and error associated with this card – I think I made five or 6 prototypes before I was happy.  In the end I was really pleased with how it came out..

The direction and the amount of rotation is controlled by the position and angle of the fold in the cross-piece and where the "L" shaped piece is placed.

This arrangement will move anticlockwise -

A wide angle will give a lot of rotation

A narrow angle will give you a smaller amount of rotation

If you like this mechanism you might want to try changing the relative positions of the working parts.  And you should DEFINITELY give visit Duncan Birmingham's channel.

Keep crafting

Keren

Product List

Mango Melody A4 Cardstock

[147013]

Gray Granite A4 Cardstock

[147008]

Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad

[147118]

Tea Time Framelits Dies

[149697]

Tea Together Cling Stamp Set

[148779]

Neutrals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[146967]

Floating Panel with Bella & Friends

Hello and welcome!

It’s an interactive card today.  This is a variation of what I call a “Pushmi-Pullyu” card. 

In this kind of mechanism, you pull on one tab and another slides out at the same time – or that’s the usual arrangement.  The two sliding panels are attached to an endless belt of plastic so that when one is pulled, the other is pushed in the opposite direction.

I saw this idea on a channel called Insideoutjeans and I thought it was brilliant!  I’d never thought of attaching a stamped image directly onto the plastic belt before - and I love how it works!

Here’s how I made it.

Oh, and this card is made in honour of a colleague’s new spaniel puppy.  The stamp set I used is Bella and Friends and the puppy (who is so adorable) is also called Bella.  I just had to make this card in her honour, don’t you agree?

Keep crafting!

Keren


Product List

Bella & Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Sets

[141870]

Gingham Gala 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[148554]

Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies

[148551]

Tranquil Textures Designer Series Paper

[146331]

Animal Expedition Designer Series Paper

[146902]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Pop and Twist Gift Card holder

Hello, and welcome to my blog

Today I’m sharing a card that features a version of the Pop & Twist mechanism.  This time it’s a novel way of presenting a gift card.

I love action/pop-up cards of all kinds, and the pop and twist mechanism is so intriguing, especially the first time you come across it.  The cards I’ve made in the past have opened up to display panels that run across the card, but this time I’ve used the mechanism to hold a gift card.  

You could, of course, write a message underneath where the card goes.

Here’s the tutorial

Do you want the scoring diagram for the twist and pop piece?  Here it is.

Before you go – don’t forget about the Bonus Days offer that  SU are running until the end of July.  For every £45 you spend in one order (before P & P), Stampin’ Up! will email you a voucher code worth £4.50 that you can use in August 2017(take care of your codes and don’t lose them!)  Even better, if you join SU as a demonstrator in July, you’ll get a BONUS Essentials pack worth £47 – an extra benefit on top of the demonstrator discount , early access to the Winter catalogue and other opportunities – see here for more information.

Anyway, have a great day and I’ll see you soon.

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

SaveSave Product List

Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper

[144185]

Sunshine Sayings Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[141594]

Card Stock A4 Soft Sky

[131292]

Lemon Lime Twist A4 Cardstock

[144250]

Berry Burst A4 Cardstock

[144249]

Berry Burst Classic Stampin' Pad

[144083]

Berry Burst 1/2" Finely Woven Ribbon

[144133]

Rockabye Baby

Hi bloggists, and welcome.

Cute's not my thing.  And I find it very hard to explain why I love the Moon Baby stamps so much!  I suppose it's just the right side of cute for me.  

I really wanted to make the baby rock, too.  Last year I made a card with a tilt-pivot mechanism and this card works the same way, except that the mechanism is at the back, instead of the front.

It's quite hard to show it in action, but I'll have a try - 

via GIPHY
Here's the tutorial

I used a screw punch -you can find a similar one  here  - a Crop-o-Dile Big Bite would also work.  Or just make a hole with a piercing tool, but a smooth edge helps the movement happen.

Hope you enjoyed this video.

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

Pop Up Cube Revisited!

Hello bloggists and welcome!  

   

One of my earliest YouTube projects was a pop-up cube card.  I'm fascinated by kinetic and pop-up cards and paper engineering in general, and I was dead pleased to find instructions for this sort of project.

 

That was almost two years ago.  My channel has grown since then and I hope that I've learned something as well.  At the time I was only posting once a week and the camera I was using wasn't the best.  I wanted to revisit the project to try and make it a bit easier.  

The tricky part is getting the elastic that makes it pop into position.  The original instructions said to sew it into place but that was fiddly - and also created a weak spot right where you needed strength.

When I made the Baby Shower card, I wondered if the method used to hold the elastic in place would work on the popup cube - and it does!

Here it is in action!

via GIPHY

(I've also learned how to make a GIF animation - cool, eh?  I will have to stop myself from putting them into every post though!)

Here's the tutorial - 

(If you want the cutting diagram, click here.)

That's it for now, but I'll be back again soon - please do join me!

Crafty Hugs,

Keren

SaveSave