A Basket Full of Puppies & Kittens

This week I made a pop up birthday card for my oldest Daughter Ann.  I purchased this adorable double sided designer paper from Graphic 45 called “Raining Cats and Dogs”  earlier in the year knowing I would use it for Ann’s card.  This daughter has always been very active in rescuing and fostering cats and dogs that needed help.  Last yr. she bought a huge aquarium to incubate baby turtles from a pond behind her condo.  She couldn’t stand that they were being eaten by some natural predator.  This finished card measures 6″ x 6.25″.

I decided to make a pop up card using Karen Burniston’s  1205 – Flower Pot Pop Stand die set for Elizabeth Craft Designs.

Here’s the link to Karen’s construction video of this great die set and I highly recommend that you watch it if you’re using this die set for the first time:

I turned the flower pot into what I hoped would look more like a basket instead of a flower pot.  So here’s the steps to make this card.

Step 1:  I used a Darice Embossing folder  called “Basket Weave” to emboss a yellow piece of cardstock.

Step 2:  I cut 3 of the flower pot pieces out of yellow cardstock. (2 for the basket inside and 1 for the basket on the card front. I cut 5 of the flower pot decorator pieces out of the embossed yellow cardstock (4 for the inside basket and 1 for the card front basket). I had tried cutting the flower pot piece first and then embossing it.  But when I went to fold it as in the video it would crack on all the folds.  So don’t do that.  This embossing folder embosses really deep. I rubbed the embossed decorator pieces with Burnt Umber PanPastel to bring out the embossing.  I cut 5 of the pot’s flap decorator pieces from the plaid side of the designer paper. (4 for the inside basket and 1 for the basket on the card front.

Step 3:  Using a couple of new dies pictured below from Frantic Stamper Inc. I cut 5 “Cute Kittens“, 3 “Sweet Pea” dogs and 4 “Max” dogs from white cardstock that I first covered with double side adhesive.  The reason I did this was because the ears, eyes and nose cut out with the die on the “kittens” and the noses on the dogs otherwise I couldn’t have used them in this manner as stand ups in the basket.  I assembled and adhered the pieces to another piece of white cardstock. Next I hand cut out all the dogs and cats. I colored all the assembled dogs and cats with Copic Markers. 

Step 4:  At this step I wanted to assemble my basket.  I attached each of the dogs and cats to a little post I made by cutting a yellow strip of the same yellow cardstock 1/4″ x 12″.  Then folded in half and glued the folded piece together  I then cut 1.5″ strips from this now 6″ double thick strip.  Now if I was as smart as I wish I was, I would have put the cut strips between the two layers but didn’t think ahead.  Learn from my mistake!

Now you just start gluing the cats and dogs where you like them gluing the little post to the part in the “crisscross” mechanism you made according to Karen’s video.  I decided that I also wanted some grass so I used this little set by Impression Obsession Rubber

I cut a bunch of all 3 dies in this set from white cardstock, colored them with Copics and glued the into the basket where ever I thought it looked cute.

Step 5:  From a 12′ x12″ piece of yellow cardstock cut a piece 12″ x 6.25″ and score along the 12″ side at 6″.  Run through a die cutting machine with a die pc. that cuts the flaps that attaches to the basket and makes in fold onto itself.  Now you will attach the basket to your base card according to Karen’s instructions.  SERIOUSLY, don’t do this step until you watch the video.  In her video she shows you exactly how to determine where to put this die piece.

Step 6:  Decorate the rest of the inside of the card.  I chose to use the “umbrella” side of my designer paper for the inside.  Cut two  4″ x 6″ panels from the designer paper.  Attach these 2 panels to both outside ends of your inside card.  I used Els Van de Burgt’s for Elizabeth Craft Designs “1269 Love Sentiments” and placed as pictured above. I cut the “I Love You” from rust cardstock backed with Double sided adhesive then added a layer of Copper Metallic PanPastels.  It made the words shimmery although it doesn’t show well in the photo.

Step 7:  Cut two of the straight shaped chains  from “1126 – Chains 1 with white cardstock backed with Double sided adhesive and color with Black PanPastels:

Attach these chains to the inside edge of the two designer panels.  I created my inside sentiment on my computer, printed it out on the same yellow cardstock and cut it out with QuicKutz Nesting Frame 11.  I distressed the edged with Black PanPastels  I added the XOXO from the same “Love Sentiments” set.  The last step for the inside is cut a few “dog bones” and “fish bones” from  Karen Burniston’s for Elizabeth Craft Designs “982 – Props 4 Set” scatter around the yellow middle section of the inside of the card and I put one of each on the two front flaps of the basket.

Step 7:  Because cutting the flaps to attach the basket/flower pot created holes in the card, you need to cover those up.  You could just create a piece of cardstock the length of the fold and about 4″ wide.  Then fold this strip along the long side and attach this to the outside fold.  I chose to cut 2 pieces of the yellow cardstock the exact size of the finished card 6.25″ x 6″ to create a front and back.  I find that two folds glued together don’t work well.  That’s why I recommend a separate front and back.

I decorated the front by adding an additional strip of the plaid side of my designer paper 3.25″ x 6.25″ as pictured.  Then I made the basket for the front cutting an additional basket die and folding in half and gluing the side flap to the back of the basket.  I stuck a dog and kitty down into the basket and added a umbrella cut with the plaid side of the paper.  This is the die set I used for the Umbrella by QuicKutz.

 I created a sentiment on my computer, printed on yellow cardstock and cut it out with same QuicKuts Nest die set referenced above for the inside sentiment.  The last step was to add the Happy Birthday using Suzanne Cannon’s for Elizabeth Craft Designs 1162 – Happy Birthday 2. 

Thank you so much for taking a look at this project.  I hope you will try one of your own.  I would love it if you would let me know who you are by filling in the below form.  I answer any questions personally including any questions about craft techniques or products.