Even MORE August 2018 Paper Pumpkin

I think these are the last of the August (2018) Paper Pumpkin kit!  I still have a few elements left over but I'm ready to move on to other projects.  I hope you have enjoyed these alternate cards from the kit.  I think I made about 15 cards from the kit!!

I used a retired embossing folder (Petals) for the background.   Other items used were the Leaf Punch and Stitched Shapes dies.

This card was done with Blackberry Bliss and Crushed Curry.

I fussy cut the flower that is in the corner.  The leaf background was made from the negative part of a sheet of punched out leaves (from another Paper Pumpkin kit).  I sponged the leaves with a dauber and Old Olive ink to make the background.

More August Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

I'm back with even more cards I made using the August Paper Pumpkin.

For this card, I just used a strip of the card piece and layered some lace under the strip.  I think I have had this ribbon lace for about 10 years!  I found it in my stash of ribbon and thought it looked really nice with this card.  In the Paper Pumpkin kit was a couple of pages of green vellum leaves and a couple of pages of clear vellum leaves.  I used my sponge brayer on the clear leaves to color them a light green.  Would you like to get this card for your birthday?

Another strip of the card with a scalloped edge of Blackberry Bliss under it.  I stamped the flowers using Calypso Coral ink on the Calypso Coral card.  The speckled strip was cut from the inside of the envelope that was included in the kit

For this card I layered the rectangle of flowers on Blackberry Bliss and Old Olive.  I stamped the flowers on the white part with the baby wipe technique but just used purple and pink inks,

I found a great app to organize my food recipes this weekend.  It is called Copy Me That.  I am always searching for low cal, Weight Watcher friendly dishes to make.  Before I discovered Copy Me That, I would print out the recipes leading to a bunch of paper I would have to sort through to find what I wanted.  Or if I got the recipe via my e-mail, I would move them over to a Recipe File that I had created and usually forget about them and not use them!  With Copy Me That, you add the button to your browser and when you find a recipe you want to save, you click to copy it.  You can then add a tag to it (chicken, beef, instant pot, Thanksgiving recipes, etc) and edit any part of the recipe.  I edit my recipes to show how many Weight Watcher points it is.   The app copies only the recipe, removing all the extra webpage stuff and you can link back to the original website if you want.  One thing I really like is that the app prevents your device from going to sleep.  No more having to touch your phone with greasy hands to "wake it up" and see what's next. The app is free and will sync across all your devices.  I have it installed on my laptop, mobile phone and my desktop computer.  There is also a section on the app for Meal Planning and Grocery List although I haven't used those functions yet.  You just create your meal plan for the week with recipes from your recipe box and then quickly create your shopping list right from your meal plan!  Give it a try and simplify your life!

Paper Pumpkin from August

I have made so many cards with the August Paper Pumpkin kit!  The colors in this kit are great - Blackberry Bliss and Flirty Flamingo plus your choice of green - Lemon Lime or Garden Green.  It is always so fun to see how many different cards I can make with the kit.

For this card, I stamped the Blackberry Bliss flowers at the bottom of the card and used the little heart shape stamp for leaves.  I started with my flower in the middle and worked to the sides to try and get them spaced right.  After stamping all the flowers, the Blackberry Bliss flower seemed to have a faint crosshatch on the stamp so I used my Aqua Pen and a little of the Blackberry Bliss in and went over each flower to make them a bit darker.   Then I fussy cut the bottom of the card so you can get a sneak peek of the strip of cardstock at the bottom of the inside piece.  For the sentiment piece, I used my 1" Circle Punch for the corners of the Blackberry Bliss piece to match up with the sentiment that came with the kit.

This card is similar to the one above.  But this time I stamped the flowers on the inside and fussy cut it.  I cut off about an 1" of the bottom of the top card so you could see a sneak peek of the flowers.  I cut one of the card panels in half and used half in the card above this one and the other half at the top of this card.  I scattered a few sequins around and adhered a small bow on one of the flowers.

This card was easy.  I used one of the cards that came with the kit.  I die cut the oval from the Stitched Shapes framelits and stamped a couple of flowers on the oval.  The ribbon is Berry Burst but I thought it went pretty good with these colors.  The sentiment is from the Occasions catalog - Incredible Like You.

I think this card may be my favorite.  I did the Baby Wipe Technique for the flowers.  You can see the technique HERE.  I forget about this technique but it is definitely a Wow!

This is a "Z" fold card which is pretty easy to make.  I again cut one of the pre-stamped cards in half and used half on the front of this card.  The sentiment is from Love What You Do.

This was another easy card to make.  The leaves are green vellum (came in the kit).  I stamped the flowers with Flirty Flamingo and used dimensionals to adhere them to the card.  

Hope you have enjoyed my alternative cards.  I will have more to show you in my next blog post.  Don't forget - if you would like to try Paper Pumpkin, I suggest you do it now so you can get the special 6th birthday kit.  You would need to put your order in by Sunday, March 10!!  If your order is less than $150, please use my Hostess Code found above in the top left.  Thanks!

August 2018 Paper Pumpkin

Do you have projects mounting up and don't seem to get to them (like me!)?  Maybe it is time to prioritize your projects.  Make a list of them and then number them.  Check off your list as you go and before you know it, they will be done!  What cards do you need most urgently now?  If you are like me those are probably birthday, get well and sympathy.  And pretty soon I'll be adding Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day to my list.

At my Stampin'  get-togethers, I tell the gals they can use any sentiment they want for the cards we make.  Last week one of my friends who hasn't joined us in almost two years, came and concentrated on birthday cards.  She took two of the birthday cards I had designed (see them here) and made two of each.  Not only does she have a few birthday cards but it made it easier for her to make the second one.  So when you sit down to make a card, why not make two at the same time?!  It will make life simpler!

I worked on making cards from my Paper Pumpkin kits this weekend.  There are about three kits that I haven't done.  The cards I worked on Sunday came from the August Paper Pumpkin.  I don't know why I didn't do this kit when it came in.  It is gorgeous!!  I understand why I still have my December and February kits but why was I so busy in August??  I think that is when I was having a mental block about making cards and just had to take a break from card making and blogging.

The first two cards are made according to the directions for the August Paper Pumpkin.   Those flowers are already printed on the card.

The next card is a Z Fold card - so easy to do.  I cut one of the pre-printed cards in half to make the Z fold card.  I actually made another card like the one below but with a birthday sentiment.  But I have already mailed the other card and forgot to take a picture of it!

I just love this sentiment!

I'll be posting other cards from this kit as I make them.

Paper Pumpkin is Celebrating it's SIX year anniversary!

There has never been a better time to give Paper Pumpkin a try.  Because it's Stampin' Up's sixth birthday celebration, they will be pulling out all the stops!  You'll get an adorable kit, a special box, and most importantly, you'll get TWO stamp sets instead of one.  $20 for a Paper Pumpkin kit is always a steal, but in March the deal is even better!  

Did you know that each and every kit is backed with a money back guarantee?  If you don't like the kit, if there are problems with any of the items in the kit, just let Stampin' Up! know and they will solve all issues, even if it's a refund.  Stampin' Up! has the BEST customer service of any company I have seen.

Because it's Stampin' Up's birthday, they have decided to create a kit that is perfect for making birthday cards. 

• The March kit features eight full-sized mailable cards.
• Coordinating colors are Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo and Poppy Parade.
• This kit has an element that is sure to "pop"!
• The FREE stamp set is even bigger and better than your typical Paper Pumpkin stamp set and can be used on a variety of crafting projects.

Click HERE to sign up for your Paper Pumpkin Kit.  Keep in mind you can cancel your subscription at any time. Be sure and sign up by March 10 to receive this special March birthday kit.  If you are ordering on-line, please use my hostess code - M9P32XZY.

12 Month Subscription Math

12 Month Subscription = $209

(1 Kit every month for 1 year (#137861)

Add $41 to your order & get:

FIVE Sale-a-Bration Items FREE

+

$50 Stampin' Rewards FREE of products of your choice

Even with a three month subscription, there is a Savings.  (see below)

Stamp Club Valentines

I had Stamp Club last week and we made a few Valentines and other cards from stamps that I received at convention.

This first one is from this month's Paper Pumpkin.  This kit had a lot of supplies in it to make a bunch of little Valentine boxes.  I let the gals make as many as they wanted to give to their grandkids & I still have a lot left.  I'll probably be making some alternative projects with the supplies after I make a few boxes.  If you are not familiar with Paper Pumpkin, it is a great kit that you receive each month.  You can stop and restart it at any time with no obligation.

I'm anxiously awaiting the February kit to see what cute projects are in store.  Here is a sneak peek!

We made two Valentine cards at club.  The one below features a new stamp set from the Occasions Catalog, Meant to Be with Lovely Lipstick and Powder Pink card stock.  You can purchase this set and the dies as a bundle which is what I did, saving 10%.  I love the heart dies!!

The Meant to Be stamp set is a Cling Stamp set.  If you experienced some difficulty getting the Stampin' Up! stamps to stick to your clear blocks in the past and you stopped putting labels on them like I did just to help them stick, then you are going to love SU's Cling Mount Stamps.  You can confidently put the image labels on and they will cling perfectly to the clear blocks.  I would definitely recommend you watch this video for tips on putting the labels on and removing the stamp from the clear blocks.

  

This second Valentine also uses the Meant to Be bundle with Powder Pink and Crumb Cake.  I couldn't believe that in all my stash of designer paper, I could not find any with hearts on it and forgot to order the SU DSP!  So, I cheated and picked up a couple of sheets from a big box craft store near me for the card.

Here is a short video highlighting the stamp set and Be Mine dies.

 I'll be back tomorrow to share the remainder of the cards we made.

Halloween Paper Pumpkin Style

Remember me?  I can't believe it's been so long.  I've had a lot going on and dealing with some personal things that have gotten me a little down.  I'm usually a real optimist and pretty happy go lucky, but this last month I have been really down in the dumps.  I am not going into detail here but hoping things will work out and soon!!  I'm ready to be back to my old self.  So, say a little prayer for me!

This week I have been working on Halloween cards using September's Paper Pumpkin kit.  Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays.  I loved dressing up and trick or treating when I was a kid and loved it even more when my kids were all dressed up and Sonny was taking them from house to house in the neighborhood.  Where I live now, we don't get any trick or treaters.  Our house has a really long driveway plus there are only 3 houses on our cul-de-sac so we don't bother turning the lights on.  Although last year, we had one person to ring the doorbell!  I didn't have any candy to give out so Sonny and I just didn't answer the door.

The Paper Pumpkin kit included enough supplies to make 24 of these little treat bags.

I didn't really need 24 bags so I proceeded to cut up some of the bags and use other items to make cards instead.

 I used the retired Spider Web embossing folder to this card below and colored the lines with Silver Wink of Stella.

 For the card below, I cut up one of the bags and adhered it over the Mango cardstock.

Love this candy corn look!  I ran it through the Subtle Embossing Folder to give it a little texture.

I still have lots of bags left over!!

Broadway Star Paper Pumpkin

Yay!!  Another opportunity to spread the word about Paper Pumpkin.  These kits just keep getting better.  If you have not subscribed to Paper Pumpkin in the past, NOW is the time!  Please choose me as your demonstrator when signing up for Paper Pumpkin and use the Promo Code BLOOMO818.

I broke into my June Paper Pumpkin kit last weekend and made 2 of the cards per the included instructions and four alternative cards.  I still have materials to make several more cards.  I just love this kit - the Lemon Lime Twist and Lovely Lipstick go great together!

Card #1 per instructions included in Paper Pumpkin kit.

Card #2 per the instructions.

Alternative card #1 - I pieced the "Yay" together from the Hooray sticker that was included.  Peel and stick it with the balloons and stamp "It's your day."  Super easy!!

Alternative card #2 - I stamped the party hats, candles, etc. on the white sticker using the stamp set from Broadway Birthday (pg 69, annual catalog).  The die cut "WISH" is from the Broadway Lights Framelits.  I love how this bundle coordinated with the Paper Pumpkin this month.

Alternative card #3 - I die cut "happy" (retired Hello You framelits) from Lovely Lipstick cardstock and stamped "birthday" from Special Celebrations, masking "happy" that was on the stamp.

Alternative card #4 - The white piece with green dots down the side is one of the envelopes that came with the kit that I cut down.  The "hello" die cut is also from the retired Hello You framelits.  It is cut out from Gold Foil Sheets.

Manly Moments

I think a lot of us struggle with masculine cards - at least I know I do!  So I was tickled "blue" (not pink - it's a girly color!) when I opened my Paper Pumpkin last month and discovered the Manly Moments inside!  I love the laser cut pine trees in the kit.  The kit makes 10 full sized A2 cards with 10 decorated envelopes.  There are 2 styles of cards included - 5 regular side-fold cards and 5 tri-fold cards.  I made a couple of them using the directions that were included.  But I had fun looking through Pinterest and finding a few other ideas for the cards.

This is an alternate card.  I used the negative from the pine trees and sponged different greens on it, layering them on the card.

This is another alternate using the negative after popping out the label (see the Happy Birthday above).  I sponged Mint Macaron, Granny Apple Green and Soft Sea Foam onto the white card.

Another alternate.  This time I cut strips of the envelope, one of the cards and some scraps I had from the Wood Textures DSP pack and layered them onto a Mint Macaron card.

This is another alternative using the lighthouse from a previous Paper Pumpkin.  The Happy Birthday is from the die on page 217 of the annual catalog.

This card folds in from both sides.

Simple - just taped a piece of Mint Macaron ribbon underneath the badge (sentiment)

If you'd like to get signed up for Paper Pumpkin, there are a couple of ways to subscribe.  You can sign up for a subscription where you are billed monthly for your kit OR you can purchase a pre-paid subscription in my online store.  To see more information and to sign up for the monthly subscription, click above on Order Paper Pumpkin.  To see the options for pre-paid subscriptions in my online store, click above on Order Online.

I have been busy getting ready for my mom's 90th Surprise Birthday Party on Sunday!!  Ashley is flying in on Thursday so I'll have to keep her hidden until Sunday.  Mom will really be surprised to see her since she and I were just there (in Hawaii) visiting Ashley last month.  It worked out that Ashley has a class in DC in a week so she was able to take a little vacation time for the party.  Mom had told us girls a couple of months ago that she didn't want a party because all her friends were dead.  My sister (who lives with mom) is in charge of the invitations since she knows most of mom's church friends and friends from the Lion's Club.  Our numbers creep up every day and we are now at almost 80 people!!  So I guess everyone's not dead!  I have to go to the Dollar Store every couple of days to get more packs of plates, napkins, cups, etc.  After the party, our family members are going to a local restaurant for dinner which will make her happy too for all of us to get together.  The only one missing will be my son and his family which makes me so sad.

Wildflower Wishes

I think the Wildflower Wishes Paper Pumpkin (February) was my favorite one so far.  It came with sentiments that you could punch out and adhere over DSP.  I did that on a few but I also used the negative space to create my sentiments.

This card is made following the kit instructions.

But on this card, I temporarily adhered the letters (which are sticky on the back) and sponged around them.

For this card, I used the letters that were punched out and adhered them to the banner.  So many choices with this kit!

On this card and the one below, my new Stamparatus came to my rescue.  I was able to just move the top plate (with the sentiment stuck to it) down a notch and stamped "celebrate" in Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise.

I used Brusho to create the background of this card.

It took a while to get all the flowers arranged above but it was worth the effort!

The leaves on this card are vellum.  I just sponged the green ink over them.  I didn't think they showed up as well with the clear vellum.