Watercolor in Bloom Paper Pumpkin Kit Alternative

I decided to use the new Beautiful Bloom die set to create an alternative card using the December Watercolor in Bloom Paper Pumpkin kit. 

I cut one of the card bases from the kit to 4 x 5.25 and added some white splattering.  After allowing it to dry, I adhered it to a Bubble Bath card base.  I also cut the images from the die set in Basic White card stock.  I ink blended Pool Party ink around the postage image and stamped my sentiment in Night of Navy ink.  The sentiment is from the December kit.  I ink blended the tulip in Bubble Bath ink and the stem in Shy Shamrock ink.  Then adhered both to the die cut stamp.

The embellishments are from the cute Loose Valentine's Assortment which will be available Jan. 5th. The faux linen Bubble Bath ribbon will also be available Jan. 5th.

December Paper Pumpkin Watercolor in Bloom Alternative Cards

Although Christmas has passed, I still enjoy making winter cards for friends and family who have birthdays, seasonal thank you cards and thinking of you cards. I decided to take some of the cards from the Watercolor in Bloom Paper Pumpkin kit and created wintry cards. The watercolor backgrounds worked very well for my theme.

I began by cutting two card bases from the kit in half, then giving each panel a good splattering with white acrylic paint.  I allowed the panels to dry before trimming them to fit my A2 card bases using Balmy Blue card stock.

I used the retired Snowman Season stamp set  by Stampin' Up! to stamp, color and fussy cut images for my cards.  I also used Night of Navy ink from the kit to stamp some snowflakes on the background of my card panels. 

The postage stamp die is from the new Beautiful Blooms Paper Pumpkin Add on die set. The snowflakes are Sizzix dies.

The Joy sentiment is from a retired Paper Pumpkin add on set, the "Sending" is from a past Paper Pumpkin set, and the "Winter Wishes" sentiment is from the retired Yeti to Party stamp set. To create the look of snow on the ground, I cut a 4.25 strip of white card stock and tore the top edge, then glued it to the base of the card panels.

The upcoming January Paper Pumpkin is a postal themed kit.  It is available to subscribe to until January 10th.  I'd love to help you get started.  You can subscribe at Stampin' Up! and choose me, Tonya Byrd as your demonstrator. 

Check back tomorrow to see another alternative using the Watercolor in Bloom Paper Pumpkin kit.

Get Ready for the January Paper Pumpkin Kit

I'm so excited about this upcoming kit!  It has everything I love...Valentines, a postal theme, and decorative envelopes!

To subscribe, visit Stampin' Up! then click Paper Pumpkin Subscriptions to subscribe.  Don't forget to choose me, Tonya Byrd, as your demonstrator.  I'd love to help you get started with this fun, monthly subscription!

Here are more details...

JANUARY: Special Delivery

Subscribe December 11–January 10

Send heartfelt valentines featuring sweet postage stamp designs and sentiments for love

and friendship.

• Makes 9 cards: 3 each of 3 designs

• 3 different coordinating envelope designs

• Precut paper pieces with gold foil accents

• Coordinating colors: Blueberry Bushel, Bubble Bath, Darling Duckling, Garden Green,

Mossy Meadow, Poppy Parade (Classic Stampin’ Spot)

Kit arrives in a lovely coordinating box!

Product of the Month Still Available!

 Have you heard?  Exclusive products coming every month!  Each POM is only $5 with a $75 purchase!

This month it is this beautiful pack of Stampin' Up! True Blue DSP! 

These products are limited to stock on hand, once they are sold out, they are gone for good!

A Few More Tags...

I needed a few more Christmas tags, so I combined both the October and November Paper Pumpkin kits to eek out a few more.  I also used some of the add on die images, a retired poinsettia stamp, last year's tag die from the add on set, and some postal dies.  

Have you completed both of your Christmas kits? The new December kits have shipped and mine is arriving today!

A Cherry Winter Anniversary Card with an

My mom and her husband's anniversary is at the end of December, so I thought I would create a snowy winter anniversary card for them.

I began with a white A2 card base and stamped a retired postage image in brown around the edges of the card.  I didn't stamp in the middle of the card since I would be placing a panel over the center of the card.

I ran a 3.75 x 5 inch panel through the Stamp, Cut and Emboss machine with a snowy embossing folder and placed it on a piece of Pecan Pie card stock to create a small frame around the panel.

I cut a medium sized postage stamp die and ink blended Pretty in Pink around the center.  I used images and a sentiment from the retired Ringed with Love stamp set on the postal image and splattered it with some Pecan Pie ink.

I finished off the card with a few rhinestones to add some sparkle!

Do You Like Christmas Cookies?

Or making cards with Christmas Cookies on them?  I made this card with supplies from Stampin' Up! The nutcracker image is from a tag kit called Nutcracker Tags.  I also used a stamp and die bundle called Homemade Treats.

The background DSP is from the Elegant Pine Snowflakes pack.  And the cute mini peppermint embellishments are still available.

Have you made any cookie cards?  I'd love to see them. Please post them in the comments!

Happy Sunday!

May you feel the love of Christ this holiday season!

 

Valentine or Christmas Card...You Decide!

Today's card can be a Valentine or Christmas card.  I used a Petal Pink card base with snowflakes stamped in Poppy Parade ink.  I used two Poppy Parade 2.5 ink circles and a plaid circle from the Snowy Scenes DSP from last year.  I also used some ephemera from the North Pole Delivery DSP.  My sentiment is from the Banner Sayings bundle.  

The pink delivery truck is such a cute piece of ephemera! The little white clay hearts are from my stash.

So...Christmas or Valentines Day card?

How to Create Snowy Double Z Fold Cards

Have you made a Double Z fold card before?  They look a little complicated but really are't that difficult to create!  I have created two for this post using the retired Snowy Scenes DSP but the North Pole Delivery DSP would work great with my layouts. I have used most of it so I decided to go with another pack of DSP.

Begin with a standard A2 card, then fold the front panel back to the spine and burnish. This creates a Z fold card. Then take a strip of card stock 8 1/2 x 1 1/4.  Score at 4 14 and 2 7/8.  Adhere the longest side to the front folded panel and the last scored panel to the right bottom side of your card. These are the only two places you will adhere the strip to the card.                                                                                                

The DSP you choose should be cut at 5 1/4  x 1 7/8 , and two pieces cut at 1 7/8 x 1.  Adhere all pieces as shown.  I stamped a few snowflakes on my largest piece of DSP before adhering it to the card front.  The main colors for my cards are Petal Pink and Pool Party.

The next step is to fussy cut your images.  I chose to do snow globes as my focal points on my cards.  You could do houses, animals or delivery trucks if you are using the North Pole Delivery DSP. 

For my sentiments, I used the Banner Sayings bundle. I also added a few rhinestones in the center of my snowflakes which are from a past Paper Pumpkin Kit.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope your holiday season is the Merriest!

January Paper Pumpkin Sneak Peek and New Add On Die Set

 Do you love the postal theme like I do?  The January Paper Pumpkin Kit is a valentine postal themed kit! There is even a stamp shaped die that coordinates with the kit.  The item number for the die set is #168666 and will be available tomorrow, December 11th.  

There is also a sale on other Paper Pumpkin products, free shipping on orders of $75 or more, and you can purchase the Product of the Month when your order reaches $75!  It is a great time to place an order.  This promotion will end on Dec. 12th.

Have your ordered your December Paper Pumpkin Kit?

There's only a few days left to subscribe to the December Paper Pumpkin Kit!  What's so special about this kit? The sentiments are made to mix and match!  There will be lots of versatility in this kit.

Be sure to subscribe by December 10th at Stampin' Up! and click on Paper Pumpkin Subscription.

You don't want to miss this kit!

Need a few extra gift bags for the holidays?

If you need a few extra gift cards and have some extra 12 x 12 DSP around, below are directions for how to create them.  The picture below shows the gift bags completed with the new blue DSP that is the December Product of the Month but they would be gorgeous with some of the holiday DSP patterns as well.  

To create a gift bag:

1. Score two pieces of 12" x 12" (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper with the same pattern at 3" (7.6 cm) and 11-1/2" (29.2 cm), then rotate a quarter turn and score at 3" (7.6 cm).
2. Fold on all the score lines and cut along one score line of the 3" x 3" (7.6 x 7.6 cm) square in the corner of the paper to create a tab. Repeat for the 1/2" x 3" (1.3 x 7.6 cm) corner tab. 

3. Assemble the bag by adhering the 3" (7.6 cm) side of one page to the 1/2" (1.3 cm) side of the other page. Then tuck in the tabs and adhere the bottom flaps together.
4. To create handles, score two 2-1/2" x 12" (6.4 x 30.5 cm) strips of Designer Series Paper along the short edge at 3/4" (1.9 cm) and 1-3/4" (4.4 cm). Fold at the score lines and adhere together.
5. Adhere the handles to the inside of the bag and reinforce them by adhering a piece of 7-1/2" x 2" (19 x 5.1 cm) cardstock over the ends of each handle inside the bag.

Putting Old Products to Good Use!

Who remembers this set of Christmas cards from a few years back? They were an add on for a Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I have paired them with the ephemera from the North Pole Delivery DSP and I think they work great together!

Do you have old products that you could put to use?

Have you heard the news?

Stampin' Up! is starting a new program called Product of the Month. This will take the place of Sale-a-bration.  Each month, a new POM will become available.  The new program is in effect.  This month the POM is an exclusive pack of DSP.  All the details are in the photos below.