Oh Joy! What a kit!

 The October Paper Pumpkin kit is always one of my favourites of the year. It is traditionally a box full of Christmas inspiration & this month was no exception! The kit, aptly named "Joy To The World", included card bases in Crumb Cake & gold with floral die cuts & gold foil words for embellishment. The ink spot this month is Just Jade & the Cherry Cobbler Bakers' Twine made for easy bows. Here's a card made following the instructions - sort of...

My absolute fave part of this kit is the stamp set. It has a Merry Christmas in a great font as well as a wreath with berries & a terrific floral image suitable for any occasion. Here I used Cherry Cobbler ink (from a previous kit) & the floral stamp to create my own DSP. Don't you love Cherry Cobbler on the Whisper White cardstock? The "to the world" sentiment is heat embossed on a scrap of Cherry Cobbler cardstock.

The Stamparatus helped me line up a parade of "joy" greetings (also from the stamp set) & some more heat embossing adds a final touch. With the Stamparatus this card would be a snap to mass produce for Christmas! So simple but so effective thanks to a pretty stamp & a great font!

The Crumb Cake cards were cut in half to stretch the kit & mounted onto Whisper White card bases. So far I have managed to create 15 cards & I still have lots of embellishments left. Here's a few more with some Cherry Cobbler cardstock mats added for emphasis!

Cutting up the lined envelopes allowed me to mat the gorgeous die-cuts on a background of festive words.

The gold foil words come in three languages perfect for your international friends. Here I used one of the foil words "en Francais" to add a sophisticated touch to an anniversary/wedding card.

This kit really delivered! We had our Paper Pumpkin craft-a-thon via Zoom & had a lot of fun sharing laughs & inspiration for our cards.

Be sure to check out the Paper Pumpkin kit HERE in my online store. Every month you'll get a kit from Stampin' Up! & a PDF with tutorials & inspiration for lots of alternative cards from me!

Thanks for visiting today!

Arlene

Can't Stop the Feeling.....

 Here I am again with a couple more plaid cards! The Plaid Tidings DSP, on sale until the end of October is a fab selection of well, plaid paper! There are colours for every season perfectly coordinated with Stampin' Up! colours. The convenient 6x6" format is perfect for cardmaking. The size provides a enough for at least 2 cards & of course the paper is double sided with a different plaid pattern on each side.

Here I CASE'd a card designed by Tandra Boyer using non-traditional colours (Pretty Peacock & Just Jade) on a 3 3/4" 5" plaid mat embossed with the Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder. I love how all the layers are embossed  giving the look of fine fabric.

The card on the left uses the leftover 2" strip of DSP matted onto a Just Jade stitched rectangle. I used the Joy Dies with the sentiment mounted on adhesive foam, a fabulous product that adds dimension to just about any die-cut. A splash of Wink of Stella & some Blue Adhesive Backed Gems add the necessary bling.

Be sure to check out all the sale priced papers in my online store.

Paper Sale!

 

Today is the day! For the month of October, Stampin' Up! is offering 15% of select Designer Series Paper patterns. It's a great time to stock up on DSP for Christmas cards. A piece of stunning paper is all that's needed to add a splash of colour to your card designs.

My fave is the Plaid Tidings 6 x 6" paper. It looks so neat & tidy & creates a tailored gender-neutral card for all the men in your life. Here are a few examples of my love for all things plaid.

Check out the available patterns in my online store.

Thanks for stopping by,

Arlene

Welcome Fall - with Paper Pumpkin!

 

Although this month's Paper Pumpkin kit was designed to be cute treat poppers, my P.P. Peeps & I decided that cards would be more suitable for all of us. So.....away we went & cut up the amazing checkered treat holders to create a bunch of original Fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving cards. 

We started with two note cards using the pumpkin stamp - beautifully detailed - & the lacey die-cuts from the kit. These would make great table place cards - if only we could gather together!

The lovely Fall wreath card uses all the colourful die cut pieces arranged with a Bumblebee bow to finish it off. Since our Canadian Thanksgiving is in early October I'll be sending cards since we cannot yet congregate.

I love the "Hello Pumpkin" sentiment - it just seemed perfect paired with the plaid DSP & the cute pumpkin image.

Using similar layouts & some of the oodles of die-cuts included in the kit I made some fun Halloween cards to send to my son, DIL & g'daughters who absolutely LOVE Halloween! Even after all the cards I still have all the treat holders to fill up for all the grandkids - they're never too old for a fun treat, especially during these scary times.

These kits are a win-win. I am totally inspired by all the coordinating products & my friends & family seem to love receiving them!

Check out Paper Pumpkin  HERE in my online store & receive a pdf from me monthly with designs & inspiration to create your own cards.

Thanks for stopping by & be sure to follow me on Facebook at Arlene's Uptown Stamping.

Keep on crafting,

Arlene

World's Greatest Paper Pumpkin Kit

When I received this month's Paper Pumpkin kit, which is a tribute to the best of the best, I wasn't really in the market for this type of card. But as usual, when I opened up my "magic box" I found a collection of the coolest patterns & colours! There are supplies for shaker cards (how fun is that), tons of snazzy plaid card bases & gold foil & vellum die-cuts. And don't get me started on the stunning 1" Pacific Point grosgrain ribbon! The colours are beautiful together with Pacific Point stealing the show along with Mint Macaron & Bumblebee accents. I immediately went to town creating alternatives for birthdays, Christmas & a cute Thank you card that morphed the trophy into a flower pot!

Today we had our Zoom class with the P.P. Peeps & here's a parade of Paper Pumpkin creations to peruse.

These shaker cards used the gold stars & the adhesive frames from the kit. I added some Stitched Stars & a birthday greeting to create this fun alternative.

I loved the Mint Macaron plaid & added the watercolour washed panel & gold accents to add a touch of class.

The spiffy Pacific Point Plaid makes a great generic design with the trophy die-cut congratulating a special kid.

These last two are a bit whimsical & I love how the trophy die cut became a flower pot for the daisy punched from the medium daisy punch.

The negative space from the leaf die-cuts became a template for some pale green sponging to create a quick & pretty note card.

These Paper Pumpkin kits have provided me with endless supplies & a collection of stamp sets to use again & again. Rarely have I used the designs as intended but hey - that's half the fun - they're designed to inspire & so they do!

Check out Paper Pumpkin in my online store & receive a monthly PDF tutorial with alternatives to stretch your kit.

Sign up for the September kit by September 11 & you'll be on your way to tons of creative fun.

Cheers,

Arlene

 

Late Summer Flowers

 August is a busy time of year. Even in the midst of a pandemic we are fortunate to live in an area where flowers & vegetables grow in abundance. The sunflowers in my area are spectacular! My neighbours are preserving tomatoes with basil & garlic (I can smell it!) so the approach of autumn is in the air. The warm temperatures have made for spectacular late summer gardens so I was inspired to play with the Jar of Flowers Bundle from the Annual catalogue.

This card uses the stamp set only, stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink & coloured with Blends markers. I limited the colours choosing to highlight the Crushed Curry on the Moonlight Mist embossed mat. The Tasteful Texture 3D embossing folder gives the subtle look of burlap to the jar of late August blooms. The matte finish of the Moonlight Mist ribbon is the perfect embellishment.

This next card uses the matching Jar Punch as well as a mini Mason Jar to create a shaker card that mimics a water-filled jar of flowers.

Once again I used some Misty Moonlight cardstock - a lovely shade of blue that reminds me of soft denim. I guess this card takes me back to my flower-child days! (Hey, it was the 60's).

This stamp set includes bouquets of Spring, Summer & early Autumn flowers & comes with the original Jar Punch. What fun to create cards for all-season celebrations. It's lovely done in pastels as well. Here's some more inspiration.

Check out this beautiful suite of products HERE in my online store.

Enjoy this late summer harvest & create some cards to save the memory.

Be sure to comment with any questions or concerns & let me know how you are enjoying this fun bundle. 

Cheers,

Arlene

Beginner to Expert...

 One of the things that I love about paper crafting is how you can customize projects so that they suit your style & skill level. The Forever Greenery suite of products features distinctive stamp images, matching dies, patterned paper & embellishments to up the glam factor.

Here I've created three cards from simple to expert adding layers & embellishments to each card. I've always loved a clean & simple card so this first card lets the stamped images steal the show. Coordinating ink & paper give the simple stamping a clean look.

For the stepped up version I dry embossed the card front using the Tasteful Textile embossing folder, added some Just jade ribbon & embellished with Elegant Faceted Gems.

The last card takes things a tad over the top with lots of die-cutting, gold foil accents & layers. This diamond patterned embossing folder adds texture while the vellum & foil die-cuts add contrast.

The Gilded gems add- well -gilding! Subtle stamping on the sentiment label seems to add a finishing touch.

These coordinated suites inspire me. I'm sure that they will do the same for you.

Check out these products in my all-new online store. Hit the Shop Now tab to take you to my store & website.

Cheers,

Arlene