Monday 30 March 2020

Advance Notice



This beautiful suite of products will be available to pre-order from the brand new 2020-21 catalogue! It is a gorgeous collection of coordinating products including two stamp & die bundles an embossing folder & matching DSP, ribbon & embellishments. As a demonstrator I got to order it all & it arrived on Friday.

Over the next week I will be featuring cards made from this suite. Here's my first.


I love the look of Mint Macaron & copper embossing. It gives a vintage look that looks pretty classy with not too much effort! The Ornate Style stamp set has beautiful daisy (or maybe aster) images & the dies are well - to die for. There are border dies & tiny flower dies as well as rectangular layers & frames . The embossed background is made using the Ornate Floral 3D embossing folder which is then embossed in a random fashion with copper embossing powder. The sentiment is from the gorgeous scripty stamp set Ornate Thanks, an all sentiment set.



Stay tuned for more cards using this suite - I just can't stop creating with it!

Thanks for popping by!

Wednesday 25 March 2020

So Appropriate

The March Paper Pumpkin kit is so appropriate for these trying times. With it's message that "we're in this together" it has provided a creative way to reach out to all my family & friends.


The kit comes with materials for 12 note cards with matching envelopes. Made as-is they're perfect - well almost perfect! It wouldn't be Paper Pumpkin if it didn't inspire my P.P. Peeps & me to take these designs & run with them!

With all this time on my hands I set to creating alternatives with all the products in the kit. Usually my Paper Pumpkin subscribers & I get together to assemble our kits  & create alternative designs by thinking outside the (Paper Pumpkin) box. Well these are not usual times. I am posting pictures of my alternatives here & tonight my P.P. Peeps & I will connect "virtually" to share the fun.

This month's kit marks the seventh birthday of Paper Pumpkin so we all got a present! There's a bonus stamp set (so TWO stamp sets) in the box & it's a beauty. It has images of boots & bunnies, flowers & grasses & a welcoming door adorned with greenery.

Since I prefer full size A2 cards I got busy cutting up some of the cards & envelopes to create matted images with wonderful sentiments. Here's a couple that I made with the bonus stamp.



I was in need of "happy new home" cards so these were perfect!

This awful world-wide Covid-19 virus is heartbreaking & sad. I really wanted to spread a little joy so I was delighted to have a perfect message for my friends & family.



The cute Miss Your Face sentiment is from the Tags in Bloom stamp set available free with a $120 order here in Canada. It arrived the same day as my P.P. kit so I took that as a message - these stamps were meant for each other! The cute green card was designed by Debbie Henderson, an American demonstrator & Paper Pumpkin Designer Extraordinaire. The sentiment from the kit just says it all, don't you think? It uses Call Me Clover cardstock - a lovely vivid green - along with the yellow striped envelope liner cut as an accent mat. Some Happiness Blooms Enamel dots add an embellishment.

Here are a few more alternatives using the kit materials with cardstock & sentiments from previous kits. It's such fun to build a supply of stamps, die-cuts & embellishments to keep the happiness going with more creations.




I hope that you are all staying in & staying safe. For me, creative endeavors ease the boredom of isolation. It also gives me an opportunity to send some cheer to those around me. Send those cards, people & share the joy!

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check out Paper Pumpkin in my online store. 

Cheers,
Arlene






Sunday 15 March 2020

"Custom" Vellum


While checking out the new Sale-A-Bration freebies as well as the current "social distancing" protocols I decided to dig through my stash & customize my Perennial Vellum cardstock from the Annual catty. I absolutely love the embossed vellum featured in the SAB brochure (free with a $60 purchase here in Canada) but decided to emboss the vellum that I had on hand. I rounded up my embossing folder collection...


and went to town with my leftover vellum.


I started on some Easter cards using the Inspiring Iris stamp set using Easter colours like Petal Pink. Highland Heather & So saffron. I love how the two-step stamping makes me look like a water colour expert (which I am NOT).

I used the Ornate Frames dies to crop the sentiment (from a retired stamp set) & trimmed with white Baker's Twine & Gingham Gala adhesive backed sequins.

Check out my creations then choose your embossing folders & away you go!







Since we'll all be limiting social contact in the coming weeks why not use the time to do some crafting. make some cards & send them off to cheer those around you. In these difficult times we could all use some cheer!

Stay well my friends & share your creative joy!