Family First

My April Paper Pumpkin kit arrived last week & it's all about family. How perfect in this time of isolation that we get to celebrate those so dear to us. I loved the stamps but to be honest the colours in the kit were not my favourites. So....I decided to redesign the cards using materials in the kit plus ink spots & stamps from previous kits. 

Here's a parade of alternatives.

With the current pandemic situation, my P.P. Peeps & I were unable to meet in person so we did a virtual part via Zoom. It was so good to see everyone & share my designs with them We all worked together & made the four cards above.

Here are a couple more cards for inspiration - designs by Mary Fish & Shel Anderson.

Next month's kit promises a sneak peak at some new 2020-2022 In-colours - I cannot wait.  

Subscribe to Paper Pumpkin with me as your demonstrator & get free classes! Check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to sign up by May 11 to receive this colourful kit!

Can't leave it alone.....

Full disclosure: I rarely buy full suites of product from the catalog but this Ornate Garden Suite really caught my eye. Although I often mix & match stamp sets, sentiments & paper this whole collection just blows me away! There is a sentiment set, an image set , fabulous dies for layers & borders not to mention ribbon & embellishments to add the finishing touch. Used all together the cards are layered & well, ornate (just like the name says). But by toning down the layers, adding just a strip of the gorgeous DSP & keeping the message simple suddenly the result is refined & elegant.

The colours of the DSP are rich & bright but by drawing from the paler shades the result is actually quite subdued. Here's a softer version made by sponging pale pink onto the gold & white DSP. Thanks to Leena Girsa for the design.

One of the colours in the Designer Series paper is called "Bumblebee" & since I know of no such colour I can only assume that this is to be one of the new In-Colours debuting in May.

Here's another card, keeping it pale once again by using Mint Macaron, a pastel mint colour & adding ethereal flowers cut from coloured vellum. These little floral dies are included in the Ornate  Border Dies.

This cute border die is stunning & the tiny stems are the cut out scraps from the die. I added some pearls to up the glam factor making a sweet card for the Moms that you'd like to celebrate.

The borders cut from white & combined with a darker shade of cardstock highlight the patterns. 

There are five border dies in the set that are stunning on their own but also make cute trim accents for sentiments.

This stunning Ornate Garden Suite will be featured in the new 2020-21 catalog coming out June 3rd but it can be ordered now - a little preview treat!

Be sure to check out this entire suite in my online store.

Spring Elegance

 How pretty is this? While I love the DSP included in the Ornate Garden Suite, I really felt that this stunning stamp needed some delicate colour to herald Spring. In these trying times it was a treat to spend an afternoon focused on beautiful colours & stunning imagery.

I stamped the image in VersaMark ink onto Whisper White Thick cardstock & heat embossed with gold embossing powder. This provides a slightly raised outline to make colouring easier.

After "fussy-cutting" the image, I used my Blends markers to colour the leaves & flowers. I kept the colours pale using Pool Party, Balmy Blue & Highland Heather. A touch of Soft Seafoam on the leaves keeps the pastel theme going.

The ornate dies from this suite provide borders & rectangles that mimic handmade lace. The Mint Macaron & gold DSP makes a subtle background layer underneath the Whisper White "doily" - also cut with an ornate die.

This elegant suite of products will be in the new 2020-21 catalog & is available to order now. Check out the details in my online store.