Monday, February 22, 2016

Paper Pumpkin February 2016: Hello Sunshine

Hello Sunshine INDEED! Don't hate me, but the weather here has been GORGEOUS!!! I'm DEFINITELY in the mood for a little springtime creating. I'm even this close to breaking out my shorts, but first I need some self-tanner on these glow-in-the-dark legs of mine! (Redhead curse) 

I was so excited to get my Paper Pumpkin kit on Friday! This kit is SO fun! The stamps are so versatile. Such a cute font with some GREAT sentiments! I think almost every occasion is covered with this one!

My plan was to put all the cards together following the instructions. But, my sheet of leaf stickers wasn't working. :( (It's ok, I called Stampin' Up! and they're sending me a new kit!!! Best customer service EVAH!!!) So I settled for stamping all the sentiments on the precut banners and made 2 fun birthday cards! (P.S. I LOVE the fun envelopes that came in the kit! I'm going to start making ALL my envelopes that pretty!!!)


 I just added a bit of sponging around the banners with Watermelon Wonder and Mint Macaron.


The sentiments from the new Grateful Bunch stamp set coordinate PERFECTLY for the inside of the card! I also used the flower stamps from the Paper Pumpkin set to dress up the inside.


Maybe while I'm waiting for my replacement kit to arrive, I'll play around with the pieces I have and get a little creative. Sometimes you're in the mood to just MAKE something without having to use your brain (a.k.a. follow the instructions) and sometimes you're in the mood to mix it up a little. I love Paper Pumpkin for both those reasons! It's perfect for whatever kind of creative fix you need.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Paper Pumpkin December 2015: One Great Year - January 2016: Cute Conversations

December is always a crazy month, so why did I make it crazier by planning a 1500 mile roadtrip??? Cuz I'm crazy. That's why. I still have projects to catch up on, and decorations to put away. Yep. They're sitting in a corner in the disaster area otherwise known as the playroom, which SHOULD be called the "storage room" since there is no room to play and the toys of choice usually end up downstairs where there's room to play. It's always my last room to clean in the house, because let's be honest...A) the effort is in vain and B) PRIORITIES.

Yes, priorities.



Spending Christmas and New Year's with Anya & Bampa. THIS is why we spent a week driving. (4 days there, 2 or 3 back) And yes, I realize flying would have been less exhausting, but waaaay more expensive (especially when you take into account that we would have had to pay for about a million suitcases. Christmas = STUFF). Anyway,  more on that trip in a later post once I get that mini project life album done! (Hopefully sometime before next Christmas!!!)

Alas, with all the festivities, my Paper Pumpkin has taken a backseat. In fact, I think I did bring it along in the backseat... and never got around to playing with it. Until now. Well, I still haven't put December's kit together, but the kids had fun making their own creative Valentine's with January's kit.







It was so much fun watching them grin as they made special Valentine's for each person in our family. Normally, I would have been cringing as they smudged that ink or glued that embellishment in the "wrong" spot, but this time I let go and enjoyed the memories being made. Because, hey, priorities. There's also the fact that my yearly theme happens to be Let Go...well it's more than that. It can only be explained by a picture:

 or two.

I'm pretty sure I gasped so loud that I stopped breathing for a minute when I first saw this. Love it. It represents so much. It reminds me that I'm not just letting go, I'm putting my faith in God. The creator of mountains and oceans created me and is aware of me. He will work wonders if I will stand back and LET him take control. I can't wait to see where we will go.



Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Bonjour Birthday Girl!

Remember that one time I said I was going to make a big stack of birthday cards from the It's My Party DSP stack so I'd never send a late card again? Yeah...it hasn't happened yet, so this card is late! But it's CLOSE! I'm sending it to my awesome Mom ON her birthday. (And she loves me just the way I am, so she won't mind that it's late. Anyway, it'll still be her birthday week, so technically it's not late. Right?)


Oh Sale-a-Bration how we LOVE you!!!! The beautiful Wildflower Fields paper (AND the stamps were free products from this years Sale-a-Bration! Technically, it's two different stamp sets because I got it in both English and French. Even my non-French speaking friends and family understand a few words like bonjour or merci, so I like to get both languages just for fun. :) 

I stamped in Versamark and embossed in gold. (Yes I'm obsessed.) I thought the vellum was perfect for highlighting "bonjour" and not hiding all that beautiful paper! Cuz if I'm gonna cut into that gorgeous stuff, I am NOT hiding it! haha!

I added a few fun flowers with the new blossom bunch punch to soften it just a little and added a metal rimmed pearl to the center of each one.


The inside is also embossed with a great sentiment from the Watercolor Wishes set. (What else do you say to the best Mom in the world???) I love that script/brush lettering! And even better that it's not EXACTLY like the lettering on the front. Definitely gives it more of a handmade feel. :)


Maybe I'll make a stack of these without the birthday sentiments to have on hand for every occasion. (After I get that stack of birthday cards ready...of course.) It's a great layout to use with all different kinds of DSP!




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Thursday, February 4, 2016

What's a Birthday Without CAKE???

I love, love, LOVE the new It's My Party collection from Stampin' Up! My goal is to use it all up and make a STASH of birthday cards so I'll never send one late again! The colors work for anyone. You can make it super girly with the melon mambo, or use the mint macaron or delightful dijon for a more masculine touch. I made this one for my younger brother who was turning 35. Dang. That sounds so old!

I FINALLY got to use that cute party hat in the hostess set Silhouettes and Scripts from the annual catalog. The new bakers twine makes a cute pom-pom topper.


The front was pretty simple, so I made sure to carry the design to the inside of the card.



LOVE the new Wink of Stella brushes! Just brush it directly on your stamp and you've got some sparkle! (This was the gold pen.)



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