Today, I co-hosted my monthly Paper Pumpkin Procrastinators Party with Laura DuBois. This is the fourth time we’ve held a zoom gathering like this and they have been fun. The one good thing about committing to sharing this way is that it has kept us more disciplined in working on our Paper Pumpkin kits each month.

The July kit was filled with beautiful post cards, paper bags, vellum jars, colorful punch out images and gorgeous sparkly enamel stars. My initial reaction to this kit was positive because I thought the contents were pretty. However, when I saw the stamp set, I realized it was focused on creating fun summer party invitations. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t have a need for party invitations during this season! That doesn’t mean this kit was a waste of money, it just means that I had to find a creative way to make my own project designs using the colorful supplies this kit contained.

Today’s post will feature several of the alternative designs I created, plus a look at other projects that were demonstrated at this live virtual event.

Project number one is a card. I used a Night of Navy Card Base and added a 2 1/4 x 5 1/2 strip of Whisper White Card Stock to the front that was mounted on a piece of Brass Foil. I stamped the sparkler image in Night of Navy and as I stamped it, I twisted it on the card stock before lifting it up. I continued to stamp and twist my way all the way down the front panel of this card. This creates a “tie-die” look.

July 2020 Paper Pumpkin Alternative Card

I finished the card by making a focal point with one of the tags that came in the kit. I added a couple of circle punches and a stamped banner that I created with the Triple Banner Punch. I also added some fun star embellishments. The sentiment on this card is the same one I used on all my projects, “You Light Up My Life”. I used this stamp so often that I found myself humming the song by the same name, made popular by Debbie Boone, when I was a little girl.

Card number two looked like this.

This card started off as a 4 1/4 x 11 piece of Pool Party card stock. I scored it at 4 inches and 9 1/2 inches and folded the bottom up to form a pocket for a gift card. The white part that looks like a firework is actually one of the paper bags that comes in the kit. I cut the front of the bag into a 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 square around this punched out design. I then layered it onto a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 Brass Foil sheet and mounted it to the front of the card. The rest of the pieces on this card came from the kit and were attached with glue or dimensionals.

Card number three is next.

In this card design, I used one of the pretty postcards and glued it directly on to a folded Pool Party Card Base. I then wrapped a piece of Night of Navy Bakers Twine around a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 piece of Whisper White Card Stock and attached colorful punched out lanterns with dimensionals.

I think the pretty post cards were my favorite part of this kit. My first instinct was to fold them in half and create gift card holders with them.

Here is the first gift card I created.

This gift card is really simple. I folded the post card in half and added some of the images from the punch out sheets. On the ferris wheel, I punched out a second one of the same image using a 1 1/4 circle punch, so I could add some dimension to the center. I also fussy cut the words with Paper Snips.

The next gift card looked like this.

For this gift card, after folding the post card in half, I glued one of the large tags on the back to act as a latch to close it.

The inside of the card had a small pocket, just big enough for a gift card to slide inside. Did you notice how the front had the word, “you”? I fussy cut the sentiment and put the “you” on the front and the rest was a hidden message on the inside.

My final alternative project was this Gift Card holder below. Do you recognize that white and gold circle pattern? I got that by taking another paper bag and adhering it to the front of a Brass Foil Sheet that I had punched with the 2 1/4 Circle Punch. I then fussy cut around the edges to create a unique burst of color for the front of this project.

This card, as well as some of the others, had a “pop-up” mechanism on the inside. I created that by taking a 1 x 2.5 piece of Whisper White Card Stock and scoring it every 1/2 inch. Then I glued it to form a little rectangle open box and glued it inside the card to create a little open step that a gift card could be attached to.

I was happy that I could make so many alternative projects by just adding a few extra pieces of card stock and only using 2 of the stamps from this month’s kit.

One of the pieces I liked, but didn’t use in this month’s kit, was the Vellum Mason Jar. I thought it was cute and I loved how it was lined with gold. I was so exited when Laura did her demonstration because she showed a really fun way to use this piece to create a jar-shaped card.

July 2020 Paper Pumpkin Alternative by Laura DuBois

Laura is an amazing stamper and so creative. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the other cards she shared, as well as a sneak peek of the artist herself!

Laura and I created these gatherings to provide a way for members of our team to connect. We want our gatherings to be inspirational and to be a source of encouragement to all who attend.

Another fun thing that happened today ,was we got to watch Demonstrator Zeny Lucey do her first official live demonstration. Zeny did a great job. I laughed when she mentioned that if her Paper Pumpkin kit were a child, it would be ready for the first grade!! Yes, Zeny’s kit was 6 years old and she finally set aside the time to make this kit that she has been holding onto, and what she created was really amazing.

Zeny showed how to take two of the boxes that came in that kit and glue them together to form a treat holder. Isn’t this a fun idea? Since Zeny is the queen of boxes and treats, this was the perfect project for her to share.

We got great feedback on today’s event and it gave us the opportunity to share about another big event we are having at the end of the month. It is called, “THE STAMPERS SHOWCASE”. This is a virtual event where you will see 6 live demonstrations, enjoy a showcase Luau (mystery stamping session), as well as participate in a showcase showdown (game). There will be lots of prizes given and all participants will receive a minimum of 12 PDF tutorials. Here is a flyer for the event and how you can register.

The Stampers Showcase - Registration is Open Now.

If you are a downline or customer of Berdina, Zeny, Laura, Jodi or Norine, contact them for their registration links.

Here is how you can register under me.

Pay for this event via PayPal by clicking HERE.

Then, register via ZOOM by clicking HERE.

Registration for this event closes August 29th, 2020.

I am so appreciative to Laura and Zeny for being a part of today’s live event. When we gathered today, we talked about “positive” things that have happened in our life this summer. Right now, it’s really easy to focus on negative things. However, I believe the more you focus on things you are grateful for, the better you will feel. I used to talk to Laura a few times a month and I’d stamp with Zeny in person once a week. Over the summer, we’ve been meeting virtually almost daily, while we work in our craft rooms. It has been wonderful to uplift one another during this challenging season. These two truly do LIGHT UP MY LIFE and I am so grateful for the gift of their love and friendship.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about today’s virtual event and that you will consider attending our Stampers Showcase at the end of this month.

With love and stamped blessings,

Cindy

You Light Up My Life (July 2020 Paper Pumpkin Alternatives)

Stamped With Aloha

You Light Up My Life (July 2020 Paper Pumpkin Alternatives)

The Coconut Bra

The Cookie and Card Collaboration

Stamped With Aloha