Fun with Paper Pumpkin

Just before we moved, I got my July Paper Pumpkin kit in the mail.  I opened it up, got really excited because it had fantastic goodies to make birthday cards, and promptly packed it away.  My MIL, a new Paper Pumpkin subscriber visited the following week on her way home from vacation, and I wanted to show her the excitement that awaited her, but couldn't even figure out which box this was in!

For those of you who don't know, My Paper Pumpkin is Stampin' Up!'s relatively new monthly subscription service, and I think it's the perfect way to start stamping.  For $20 a month, which includes shipping, you get a great surprise kit that includes everything you need for a fabulous project, start to finish.  The kits are designed to take about 30 minutes, so it's a great breather from daily concerns.  Plus, you'll have some things left over--like ink, and stamps--to keep your creativity flowing and start building your crafting collection.  Sign up now!

Needless to say, I had this waiting for me after we unpacked, and it was a great treat to sit down and make a stack of birthday cards with it last week.  I started off simple with the first card, which used all elements from the kit and no extras.  Then I got out my Hearts & Stars decorative mask to make the second card.  I love it!

Why stop there?  I hadn't inked the Bright & Beautiful set from the Holiday catalog yet.  So out it came, with some Blackberry Bliss, for this fun card.  While I liked the little stars, I really wanted to try out the gorgeous big ones...

So I did.  I also added some of the All is Calm washi tape, since the colors match perfectly.  The lower band of silver stripes is from the Paper Pumpkin, but the Soft Sky dots are the washi tape.

And then I went a little washi crazy.  I also got out my stars framelits to crop the smallest star from the taped strips, and put one in for a different look just by taping the back of it.

I like each of these cards so much, and they all started simply with My Paper Pumpkin!  But I can't decide which one to use first...  What's your favorite?

Cheers!

~Melanie

My Paper Pumpkin: July 2014

Extras: All is Calm designer washi tape, Hearts & Stars decorative mask, Bright and Beautiful

Bag Tags

Getting away from cards for a second so I can share these great gift tags.  Stampin' Up! punches make these tags easy to make (or mass produce) and they'll add a fun touch to any gifts you give.  For these, I used the new stamp set About the Label which has one of my favorite things--coordinating punches!  So I stamped my little gift bags, then choose coordinating colors for the "hb2u" labels.

Does anyone use HB2U?  I easily figured out what it meant, but hadn't seen that text shortcut before.  The labels are punched and popped up on dimmensionals for a 3D effect.

Also, a short cut in your own tag making--I decided that I like the size on the right best.  It started off as a 2x3 inch piece of card stock.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: About the Label
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Blackberry Bliss, Calypso Coral
Paper: Whisper White
Extras: Little Labels Punch Pack, Scalloped Tag Topper punch, Dimmensionals

You're how old?

We all know that cards for guys are hard...and they get even harder as the guys get older!  I had to make two this past weekend and didn't know what to do, until I remembered my Calling All Heroes stamp set. This is one of Stampin' Up's special photopolymer offerings (you won't find it in the catalog) and it's AWESOME!!!

I'm especially a fan of that dotty sky and the cityscape, but the comic letters are what takes the set over the top--endless possibilities!

I mean, how perfect for a funny inside?  I also thought about "I'd wear a mask too" but I was running out of time. 

I'm going to have lots of fun with this set!

Cheers!

~Melanie

I Mustache You A Question...

Aren't these simply ADORABLE???

If you haven't gotten on the My Digital Studio (MDS) band wagon, what are you waiting for?!?!  And there's a 30-day FREE TRIAL.  So much cheaper, easier and more space-saving than traditional stamps, paper, ink, punches, and embellishments.  With the 'Many Mustaches' download it was easy to create these cuties.  And I can just change a few of the colors for a totally different look.    

For the client, Jenny, I made a few samples for her to choose from.  Instead of spending all that time to cut, glue, punch and measure card stock, I was able to click together a 4 samples in almost no time.  Once I had all the samples made, I emailed them to her to decide and then just took into account any of her minor edits.  She chose the invite on the bottom left & wanted me to incorporate blue & green for her party color theme.  Done & done!

Happy MDS card-making!

~Kiran

A Minnie Mouse Birthday!

For a niece's 1st birthday, I was happy to take on the Minnie Mouse challenge.  =)  Ayushi's one-year milestone was a black, white, and pink-polka dot fete fit for a beautiful little mousey!  Check out the invites, thank you cards, cupcake toppers I made with punches.  This is just another testament to how much [more than cards] you can make with just your punches!  Get them & get them in various sizes.  The trusty Big Shot can create the name banner & large round circles for the invites.  And, the fuzzy cake topper and table center pieces were fun craft projects in glitter & pom-poms.  Enjoy the photos & I hope this gets you inspired to use your Big Shot & punches for projects other than just cards.  

The perfect invites: 

 The pom-pom & rhinestone cake topper: (it's a keeper!)

Styrofoam w/black glitter table center pieces:

Ayushi's glitter name banner:

Cupcake toppers:

Heat embossed TY Cards: 

Happy [crafting] & stamping!
~Kiran

Happy Birthday America!

Since it's the 4th, and I have a birthday card to share, why not wish our country a happy birthday?  Sorry for my absence--I've been on vacation in VT and NY, and what a great vacation it was!  Kiran joined me, and she had her first experience at the Loft, aka Stamping Heaven.  It was wonderful!  Plus there were beautiful views, fantastic fireworks, great friends and great food.  Hip hip hooray for summer!

This card is a great and easy summer birthday card that is monochromatic (that's for you, Mary Kay) and features one of my favorite sets, Mixed Bunch.  You don't even need to punch the flowers out for them to look fantastic!  The sentiment is from a retired hostess set, but it's one that will never go out of style.

Have a happy, fun and safe 4th of July!
~Melanie

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Warmest Regards
Ink: Island Indigo
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Island Indigo

Sweet & Simple

Simple can also be stunning, which was my reaction to this birthday card when I finished making it.  I just love this big burst of a flower from Betsy's Blossoms; it's a definite pop of fun.

I used some of the new In-Colors here: Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, and Gumball Green.  And I still love the banners for just about anything--thank you, Framelits, for making it easy!  I may have to mass produce this card, so that I'll have some on hand for a change...

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Primrose Petals, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse
Paper: Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Pool Party
Extras: Bitty Banners framelits, Big Shot, Scallop Trim Border punch, Scallop Trim Corner punch

Bazaar Birthday

Happy Friday!  I hope you're excited for the weekend, and that maybe you'll fit in a little stamping fun. I hope to!

The inspiration for this card came from a sample on Stampin' Connection, a site for demonstrators to share ideas, questions, tips and--of course--their creations.  This constant font of inspiration is one of many perks of being a demonstrator, even if you're only in it for a discount on your hobby--let me know if you're interested.  The original was made by Maree Streeter of Inky Moose using Betsy's Blossoms and the Floral District DSP.  Of course, since I'm on an International Bazaar kick, I altered the stamps, colors and paper to fit my project.

The medallion in the back is from Daydream Medallions, and I think I could even have used the larger medallion to give it that happy, sunshine feel.  My paper strips, which are the PERFECT way to use up scraps, are .75x1.5 inches, and I just played around with where to lay them.  I think this is a great, fun and cheery birthday card and I think I'll return to this layout often.

And finally, some BLOG CANDY to celebrate 10,000 visitors and thank you for sticking around, even through our long hiatus.  Leave a comment on this post with your favorite card from our blog, and we'll enter your name in a drawing for all 3 of this week's cards, plus a few extra fun things.  We'll accept entries through next Friday, June 29, and announce the winner on July 2. Good luck!

Happy, happy Friday!
~Melanie

Stamps: Daydream Medallions, Curly Cute
Ink: Daffodil Delight
Paper: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, International Bazaar DSP

Bright Beautiful Birthday!

My first order from the new catalog is here, and isn't it fun?  Here's a great birthday homage to Kiran's and my favorite colors--green and purple in shades of Lucky Limeade and Rich Razzleberry.  For this card, I used some of my favorite things from the new catalog--the Summer Smooches DSP and the Fancy Fan embossing folder.  Before I got a closer look at them both, I had no idea that the pattern in the Summer Smooches paper is the fancy fan shape.

This card features the Blossom Punch, which I've had but not used enough, and the finishing touch was cutting out the sentiment using my Paper Snips.  It takes a few minutes, but packs the perfect punch with Perfectly Penned.

Stay tuned--I have big plans for this box of goodies!
~Melanie

Stamps: Perfectly Penned
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Summer Smooches DSP
Extras: Blossom Punch, Wide Oval Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Brights Designer Buttons, Big Shot, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Paper Snips, Little Leaves sizzlit

Button Birthday

Here's a bright and sunny birthday card for your Wednesday.  It's another CASE from the 11-12 Idea Book and Catalog (the catalogs are full of great ideas that will always be current, even when the stamps retire).  I'm behind on a few birthdays, so I have more than a few of these to get in the mail.

Surprise!  Looking at the samples in the catalog, I thought these cards were 3x3--but they're 4x4, which means there is plenty of room to write something special inside.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Whisper White
Extras: Brights & Subtles Designer Buttons, Linen Thread

Summer in December? Why not?!?

Sorry this blog post is a little late.  Tis the season for family and I have 19 coming over so there's lots going on!  =)

I thought I'd bring a little warmth to the blog with these summer invites I made.  These were so fun to make for a friend as she planned and hosted her mom's surprise 60th birthday.  The party was at a shore house so the seashell stamp set (retired) and the color combo was perfect to reflect the sand and the water.

I printed everything first, making sure to measure the size of the punch and leaving that amount at the top of the page.  Then I stamped the large conch shell and punched the sand dollar (non-SU).

I stamped the crumb cake envelopes to match and voila!  =)

Stamps: Seaside Beach
Paper: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake
Other: non-SU punch

Happy Stamping!
~Kiran

Today's bingo piece is: the present!  Good Luck!

Birthday Greetings

If there's one thing I never have enough of, it's birthday cards.  You'd think that since I make my own cards, I would never run into that shortage, but I do!  So it's always good to have some on hand, or even better, to design a simple card that's easy to replicate--and that's exactly the motivation behind this card.

Simple can also be stunning, which is my personal opinion of this card...probably because I always love the classy look of red, black and white.  In this case, I started with a base of Cherry Cobbler--a deep, rich shade of red--and prepped it for embossing.

Since many of you may be reading about embossing for the first time, I'm going to slow down and take you through the process--one of my very favorite stamping techniques--step by step.  On this card, "Happy Birthday" is embossed using black embossing powder.  This literally is a powder that you dust over your stamped image, then apply heat to melt the powder so that it flows together, creating a continuous image that is raised off the paper (and caught the light in this photo, so you can see some of the dimension).

1. In order to emboss, you have to use a sticky ink called Versamark on your stamp.  But since the oils from your fingers could also hold the embossing powder to the paper, the very first step of embossing is to rub your embossing buddy all over the card stock.  Similar to chalking your fingers for bowling, the embossing buddy ensures that the powder won't stick where it doesn't belong.
2. Next up, ink your stamp with VersaMark, then stamp on the paper.  [Pretty easy, isn't it?]
3. Move your paper over a Paper Pals tray (to catch excess powder), then liberally pour the black embossing powder over your inked area.  Dump excess powder into the Powder Pals (you can put it back in your jar of embossing powder later).
4. MOVE YOUR CARD AWAY FROM THE POWDER PALS AND JAR OF EMBOSSING POWDER!!!  I can't stress this enough--you don't want to melt all of your embossing powder, just what's on your card.  (Wondering how I know this??)
5. Using your heat tool, move the jet of warm air back and forth over the area with the embossing powder on your card.  After a few seconds, you will see a dramatic transformation as the powder melts and begins to flow.  [When I use silver, this always makes me think of the bad robot from the future in Terminator 2]  Shut off the stream of heat as soon as all your powder flows.  TIP: Put a piece of aluminum foil under your card stock before applying heat--this will help to distribute the heat evenly, and keep your card from warping.

These five steps probably take about two minutes total from start to finish--and that's because I keep moving around my table, rather than just moving things out of the way.  Once I had my sentiment in place, I merely added a strip of designer series paper from Timeless Portrait.  My finishing touch, because Cherry Cobbler is a darker card stock, was to add a liner of Whisper White to the inside of the card for writing my message.

[Want to see more embossing?  I thought you would.  Here are a few samples/favorites from the archive--Silver Silverware, Pops of Color, Polished Pewter, Gold Medallion.  Of course, you could also check out the entry for Dec 1, which was an embossing double feature as I choose between the Cherry Cobbler embossed ornaments and the silver snowflakes for this year's holiday card--did you tell me which you prefer?]

And I made a whole stack of these, so I'll be ready for the next few birthdays in my calendar.  I learned yesterday that this is a very busy birthday month, so it looks like I might need to make even more!  Would you like to get this card for your birthday?  Let me know...it could happen.  :)  And make sure you mark the star on your bingo card today.

Happy Friday!

~Melanie

Stamps: Perfectly Penned

Ink: VersaMark

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Timeless Portrait DSP

Extras: Embossing Buddy, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Powder Pals, aluminum foil

Balancing Elephants

Yesterday was my sister's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKIE!) and she should have gotten this bright and cheery card in the mail.  Jackie is a big fan of elephants, so I just had to use the great Big Top Birthday DSP, which has this elephant balancing on a ball.  I wasn't a huge fan of the clown next to the elephant--I thought that might make the card a little too young--so I used my paper snips to cut out the elephant.  He's ready for a solo show.  :)

The patterned pieces are also from Big Top Birthday.  I really love the bright colors and fun patterns.  I lined them up on a Peach Parfait base, and my finishing touch is the Curly Cute sentiment.  I hope this makes you smile as much as it does me!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Peach Parfait, Big Top Birthday DSP
Extras: Paper Snips

Birthday Daisies

Some birthdays snuck up on me over the weekend, so I needed to make some great cards asap.  That was entirely doable and really fun, thanks to Upsy Daisy!  For this card, I used the Color Coach to locate a great combination of Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo and Baja Breeze.  This is going in the mail to a real teal lover, so I'm sure she'll appreciate the touches of Indigo...and I know I'll be using this combo again!

The card was very simple, just a little cutting, stamping and punching, then I was done.  The Whisper White piece is 2-1/4x3-1/3, and I cut the Island Indigo to give a 1/4" frame all around.  I used the Modern Label Punch for my sentiment, then framed that with a Designer Label Punch.  That's all folks!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Island Indigo
Paper: Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Extras: Modern Label punch, Designer Label punch

More Birthday Mojo

Sometimes it's better to go simpler, and that was exactly what I did with this take on Mojo Monday 194. I actually started with the same layout that inspired yesterday's card, but when I got part way through, I realized that I didn't want to cover up the contrasting circles, so I saved myself lots of steps and paper.  I'm really happy with the result, which I think I could easily mass produce to address my current lack of birthday cards.

Each strip is 1" by 4" long, and I used the 1" circle punch.  The colors are Marina Mist and Perfect Plum, and my finishing touch is the sentiment from Curly Cute, inked in Marina Mist.  So quick and easy!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Marina Mist
Paper: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum
Extras: 1" Circle punch

Birthday Mojo

I'm a huge fan of this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #194, and that was my launching point for this card. Engraved Greetings is also on the retiring list, which means we bid farewell to this great stamp set in a few short week.  Since I've recently been caught unprepared for a couple birthdays, I decided to put this stamp through its paces and stock up on some birthday cards.

I started by making the medallion, and then had to flip the sketch because the medallion took up too much space horizontally.  I inked my stamp in Pacific Point and stamped on Whisper White, then used my 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch to cut out the sentiment.  I punched a second scallop from Pacific Point and adhered the two to create the offset look, and then got out my Circle Scissors Plus and Glass Cutting Mat to quickly create a 2-1/2" circle of Rich Razzleberry.  A little ribbon and my medallion was all set.

Next up were the stripes on the card base, which are 3/4" strips of Pacific Point evenly spaced (hint: lay out 7 strips, and then adhere only those you need.  Remover the others for perfect spacing!)  Instead of the card sketch's big scallops, I used the scalloped edge punch on both sides of a strip of Rich Razzleberry, and then layered a piece of Pacific Point punched with the Dotted Ribbon punch.  My finishing touch was a row of Basic Rhinestones, because what birthday card doesn't need a little bling?

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Engraved Greetings
Ink: Pacific Point
Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry
Extras: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Scallop Edge punch,  Dotted Ribbon punch, Basic Rhinestones, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Cutting Mat, Whisper White 5/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Summer Mini Sneak Peek

Finally, I make good on my promises!  Here is my first sneak peek from the Summer Mini, which goes live this coming Sunday, May 1st.  May 1 is always a great day in my book, and this just makes it even better.

I received my sneak peek goodies two weeks ago, but hadn't had any time to play with them.  Then I saw a fantastic card on Angela McKay's blog that inspired me to get started.  Of course, hours passed between the time I saw her card (on my morning commute) and when I made my own version (late in the evening), so this isn't an exact replica, but I like it anyway.

The sneak peek is a new punch--and you know how I love punches!  This one is extra spectacular, since it is a 3-in-1 punch that cut all of the shapes you see on the card.  That's right, the flower outline, the solid flowers (2 sizes!) and the petaled flowers all came from a single punch.  All these shapes offer great options for layering, but also work wonderfully for the embedded technique seen here, that uses the Big Shot and Square Lattice embossing folder.

The other elements of this card are also new to me, though they've been available for quite a while.  The banner shape for my message is from the Petal Cone die in the Occasions Mini (did you catch that on page 15?) and the fantastic "happy birthday" comes from Curly Cute, a set I've wished for ever since the Idea Book and Catalog was released last summer.  So glad I finally ordered it--I'm going to get lots of use out of this great set!

So that's your first sneak peek, but there are plenty more great treats in store.  Stay tuned!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Extras: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Big Shot, Petal Cone die, Square Lattice embossing folder

Graphic Birthday

Obviously I'm still having great fun with Engraved Greetings--what a great freebie stamp!  This time, I used my markers to create contrast colors on the stamp image, going with Poppy Parade and Basic Gray.    I used the striped paper from the Designer Series Pack (Hostess Level 1), and turned a piece to create the zig zag through the middle--such a simple way to create a new pattern.

To build my birthday card stock, I also made this card in peacock colors, Garden Green and Concord Crush...just perfect for Kiran, if I still have this card on hand when her birthday rolls around.  The colors aren't true in this photo, but the card definitely pops in person.  To make a double zig zag, I merely cut my contrasting piece of paper in half.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Card 1
Stamps: Engraved Greetings
Ink: Poppy Parade, Basic Gray
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Designer Series Patterns Pack (Poppy Parade)

Card 2
Stamps: Engraved Greetings
Ink: Garden Green, Concord Crush
Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White, Designer Series Patterns Pack (Concord Crush)

Birthday Revealed

I've been having a great time with the FREE stamp set Engraved Greetings, and today's card is another much needed birthday card for my stash.  It seems that, no matter how many cards I make, I never have birthday cards when I need them!  This is actually a very simple card to make, and I like the burst through look of the sentiment...makes me think of Superman.  Haha!

The colors here are Basic Gray and Poppy Parade, with Whisper White for the background of the sentiment.  I used the Designer Series In Color paper pack, a hostess freebie, for a sharp graphic look that would coordinate with the sentiment's color and style.  I cut the paper into for rectangles of 2" by 2-5/8"and placed them at even intervals on the 4-1/4" by 5-1/2" base.  For the burst of birthday cheer, I merely folded back the middle corners and adhered them with snail.  Easy and fun!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Engraved Greetings
Ink: Poppy Parade
Paper: Basic Gray, Designer Series In Color Pack (Poppy Parade)

Sale-A-Brate Birthdays!

It's the last day of February, and that means that there is only one month left for Sale-A-Bration.  What are you waiting for?  With every $50 you spend, you can get fantastic stamps and accessories FOR FREE!

For today's card, I used the first set I wanted for sale-a-bration, Engraved Greetings.  I loved this set when I first saw it in the Idea Book and Catalog last summer, but thought "I have enough birthday sentiments."  Free always trumps enough!  For this card, I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment in Rich Razzleberry onto Very Vanilla, then used the Ticket Corner punch before mounting that onto a piece of Rich Razzleberry.  I wanted to have perfect corners for a little birthday bling, thanks to Basic Rhinestones.

The base of the card is Melon Mambo.  To have a full trio of rich, bright colors, I used my Circle Scissors Plus and Glass Mat to cut a 3" circle of Pacific Point, then embossed that using the Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  I thought my card needed just a little something more, so my final touch is a strip of Basic Grey that I punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch.  I'm ready to sale-a-brate some birthdays now.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Engraved Greetings
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Basic Gray
Extras: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Ticket Corner punch, Basic Rhinestones