Sending Hearts: More Alternative Projects

It's after Valentine's Day, I know. But I wanted to share the rest of the projects I made with January's Paper Pumpkin kit, Sending Hearts, and the Little Love Boxes Add-On. And let's be honest, sometimes things get done last minute in my world, and I ran out of time to share these last week. 

First up, this is what I did for my kids' teachers. I bought them each a box of chocolates, and then fancied up the top of the box. I only snapped a photo of one of them - but you'll get the idea.

 

I used the stamp set from the Sending Hearts kit to stamp the XOXO on the background. The heart stamp is from the Snailed It stamp set. I used the Many Hearts Dies, the Playful Alphabet Dies, and the Snail Dies to cut that cute snail out of the Snail Mail DSP. The ribbon is leftover from the August-December Mini Catalog, but the red worked perfectly for Valentine's Day! The box was finished off with some of the heart embellishments from the Sending Hearts kit.

Next up, I made matchbox holders for the valentines my kids handed out to their friends. We picked up a large box of heart-shaped fruit snacks at Aldi (side note: I am super excited that we just got this store here in Arizona!) for them to hand out.

 

I used the little die-cut snails from the Little Love Boxes Add-On to decorate, and a stamp from the kit for the sentiment. So cute! I punched a heart out of the Snail Mail DSP with the Heart Punch Pack, and the stitched white piece is from the Snail Dies. We made Petal Pink holders for the girls and Pool Party holders for the boys. When I ran out of snail die-cuts, I used the stamp from the kit to stamp some more and colored with Stampin' Blends Markers, then fussy cut. I used up that Real Red Sheer Ribbon, then used up another red ribbon from the holidays, and finally finished up a few with the current Pool Party Sheer Ribbon. Again, I didn't get photos of everything, but here are a few more.

 

Finally, I used some of the Little Love Boxes as treat holders for the rest of the teachers at my kids' school. We put two Reese's hearts or two Hershey's strawberry creme hearts inside of each one.

 

I used Purple Posy cardstock for a belly band and the scalloped heart in the background. My first plan was to use Magenta Madness for the whole thing, but that has been my favorite color recently, and I was all out of Magenta Madness cardstock! The stamp is from the Heartfelt stamp set - my favorite set for Valentine's Day this year. 

 

Even though Valentine's Day has passed, I hope you enjoyed these projects! I'll have one more card to share with you this week that I made my husband for Valentine's Day, so make sure to check back!

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

January 2021 Paper Pumpkin: Sending Hearts

One of my goals this year is to get my Paper Pumpkin kits put together every month. I so love getting these boxes in the mail every month, but after my second son was born (over five YEARS ago!), I got a little behind. I've put them together here and there, but I have a pile of boxes. Some half done, some brand new, some fully done with the cards still sitting in the box. So this year, I am resolving to put the kits together shortly after I get them, share the projects with you here, and then send the cards or gift the gifts to people I love.

January's kit was perfect for Valentine's Day, and honestly the cards could be sent to anyone you love anytime, just to show them you care. I put two together the way they were intended, and then had a little bit of fun with the rest. I also ordered the add-on, which included die cut snails and labels, plus 24 little boxes. I was thinking of using the boxes for my kids' classroom valentines, but I'm a few short, so I'm coming up with another plan for those. Stay tuned! Here are the cards I created:

 

These cards were put together as intended. So cute! 

 

For this one, I used three of the snail die-cuts from the add-on. I cut a piece off of one of the card bases, and added in some Poppy Parade and Basic White cardstock.

 

 

This next one is pretty similar to the original, but I used Petal Pink and Memento Black inks instead of Poppy Parade. I also switched the card bases around and used the Petal Pink base instead of the Poppy Parade.

 

I think this is my favorite of all of the cards! I added in some Poppy Parade and Basic White cardstock again. I used another piece from the Poppy Parade card base in the kit, stamped along the bottom of the card, trimmed one of the black scalloped pieces to fit, and added a few Matte Black Dots instead of using the Petal Pink embellishments that were included in the kit.

 

For this card, I used another snail die-cut from the add-on. Instead of stamping the large heart image, I placed the snail inside the gold heart and stamped the sentiment there as well. Simple and cute!

 

Next, I added a snail die-cut on the mailbox piece. I left the ribbon off and switched out the sentiment on the label for the large love die-cut. 

 

For this one, I switched out the Poppy Parade ink for Petal Pink and Memento Black. Instead of using the Petal Pink embellishments, I used a few Matte Black Dots.

 

For my final card, I once again used a die-cut snail from the add-on. I stamped the sentiments right on the mailbox piece. I wrapped the ribbon around and used one of the smaller black scalloped pieces on the bottom instead of the side.

 

I hope you've enjoyed these alternative cards using January's Paper Pumpkin kit! 

 

If you're interested in subscribing to Paper Pumpkin, you can read more about it here. Here's a little peek at February's kit:

 

You'll need to subscribe by February 10 to get the kit pictured above.

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

 

 

Back to School: Hand Sanitizer Holder

It's the first day of school here today, and as always, I sent a fun little gift with my kids for all of the teachers and staff at their school. I used stamps and pieces from June's Paper Pumpkin kit to put together little hand sanitizer holders. This is why it's helpful to have a backlog of Paper Pumpkin kits - quick and easy projects right when you need them! Haha! I followed this tutorial from Erica Cerwin for the measurements of the holder, and then created a design inspired by the Paper Pumpkin kit.

Since I wanted to use the same sentiment on all of the holders, I die cut the shape from the Tasteful Labels dies because there weren't enough pre-cut pieces in the kit for all of them. It didn't have the gold edge that the one in the kit did, but it's the exact same shape!

The little hand sanitizers are from Bath & Body Works. I bought them online, and they came 5 to a package. Perfect for the theme of this kit! 

I did add a few extra supplies to the Paper Pumpkin kit to make these. Here is a full list:

Stamps: Box of Sunshine

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Peony Garden DSP

Embellishments: Bumblebee In Color Ribbon

Tools: Tasteful Labels Dies

Adhesives: Stampin' Seal+, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Other: June 2020 Paper Pumpkin - Box of Sunshine Kit

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

January 2020 Paper Pumpkin: I'll Bee Yours Alternative

I am definitely a last minute crafter most days. How about you? Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I spent the afternoon working on some of mine. January's Paper Pumpkin kit, I'll Bee Yours, was the perfect starting point!

This is the intended use for the kit - and I didn't even put them all together! I added some Ghiradelli chocolate hearts for the teachers at my kids' school. Yum!

Then I moved on to the kids' treats. We found inexpensive heart lollipops, and I used the stamps in the kit, along with a bee cut from the Golden Honey Specialty paper, the Heart Punch Pack, and the Gingham Gala Sequins. 

I did four different color designs, and I love how they turned out! I don't think the kids in Kindergarten and 2nd grade are going to appreciate them as much as I do. Ha! But I enjoyed making them, and that's what counts, right?

Here's a full supply list:
Stamps: I'll Bee Yours
Ink: Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo
Paper: Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Highland Heather, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, Golden Honey Specialty DSP
Embellishments: Gingham Gala Sequins
Tools: Heart Punch Pack, Detailed Bee Dies
Adhesives: SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Happy Stamping!

Rachel 

January 2019 Paper Pumpkin: Bookmark Alternative Project

It's no secret that I love Paper Pumpkin, but it has been a long time since I've shared a Paper Pumpkin project here. I have loved all of the kits recently, but haven't had a lot of time to put them together. That changed this month because I knew this kit was perfect for making valentines with my daughter for her class! Her teacher asked that we limit treats since they would be having plenty of sweets at their class party, so we came up with bookmarks instead.

We added a few colors of cardstock (Crumb Cake, Pool Party, and Melon Mambo), the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, the Polka Dot Basics embossing folder, and Pool Party Shimmer Ribbon to the supplies in the kit. I hope her classmates loved them!

Don't miss out on March's Paper Pumpkin kit! It is birthday-themed, and there will be a bonus free stamp set to celebrate Paper Pumpkin's 6th birthday. Subscribe here or purchase a prepaid subscription.

Happy stamping!

Rachel

February 2018 Paper Pumpkin: Wildflower Wishes

It has been a loooong time since I've shared a Paper Pumpkin kit with you, and that's because I got very behind on putting them together after my second son was born. He's 2 now, and I have another one on the way, so it's about time I start to catch up, right?!


It is one of my goals this year to clean up my craft space, and part of that is putting together all of those old Paper Pumpkin kits. Plus putting together the new ones! This month's kit was absolutely beautiful, and I think the cards are even more stunning in person than they are in pictures. The only change I made was to omit the stamped vellum banner on the cards, because I liked how they looked without it. Take a look!

I created a bunch of alternate cards to use up the extras from the kit. I didn't use any of the flower stickers on the envelopes, so I had quite a few for more cards! I only added a few extra supplies - a package of Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes, and an Aquapainter. Enjoy the barrage of pictures, and find some inspiration to use up everything in your kit! *I still have some pieces left in mine.*

Next month's Paper Pumpkin is going to be a special 5-year anniversary kit. It will come with an extra free gift, valued at $6-8. If you'd like to try it, make sure you subscribe by March 10. You can do that here, or purchase a prepaid subscription in 1, 3, 6, or 12-month increments.

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

Christmas Cards: January

You've probably heard me say before that I love to send Christmas cards. And I love to make them. Every year, I try to work ahead, but they always get out later than I want because I have SO many to make. So this year, I decided to make 15 every month, and this way I will be ready to mail my cards by the beginning of December. I plan to share each month's cards with you here to hold myself accountable, and because it's fun to share!


Now I'm not going to lie, when my youngest was born 2 years ago, I got a little bit behind on my Paper Pumpkin kits. But the kits are awesome every month, so of course I will keep getting them! One of my other goals for this year though, is to make up the stack of kits that is sitting on my shelf. I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and make up an old kit that I happened to have two of - making 16 Christmas cards and exceeding my goal of 15 cards each month!

Unfortunately, you can't get this kit anymore. The Christmas card kits are super popular, and refills usually sell out very quickly. You can, however, subscribe to Paper Pumpkin now, and not miss out on any more kits! Stampin' Up! created a quick video to show the kits from the past year, and I loved them all. Now I just need to put them all together...

Right now is a great time to purchase a prepaid subscription - with our 3, 6, or 12-month subscriptions, you also earn free Sale-a-bration items! I always purchase a 12-month subscription during this time of year, up my order to $250, and cash in on the extra $25 of hostess rewards that are also available during Sale-a-bration. I just placed that order today, so I'll be doing a live video in my Facebook group sometime next week to share what I got and give you all the details.

Have a great weekend, and happy stamping!

Rachel 

June 2017 Paper Pumpkin: One in a Melon

Some of you probably know that I used to be a teacher. And to my surprise, my daughter is now attending school at the first school I taught at. Teachers have a special place in my heart, and especially these teachers, some of whom I taught with for four years. I wanted to do something special for them on the first day of school, and June's Paper Pumpkin kit was the perfect solution!

As soon as I received this kit, I knew that I wanted to use it for the first day of school teacher treats. So I purchased a refill kit as well, giving me enough for the 8 teachers at my daughter's school. (Refill kits are available only to Paper Pumpkin subscribers - an awesome perk!) Each teacher got a little gift bag and a card wishing them well on the new school year.

Inside each gift bag, I filled one of our 6 x 8 Cellophane Bags with sweet little gummy watermelons that I found at Walmart for 98 cents. (I forgot to take a picture - sorry!)


Since I had a few extra supplies from my two kits, I also made an alternate card using the Cool Treats stamp set. The sentiment from that set paired perfectly with the watermelons!

Paper Pumpkin kits have been really great recently! September's kit promises to be a good one, too! Stampin' Up! has been dropping some hints, so here's what I know: there will be beautiful embellishments, it will get you in the mood for fall, and it will be a fall-themed project bedecked with stamped leaves and laser-cut, gold foil stickers. And the best part is that if you are a new subscriber, you can get September's kit at 50% off! Click here to subscribe, and make sure to enter the promo code HALFOFF0917.

Happy Stamping!

Rachel

Sprinkled With Love: Paper Pumpkin May 2017

Today's post is all about Paper Pumpkin! Have you heard about Paper Pumpkin? It's one of my favorite products that Stampin' Up! offers! Paper Pumpkin is a monthly subscription kit, and every month you get all of the supplies to make a set of cards or a project, all wrapped up in one little box. Here are a few pictures of past kits to give you an idea.

This month's kit was donut-themed, and there were supplies to make 9 round cards, plus lots of extras!

I also made an additional card to give you an idea of what you can do with your leftovers and a few extra supplies.

To get the words to line up correctly in the circle, I did cut my stamps apart. You can do this to gain a little more versatility with your stamps, and they line back up perfectly like a puzzle so that you can use them as intended too. The extra supplies I used on this card were Crumb Cake, Powder Pink, Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock, Tasty Treats Specialty DSP, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Circles Framelits, Frozen Treats Framelits, and the Big Shot.


Each Paper Pumpkin kit comes with at least one ink spot and an exclusive stamp set. Those are yours to keep and use over and over again, so it's a good way to build up your ink collection! If you're not satisfied with a kit you receive, just contact Stampin' Up! and they will make it right. However, there are SO many alternative ideas every month on Pinterest and in the Paper Pumpkin Fan Club group on Facebook that I've never had a problem finding something fun to do with my kit. I really enjoy getting some fun mail every month, and having an easy and cute project to put together (that someone else thought up and designed for me)!


If you are interested in trying Paper Pumpkin, now is a great time! From now until June 10, new subscribers will get 25% off of their first three kits (June, July, and August). Click here to subscribe, and enter the promo code STARTHERE to get the discount. The regular price is $19.95 per month, and it is a great value when you look at how much product you get in each kit!


Want to see a little bit more of this month's kit? I did a video on Facebook, and I've uploaded it to YouTube for you. Enjoy!

Happy Stamping!

Rachel