Paper Pumpkin Alternate Design

With the Paper Pumpkin 50% off promotion going on I wanted to share a few things for those who might be wondering what you really get.

Here are the original projects from June 2015.  My Paper Pumpkin box came with enough supplies to make 4 of each of the 2 different projects.  You receive step by step instructions with photos to help you assemble your kit.  Paper Pumpkin even had their own YouTube channel where they post videos about each month's kit.

Paper Pumpkin comes with EVERYTHING you need to create that month's project.  You get ink, stamps and all the consumable supplies.  On occasion you may need some snail or liquid glue adhesive, but Paper Pumpkin comes with dimensionals and glue dots when needed.

The best part is you can still do the projects your way.  Change the sentiment or layout.  Switch it up a little and have fun.  Or just sit with your box at your local coffee shop and enjoy some time to yourself.  These are just two of the alternate projects I made with my June 2015 Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I post more ideas in my Pumpkin Patch for subscribers who select me as their demonstrator.

Have you seen other Paper Pumpkin Projects that you liked but missed out on?  As a subscriber you can order refills (just consumable supplies) and full kits (including stamps) of many of the past kits.  You can see what is available in my SU! Online Store HERE.

Do you still have questions about Paper Pumpkin?  Leave a comment here or email and I will happily answer them for you.
Are you ready to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin?  Go to www.paperpumpkin.com to subscribe.  Use the Promo Code HALFOFF before September 10, 2015 and receive 50% off your first two months.  Be sure to Select Kathleen Brill in Lawton, OK as your demonstrator to take advantage of my Pumpkin Patch and alternate ideas.


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Paper Pumpkin 50% Off Promotion

If you've never tried Paper Pumpkin, now is a great time-get 50% off your first two months. With a deal like this, you'll want to invite everyone you know to give it a try too!

Offer Dates: July 23-September 10, 2015

Offer Details: Use the code HALFOFF to join Paper Pumpkin before September 10, 2015, and get 50% off the first two months! After that, keep the creativity coming for only $19.95 + tax per month (shipping included).

The Fine Print:

• For new subscribers only.
• Available for month-to-month subscriptions, not prepaid subscriptions.
• Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month's kit will go to the regular price: $19.95.
• You need to visit PaperPumpkin.com to join.
• Enter the Promo Code, HALFOFF when you sign up.
• New subscribers must join by Thursday, September 10, 2015; 11:50 PM (MT).

You can cancel your subscription at any time.  All subscribers who designate me (Kathleen Brill of Lawton, OK) as their demonstrator will receive an invitation to my Pumpkin Patch, where I share alternate projects made with the monthly kit.  Subscribers local to the Lawton, OK area are also invited to attend my Paper Pumpkin event and put together their kits with my group.  There is no additional charge for the Pumpkin Patch or Paper Pumpkin Local Group.

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Celebrating 500 Posts with the 555 Special!

I was looking at some of the stats on my blog and realized I just passed 500 posts on my page.  #500 was the Stampin' Addicts Blog Hop.  YEAH!!

To Celebrate, I am offering the 555 Special.
That breaks down into
500 posts + $50 order + $5 Prize = Happiness for everyone!

For the next 5 days (ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 2, 2015) if you place an online order of $50 or more (before tax & shipping), I will send you one of the $5 prizes of your choice from the list below.  Want more than one prize?  No problem.  Order $100 and I will send you two, $150 and I will send you three.

Per Stampin' Up! policy this is only available to my US Customers.  This offer is not a promotion by Stampin' Up! and only offered from me for a short time.

How to claim your prize:
Step 1:  Place an order in my ONLINE STORE for $50 or more (before tax & shipping).
Step 2:  Email me with you selection from the list below.
Step 3:  Wait for the Big Brown Truck to bring your Stampin' Up! products.
Step 4:  Check your mailbox for the special prize from me.

List of Prizes (all valued at $5)
Sequin Trim is available in Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Gold or Silver
1/8" Ribbon is available in Gold or Silver

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Feel Goods Stamp Set--Final Day

I have enjoyed sharing the Feel Goods Stamp Set with you this week.  I have one last card to show you.  This card was a Plan B design.  I originally wanted to show you a new technique today, but it was just not cooperating.  So this is a twist on that technique.  It is also simple, so if you  need a card in a flash this is one for you.

I took my Circle Framelits and cut the 4 smallest shapes out of a piece of transparency.  I then laid the transparency onto a Whisper White Note Card and sponged several circles in So Saffron.  I modes the sheet around and sponged circles in Calypso Coral and Wisteria Wonder.  I tried to overlap several and have some hanging off the page.  The final sentiment from the Feel Goods Stamp Set is stamped in Momento Black Ink.  I then added a piece of Calypso Coral Thick Bakers Twine and some Rhinestone Accents to finish of the note card.  These cards are wonderful.  You get 20 Note Cards and Envelopes in the package.  Being slightly smaller than a standard card (5" x 3-1/2") they are perfect for a quick thank you or simple note to anyone.

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Feel Goods Stamp Set--Day 4

Sunshine and Rainbows!  They just go together.  Have you checked out Pals Paper Arts yet?  They have helped me a lot this week.  We all get into those little ruts of not knowing where to start.  The sketches have been a great tool for me.  Here is the sketch for today's project.  It was posted back in October 2014.  Again, it had a large area for my sentiment and the horizontal strips played perfect for my Sunshine and Rainbows thinking.

First, I knew I wanted more than 4 horizontal strips.  I went straight to my brights and pulled the colors of my rainbow.  A little bit of math and I cut 5"x 4" strips of each color.  I then pulled the coordinating markers to color my stamp.  I used the font within the stamp to decide how to color the words.  To dress up the sentiment I cut it out with the Deco Labels Framelits (#130102).  

I laid the sentiment down and decided it needed a border.  Since the Daffodil Delight strip would be cover the most I cut a Daffodil mat the next size larger from my Deco Label Framelits.  It still needed a little something and what goes better with Sunshine and Rainbows than some flowers in bloom.  I punched them out with my Itty Bitty Punch Pack (#133787) and embellished them with a few Pearl Basic Jewels (#119247).  

I hope this card has brightened your day.  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back tomorrow for my final Feel Goods project of the week.

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Feel Goods Stamp Set--Day 3

Today is sweet and simple.  I recently sent several cards out in the mail.  I had some cute little buttons on them and a few layers that made the envelope somewhat bulky.  The post office had to charge me additional so they could be hand fed.  Not a big deal, except I mailed over 20 of them.....adds up over time.

This card, inspired again by a Pals Paper Arts Sketch, was purposely made without the frills so it could be mailed easily.  The card is fairly straight forward, but I will give one note.  The white panel with the sentiment is longer than you see.  I left a space between the Navy strip and the Cucumber DSP to slide the white panel into.  This way I could line up the panel with the edge of the card.

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Feel Goods Stamp Set--Day 2

Today I continue my showcase of the Feel Goods Stamp Set with the help of the talented ladies at Pals Paper Arts.  Again I used one of their weekly sketches.  This one from November 2014.  What prompted me to go back so far on their site and use this sketch?  They have a link on their sidebar to all of their challenges.  I then copied and pasted them into a word document.  When I had a few pages full of sketches I stopped and printed them out.  They sit on my work table as a reference for those moments I don't have the brain power to think of a layout.  Here is the sketch I used. 

Again, I looked for a sketch that had a large area for the sentiments in this stamp set.  I then picked my pattern paper to go in the background.  I wanted something that had a softer shade color to use for my sentiment area.  I picked the English Garden Designer Series Paper (#138440) and Mint Macaron for my stamping area.  I chose two other colors from the DSP for the horizontal strip.  I went with Hello Honey and Whisper White, then punched the 3/4" strips with my Triple Banner Punch (#138292).  

Now I needed something to dress up the card a little.  I pulled out all the ribbons that matched the colors in the DSP.  I laid each one down on my card until I found one that I liked.  The Blushing Bride Sequin Trim (#138400) worked nicely with the Blushing Bride card base.  I put a mini glue dot on my last sequin and fold it over to the second sequin.  Doing this at both ends helps to keep it from unraveling.  I attached it to the card with several mini glues dots spaced about 1-1/2" apart.  

I picture this card with a small bouquet of flowers to celebrate the latest accomplishment in your friends life.

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Feel Goods Stamp Set--Day 1

I spent the last two weeks doing more activities with my family.  Now I am back with another stamp set of the week.  This time I have the stamp set Feel Goods (Wood #131916, Clear #129684).  I really like the saying in this set.  There is so much meaning in them and when you give someone a card they will certainly Feel Good.

I would like to thank the lovely ladies at Pals Paper Arts for the sketch that inspired my card today.  The layout was on their website back in May.  They have a weekly sketch or color combination for inspiration.  Their team of artists show many great projects using that weeks inspiration.  This sketch caught my eye for using with the larger saying stamps in my collection and was perfect for the Feel Goods stamp set.

 The color combination is bright with Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise.  The pattern paper is from the Brights Color Collection (#138434).  I used my Project Life Corner Punch (#135346) on the 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" sentiment layer.  After stamping the sentiment in Momento Black Ink (#132708), I used my Paper-Piercing Tool and Pierce Mat around the sentiment layer.  A quick piece of 1/4" Cotton Melon Mambo Ribbon and it is done.  I encourage you to send a card to someone special.  Remind them that they are one of the best things in your life and make them Feel Good.

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It's Blog Hop Time with the Stampin' Addicts!!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the new Stampin' Up! 2015-2016 Catalog.  The Stampin' Addicts have put together a blog hop to showcase some of the newest stamp sets available.  You may have come from Rhonda's Blog, The Stampin' Bunny, or you may have started here.  Either way don't worry, the hop will loop you back to the beginning.  Just follow the links below and you will see everyone's projects.  If you would like to see all the links or chat about the hop, you can go to the discussion thread on Stampin' Addicts HERE.  Now on to my projects.......

I am featuring the From Land to Sea stamp set on page 83 in the catalog.  I immediately fell in love with the turtle.  It reminds me of the Hawaiian Honu.  The Honu is the Hawaiian symbol for luck, endurance, and a long life.  After stamping the image in Momento Black ink, I colored mine with Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and Crumb Cake markers.  I chose the Decorative Dots embossing folder to resemble the spots on the turtles body.

Next, I have the swordfish stamp.  It just called out "I caught a fish THIS BIG!".  I can picture it mounted on a fisherman's wall.  It makes a perfect masculine image.  I layered my image several times to give it the feeling of being mounted on the wall.  He is colored with a Smokey Slate marker.  The Silver 1/8" Ribbon gives the card that little prize winning touch without taking away the masculine feel of the card.

The Boat Wheel image has always been a fun nautical image.  I love the idea of being out on the open sea steering a boat, just being calm with my thoughts.  I have had the Typeset Specialty Designer Paper in my stash for awhile now and it just called out to me for this project.  The Mini Treat Bags are so easy to make with the thinlets die.  I wrapped my bag with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock before adding my tag.  The stamp set has a jellyfish image.  Do you see it?  I turned it over and used the tentacles to make the seaweed at the bottom of the tag and insert.

Lastly, I have the lighthouse stamp.  Lighthouses shine their beacons to help ships find their way home.  When I see one it makes me think of a loved one on the shore waiting for their sailor to come home.  I used sponges and several shades of blue and green to create the see and land.   The sky is done with Soft Sky pounced to give a cloudy look.  The sand is Hello Honey.  Of course the beacon is shining to help guide our loved ones home and the sentiment sends my feelings to the person who is far from me.  I wish this picture was hanging on my wall, so I framed out the area with the Hardwood background stamp.  I cut out the center of the frame so it sits on top of the image area.

I hope you have enjoyed my projects with the From Land to Sea stamp set.  I love to receive comments, so please leave one below.  The next stop on the hop is sure to brighten your day.  Yapha is featuring the You're Sublime stamp set.

       

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Final Day of Red, White & Blue Week

After the parade has gone by, the BBQ is over and all the fireworks are spent you are left with just your memories and maybe a few photos with your family and friends.  Be sure to get those photos off your phone and into a system that they can be enjoyed by everyone.  Project Life is a wonderful solution to the cure of the unseen photos.

You don't need a lot of products do get the full Project Life experience.  In fact I only used the pocket pages here.  The slots are perfectly sized for your 4x6 photos.  There is a variety of pages for photos that go both ways.  Stampin' Up! also has card collections to go in all of the different sized slots with great sayings and cute designs.  I simply cut some standard cardstock and designer series paper for my slots.  I used a few stamps and punches to decorate some of the areas and cut a large Deco Label to put some journaling.  The only thing left for me to do is print 4 photos, do some quick trimming so they are 4x4 and slide them in the pockets.  Below is a close up of the cute butterfly I made with the Watercolor Wings Stamp Set.

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Red, White & Blue Week--Day 4

Our men and women in uniform deserve a personal thank you every day.  While signs in store windows, hanging a flag in your yard, and posts on Facebook are great, please ask yourself when you last personally thanked a man or woman in uniform.  This can be a member of our military, firefighters, first responders or police force.  Any service that someone does who puts their life on the line to help others.  

If your BBQ this weekend has a lot of left over food, I encourage you to take it to the firehouse.  While at the community festival and fireworks this weekend, shake the hand of the police officer who is there to keep things safe, so your family can have a great time.  Most importantly, next month, when we are not focused on patriotic holidays, send a thank you card to your neighbors soldier.  1% of our population serves in the military.  That means 1 or 2 kids from EACH graduating class will enter the military from EACH high school EVERY year.  These are our children, who are asked to become adults overnight.  Pray for them.  

OK, I am off my thank our service members soap box.  Here is today's project.  Again, it is not flashy or over the top, just a thank you from the heart.  The pattern paper is from the Brights Designer Series Paper Stack (#138434)  You get 4 double sided sheets for each color in the collection, 40 sheets total.  I cut a 3" square from the blue then turned it in the corner.  I used a bit that I trimmed off for the bottom corner.  The red stripe strips are 1" wide.  There is a 1/2" strip of glimmer paper over top of the right striped piece.  The star was made with the 2nd size Star Framelits (#133723) and cut from Silver Glimmer Paper (#135314).  The sentiment is stamped in Pacific Point from the One Big Meaning Stamp Set (#138788).  The entire card is layered on a mat of Real Red (4-1/8" x 5-3/8").

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Red, White & Blue Week-Day 3

I made a beautiful Red, White & Blue butterfly the other day, but was not sure how I wanted to use it.  Then I got a text from a friend of mine.  Her family was driving across country from one duty station to their next and they were passing through my area.  We only got two hours to visit before they had to continue their drive, but those two hours meant a lot to me.  I sat down this morning and made this card for her.  

I have yet to figure out how to take a good photo of a white card with embossing in the background.  If you look closely, you can see the Fluttering Embossing Folder(#139304).  The butterfly was made with the Bold Butterfly Framelits (#138135) and the Butterflies Thinlets (#137360).  I cut a solid Pacific Point butterfly, then cut one Whisper White and one Real Read lacy butterfly.  I adhered the white one to the blue, then put the little red pieces in the spaces.  I used glue stick on half the blue area at a time.  If I made another one, I would attach the white one with glue stick and then put little dabs of Multipurpose Liquid Glue on the little spaces for the red bits.  By the time I got to the end of attaching the red bits the glue stick had dried and the bits kept falling off.

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