No matter the weather we’re in this together. Wow! That is the saying in the latest Paper Pumpkin kit which is also called No Matter the Weather. Eerily prophetic isn’t it? What a perfect kit to have this month. Honestly, there has never been a better time to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin. What is Paper Pumpkin anyways?
Paper Pumpkin
Paper Pumpkin is a paper crafting kit subscription that is even better than a magazine subscription. Is is almost always cards, but sometimes it can be gift bags or boxes or a home decor piece. The cute red box comes filled with everything you need to make the project that is in it. If you subscribe, your first kit also comes with a free acrylic block. Every month you will find in the box a mini ink pad, a stamp set and all the paper supplies and embellishments to make the cards or other project. Specialty adhesives like glue dots and diimensionals are also included. Dimensionals are little foam hexagons that are sticky on both sides that pop up your paper shape to give your card more dimension. All you need of your own is scissors and a tape runner or glue stick.
No Matter the Weather
Every March Paper Pumpkin has a very special Paper Pumpkin in a unique box because it is the anniversary of Paper Pumpkin. This year marks the 6th anniversary of this great subscription service. What makes this subscription special is that you can choose to skip a month whenever you want with no penalty. You can purchase your subscription in different ways. You can subscribe so that you pay monthly, or you can buy a prepaid one month, three month, six month or twelve month subscription. With those subscriptions you pay the whole amount at once, but you can also get free saleabration items or host items when you do it this way.
Your Choices
I took some pictures of the pricing options for Paper Pumpkin. With the social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this kit is a fantastic way to have a fun crafting distraction with the whole family that is also very meaningful. You can send cards to your friends and relatives that you can’t see and that you worry about. The most important thing to remember is that with the pay as you go option shipping is INCLUDED, you only pay tax. The prepaid subscriptions will have 10% shipping and whatever your provincial tax is. Until March 31 a three month prepaid will also give you a free saleabration item, you can check out your options here.
If you think this would be great for you or your family and you live in Canada, simply click here to get the fun started. If you want to see what another kit looked like, check out this blog post for a winter kit.
A Closer Look at the Cards
I made these cards just the way it said in the instructions with no alterations. There are twelve cards in this kit and I will be doing a live video on Saturday morning at 10am so that you and your kids can do it with me. If you live locally in the Chatham, Ontario area, I still have two kits available.
More Kits Coming
Besides the many wonderful kits in both the annual and the mini catalog, I am hoping to kit up extra products that I have at home for local people. This is taking a lot longer than I would like but I am guessing that this whole COVID-19 thing is going to take longer than we’d like as well. I hope that you are doing well physically, mentally and emotionally. Remember to take time to destress. It is so important to turn the television off, and the radio. Limit the amount of news you watch. Go outside and enjoy nature. Breathe deeply. Pray. Meditate. Bake your favourite treat. Cook your favourite meal with the ingredients you have on hand.
Boterkoek Recipe
This is a classic Dutch treat that you would enjoy with your coffee. I hesitate to call it a dessert because that is like calling a muffin dessert. It translates to “butter cake”.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me and please remember to share as many people could use some creative distraction these days. Take good care of each other, it is times like this that remind us of what is really important. Have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Today I am featuring the Seriously the Best kit. Catchy name and it doesn’t mean that I think the kit is the very best one out there, but it is seriously a very good one indeed. The reason it is called that is because of the saying in there “you’re seriously the best”. For the next few days I will be focusing on kits because they are so great to share with your non-stamping friends and will really help people who are looking for meaningful things to do in their homes.
Kits to Save Your Sanity
Boredom is crippling. Too much time on your hands and too much time watching the news is NOT good for your mental health. If you are missing your kids and grandkids, or if you wish they were not stuck at home with you 24/7, then check out the great kits that Stampin’Up! has available. The kits in the annual and mini catalogs are great and Paper Pumpkin is seriously the best kit as it gets delivered to your door monthly. You can order online and get it shipped to your kids or grandkids too or to your elderly parents. Here is the link for Paper Pumpkin. Remember, you can skip a month anytime with no penalty or end your subscription, so no stress!
Seriously the Best Kit
Would you like to see what comes in this kit? There are sixteen cards and a beautiful box to keep them in. This box will either hold your finished cards that you want to send or you can keep your stamping supplies in it. It would also make a lovely gift for someone who doesn’t stamp. Truthfully, this kit is one of the pricier ones because it doesn’t include the stamp set. Of course you can choose to use a stamp set that you already have, but the bold font of Seriously the Best stamp set is really nice. I tried to hold out, but I ended up ordering the stamp set later.
A Perfect Kit for this Time
When I started making the cards to see if I really liked them, I noticed that it really is seriously the best kit for right now. Happy mail has never been more important. Reach out to your family and friends by sending a card. We do miss each other more when we know we can’t go over and visit. Please, please do take the social distancing recommendations seriously. I know I will be sending one of these cards to Gerard and probably to his sisters too. They feel very far away right now.
Where’s Waldo
Do you remember the Where’s Waldo books? You have to find Waldo in the picture? Or games where you have to find the thing that is different? Well, there is one detail on one of the cards that is different in the individual pictures than the big picture of all the cards together. I noticed it when I was putting the cards back in the box. I thought to myself, this one looks a little naked! It’s missing something! Maybe you will see it too. The card that is missing something is in the “group” picture.
Seriously the Best Stamp Set
Here is a closeup view of the stamp set.
I have more kits currently in stock. If you check out this blog post you can see one of the kits that I have here if you need instant gratification. There are five of these kits available. Want the supplies I have used for this blog post? Just click on the images in the supply list.
Happy Mail in Canada contest
I just want to thank you all so very much for participating in this contest. Strangely it means even more to me now that he cannot come. Every time happy mail arrives with his name on it, it feels like he is here. On March 29 I am planning to do a Zoom call with him and record it so you can see his reaction.
I do have a confession. When I had a video call with him the morning after telling him the news that the Canadian borders were closed and he couldn’t come, I help up the stack of envelopes. This moved him almost to tears. He couldn’t believe that all those envelopes had his name on them! He is very, very touched.
Confirmation
Here is the list of people who have sent cards so far. I figured you would like confirmation that your card has arrived. Most of you have probably heard from me, but not all of you are friends with me on Facebook. Today a card came from Peg Dotson.
Peg Dotson
Debby Kainu
Sandra Allman
Debbie Colquhoun
Shel Anderson
mystery card (I’m not opening them but it is someone local)
another mystery card from a local
Joanne Foster
Ina Eisen
Mrs. Charles Meyer
Jessica Bégin
Terry Hamilton
Ann-Marie Paré
Wow! This list was made in reverse order, so the first card received was #13. Thank you all so very, very much. Our stamping community is priceless, my heart is full and very grateful for each one of you.
Share What You Love
I’m pleading with you all to use your stamping stash to make the world a better place, to help ease the low hum of menace that surrounds us. The unknown is scary. Change is difficult. Share Stampin’Up! with your friends, family and neighbours. People need meaningful recreation, things to do with their families in their homes. If you are alone it is even more important to have creative release and also to connect with a group. Facebook lives really do make a huge difference. Please share my blog, my Facebook page, my videos. Together we can make a difference. I hope you have a super day.
Hello stampers and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you. I’m not sure that everyone is in a celebratory mood, but here the sun is shining, I have a warm home with food, clothes and LOTS of paper, stamps and ink and a long to do list, so life is good. The key is to try to focus on the positive, to not immerse yourself in too much media and to do your part in keeping everyone healthy. Precaution is crucial. In the meantime, on a lighter note, here is a fun card that you can make with the Heartfelt stamp set.
Heartfelt for St. Patrick’s Day
It really is quite fun to see what you can do with your stamparatus simply by giving your square piece of paper a quarter turn each time before you stamp. Sound like Greek to you? No worries, just watch my video. Here is the card.
A Word For Everything
That is the name of the stamp set I used for the sayings on this card and it would be a fantastic choice for your free bonus stamp set when you get the starter kit. Seriously, this is the best time ever to get this kit. With everyone needing to practice social distancing, it sure helps to have a box full of amazing stamping supplies to help pass the time and keep your focus on creativity instead of the dark rabbit hole of “what if”.
I made the inside shamrock with four heart shaped punchies from Clubhouse designer series paper. The stem for the shamrock was created with the heart punch and is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. The video will show you how it was done. Here is another great card using the Heartfelt stamp set and heart punch. I have made one with the Clubhouse paper but I see that I haven’t yet blogged about it. It is available in the March tutorial that you get for free with a $50 order!
Video Tutorial plus Some Great Kits
Here is the video I did for a daily Facebook live. At the end of the video I show some kits that could be great for anyone needing some creative things to do now that we are having to make our own fun at home!
I have two extra Paper Pumpkin kits that are available for anyone local wishing to participate in the online live kid’s class on Saturday at 10am EST. Message me if you are interested.
Thanks
Thanks ever so much for joining me today and also for watching my Facebook lives. Please do share these so that more people get a meaningful, positive distraction from the troubles in the world right now. Creativity is great for mental health and social connection. The best deal right now is of course the starter kit, you can start that process by clicking here. I hope you stay safe and healthy and have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I am going to be showing you a card that I made with the dry embossing technique. This dry embossing does not use an embossing folder. What you need is a stylus, a paper piercing mat and a mister with rubbing alcohol.
Dry Embossing
This dry embossing technique adds amazing texture to your stamps and is actually quite easy to do. First stamp your flower image and then cut it out with a coordinating die or by fussy cutting with scissors. Turn the flower upside down on the paper piercing mat, also affectionately known in my circles as “the foamie”. Spritz the flower lightly with rubbing alcohol. Then press the bigger end of the stylus on to your flower moving it in small tight circles. You will see the edges of the flower curling up. Continue doing this everywhere except the centre of the flower.
A Few Tips and Tricks
Adhere the flower with a glue dot in the centre and dimensionals along the outer edges to support the curves.
After you are done dry embossing with the stylus (take your pick tool has a stylus attachment, I used a retired version by accident) use your fingertips to manually curve the paper even more.
Use Wink of Stella to give a special shine and shimmer to your flower. You could also apply a thin coat of crystal effects.
Play around with different colours for your flower, you never know which combination will be your favourite.
Here you can see two slightly different versions of the same card. The one uses bolder tones with the addition of gorgeous grape. Other colours used are highland heather, purple posy and granny apple green.
More Options with To A Wild Rose
I did make one more card with this set and truthfully, I was itching to make more but I wanted to get outside for a walk as well. There are more dies in the bundle that I haven’t used yet, but maybe that will be good for another blog post. Patience, patience my friend (I actually mean me!!)
For this card I took a piece of whisper white cardstock 3 5/8″ by 4 7/8″ and I repeatedly stamped the large open floral image in highland heather. This was mounted on a piece of gorgeous grape cardstock 3 /4″ by 5″. The gorgeous grape die cut was adhered to a purple posy strip measuring 4 7/8″ by 1 1/4″. I tied a piece of crinkled whisper white seam binding ribbon around the main panel and adhered to a thick whisper white card measuring 11″ by 4 1/4″ scored at 5 1/2″. The sayings were stamped in gorgeous grape, fussy cut and popped up with dimensionals.
A Helpful Video
If you are a visual learner, you might just want to watch this video where you can see me build the card from scratch. You can see how mistakes were turned into opportunities to simply make the card a little differently. I hope it helps you feel connected to the stamping community and brings a smile to your face.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. If you are feeling anxious about the current world situation take a few deep breaths and let your neck and shoulders relax. Find your favourite stamp set and your favourite colouring tools, Blends, watercolour pencils or an aqua painter and have a little stamping and colouring therapy. Here is a great fun post with some inspiration for colouring.
Thank you also for the happy mail in Canada cards you have sent for Gerard. He is supposed to come at the end of March, but who knows now if that will be possible? My philosophy is to simply take life one day at a time and to try not to borrow the troubles from another day. God is in control. He has the whole world in His hands and He has promised to never leave or forsake us. That brings me great comfort. If you need to be reminded about how awesome Jesus is just pick up your Bible and start reading the gospels like they are a novel.
The Best Opportunity
The best way to get your crafting supplies is by ordering online so that it gets delivered straight to your door. I would recommend that you check out which tutorials I have for sale and then pick those products to buy so that I can send you a free tutorial to go with your products. Of course you will also get the free Demo Design Dream Team tutorial for March. By now you already know what the best deal in the catalog is. That’s right, the starter kit!! If you want LOTS of fun free stuff AND pay no shipping or tax, just click here to start the fun. There has never been a better time to indulge yourself.
Hello stampers and happy Friday! Today’s card is about an abundance of crocuses.I love this stamp that is part of the Easter Promise stamp set.
Abundance of Crocuses
This will be my shortest blog post ever because I am running late for going wedding dress shopping but I didn’t want to leave you with nothing today! This card is quite simple, it has Happy Easter embossed in gold at the top of the white panel. The crocuses are stamped at the bottom and coloured with blends. I tied polka dot white tulle ribbon around the top of the panel which is layered on gorgeous grape and popped up on a purple posy base. The base was embossed with the basket weave embossing folder.
Thanks!
Thanks so much for joining me today. With all the paranoia going on with the corona virus let me assure you that if we go into quarantine I will do daily videos to help keep you sane and to provide some stamping therapy. Stay calm, wash your hands a lot and drink lots of water. Every fifteen minutes take a few sips. Have a super day!
