March Paper Pumpkin Workshop: No class, no problem

I won’t be holding my monthly Paper Pumpkin Workshop tonight due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, here are samples of the projects we would have worked on tonight. I was really looking forward to this month’s project kit since it included an extra stamp set to commemorate Paper Pumpkin’s sixth anniversary and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the sets they sent! The stamp set included in the kit is called No Matter the Weather.

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These stamps are great, but I was especially excited about the bonus stamp set, Spring Splash!

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The rain boots, a.k.a. wellies, remind me of a song my grandma sang to me when I was a little. It mentioned rain boots and bumbershoots. I guess that its kind of fitting that I grew up and moved to the Pacific Northwest, a place of excess rain and occasional sunshine that makes it all worth it.

I’m just going to jump right to one of my favorite alternatives. I sacrificed one of the envelopes with the striped Petal Pink liner to make the bottom portion of the card. Basic Gray ink on Basic Gray resulted in an ominous and looming presence, so I stamped the clouds on the top portion in Versamark to give them a watermark effect. I considered embossing the clouds with clear embossing powder, but I decided against it because it would smooth out the dimensionality of the cloud stamp.

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Supplies:

Stamps: Spring Splash and No Matter the Weather from March 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray, Balmy Blue, Versamark

Paper: Gray Granite

(5.5″ x 8.5″), Whisper White (3.5″ x 3.5″ plus scraps for bunny and boots), Petal Pink liner from envelope (3″ x 4″)

Accessories: Rain and Dewdrop embellishments (included in kit), Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pear Pizzazz ribbon (retired*), Stitched Shapes Dies (152323)

*Suggested alternatives for ribbon: a 3/8″ x 4.25″ strip of Pear Pizzazz paper brushed with Wink of Stella, Gray Granite Textured Weave Ribbon (147656), Petal Pink Metallic Edge Ribbon (151194), Whisper White Crinkle Seam Binding Ribbon (151326), Burlap Ribbon (141487)

As far as minor alterations, here are a few cards that I created by rearranging elements from the Paper Pumpkin kit. I had a fun time incorporating the bunny into my modifications.

Below is my stamps only card. I decided to take the card to the max and fulfill Stampin’ Up’s #simplestamping challenge: one piece of paper, no layers. I didn’t even use any embellishments. It’s my first completely compliant #simplestamping card. Using only one piece of paper and stamps is a challenge I haven’t risen to until now. The Stamparatus helped me perfectly line up these boots.

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Stamps: No Matter the Weather & Spring Splash from March 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit

Paper: Thick Whisper White Cardstock (140272)

Ink: Basic Gray (149165), Gray Granite (147118), Poppy Parade (147050), Memento Tuxedo Black (132708)

Accessories: Stamparatus (146276)

I hope to have the privilege of running a Paper Pumpkin Workshop in person next month. I’m not counting on it though. You, however, can count on me to deliver lovely samples and alternate designs from next month’s Paper Pumpkin kit, My Wonderful Family. Subscribe by the 10th of April here.

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Stamping 101 Class: Embossing Folders

Here’s a card we made in my most recent Stamping 101 class using the Stampin’ Up Sale-abration set, Thoughtful Blooms. This set, and its companion punch, have been sitting on my shelf since January and I wish I had started playing with it earlier. No reason to lament too much because the COVID-19 virus has pretty much put external life on standstill since I run an after school program and work in retail. Now I have lots of spare time. I’m grateful for the opportunity to craft and spend time with my family. Okay, some days I’m not as grateful for the opportunity to be cooped up with my two hormonal teenage daughters, but that’s what therapeutic paper-crafting is for, right?

BTW, I have to give credit where credit is due. The design for this card is a modified version of a card made by a woman named MaryAnne Cowan.

Here’s the card:

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Stamps:
Thoughtful Blooms

Ink:
Old Olive (147090), Daffodil Delight (147094), Crushed Curry (147087), Seaside Spray (150085)

Paper: Seaside Spray (150883), Whisper White (100730), Vellum (101856)

Accessories:
Stylish Scrolls embossing folder (retired), Daffodil Delight ribbon (retired), Small Bloom Punch (152316), Metallic Pearls (146282) Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)