Be My Valentine Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

Valentines day is around the corner. And no matter who you are, there is someone in your life that you like and probably that you love. Valentines isn’t just for romantic love. I like giving my son a little Valentines treat. A friend of mine likes to give his co-workers a boost with a card or with the Be My Valentine Paper Pumpkin kit, a cute pillow box filled with happiness.

But, you may not have twenty-four people to treat. No problem. This kit was designed to coordinate with the Animal Outing suite of Stampin’ Up! products in the Annual catalog. The alternates I’m sharing with you use the stamp set, designer series paper (DSP) and wood embellishments that are part of the suite. See what you think.

Alternates with Animal Expedition DSP

This first alternate project is still a treat box with a couple of enhancements. I added a piece of DSP as the first layer. Then I used the round medallion as well as the heart from the kit. I sponged the white side of the heart with Melon Mambo ink from the kit. A simple alternative that uses mostly items in the kit. You could use any fun graphic DSP you have in your stash that works with the kit colors.

The next two alternates are cards, one thank you card and one birthday card. You can never send enough thank you cards! For both of these cards, I used Whisper White cardstock as the base. I added a 4×5-1/4″ piece of Animal Expedition paper as my first layer. For the second layer, I trimmed down two pillow boxes to 3-1/4 x4-1/2″. This was the ideal size to remove the rounded flaps and other parts that made up the box. For the chameleon thank you card, I used twine left over from a previous kit and added the layer with Dimensionals. I went with Tranquil Tide ink for the sentiment from the kit. The inside of the card uses a sentiment from Animal Outing, thank you BIG TIME. To finish off the cards I added some sequins. Use any colorful embellishments you have.

Card using the Balloon Bouquet Punch

This card could be used for a birthday, a thank you or another purpose because I left the inside blank. I can easily add a sentiment when I decide to send it. I used a Crumb Cake base and added the layer of Animal Expedition DSP. I love this monochromatic base, it makes the Pool Party and Melon Mambo pop while matching perfectly with the kangaroo.

The Ballon Bouquet punch cut right through the pillow box paper. I mounted two of the balloons with glue dots and the middle one with a dimensional. I used White Bakers twine from a previous kit to make the ballon strings. Everything else is from the kit. Super easy and lots of fun.

Alternates using the Big Shot

The Big Shot is my go to tool. I get it out almost every time I craft. So while it is an investment, I get huge value from it. The first alternate uses Crumb Cake as the base and a layer of Lemon Lime Twist that I embossed using the Layered Leaves dynamic embossing folder. This is another workhorse in my craft room. It is so versatile. I mounted it using the debossed side facing up.

The birds are from stamps in the kit on the white side of the medallion using Memento ink. I used watercolor pencils from a previous Paper Pumpkin kit to color the birds and then used an aqua painter to blend the color a bit. The wood elements are the Frames Elements in the Animal Outing Suite. I layered some pillow box scraps from the previous cards underneath a piece of DSP and then a few colorful enamel dots to finish off the card.

The last alternate I have for you uses the Well Written dies available in the Occasions catalog. I cut the leafy stems from Lemon Lime Twist and the flowers from scraps from the pillow boxes. The green layer is DSP from the suite. The pink enamel dots are from last year’s Valentines kit. Again, I cut down a pillow box for the second layer. The sentiment is from the Animal Outing stamp set.

I hope you are inspired by these alternates. If I can ever answer a crafting question for you, don’t hesitate to post or contact me. If you would like to get in on the fun, subscribe to Paper Pumpkin with me. Shop with me to purchase the supplies mentioned here.

Were you inspired?