So I promised you more alternatives for the May 2020 Paper Pumpkin, A Kit in Color. These alternatives take a bit more work, might use retired products, and more advanced techniques. This is for the avid crafters, to inspire you to use what you have in your craft stash to make something spectacular. Let’s go.
Die Cut and Embossing

The first card uses the rainbow card base from kit. On top of that I layered one half of the Purple Posy notecard that I had embossed with the retired Swirls and Curls embossing folder. If you don’t have this one consider the Parisian Flourish 3-D or some other way to add texture and interest to that layer. Next, I stamped the sentiment in Highland Heather on one of the clouds from the kit. It’s lifted up on Dimensionls.
Next I die cut the butterfly from a retired set using the multicolored layer from the kit. I made sure to center my cut so I could use the negative space piece for the next card. A few of the kit embellishments and it’s done.
Shake It Up

The second card starts with a base of Pumpkin Pie. Then I added a layer of Bumblebee stamped in Melon Mambo using the new Tasteful Touches stamps set. Next step was to put together shaker.
Using the negative space piece from the butterfly in the first card, I added Window sheet to cover the hole. Next, I used the adhesive foam strips to outline the butterfly on the backside of the piece over the Window sheet. Added a few extra pieces along the edge of the cut banner so that the entire piece would be level when I added the striped backing. But before I did that, I added a scoop of the retired Sprinkles embellishments to the center. Any complimentary color of sequins will work. The striped Magenta Madness backing is from an envelope from the kit. I had to trim it down, so I saved the strip to use underneath the sentiment banner. The sentiment from the December 2019 kit is stamped in Melon Mambo.
I finished this card off with a twine bow from the kit and a few In-Color enamel dots. Shaker cards are always fun and look harder than they are. The key is to have the right supplies.
Lots of Layers

It seems like every card maker has their own particular style, which is really cool. I like layers. Layers of texture, layers of color, layers of embellishments, the more the merrier. Because I don’t care what you heard—more is more.
Take this card for example. The base is Bumblebee. I’m in love with the honey color of this new In-Color. then I added a layer of Bumblebee DSP just to make the corners and edges more interesting. On top of that is one half of a notecard from the kit that I embossed with the 3-D Hammered Metal folder. This folder is awesome because whether you use the embossed side or the debossed side, it looks fantastic.
The next layer is the multi-colored banner from the kit. Then the rainbow ticket piece is floating on top with some Dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment in Highland Heather using the stamps from the kit. But before I added it to the card, I used the left over strip of Bumblebee DSP, just flipped it over so the dots side showed and layered that under the stamped banner.
For a final touch, I punched some Pumpkin Pie DSP with the Small Bloom punch and the butterflies using the top image of the Butterfly Duet punch. Some enamel dots and one of the kit Magenta Madness flowers and that was finally enough layers to make my heart happy.
Birthday Card

I don’t know about you, but birthdays have a way of sneaking up on me. Especially now when it’s hard to know what day it is. I like to have a stash of cards ready to go. This card uses a base of Magenta Madness with a layer of the matching DSP. Next, I added half of one of the notecards from the kit. On top of that there is a vellum banner underneath the balloons. These were punched using the Balloon Bouquet punch. I used an old stamp set to make the Misty Moonlight balloons, but you could punch them from cardstock and then add some Wink of Stella or Shimmer paint to dress them up. The twine tethers and bow are from the kit.
The Wish sentiment and the Make A banner were from the Broadway Bound suite. If you’ve been Paper Pumpkining for a while you might recall that this suite coordinated with one of the Paper Pumpkin kits. Well, I decided to put it to good use. I cut out the Wish from one of the rainbow card bases in the kit. I also cut it out two more times using the white back half of the card. Then I glued all the layers together before I added it to the card. This gave it dimension without trying to fiddle with foam adhesive. The Make A is stamped in Misty Moonlight and tucked under the balloon which is on a Dimensional. Of course I added a few enamel dots as a final touch.
Silver Lining

The final card captures how I feel when I get a new Paper Pumpkin box. I love the monthly surprise and the inspiration it provides to stretch my crafty creativity. Let me tell you what I did.
The base is Misty Moonlight. The other half of one of the notecards from the kit is stamped in silver ink using a retired stamp from the Stargazing set. I added a strip of rainbow card from the kit along the bottom.
To give the clouds a silver lining, I dragged the edges along the Versamark ink pad and then used Silver heat embossing powder. I used that same Silver powder for the long-ago retired sentiment. (So old it was gifted to me and all I can tell you is that it’s Stampin’ Up! and I love it. Use your favorite or one from the kit). The smaller clouds are lifted on Dimensionals. The final touch was the clear epoxy stars.
That’s it. All of the cards I made for you from the May Paper Pumpkin kit. I hope you are inspired to try something different with your kit. And if you aren’t subscribed, you can easily change that by clicking on the Paper Pumpkin logo on the right hand side of this page. Don’t miss next month’s Sushine in a Box. It’s going to be sensational.
Happy crafting.
Another winner!