Category: Simple Stamping

Key to My Heart Paper Pumpkin Kit

Posted on by dayinker
Contents of the Key to My Heart January 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit

The Key to My Heart January Paper Pumpkin kit had enough supplies to make nine Valentine’s Day cards. I love the color combination and the lock and key theme. It reminds me of the place where my son got married. There is a fence overlooking the Bosque where couples have attached locks to the fencing, similar to the Love Lock Bridge in Paris. https://pixels.com/featured/love-lock-bridge-paris-amy-sorvillo.htm

I don’t know about you, but I don’t generally send out more than a few Valentine’s Day cards. I made the three cards as designed and then I flipped the cards around and made some very cute birthday cards using some new stamp sets from the January Mini catalog. First, let me show you the cards the kit makes.

To My Valentine – Love is the Key – Key to My Heart

To My Valentine card from the Key to My Heart Paper Pumpkin kit.

This card has very simple stamping. Some hearts on the Fresh Freesia banner and the sentiment. I love the Calypso Coral baker’s twine included with this kit. The big floppy bow sits under the sentiment and on top of the strip of vellum. Vellum is a great material to add interest to a card without being distracting.

Love is the key Valentine's Day card from Stampin' Up! January 2023

The second card has about the same amount of stamping. This time the hearts are stamped right on to the beautiful Fresh Freesia base and the vellum circle is placed over the top to soften the entire effect. How cute is that gold key? It’s one of the prepunched elements in the kit and I like how the design anchors the sentiments to the locks by floating the tip of the key over the stamped banner.

The third card is very clever. The punched out part is a keyhole that allows the Fresh Freesia wash on the inside of the card to peek through. This is the simplest card of the three, only the sentiment is stamped. Although anytime you have to tie a bow, there is a bit of fussing involved, right? By the way, I saved that punched out keyhole piece for one of my alternative cards.

All of these cards are just beautiful and so simple to make. The “Love is the Key” card would be perfect to send to a couple. But let me show you what else you can do with these kit contents.

Key to My Heart Birthday Card Alternatives

Alternative Paper Pumpkin birthday card

For my alternates I used the base of the keyhole card and on the of the bases in the To My Valentine card. I also used the Desert Details bundle (stamps and dies) and the Queen Bee bundle from the January 2023 Mini Catalog.

For this card, I cut the keyhole card base in half and trimmed it down to 4″x5-1/4″. I glued it down to the base meant for the three-lock card so that the keyhole is upside down and the gold criss-cross hatching shows through the hole making a beautiful vase. The flowers are from the Desert Details stamp set using Calypso Coral and Mango Melody ink. I die cut them with the matching dies. The sentiment is from the Something Fancy stamp set also in the mini catalog, stamped in Calypso Coral.

For the final touch I added a generous amount of champagne rhinestones.

Key to My Heart layered birthday card Paper Pumpkin alternative design.

The second card uses the back of the card we cut in half, just the plain Powered Pink base, trimmed down to 4″x5-1/4″. I used a half sheet of Basic White cardstock as the card base. Using stamps from the Queen Bee stamp set, I added some interest to the Powered Pink layer with Calypso Coral. The leaf spray is from the same bundle, stamped in Soft Sea Foam. Notice the keyhole punch out has been transformed into a vase with a stamp from the kit and an Iridescent Pastel gem.

I added a few more gems in the top half of the card to give some balance to the design. My Dayinkers loved creating this alternate and how all the layers came together to form a beautiful birthday card.

I hope you’re having fun in your craft room during these cold winter days. Until next time, Ink up!

Lots of Pun with Paper Pumpkin

Posted on by dayinker
Cards made with the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin subscription box.

The Lots of Pun, December 2021, Paper Pumpkin is filled with funny yolks, you know, the “moldy oldies.” But seriously, it’s a super cute kit with sentiments for celebrating, condolences, and general good wishes. At least one of my cards will be perfect for my Valentine.

These are the cards made as designed. The kit comes with extra pieces, so it’s easy to get more than the nine cards it was designed to make. For my alternatives, I took one of each of the card bases and cut it in half. Then I trimmed each half to 4″x5-1/4″. That means I have six more punny ideas for you!

Lots of Pun with Cherries

Alternative design for the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

For the first split card, I used the Granny Apple Green back and embossed it with the Tasteful Texture 3-D embossing folder from the current Annual catalog. After mounting the pane on a base of Pool Party cardstock, I put the cherries in the frame exactly like the card was designed. Instead of using vellum and the red banner detail, I used the rainbow striped banner. The heart embellishments in the kit were the perfect final touch.

Alternative design for a condolence card using the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

The second alternative I created from the same card base is a condolence card. Unfortunately, sometimes we need to send this kind of card. Again, the front panel is layered on Pool Party cardstock. For the sentiment cluster (vellum, rainbow banner, red ruffle, and stamped banner), I trimmed the scrap piece of rainbow-striped paper from the pre-punched frame. The narrow strip adds a nice pop of color. The clean and simple (CAS) design lets the sentiment stand out.

Orange You Glad I Said Banana Again?

Alternative design for a thank you card using the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

Okay, that’s not how that ancient knock knock joke goes, but of course it came to mind when playing with these punny bananas in the Lots of Pun kit. For this alternative duet, I used the yellow checked card base with the Pool Party back. Both cards are on White cardstock as the base.

The first card is another CAS. I used the smaller vellum circle to anchor my cluster of bananas. The “top” banana is raised on Dimensionals. I giggle every time I see the banana with glasses. The sentiment in the word bubble banner is also elevated. For a final touch, I added three of the Daffodil Delight gems from the kit.

Alternative design for a congratulations card using the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

The second card, starts with the Pool Party back that I stamped with the hat and dots stamps from the kit using Pool Party ink. When stamping a background like this, it’s good to make the images “fall off” the edge. That technique keeps the background from fighting for attention with your focal point. In this case, I super cute piece of toast in a Granny Apple Green party hat. The blue plaid medallion is the “left over” piece from the frame used in the cherries card.

Egg-stra Alternatives

Alternative design for a greeting card using the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

The last two alternatives use the Daffodil Delight card base that has the watercolor sploosh on the front. Starting with the Daffodil Delight panel, I embossed it using the same Tasteful Textures folder. Next, I layered on the big vellum circle from the kit. I staggered the two eggs, generally only line up items if you have three or more and usually odd numbers. Again, those eyeballs will do funny things to two eggs lined up on your card. And not the good funny.

Alternative design for a greeting card using the Lots of Pun December 2021 Paper Pumpkin

I used two sentiments, one in the bubble banner popped up on Dimensionals. The other has the Early Espresso ruffle under to give it some visual weight. I love the little smiling eggs. Talk about “sunny side up!”

The last alternative calls to my serious side, a pun-free alternative. I used the Crumb Cake banner from the kit, layered over a second scrap of rainbow banner and then the Early Espresso striped banner. I used Dimensionals cut in half for the hello sentiment from the kit. If you have the mini Dimensionals, they work so much better, but they still should be cut in half. Last, I added that twine bow because everyone I know loves tying bows. (I said pun free, not joke free.)

I hope you liked the cards I have for you here. If you haven’t signed up for Paper Pumpkin, there’s a link to the right. Here’s a preview of the January 2022 box. Sign up by January 10 so you don’t miss out. And until next time, “Ink up!”

A Box of Christmas – Love, Santa

Posted on by dayinker
Gift tags from the Love, Santa kit by Stampin' Up!

Did you know that Stampin’ Up! has other kits besides Paper Pumpkin? They do. And recently I got my hands on the Love, Santa kit. The kit is designed to make twelve gift tags, three of each design you see here. The tags are so simple to make and would be perfect for crafting with the kiddos or just an easy creative moment while watching a Christmas movie.

I don’t do a lot of wrapped gifts, I’m more of a stocking stuffers and experiences kind of gift giver, so four tags was plenty for me. But what to do with the other pieces of the kit?

First, I made an ornament by layering the other two taxi cabs on a piece of Bumblebee cardstock. The ornament idea worked, but not as well as I’d hoped, because these tags, aside from the one that’s an actual tag, aren’t quite symmetrical.

I chose to make a few full-sized Christmas cards, perfect for mailing and two notecards perfect for stuffing in stockings with a gift card.

Christmas Tree Cards – Love, Santa

Two Christmas cards made from the Love, Santa kit by Stampin' Up!

I started with the two Christmas trees for my cards. These two cards are essentially the same, but in one I used embossing and the other, designer paper. The card on the left has a background embossed with the Evergreens 3-D embossing folder. I also added some presents, three from the stamp in the kit on one from the Gifts Galore Paper Pumpkin kit.

The card on the right has a background of designer series paper from the Peaceful Place paper pack. This paper is only available through December, and it’s gorgeous. Don’t miss out. I stamped the sentiment, also from the Gifts Galore Paper Pumpkin, directly on the background paper.

Both trees are elevated using Dimensionals and, of course, I used some gems to add a touch of sparkle.

Full-sized Foliage Cards

Alternatives to the Love, Santa kit from Stampin' Up!

These next two cards use the tag shaped pieces as the focal point of the full-sized cards. For the card on the left, I used the Timeworn Text 3-D embossing folder on a piece of Soft Succulent cardstock. I stamped the tag with the merry sentiment from the kit in Poppy Parade and the pine bough image in Evening Evergreen. To add interest, I stamped it twice to get a second generation image as well. The Christmas part of the sentiment and the tag are raised with Dimensionals. And yes, those are sparklies from the Holiday Rhinestones pack.

The card on the right is a bit more involved. I started with a base of Soft Succulent and added a piece of the Tidings of Christmas paper. Instead of stamping the tag directly, I stamped some scrap white cardstock and fussy cut out two pine boughs. The sentiment is from the kit, stamped in Misty Moonlight to match the designer paper. I layered it on a red medallion I had in my stash and the pre-punched banner from the kit. I also added three berry sprays from my stash. For the final touch, a crinkled seam-binding ribbon bow and a few gems.

Love, Santa Note Cards

Note cards made using the Love, Santa kit from Stampin' Up!

The last cards I made with the Santas started with a base of the pre-cut Very Vanilla note cards. The size of the cards still allows them to be mailed but they will also fit easily into a stocking or be tucked into the tree for gift giving.

The card on the left has the Santa lifted up on Dimensionals. The sentiment and gems are from the kit. I used the Tidings of Christmas paper for the background for both cards.

The Santa on the right isn’t lifted up, but the sentiment is. I used the stamp from the kit and Soft Succulent ink.

I had a great time putting this kit together. It’s always fun to come up with creative ways to use the beautiful elements Stampin’ Up! includes in their kits. If you like this one, shop with me now using the code on the right. The kits are always changing and I’m excited to see what Stampin’ Up! comes up with next.

Until next time, “Ink up!”