The last several weeks have been nerve wracking for my family and me. We are dealing with not one, not two, but three family members with major medical issues – UGH!! Two of them require my attention and management, the third one I wish I could do more than just sympathize. Needless to say, keeping up with doctors’ appointments, phone calls, and scheduling more things, I didn’t get any crafting done the last two weeks.
But this weekend I got a small break and decided I needed to relax and spark my creativity by digging out my past Paper Pumpkin kits and catching up! As usual, I always get behind and then do marathon card making. I actually like doing it this way since I get to peruse Pinterest and FB-Paper Pumpkin Fan club for others’ ideas of alternative ways to use the kits. I always enjoy seeing the creativity of all the wonderful Stampin’ Up! demonstrators and customers out there who share their wonderful talents!
So first up, I pulled out my February 2017 Paper Pumpkin kit, the Many Happy Birthdays set. I created a number of alternatives when I first got the kit, if you missed those, see them here. But I still had lots of leftovers to work with, so off to look for creativity!
My first card was a CASE (“copy and share everything” for those of you unfamiliar with the acronym) of a card Dawn Olchefske did. I decided I wanted more layers and more colors and here’s my card:
I added a Night of Navy and Calypso Coral layer over the Whisper White card base. I pulled in a Soft Sky and Gold Glimmer stars with Gold Metallic thread. It will work for a birthday card, as well as any occasion that needs celebrating by just adding the appropriate greeting on the inside.
The second card was a variation of my first card, just changing the card base to Calypso Coral embossed with the Sparkle folder and using the Calypso Coral card base. I couldn’t resist using the retired Stampin’ Up! clear Tinsel trim to carry out the “sparkle” theme. I’ll be really sad when I use the last of this fantastic trim!
My last card in this set offsets the opening so that you see the inside greeting on the outside. I used my new (to me) Vertical Garden stamp set to create this card. More stars, Calypso Coral thick twine and the Navy card base to finalize this card.
Here’s what the inside looks like. I was going to use the Crushed Curry only on the band that showed on the outside, but it didn’t look right, so I covered the entire inside with the Crushed Curry. I added the Whisper White piece with a leftover strip of the navy card piece.
It always amazes me as I’m making one card other card ideas keep popping up! Here’s the three cards in this series:
Thanks for stopping by after I’ve been “missing” for a week. Things are slowing down for several weeks, so I’m taking advantage with some crafting time before I head back with family members to doctors’s appointments. Hope you have a great Monday!
The February 2016 refill kits are still available for Paper Pumpkin subscribers! If you’re not a current subscriber, you might want to join TODAY because the April kit celebrates Paper Pumpkin 4th birthday with a special extra surprise! But you have to order it today, April 10 to get it!!
Just a quick FYI – the annual retiring list of Stampin’ Up! stamp sets and products comes out later today, so be sure to check back this week to see all the things that will be “going away” :(. If you see anything on the list that you’ve been considering getting, now’s the time to do it! Many of the retiring items sell out fast and once they are gone…they are gone!
I hope your family members recover soon – sending get well wishes your way!! Love your alternative card – I have a stack of paper pumpkin kits waiting patiently for me as well. In about one more month, I’ll have tons of time to play! 🙂
Thanks Deepa! These are long term problems, but hopefully 2 will resolve over time. My dad’s memory won’t unfortunately, but just have to keep checking on him and making sure he’s monitored by the family! Have fun playing in a month (why the break? – email me!!)