Paper Pumpkin Goes Pink!!

No, those aren't red onions, they're Pink Pumpkins! And why am I showing you such an odd picture? It's because I want you to help Stampin' Up! stamp out Breast Cancer!

From now until October 10th, Paper Pumpkin will donate $1 for every active subscriber and another $1 for every new subscriber! This will be a sizable donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

My own mom died of Breast Cancer when I was in my early 20s, but I believe she would have lived to see her grandchildren, if the treatments we have now were available then! We've come so far! But the goal of BCRF is to eradicate breast cancer altogether! I'm all for that! How about you?

If you are already a subscriber you know the great projects that get delivered to your door once a month with everything you need to complete a paper project worth pinning! In fact, if you are not a subscriber yet, you can check out past projects in a couple of places: Facebook and Pinterest! I know you'll be impressed! 

So what can you do? If you are already a subscriber, stay active for October. If you are not a subscriber, sign up to be one before Oct. 10! You won't regret it and you'll be helping to fund research intended to completely eradicate breast cancer. Just $24.95 a month will get you started or you can get prepaid subscriptions for yourself or as a gift:

1 Month Prepaid Subscription: $24.95

3 Month Prepaid Subscription: $74.85

6 Month Prepaid Subscription: $143.70 - Save $1 per month

1 Year Prepaid Subscription:    $275.40 - Save $2 per month - like getting one kit free

Follow the links above to purchase Prepaid Subscriptions or go to My Paper Pumpkin to sign up.

I'd be honoured if you would choose me as your demonstrator, if you don't already have one.

Get a PINK box and help stamp out Breast Cancer!

July Paper Pumpkin and an Update from Salt Lake City

Well, today is the first official day of Stampin' Up! Inspire. Create. Share. 2015, aka Convention! Today we will pick up our Convention Bags, and start with an open session this morning, where the new 2015 Holiday Catalogue will be unveiled, and I will have a copy in my hot little hand by the end of the session! So excited about that!

I wanted to check something with you! Are you a subscriber to My Paper Pumpkin yet? Seriously?? I still haven't been able to convince you of it's awesomeness? Well just take a look at this video for the July projects:


            

Half Off for New Subscribers!

Imagine having projects that are just that amazing showing up on your doorstep once a month with everything you need to create a pinworthy project for just $24.95. And there's nothing to lose. If you want to skip a month, or cancel entirely it is easy to do. Just go to My Paper Pumpkin and you can easily manage your subscription, skipping a month or two or just cancelling completely.  And from now until September 10, new subscribers can get their first 2 months at half price. To sign up, just go, as above, to My Paper Pumpkin and enter the Promotion Code: HALFOFF! And tell them I sent you! I mean, I would be honoured if you would select me as your demonstrator.

Yesterday, we went for a tour of the Stampin' Up! Home Office in Riverton, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. It's also very interesting to see the way the creative team works, to meet our demonstrator support team and see how our orders are received and packed! Here's a few photos:

The Heritage Room!

 How they make our stamps:

 More Heritage Room:

 The Distribution Center where they pack all our orders!

Terry with her card on display in the Demonstrator Support Section!

Stamp of the Month Club

I've been on a bit of a boy birthday kick lately.  Not having raised boys, I am so enjoying my three little grandsons, soon to be four, in January.  My one granddaughter is so far outnumbered badly, but there may be more babies to come, who know?

I fell behind last month and didn't get my Stamp of the Month Club samples and tutorials finished so my club was okay with skipping August and moving right on into September. (It takes forevvvver to do those photo tutorials, btw!)  So here is September's samples  and the tutorials are all done and ready to be shipped out when you sign up for the club this month.  The Stamp of the Month is Boys Will Be Boys.  Here is what you get with the package:

1.  This clear mount stamp set.
2. The three cards that you see above.  The center one is my own design and the other two are cases        from Pinterest.  The one with the gears was designed by Wendie Bee and the Paratrooper one was      designed by Sandy Risi.
3. A photo tutorial for each of the cards featuring a list of all supplies and clear step-by-step                     instructions with photos.
4. Links to a facebook page for interaction and access to the odd video.

You can sign up month-to-month, but if you commit to a 6 month term you will get the hostess benefits from all the Stamp of the Month Orders in one of the 6 months during which you are part of the club.

To sign up, click the link for Stamp of the Month On-Line Club at the top of this page and fill in the form at the bottom.  When I get your information, then I will send you a Paypal invoice by email. When I have your payment I will mail you the cards, stamp set and paper copy of the tutorials.  I will also email you the digital tutorials right away, so you can follow the links on them.  If you are not Canadian, company regulations will not allow me to send you the stamp set, but I can send you the cards and tutorials for a reduced price.  You can always order the stamp set for yourself.

FALL CLASSES ARE POSTED!

I have lots of fun fall classes scheduled.  There's something for everyone, including the beginner. Check out the link in the top menu for Classes.  There are links on that page for registration for the individual classes.

OPENINGS IN MY STAMP CLUB!

I wanted to also let everyone know that I have a couple of openings in my regular local stamp club as well.  Just email me if you are interested.

New Amazing PhotoPolymer Stamp Set just released!

Stampin' Up! has just released an amazing new Photopolymer stamp set called You're Wonderful.  Here are some sample cards from Stampin' Up!'s Home page Blog:

And here's the stamp set:

Finally:  Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and get your first two months 50% off!  The last few Paper Pumpkins have been so top quality that I'm sure you're going to love the next few.  And if you are wanting some Halloween goodie bags, I suggest you sign up by tomorrow in order to receive the September Paper Pumpkin kit.  You can stop or put on hold your subscription at anytime or you can prepay your subscriptions.  They make great gifts.  Better move fast on this one!

Go to My Paper Pumpkin and sign up.  Please identify me as your demonstrator and use the code: HALFOFF2 when signing up.  If you want a prepaid subscription of 3, 6 or 12 months, contact me.

Whew!  That's a lot of information!  See you tomorrow with a card for The Paper Player's Fall Challenge.

Variations on a Theme: My August Paper Pumpkin

Guess what was delivered right to my door yesterday?

You're right!  It was my August Paper Pumpkin!  Usually, I have a hard time getting to play with them because of all the other designing and class preparation I have to do, but tonight, after a long afternoon and evening cutting my first Christmas Stamper's Dozen projects of the year, I still had a blog post to do and no project to show you.  I was just too tired after three days of VBS every morning, to start a new card and I was at a loss knowing what to do!  Then my eye caught sight of that bright orange package on my desk, and I thought, "Aha!  I'll do My Paper Pumpkin projects!  Everything is all cut, easy and ready to go!  Brilliant!"

So I'm going to show you the card that follows the directions given in the package, then I thought I would show you some alternative projects that step it up a bit!  Here's the intended card:

• Isn't that cute?  I'd be happy to give that to someone special to me!  In fact, my daughter Kristen loves biking, so it would be perfect for her.  
• I love the little honeycomb stick-on borders in Crushed Curry! 
• And this is a colour palette I'm going to use again:  Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar and Raspberry Ripple!

Now here's another card, using most of the same components, but in a different way:

• I changed colour on the stamps, used the border stickers vertically, and added a couple of extra elements.
• I used the water stain stamp from the very first Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit on some Whisper White cardstock in Bermuda Bay, stamped off once or twice, then stamped the bicycle in Baked Brown Sugar.  I sponged the edge with Bermuda Bay ink.
• I punched it out using the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and die cut a matte from Raspberry Ripple cardstock using the Window Frames Collection Framelits.  I popped the whole thing up on Dimensionals.

Here's the next one:

• I think this one might be my favourite!  I got out the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and stuck with just two colours, Crushed Curry and Baked Brown Sugar to give a more monochromatic look!  LOVE Gorgeous Grunge!

And here's the last one:

• I used my Honeycomb Embossing Folder to add a little texture to the bottom of the card.
• I added another image from Gorgeous Grunge behind the bike to give the impression of motion.
• I stamped the sentiment flag on a spare scrap of Whisper White, cut it out and popped it up on Dimensionals.
• Three Bermuda Bay Candy Dots complete the design!

I honestly enjoyed myself creating these four cards and it only took half an hour at the most!  And the cards are so cute!  My Paper Pumpkin is the greatest solution for those who want a little time each month to craft, but don't have time, space or money to do more!  It's also great for people like me, who enjoy a quick, little  project that I didn't have to totally make up by myself once in a while.

You should definitely give this a try.  It's a subscription service and each month, sometime after the 10th of each month, a package is delivered right to your door for $24.95 plus tax.  But hold on a moment....if you sign up for My Paper Pumpkin before August 31, 2013, you can get your first two months at half price!!  That's $12.50 plus tax!

You go to the link above, and click Sign Up.  Make sure to click on Add Promotion Code and type in  PUMPKINDEAL to take part in the discount.  Also, after adding all your info, make sure you choose me as your demonstrator!  If I get a few more subscribers, I will start coming up with alternative projects like this every month for you!   Great deal and so fun!

Playing with Pumpkins!

Like I promised yesterday,  here is another instalment of  "What You Can Do with My Paper Pumpkin"!  These are the other two designs I came up with:

With this card, I embossed the bottom 2/3 of the card using the retired SAB embossing folder "Vine Street", but any similar folder would do.  The cool thing about the card stock being printed instead of dyed is that you can sand it and the colour comes off, so it's easy to distress it.   Then I just added the polka dot paper and embellishments to the top 1/3 of the card.  When I stamped the sentiment, I had to mask the parts I didn't want to include on the two areas so I wouldn't get any ink on the parts of the rubber stamp I didn't want.

And card #4 is this:

For this one, I just took the leftover polka dot paper and several different circle and scallop circle punches and punched out different sized circles and adhered them to the card.  I overlapped the card edge several times and trimmed to the shape of the card.  I tried to keep the lighter ones at the top and the more saturated colour towards the bottom.  And that's all there is to it!

What's new at Stampin' Up?  Seems like there is always something going on there.  Today there is just a reminder that you can now purchase the Petite Curly Label punch that was a Sale-A-Bration reward, right up to May 31, 2013 and we'll have to see what's in the new catalogue after that!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Here are the extra products you need to make the Paper Pumpkin alternatives:

Tools and Accessories:  assorted circle and scallop circle punches (or trace around different sized circular objects); Vine Street Embossing folder or any similar embossing folder; Stampin' Up Sanding Block (129367)

What Can You Do with a Pumpkin?

We've had the most beautiful spring weather lately!  Our forsythia is in bloom, and a few daffodils, though we don't plant many spring bulbs.  So it seems kind of strange to be talking about pumpkins!

No, not this kind of pumpkin!  But this kind:  My Paper Pumpkin!  I wanted to show you all the fun you can have with the monthly packages.

This is what it looks like when it arrives at your own front door!

This is what you see when you first open it.

Here are all the amazing goodies inside!!

And here is what you are supposed to make with it!

This is all great if you are new to stamping and if you don't have a lot of room for supplies and equipment!  It comes with everything you need and lots of instructions as well.  

But what if you are not new to stamping, and have some supplies already and would like a little more challenge?   Well, each month, I will come up with some alternative projects, and everyone who subscribes to Paper Pumpkin through me, will get a free email with the tutorials on how to complete them.

 I came up with four different cards for the first Welcome Kit, and I will show you two of them today and the other two tomorrow.

This first sample only requires an extra circle punch to complete!  I really had a lot of fun playing around with the materials.  Of course, I had to plan a bit to make sure I had enough of the materials for all 4 cards.  That's where my tutorials will come in handy.  Did you notice that the stamped sentiment is exclusive to My Paper Pumpkin?  You will get stamps with this program that are not available through the Stampin' Up catalogues!

And here's the second one:

For this one, you need a Paper Doily, Window Frames Framelits, the Honeycomb embossing folder and Big Shot, and some Baker's Twine extra, but you could leave off the embossing if you don't have a Big Shot.

I hope you like these alternative projects and you are thinking of subscribing.  I have to say I really enjoyed the whole process.  If you would like to subscribe, send me an email with your email address and phone number and I will get you signed up.  To get the a box this month, you need to sign up before April 10th.  As long as you live in Canada, you can sign up with me.  You don't need to live near me as the boxes will be delivered directly to you!


For other ideas for this kit, check out this Pinterest board.

Accessories and Tools  needed beyond what is provided:  Paper Doilies (129399); Honeycomb Embossing Folder (129378); Big Shot (113439); 1 3/4" Circle Punch (119850); Baker's Twine in Pool Party (125574); Window Frames Collection Framelits (129021)

My Paper Pumpkin Has Arrived

Look what arrived at my door yesterday!!  I love the line on the side of the box, because it means that when the box is opened...

...you're in store for some papercrafting fun!  Not too difficult, but enough to make you a project you'd be proud to pin!

Inside is everything you need to create the project, even (in your first kit) a clear mount block to mount the stamps that come with each kit!

Here is what you will be creating, and behind that photo are clear and detailed instructions!  But you don't have to do exactly what they tell you.  Once you get your confidence (and it won't take long with these kits), you can try the alternative projects that I will supply if you have signed up through me, and even create your own ideas!   

Here are some ideas from my upline, Desiree Spenst.  I will be emailing tutorials to those who have signed up for My Paper Pumpkin through me.

Are you kicking yourself for not signing up in time to get the first package?  No worries!  You can still sign up any time you want.  Just register here, and I will call you for your info. It costs $24.95 a month and you can stop your subscription any time or even put it on hold for a month or two.  Otherwise, your credit card would be charged monthly and each month after the tenth of the month, a new package is delivered right to your door!

In other news, I am starting a BIG SHOT CLUB!  What is it?  I am looking for 6 people who want a Big Shot (133439).  Once a month, each person would commit to contributing $25.25 (includes shipping and tax) to the club for 6 months and each month someone would get a Big Shot, first come, first served.  Big Shot Club will be held on the third Tuesday of each month, starting April 16 at 7 pm.  After 6 months, everyone would have their Big Shots, and some great ideas and techniques for using it.

We could get together to do some Big Shot Projects, or just decide to send in our payments by the third Tuesday of each month.  

Out of town folks, as long as you live in Canada, this is open to you as well!  You would just need to send me an email, indicating that you would like to join, with your contact info and I would call or email you to set up your month.  Then by the third Tuesday of each month you would send me your payment, and I would send you a kit containing the projects for the month.  When it is your Big Shot month, I would order it and have it delivered RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR!  I'm really excited to be able to offer my blog readers from out of town this opportunity! 

Finally, remember the goal I set to book nine new classes.  I had 2 booked and each photo represents two booked classes, helping the daffodil to grow.  I'm happy to report that I'm almost there... 1 more is needed:

        4 booked                                                          6 booked                                                8 booked

All that's left is 1 more booking!  How about helping me reach that goal?  All you have to do is invite a few friends for a fun night out (or morning or afternoon!).  If you don't like baking and cleaning up, let me do that for you and host your class at my house!  So easy and so many benefits for you!  Your name will go into a draw with the other hostesses that booked during this week for a FREE stamp set!  Plus you will get hostess benefits from all the orders that go in from your class.  You can even get out of town friends and relatives to take part by ordering on-line with a special Hostess Code!  Plus you will get some hand stamped cards and a hostess gift from me!  I need to know by tomorrow night so call or email me right away!

Thanks for all your support!  You are wonderful readers!

It's Almost Midnight! Don't Let Your Paper Pumpkin Disappear!

Just a quick post today with a masculine birthday card for you, also one I pinned on Pinterest!  The little pocket is sized to hold a gift card or a sentiment.  I used DSP from the Storytime collection, a couple of brads and a couple of red buttons.  I created the template for the collar and the pocket myself.

It was pinned from a site called Holiday Crafts and Creations, but I'm not sure who the designer is!

I did another version in DSP from Parker's Patterns.

But it is kind of pyjama-looking to me.  What do you think?

If you want to get in on the first month's mailing of My Paper Pumpkin, you need to let me know before Sunday, which is the deadline.  I am so excited to get started with this, and to design some alternate projects you can create with the materials in each kit!  Here's the link to register.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes (w115370; c127802)
Paper:  Pool Party (122924) and Soft Suede (115318) card stock; Storytime DSP (126907); Parker's Patterns DSP (131021)
Ink: Classic Stampin' Pad in Riding Hood Red (126968)
Accessories:  3/16" Metallic Brads (119741), Brights Designer Buttons (119747); Naturals Designer Buttons (127554)