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)

Some Days It just Doesn't Pay

Ever have one of those frustrating work-hard-but accomplish-next-to-nothing days?  That's the kind of day it's been around here.  Phone calls, door bells, and things just not working out!  I had a Thank You card commissioned by my pastor for a member of the congregation, and I set to work, all excited about using some more new Spring Mini products, and a technique I saw in the Spring Mini as well.  The technique worked, after a couple of trial runs, but I just didn't like the way the card turned out.  In fact, I made 2 versions of it, and didn't particularly like either.  You be the judge:

This is version 1.  That beautiful butterfly in the background is a new stamp set from the Spring Mini, called Swallowtail.  I stamped with VersaMark on a Crumb Cake background and embossed with Melon Mambo embossing powder.  Then I painted areas with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and heat set it.  So far so good.  But the more intense colours on the flags and the circles just don't seem to go with the butterfly, even though I used Melon Mambo card stock.  What a difference in intensity!  Maybe because of the fine lines in the stamped image.   That cute little thank you shape is stamped with a new set called Pretty Petites and punched with a new punch called Petite Curly Label Punch.  Each of these products you will be able to earn free with every $60 of product you order during Sale-A-Bration starting January 22, 2013!  Excited yet?

Well, I thought I would remove the flags with their more saturated colours and then see how that looked.  (By the way, the flags were cut with the Hearts a Flutter Framelit dies, new in the Spring Mini catalogue.  These dies can be bundled with the Hearts a Flutter stamp set, also new.)

Here is the result: 

This one seems a little more balanced, by taking off the flags and adding the butterflies, stamped with the Papillon Potpourri stamp set in VersaMark and embossed using Early Espresso embossing powder.  But still not sure I like it.  Maybe I should have used the lighter Pretty in Pink for the embellishments.  Oh well!  Onwards and Upwards, I always say!  Let me know what you think.

These are the last few days for the Holiday Mini catalogue, which you can order from until Jan. 2, 2013.  Were there some sets or tools or accessories that you have been meaning to order?  I will be putting in my last order of 2012 on Saturday, December 22, so make sure you phone or email me before then!  Enjoy your Christmas celebrations, my friend.  I will be doing one last post before Christmas, on Dec. 23.  See you soon!

Stamps: Swallowtail* (w129213; c129216); Papillon Potpourri (w123757; c123759); Pretty Petites** (w129639; c129642)
Paper:  Pretty in Pink (100459), Early Espresso (119686), Melon Mambo (115320), Crumb Cake (120953) and Pool Party (122924) card stock
Ink: VersaMark (102283)
Accessories:  Stampin' Emboss Powder in Melon Mambo (123223) and Early Espresso (128980 - a product that will carry over from the Holiday Mini, and be available until June), Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023) -mixed with the embossing powder for some more sparkle; Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (116806)
Tools:  Petite Curly Label punch** (129405), 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch (119854); 1 3/4" Circle punch (119850), Curly Label punch (119851), Elegant Butterfly punch (127526), Heat tool (129053)
*From the Spring Mini Catalogue, coming into effect Jan.3, 2013
** Fron the Sale-A-Bration brochure, coming into effect Jan. 22, 2013