Paper Pumpkin - November

We're playing a bit of catch up with the Paper Pumpkin boxes but I'm working on a few other ideas for upcoming Crafty Saturdays, including a giveaway for next week.

I know I mentioned last week that I like the kits that will give me cards to mail out over the projects, and that's true. Especially this time of year, I am that person who sends out thank you cards for Christmas gifts, even though I suspect it drives some people nuts. Sorry, not sorry. I won't lie and tell you that every time I mail a card, I don't feel like I'm single-handedly keeping the United States mail service alive.

The kit for cards this month though was just SO LABOR INTENSIVE. So much so that only one card looked like the finished product.

Tee-dah.

The other cards did not have the string tied on the top because I literally could not be bothered. By the time I was done stamping and adhering the three layers of cardstock and layer of vellum, I was done. You're lucky you even got sequins adhered to your card. This is one card where I thought, "you know what, let me go head and buy thank you cards", even though in my world that's blasphemous. I haven't purchased a card in over a decade, folks. I just can't bring my self to pay $2 (or more.. GASP). I just can't.

But again, I mailed out the last of these cards last week so I'm back to having almost nothing in my stash. Yikes!

Paper Pumpkin - October

Oh lordy lambs, I am so behind in showing you my Paper Pumpkin projects! I haven't been letting them sit, I've actually done October and November, I just forgot to share them. So I'll share this one, but look for a Paper Pumpkin giveaway happening soon!

Easily my favorite Paper Pumpkin boxes are the ones that will give me a set of cards to complete. I use these far more than the "projects" and these are things I can see myself replicating again sometime in the future.The other nice thing about these is that these cards are a little more involved than what I would normally make so these aren't the type of card you'll crank out in a short amount of time. Sure, there aren't a lot of steps, but they can be a bit tedious, a nice way to break yourself out of your comfort zone as a crafter.

I really liked this set because they were shaker cards! I have never made a shaker card because it seemed a bit more involved than I like, but this was actually really easy if you used the foam adhesive strips that it came with! I do remember back in my day of having cable TV with a crafting station, that you can use transparency sheets to be the clear piece that holds your sequins in, but in this box they gave you pre-cut pieces so it went faster.

Would you believe me if I told you I've already used these all up?

It's true! They are all gone! I should also note that I like to dress my envelopes up with a little bit of washi tape (I like my envelope to stand out in someone's mail) and this tape is actually left over from a previous Paper Pumpkin box but matched perfectly!

If you're interested in having a little box of fun come every month, you can get your own Paper Pumpkin for $19.95/month!

Crafty Saturday: Thanks!

I haven't had a whole ton of time to do crafty things, but I have had a lot of gifts and meals dropped off lately so I'm going through thank you notes like you wouldn't believe.

A very good problem to have, obviously.

My last Paper Pumpkin and my most recent one were kits to make favors. I'm finding that while the stamp sets are cute that come with them, I'm not super jazzed about the actual project because what am I going to use these favors for? Nothing. So I'm more excited when the project is for cards because those are something I'm actually going to use.

So I finally got around to doing another Paper Pumpkin box and this was the September box, I believe. But it's a teal/orange color combination I don't normally do, it feels very southwestern to me and that's not really my thing. And it had a lot of fussy elements (like tying string to very small buttons) but I managed to make six cards and three gift tags (which truthfully, I'm probably not going to use). All of them have been mailed out to folks, so I need to get busy and make some more!

Crafty Saturday: Fourth of July Pinwheels

For years I've toyed with the idea of making some paper pinwheels just because... and then my good friend Connie, who is also a Stampin' Up demonstrator, told me she had a Paper Pumpkin kit she's never used and it was mine if I'd like it.

I obviously am not turning down free crafty supplies because any mental illness I may have doesn't reach THAT far. Thankfully for us all.

I actually subscribed to Paper Pumpkin ($19.95/month plus shipping and handling) last month when they had a flash $5 first box sign up, so I'll show you what I got in my first box, probably next weekend. I still have to make the project and I want to show you a finish project with each box so be patient!

Inside of every box is a little booklet with your instructions. If you are truly a beginner, or are gifting this box to someone just starting out, it's a perfect subscription for you because you truly don't need to have any clue and you can make these adorable projects.

It also gives you the website in case you need even more detailed instructions than what is provided in the booklet. I haven't gone onto it yet, mostly because I haven't needed to, but there may be other ideas for your kit.

So inside of this kit you received:

• Pinwheel Party Photopolymer Stamper (not shown really well here but there were three stamps on the sheet)
• Night of Navy classic stampin spot
• 24 precut Designer pinwheel forms (8 each of 3 different patterns, all were double sided)
• 24 paper straws
• 20 Whisper White banner punch outs
• 24 cellophane bags
• Basic Gray baker's twine
• 24 silver brads
• 24 silver clips
• 96 mini glue dots

Now, I only made about 16 pinwheels and saved the rest of my pieces for another time. I also didn't use the silver clips, baker's twine, or cellophane bags so I put them in with my stash because I can easily use them on a future project. The project itself was pretty easy, albeit a little putzy for me. The finished project was super cute, though!

I currently have them in a mason jar on top of a shelf as summer decor, but I plan to have them out for our Fourth of July BBQ, of course. A couple are also going to be re-used in Back to School teacher gifts (post coming soon) because they would be a cute little basket filler. I do recommend using a two sided pattern paper for doing pinwheels to give it more dimension and color but of course, you could always use a solid color of card stock if you were trying to stay true to a party color scheme.

So there it is. If you are interested in doing crafty projects but don't want to take the time to think of one, shop for supplies, cut each piece out by hand, and then assemble- I very highly recommend the Paper Pumpkin subscription. All of the hard, tedious stuff is done for you, all you have to do is assemble using the instructions they give you and you're done. So many of these kits give you things that you can later gift to someone and be that over achiever giving out hand made gifts, so keep that in mind, too!

Crafty Saturday: Yet another One Sheet Wonder for your lazy entertainment.

I'm kind of stuck on these, lambs. I feel like I could whip these out all week if I had to. I keep thinking maybe I'll do some sets and put them in my Etsy shop, but we'll see. Maybe, maybe not.

Unfortunately, I can't find the template I had used for these cards, but again, I'm in need of thank you cards knowing I'm having a baby in a few months and I really won't have time to whip them up as needed once I'm super sleep deprived and wrangling four kids pretty much solo.

But I wanted to try out my new Watermelon stamp pad, and I found a paper that had that in it but also a dark purple, so I grabbed these inks. I also grabbed the So Many Scallops stamp set, which is easily my most used stamp set. I have the matching scallop punch and the next size up scallop punch, and I use them all a LOT. And again, my favorite card sentiment set with a cool little font.

So these are my finished cards. I had just ordered some washi tape from Stampin' Up and I wanted to use it on this project. I also found a little box of gemstones in a basket I had forgotten about, so I used a bunch of those up. This collection only took me 20 minutes to make and look, I have eight thank you cards ready to go should I need them.

If you missed my first post on the greatness that is a One Sheet Wonder, click HERE and catch up but also find a link to some super easy templates you can do at home in less than a half hour!

Crafty Saturday: One Sheet Wonder- win for lazy people

I really like to do crafts, specifically scrapbooking and card making, but considering I'm always exhausted while being pregnant and having three kids running around, I have little time to really be creative. So when I do get in the mood for such things, my go-to project is and always will be a One Sheet Wonder.

This is literally the easiest thing to tackle if you feel like you aren't creative enough to make your own cards. You can crank out 8-12 cards in less than a half hour. If you know me at all you know that I absolutely hate buying store bought cards. A little piece of me dies every time I do. I have a hard time justifying $3 or more on something that most people throw out. With $3, I can make a set of these and bam- I have a quick gift, I have enough birthday cards to last me a few months, whatever. If you are trying to cut money out of your budget, considering getting into this because truly, it's inexpensive.

I should also note, this is a GREAT project for kids to make thank you cards for birthday and holiday gifts. I'm a big believer in teaching kids the value of sending an actual thank you versus just saying it, and this is something my kids like doing. Give them a pack of cards, help them pick out paper and assist with cutting and leave the rest to them. You'd be surprised at what they come up with!

To get started, go on Pinterest and look for some free templates. HERE is a great page of endless templates. It doesn't really matter which one you pick out, but if you're a beginner I would suggest picking one with the least amount of cutting.

I've had this one on my desk for awhile that I printed out so I figured I'd just use this versus wasting time looking for a different one. The easiest way to start, for me, is to pick out a piece of 12x12 scrapbooking paper, preferably something with an all over print. Then I look at my template and figure out the easiest way to cut. Obviously, this one is divided into four columns, so I started by cutting out the far left column, then cutting that strip into the sizes it tells me, and repeating for the rest of the paper.

So now I have a bunch of super cute pieces of paper all cut out. Will I use all of these? Not for this project, but with most templates you'll find on Pinterest, people show their finished cards so you can essentially just copy their layout and change the embellishments to fit your project.

Another thing I use for these projects are these little packs of cards, normally $1 at Michaels. They aren't always cut perfectly, but if you're looking for a quick gift or inexpensive project, this is the route to go.

My paper had citrus fruits all over it so I found these two stamp pads and this little stamp set to use. I'm making thank you cards, and I just like the font on these stamps.

I didn't have any citrus embellishments, so I opted for these flowers which also come in $1 packs at Michaels and they are the perfect something to put on the card. Some cards got ribbon, some didn't. I decided to layer a piece of matching card stock under my cut up pieces so it stands out more from the card, stamped my sentiment on, and done. You'll notice some of the cards have more than one pattern paper piece on them, some only have one- it's really up to you how you want them done. They are super simple, super easy. I'll share another One Sheet Wonder set I made next Saturday using a different template and different paper. Stay tuned!

And of course, if you are in need for some fun stamp colors (that last a LONG time), or inexpensive and cute stamps, embellishments, or paper packs- head over HERE and shop! Check out the Clearance Rack (link on the top left column)- there are some SUPER good deals on stamps, paper, punch sets, etc. You can order from this demonstrator online, have it shipped to your house, and sign up for the email alerts to get the good deals!

Happy crafting!

Crafty Saturday: Popping my Paper Pumpkin Cherry

So I have a slight obsession with Stampin' Up products. I remember when I first started scrapbooking and I had gotten my first catalog, I may or may not have spent $400 on stamps in one sitting.

It was Sell-a-Bration, and I had a party, and I also have zero self control.

Since then I've really reigned in my spending because truly, I've found that I buy things because the sample cards are super adorable, and then I get the set and think- this is out of my wheelhouse. Why did I think I was going to want to color in all of these elements? Or cut these tiny things out? But I become kind of attached to them and have a hard time letting them go, and it's really just a vicious cycle.

One Matt doesn't totally understand, but he knows better than to question my sanity.

But now I have a friend who sells Stampin' Up and I am itching to buy all of the things. My bank account says to not buy all the things, and predictably, the utility company does not care that I didn't pay a bill because I couldn't control myself when cute craft stuff is involved.

They are kind of jerks in that way.

Sometime last year I got back into buying things when I could and by now Stampin' Up has this super fun monthly subscription called Paper Pumpkin. It's a box of goodies which include fun papers, a stamp set, embellishments and instructions on how to make the project. Don't worry- I'm not signed up for it, but sometimes when they have extra boxes you can buy them individually. I decided to try one out, just to see, and I'm so sorry I can't remember what this one was called but you can't get it anymore so it doesn't matter. What does matter is that it was easy and fun.

This kid allowed you to make like 8 cards, I think? The nice thing is that even after you've used the paper and envelopes up, you still have this cute mini stamp set and the stampin' spots (small inks) so you could easily make more with different papers. The instructions were pretty easy to follow and it took me about 20 minutes to put all of the cards together. The other nice thing is that the cards I make are usually very simple with minimal work, so these took me out of my comfort zone a bit with all of the details and pieces you layer together to make a super cute card. Things I wouldn't think to do, but having everything pre-cut and all you have to do is assemble is really nice.

The other great thing about Paper Pumpkin is that it would make for a fun gift for someone. If you have a friend who likes to do crafty things but not a lot of time, this is a perfect little subscription to get them (think birthdays, Christmas, etc). If you are interested in gifting that (I can give you my address if needed... just kidding... kind of) or want to try on your own, go HERE and order. You can subscribe for the monthly kit or click on "past kits" and you can see what is available. The other cool thing is if you get the subscription and decide you really want to make more of a particular item, you can buy a refill kit. Which is really handy, especially on the kits that would be like party favors or such. It's a fun idea if you do classroom or birthday treats and want to look like the over achieving mom. Just saying.