Aloha, all!
Yes, it’s the first day of December 2020. And on we go into the last month of 2020, a year that has definitely had its challenges.
But one challenge I have not had is having the time to do a lot of paper crafting that I would ordinarily not do. One crafting activity that I would let slide more often than not was opening my monthly Paper Pumpkin kit when it was NOT a straight up card-making kit. This year, though, I’ve had plenty of time even to get out the non-card kits – and make them into cards!
Expressing Creativity With Paper Pumpkin
I’ve heard some fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators say that they don’t care for Paper Pumpkin because they really like to be creative. OK, I can understand that. But I have two answers to that for myself. The first is easy. For card kits I can make a bunch of cards that look just fine and I didn’t have to do the designing, including figuring out the colors and embellishments and all that. My cards look nice because I’ve practiced smoothing out edges, lining up layers, stamping evenly and applying adhesives and embellishments.
The second answer to the creativity objection is that I can turn on the creative switch if I want. My personal creative switch is like a 3-way Bulb. I can do a little, just a bit more, or go all out and fuss with the colors. And when it comes to a kit that’s not a card, I have to flick the switch at least twice.
November 2020 Kit: Jolly Gingerbread
Last month’s kit was the second of two Christmas-themed kits for the year. And, despite the word, “Gingerbread,” in the title, there was not a Gingerbread Man in the kit, except in its promotional materials. So sad. On the other hand, the gingerbread house theme was a cutie, despite the fact that the project was a gift card holder – and 15 of them, at that. Every time we have given a gift card to anyone in the last 12 months (yes, including last Christmas) it was a printed flyer from the online source from which we bought the “card.” So a gift card holder is the very last thing that I need for the holidays.
BUT, the materials in the kit did a great job of lending themselves to being on the front of a standard greeting card. And there are three of them the photos at the beginning of this post. This is where creativity came into play.
First There Was Plan A.
Plan A in my mind was to take each of the front sections of the gift card holders and make them the central element on the front of my card. Then I was going to take the color of the door of each of the 3 designs and stamp that onto the next layer, which would be Whisper White Cardstock. Finally I would use that same color to mat the top layer before adding it all to a layer of Cinnamon Cider Cardstock and a Card Base of Thick Whisper White Cardstock.
That worked for the first card, where the primary color was Shaded Spruce. The door of the the ink, the mat for the front layer and the ribbon all worked to go beautifully with the Shaded Spruce door on the gingerbread house.
But then I got to the other house shapes with Daffodil Delight and Mint Macaron doors.
And Then Plan B.
Plan B was where I had to get a bit more creative. Neither Daffodil Delight nor Calypso Coral (the “red” in these cards) worked well on Whisper White cardstock as the top layer. The daffodil was washed out and the coral didn’t do too much better with that thick section of white on the roof. So I decided just to match the door itself with Daffodil cardstock and Coral ink. Out came some Daffodil Delight Ruched Ribbon and the Coral cardstock worked just fine with
Plan B continued to rule the day as I worked with the third gingerbread house with the Mint Macaron-colored door. In this case the Mint Macaron ink worked just fine. But the cardstock mat behind the top layer just washed out between the White and Cinnamon Cider cardstock. So, with the Coral border around the door and in the stamped sentiment, I pulled out the Coral cardstock. Perfect!
The Bottom Line
Paper Pumpkin kits aren’t meant to stifle creativity. The way that I see them they are a box of supplies that I get to use to make what I want. If it’s a card kit and I like the way the cards look, fine. I’ll make them. But whatever is in that lovely box that comes every month, I get to choose what I do with it all. I can hardly wait until this month’s kit arrives – with Teddy Bears!
Let me know if you’re interested in ordering it! And don’t forget all the other products that I used to make the cards with the November kit. They’re all shown below. Click on any of these and read more about them in my Stampin’ Up! store.
