I love this set! It's so cute and the sayings are adorable.  All of these are easy to replicate designs so even if you do not have this set you could easily substitute another cute animal set! 

For this card I paired the Bumblebee Designers Series paper with Crumb Cake and Basic Black.  A little linen thread wrapped around the panel gives it some dimension. 

What do you think?  Branch above or below the squirrel?

On this card I used one of the designs from the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Paper and paired it with Soft Suede and Early Espresso.  

I recently saw a tutorial on pulling apart your bakers twine and retying it in a bow.  It creates such a cool look! 

One of my favorite techniques is to stamp a phrase in the same color ink as my card stock for a patterned background.  I fussy cut this little guy out and popped him up with dimensionals. 

Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter to get a PDF with more details and measurements on these cards! Use the link to the right.  

Do you ever have items you purchase, or find, that you hold on to for a LONG time because you just know that there will be a perfect project?? Or is it just me?

I've been holding on to these embroidery hoops for awhile knowing that I wanted to do wall decor with them.  I finally sat down and made it happen.  

First up was a fall themed piece.  Both the Stitched Leaves dies and the Harvest Meadow paper have been calling to me! Together, I think they made the perfect piece.  

For the background, I traced the hoop on my Designer Series Paper in pencil.  I then cut it out and added multipurpose liquid glue to the edge of the hoop.  I carefully placed the paper on the glue.  Using the liquid glue meant I had a little bit of time to be able to move and reposition the paper if I didn't get it quite right on the first try. 

The Bloom Where You're Planted paper did most of the work in creating this piece.  The images are so fun and bold that all it took was a little fussy cutting.  I added a few leaves from the Symmetrical Stems Border punch. 

As with every Sale a Bration, there are so many great options and so many fun things to make!  In the final two days I wanted to share a few other projects I've made using various Sale a Bration items.  Hopefully these provide you with inspiration. 

Remember you can still earn these items through Thursday night. Shop here with Hostess Code ​M7YFDSU7.

The Peaceful Prints Designer Series Paper coordinates with the Deer Builder punch.  Both of these are easy to create layouts that would work with many suites! 

Fussy cutting the adorable creatures in the Penguin Playmates Designer Series Paper is so worth the effort.  In this card I also used the Textures and Frames stamp set. 

A fun trick I forget to do often is to cut apart your sentiments and stack the words.  I like the look! 

This card is one I cased from Hammond and Penny.  I loved her layout and had to try it with the stars.  These dies have been sitting on my shelf for awhile and I need to put them to good use.  I used the Penguin Playmates paper and the Textures and Frames on this one too! 

I obviously spent some time playing with the Textures and Frames set!  These two both feature stamps from the set.  These stamps make such great backgrounds and focal points.  I love mixing up lots of color.

Adding in the Biggest Wish stamp set was the perfect sentiment set to use. 

My style tends to lean toward clean and simple. I like a lot of white and often don't use a lot of embellishment.  But then again...sometimes I put everything on a card! 

I wanted to showcase how to take a very simple design (that I think looks great despite being SO easy!) and step it up for more involved cards.  

This first card is as simple as it gets!  Ink, paper and stamps. 

By fussing cutting out the "happy" and putting the design on a piece of white cardstock that we can pop up we add more dimension to our design.  A little bling is always nice as well. 

This final design adds in an embossed AND fussy cut word plus twine and Designer Series Paper.  It's still the same basic design but there is a lot more to look at on this one!

I wanted a fairly monochromatic color scheme so I mixed some blues and greens.  

Which type of card maker are you?  

Don't forget that the Textures and Frames stamp set is only available to earn for the next few days! Get your orders in now so you don't miss out.  Shop here. 

I wanted to share the fun (but easy!) cards we created at my last class.  My goal in the class was to show off lots of product from the current mini catalog.  

The deer card features two different punches including the Holly Border and the Deer Builder.  I wanted to highlight how easy it was to create a background using the Holly Border.  A punch at the top and the bottom of a      3 1/4 x 4 3/4 piece of Shaded Spruce and you are set! 

It also features the Sale a Bration Designer Series Paper Peaceful Prints. Only 10 days left to earn this paper. 

Hint--want to make THE easiest holiday cards ever??  Use the Gingerbread and Peppermint Memories and More products! SO simple to create fun cards.

​Another tip--the dies cut out the gingerbread cookies from the coordinating Gingerbread and Peppermint 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper.  

My biggest goal with this next card (besides using scraps) was to show how to use a holiday set in another way.  The "happy" die in the Christmas Cheer die set can be used to make Happy Birthday cards! 

This last card was a fun fold card CASEd from fellow demonstrator Melissa Stout.  I received this card in a new catalog swap with her and couldn't resist making some of my own! One piece of 6 x 6 paper can give you all the pieces you need! 

I had fun using the In The Wild Designer Series Paper on these cards.  I don't have the full bundle yet so these are using the paper only! 

 A little fussy cutting gives you great images to use.  I had to admit to everyone that I ripped this tiger's tail when I was putting the card together.   However, a little strategic placement with my sentiment covers it right up! 

You can't even tell! 

A little tip I shared for the second card was a reminder that you can mask areas of a stamp you don't want to use.  In this case, I loved the saying but didn't want the word "and".  I used a small piece of paper to cover up that spot and stamped the rest. 

The Rectangular Postage Stamp punch makes it easy to create a fun pattern like I used on the finished card below. The bold colors and patterns on these papers are fun to work with.  

I've admitted before that I often manage to overlook items in our catalogs.  The Shaded Summer stamp set is one of those.  I have a lot of flower sets and, as a stand alone stamp set, I passed it by.  When coordinating dies were added to the Sale a Bration offerings I took a new look at it and realized that besides beautiful images, it also had some wonderful sentiments! 

Below are two cards I made using these products.  I share a "This or That" on my social media every week and this week I used these two cards.  The white card won by a lot!  You can check it out on Facebook or Instagram if you want to add your vote! 

I've found myself reaching for Fresh Freesia more and more lately.  It's currently my go to purple.  

On both cards I paired Fresh Freesia with Soft Succulent.  I achieved the two color look by using my Stampin'
 Write markers directly on my stamps. 

PS Don't use Blends for this technique! The alcohol based ink dries too quickly and they are likely to stain your stamps.

Pulling in a few other items completed the cards.  I used the new Timeworn Type Embossing Folder for both background panels.  I also cut both of the background panels to 3 3/4 by 5 instead of my usual 4 x 5 1/4 size.  I liked the look of the extra space. 

You can earn the Summer Shadow dies for FREE with a $100 purchase through the end of the month.  My current Host Code is DFEUZWE2.

Happy stamping!

I really do love getting my Paper Pumpkin box each month.  Even though I have lots of supplies and make cards regularly I love having something arrive that I can make quickly and without a lot of thought if I'm in a hurry or not feeling inspired. 

I also love that I can create alternatives if I want.  There are always great elements and stamps that allow for lots of individual creativity.  

This card was very easy to put together.  I used the small splatter stamp to recreate the look on the card base.  This saying from the retired Here's To Strong Women set is one that I still use all the time.  

Adding a very simple Happy Birthday to this card completes it.  I simply layered the banners, added the flowers and called it a day! So simple. 

When the envelopes are printed I like to cut them up as well!  The pattern makes for a great focal point on this sample.  

These cards both use the die cut piece as a stencil. 

I simply flipped it over and used the Blending Brush to add color.  Such an easy and beautiful way to create a background.  

I always make at least one of each card as intended.  I do love how these look! 

So which do you prefer?  Doing the kit as intended or creating your own designs? If you are interested in subscribing to Paper Pumpkin or learning more about it click here!  

The Sweet Stockings Suite offers so many options for card making and it's really hard to resist the adorable animal faces!  Notice that there are so many ways to incorporate the matching Designer Series Paper (DSP) in this suite too. 

The Santa Paws card comes together easily by pairing the stamp set with the matching Designer Series Paper.  I stamped the dog in Old Olive ink on Old Olive card stock for my background.  A few strips of DSP and some ribbon and it's looking good! 

Use the Designer Series Paper to provide a quick and easy patterned stocking.  Simply cut out with the largest stocking die.  I cut the top and toe pieces with the Jolly Felt to add some dimension.  Pairing the Pool Party Striped Grosgrain with the Evening Evergreen Chevron from the Annual Catalog is the perfect addition to the card. 

This suite can help you knock out all your holiday cards at once! 

Some coloring with the Blends was the perfect touch on these adorable faces.  Notice that you can cut out the stockings from the Designer Series Paper with the coordinating dies. 

This suite is in my list of top favorite products in the new mini! The other thing I love?  How well it pairs with the Quiet Meadow bundle in the Annual Catalog.  Below are three ideas using the Nature's Harvest Bundle. 

Mixing Annual Catalog products with mini catalog stretches everything further.  I added the font background stamp and the Thinking of You sentiment from the Quiet Meadow bundle for this card.  

Don't be afraid to stick to neutral colors on a card! I used Crumb Cake exclusively outside of the pop of yellow from the Harvest Meadow Designer Series Paper pack.  

This card got a lot more color than the one above.  Bumblebee, Misty Moolight and Just Jade were my go to on this card. 

This card was one we made in my last class (Best of Bundles).  I liked the look of the Diamond Weave ribbon. 

TIP: To adhere it I added my adhesive to the card base and then folded the ribbon and pressed it to the adhesive.  It sticks better when you apply it directly to the paper instead of directly to the ribbon. 

Sponge some crumb cake ink the edges of your banner to create a more vintage look.