My Paper Pumpkin Kit for August 2016

It's been awhile since I've ordered a My Paper Pumpkin kit from Stampin' Up!, but last month they gave us a sneak peek of the full-size stamp set (gorgeous!) and told us we'd be making cards. (Some months they feature banners, decorations, gift-giving projects, etc.) I just had to see the Bold Botanicals stamp set to know I wanted the little red-orange box this month.

I'm so glad I got it, too! At first I was disappointed at the colors (primarily Bermuda Bay, Cajun Craze, and Mint Macaron... bleh!), but as I got into the projects the color combination grew on me - to the point that I know I will use those colors together again on my own non-Pumpkin projects!

The kit provided materials to make a total of nine cards: 3 regular A2 sized cards, 3 notecards, and 3 pocket cards that can hold small messages and/or gift cards. While I stuck closely to the original designs, I did manage to throw in a few extra steps to jazz up each card, including putting sentiments on the inside. Here's the first card as designed:

I added a little flair to the Mint Macaron background:

Inside of card, with sentiment taken from the Love and Affection set in the annual catalog:

and envelope:

For the notecards I made one as designed and then Joycefied the other two:

Notecard inside:

and envelope:

The pocket cards are so stinkin' cute! Check 'em out:

The pockets were easy to assemble and even had adhesives strips on them ready to go. The mini index card is lined, making it easy to write a personal note - but I decided to make a bold statement with the Love You stamp instead. The little embellishments are adorable - a tiny burlap banner with a flower, and then a tiny clothespin with a bow tied onto it holds the index card in the pocket. 

I had so much fun with this month's My Paper Pumpkin that I'm toying with the idea of becoming a monthly subscriber again. I do love designing my own cards from scratch, but sometimes I need a less challenging project like this was. I have until September 10th to decide, so we shall see what happens.

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In other news, I've been going through lots of boxes that never got unpacked after the renovation moves in early 2014, and in the process I'm being reunited with an amazing amount of art and crafting supplies that I'd long forgotten that I had. It's like Christmas here! Truly, I never need to buy another stamp ever again! (but knowing me, I will anyway!!) In fact, I find that I own two or more of some things (heat tools, craft mats, and other tools) because I had to replace items that I couldn't find in the boxes.

I'm so grateful for all the "stuff" I now know I have, but I'm becoming painfully aware that I need some sort of system to organize it all. Seriously, I have stamps that I don't remember seeing ever before! And if I don't know I have them, they will never get used.

And, of course, I'm entertaining thoughts of purging. I love all my "stuff" but I just don't have room for it all. I think of people who pretty much stamp for a living, the Jennifer McGuires of the crafting community, and can't help but wonder how they have time to both stay organized and create! If anyone has suggestions of how to go about organizing stamps and supplies, I'm all ears!

'Tis late and my pillow calls me. Until next time,

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce