Today I was going to just share my latest Easter-themed creations with the March 2019 Paper Pumpkin kit. But first I want to let you know about some Stampin’ Up!® product news – changes that you’ll see coming when the new 2019-20 Annual Catalog debuts in June.

It was announced yesterday that due to recent supplier issues (and other factors), Stampin’ Up! will no longer be carrying the current die-cutting machine and trimmer: The Big Shot and Stampin’ Trimmer will be retiring. These changes are giving Stampin’ Up! the opportunity to research and explore replacement options. And there will be a gap when we do not have a trimmer or die-cutting machine available. 

When the retiring list goes live on April 15, the order limit for the Stampin’ Trimmer Cutting Blade Refills will increase from three to six (and the limit will remain at six until they’re no longer available). And from now until September, SU will receive intermittent shipments from the supplier. 

The dies and folders that will be offered will not be from our current supplier. So there will be small changes: the dies and folders will be manufactured differently; this means the way you use the new style of dies and folders will be a little different than how you used the old style. Both the new-style and old-style dies and embossing folders can work with any die-cutting & embossing machine (in some cases, adaptations like shims may be required because the gap between rollers on machines may vary slightly between manufacturers). Click here for more details regarding the changes to our die-cutting machine, dies and embossing folders.

I realize for many of you that this news may be a little jaw-dropping at first. I had a similar reaction. But after giving it a little more thought, reminding myself that change is an opportunity for new and better, and knowing what a strong company Stampin’ Up! has been for 30 years, I now anticipate some marvelous changes to come! And I’m excited.

Did you get the March 2019 Hoppin’ Birthday Paper Pumpkin kit? If you did and you are still looking for more alternate project ideas, perhaps my Easter-themed card or scrapbook page shown below will appeal to you. I designed the card so I could send them to a few of my lucky subscribers. And then I couldn’t stop creating eggs! hahaha So the pages were “born.”

How did I make the eggs? I use the Balloon Bouquet Punch that coordinates with the balloon image in the free bonus numbers stamp set that came in the kit!

Products I used… See below for a list of products I used linked to where you can find them in my online store.

Measurements of kit products:

• Red & pink diagonally striped strip:
  • Two pieces that are 3/8″ x 4-1/4″
• Pale blue banner
  • 1/2 of one banner
• Pink envelope liner
  • Scrap for punching large balloon shape
• Blue card base
  • Scrap for punching small balloon shape

Measurements of extra products:

• Whisper White Cardstock
  • 8-1/2” x 5-1/2” scored at 4-1/4” and folded in half
• Granny Apple Green Cardstock
  • 4” x 3-1/2”
• Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock
  • Scraps for punching leaves

Directions for the card:

• Add the adhesive to the underside of the Granny Apple Green top and bottom edges, then attach the green to the diagonally striped strips. This layer can then be added to the Whisper White card base using Dimensionals.
• After stamping the sentiment on the half banner piece, curl the end with a Bone Folder and attach to the card using SNAIL Adhesive.
• Punch out the balloons and leaves. Trim the ends of the balloons to create the egg shapes. Attach the eggs and bow to the card using Dimensionals, Then slip in and add the leaf clusters using Glue Dots.
• Adhere a few pearls for a little more sprinkle of color.

Now for the pages below, you’ll notice that I have six matching photo mats made from the envelopes in the kit. I had to use envelopes from TWO kits to get this many photo mats. So if you only have one kit, you can either use both the polka-dot lined envelopes AND the striped or just use Whisper White Cardstock.

Measurements of kit products:

• Red & pink diagonally striped papers:
  • Two long edges from what is left over after removing the strips.
  • One strip for punching two small balloon shapes
• Pale blue banner
  • 1/2 of one banner
• Pink envelope liner
  • Scraps for punching two small balloon shapes
• Blue card base
  • Scraps for punching three large balloon shapes
• Pink card insert
  • Scrap for punching large balloon shape
• Yellow card insert
  • Scrap of yellow present area for punching two small balloon shapes
• Envelope flap lined with yellow stripes
  • Scrap for punching large balloon shape

Measurements of extra products:

• Whisper White Cardstock
  • 2” x 12”
• Granny Apple Green Cardstock
  • 12″ x 12″
  • 11″ x 12″
• Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock
  • Scraps for punching leaves

Directions for the pages:

• Use the scalloped label piece in the kit to form the basket. Turn it on its side. Trim off the bottom, and fold about 1/2″ over the top. Secure the folded over top by adhering it down with Dimensionals.
• Punch out several balloons and leaves. Trim the ends of the balloons to create the egg shapes.
• Mask “greetings” on the stamp by covering it with masking tape or washi tape. Ink it up. Then remove the tape and stamp it down. After stamping the sentiment on the half banner piece, curl the end with a Bone Folder.
• Trim off about 1/16″ the sides of six envelopes to open them up. Then trim the printed area down to get photo mats that are 4-1/4″ x 5-3/4″ each.
• Attach the 12″ x 11″ Granny Apple Green to the 2″ x 12″ Whisper White to create a full 12″ x 12″ page showing a 1″ strip of white on the right side. Then attach the diagonal striped strips just inside the green edge along the right side. (Lay both strips side by side and add the SNAIL to the back of them at once.) Where the strips meet up add a bow popped up on a Dimensional.
• Lay out all the pieces as shown, and start assembling.
• For the left page, I recommend adding the photo mats and the basket of eggs first. The 3 closest eggs and the basket are popped up on Dimensionals. The two in the back are adhered with SNAIL. Remember to add the bow (also on a Dimensional), the leaves, and the blue half banner.
• Then add the numbers with Dimensionals, the four eggs and leaves in the bottom corner (the two middle are with Dimensionals), and the stamped grass images.

• For the right page, I recommend adding the photo mats with tucked in leaves first, then stamping the grass images, and then adding the eggs. The yellow egg is added with a Dimensional. The blue egg is tucked under the green cardstock and attached with SNAIL.
• Adhere a few pearls to finish the pages off. And be ready to get some great photos this Easter!

I hope you enjoyed what I shared today! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by April 10th (today!!) for the next kit.

April’s Paper Pumpkin kit will introduce you to Stampin’ Up!’s brand new Distinktive® photo-realistic stamp images. These stamps have a special texture that gives added depth and dimension in a single image. The kit will make 9 cards (3 cards of 3 designs) and an adorable gift box. Coordinating Stampin’ Up! colors are: Basic Black, Calypso Coral, Flirty Flamingo, Gray Granite, Mint Macron, and So Saffron.

To renew your subscription, click here and login to reactivate. Are you on Facebook? Then be sure to join the 19,900+ members in the PAPER PUMPKIN FAN CLUB to get lots more inspiration: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1441979982783482/

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Product List…things you might need/want in addition to the March 2019 Paper Pumpkin kit to make these projects

• masking or washi tape

STORAGE BY STAMPIN’ UP

Stampin’ Up! is now offering new organizational products! Storage by Stampin’ Up!® for those of us who want to interchangeable, stackable, customizable storage solutions for your Stampin’ Up! ink pads, markers and more!
Click here to learn more.
Click here for a planning/configuration chart.
Click here to access the informational flyer.
CLICK HERE to view and shop for these items in my online store.

Along with preparing your crafting space…Have you seen that beautiful floral accented grid paper I use in my videos lately? It’s now available and being offered in my online store!

BETTER THAN FLAT TUTORIALS 

Five super talented Stampin’ Up!® demonstrators and I have joined together as the “Stampin’ Anonymous team” to create Fun Fold cards & 3-D projects to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members each month! (Our April projects are now available!) CLICK HERE to find out how you can get your hands on these great tutorials. A new one is offered each month. 

OCCASIONS CATALOG NEWS

There are some products that are selling out in the 2019 Occasions Catalog already. These products were going to retire with this seasonal catalog anyway, but due to complications with Stampin’ Up!’s die supplier & not being able to replenish the inventory, the following items are no longer available:

• Doily Builder Thinlits Dies (item 148553)
• Wonderful Floral Framelits Dies (item 148529)
• Rose Trellis Thinlits Dies (item 148549)
• Detailed Birthday Edgelits Dies (item 148548)

JOIN THE CLUB!

Do you find that you order at least $25 worth of Stampin’ Up! product each month? Do you want to get perks for those monthly orders? I’m forming a new Paper Crafters club that will kick off soon, and we are looking for more members. Click here to learn more. Then contact me with your questions &/or to sign up.