October Birthday with Paper Pumpkin--March 2021--Here's to You Alternative #1!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up Products--  Cardstock/ Papers: Old Olive, Pretty Peacock, Basic White, Copper Foil, Paper Pumpkin March 2021 - Here's to You--envelope inserts used as dsp.  Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays.  Dies:  Layering Circles Framelits (circles/ scallops).  Ink: Pretty Peacock, Early Espresso.   Embossing Folder: Coastal Weave 3D.   Other--  Trim: Maya Arts Hemp Twine.  Punch: EK Medium Scallop Corners.  Chatterbox verse (computer).  Size: 4-3/4x6-1/4-inches.

THE CARD STORY WITH CONSTRUCTION NOTES!

I have many October birthdays and time has marched along at quite a steady pace, so I must get started before I'm late!  My plan is to make a series of Alternative Paper Pumpkin cards, based on the March 2021 kit, Here's To You.  Early on when I subscribed to Paper Pumpkin, my purpose and focus was to get myself back into my craft room by challenging myself to make alternative designs rather than those provided in the kit instructions. 

Though I was not enamored with this kit when it first came, it grew on me as ideas began to percolate.  I was gifted refill kit, which would help with those ideas.  I've fussy-cutting parts of kits in the past to add layering and depth and I've loved the look it gave.  I realized that with kits, what was missing for me was that depth which many kits to not give because flat pictures that are many times part of kit designs.  

I decided that this particular kit's mountain-sunrise scene could make a nice masculine card, but without the Petal Pink edging!  Ugh!  As I wrestled with design thoughts, I pulled cardstocks of the prescribed companion colors.  I really loved the greens, blues, and blue-greens with both scenes provided in the kit.  I also found Copper foil looked absolute marvelous with these color combinations and the kit elements.  I would definitely include them all!  Here is what I did:

1.  Use two mountain-sunrise scenes to accomplish the layering I used.  On both mountain-sunrise scenes, I chopped off the Petal Pink cardstock surrounding the scenes in order to work with just the scenes alone.

2.  On one scene, I fussy-cut and removed the sunrise from the mountains, preserving the mountains and below as the top layer of scene.  I ink distressed and sponged these mountains lightly with Pretty Peacock near the top and edges only.  This brought more color, shadowing, and depth, plus when I used to offset layering for the mountains, it would give the whole scene more texture, depth, and definition.  We'll call these "#2 mountains" when referring to them below.

3.  With the second trimmed mountain-sunrise scene, stamped a set of birds from the kit stamp set with Early Espresso ink.  Let dry!!  Using a sponging brush, add a little color to the edge of the mountains with the Pretty Peacock ink.  (This can be difficult on a flat surface.)  Let dry!! 

4.  Now, it is time to glue your "#2 mountains" onto this new scene by positioning the "#2 mountains" about 1/16" below the ones on the newly sponged scene.  Whoa is me, and then I made a mistake!  When trying to glue the mountain layering, I accidentally ink-smudged the sun!  I had to use a new bottom scene, and once again, position my mountain layering.  Be sure to let all inks dry before working with the piece.

5.  Die-cut the double layer scene, created in #4 above, with a 2-7/8" circle die making sure to position the die so the sunrise and rays are preserved at the top.  Remember it is thicker than one piece of cardstock so you may have to work with your die-cutting sandwich if you cannot just use your regular 2 cutting plates.

6.  Take one of the evergreen tree die-cuts provided in the kit and fussy-cut off the three trees removing them from their land base.  Sponge Pretty Peacock ink onto the tree edges and surfaces (again for texture and depth).  Let the ink dry.

7.  Glue the trees to the left of the sunrise circle and trimmed their bottoms to fit the circle curve.  With Early Espresso ink, stamp a set birds flying near the mountains using the kit's stamp set. 

8.   Die-cut a 3-1/16" scalloped circle from copper foil to use as a border layer underneath.  Attached the copper scalloped circle underneath.  I was stoked with the results!  I really loved the look the foil gave!

9.  For your cardstock layers, cut an Old Olive card base, plus Pretty Peacock and Copper Foil pieces for added background layers.  My card base is 4-3/4 x 6-inches.  The other two layers are cut according to the amount of edge you want to shown between each layer.

10. For your patterned paper (dsp) card front layer, my card uses the kit's multi-colored rectangles envelope inserts.  

11. Next, cut a 1-1/4-inch wide Pretty Peacock band (length will be determined by your card front horizontal width).  Emboss with the Coastal Weave 3D embossing folder.  Adhere it to the card front dsp (see card picture for positioning). 

12. String three strands of hemp twine across Coastal Weave approximately 1/4-inch apart (see card picture for positioning).  Tie in the middle with a piece of twine to create the criss-cross configuration and then add more tied twine to make a thick knot for visual appeal. 

13.  Adhere all your layers on top of each other in this order:  layer 1 = Old Olive card base; layer 2 = Pretty Peacock; layer 3 = Copper foil; layer 4 = Dsp card front.

14.  With Pretty Peacock ink, stamp sentiment; let dry!  Add to a Pretty Peacock under layer. 

15. Finish the card by positioning and popping up the mountain-sunrise circle and the layered sentiment.  

 

I was super enthusiastic about my son's finished card made from a kit that I was originally super unenthusiastic about when I first received it in the mail!!  My son was super pleased with his card, but I wasn't super pleased that it ended up a little late!

Just an FYI, below is the kit's design version, using what I call the sunrise-mountain scene: