Thanks for hopping over here to check out my alternative projects for this month's kit! I was so inspired by the colors and the touches of gold that creating this month was so easy! The finished kit makes 10 cards, which is awesome! I didn't want to take away from the gorgeousness, so I took an extra piece and the stamp set to make my projects...

My card features the HAPPY stamp stamped on a strip of white and then I used the Blend markers (plus the Color Lifter) to create the ombre lettering. Then I matched the letters with five 1/2 inch strips of the Tea Boutique paper (it is more than tea cups-- I love the "B" side of the paper and that it features all five new In-Colors!)

Add a strip of black cardstock, a sentiment, and one of each enamel dot and it's a happy happy card!

My 3D project features the new Peekaboo Treat bag-- which you can stamp on!!!! I then used the Orchid Oasis blend markers on the tag to create an ombre look... and used a strip of the Tea Boutique paper. So fun!

Don't forget to keep hopping along and if you like my design style, maybe consider coming to my Paper Party next Friday, June 3rd at 7pm Central on Zoom? Details below... 

Happy crafting,
Melissa

Welcome to my blog, Sea to Sea Stampin! I am Melissa Thomas-- I have been a demonstrator for 8 years and a Paper Pumpkin subscriber for even longer!!! 

This month's kit is AMAZING! I always love the Christmas kit and this year I got extras-- partly so I can teach them at this new assisted living facility I am teaching a class at-- and partly for myself! These are going to be FUN to make and send! 

For this month's blog hop I combined the card and gift projects into one-- to make this cute bookmark pocket card! I first featured it on my Instagram-- then I made a similar version on my Facebook Live last night (always Wednesday at 7pm) and it's on my YouTube channel too! 

​These are going to make terrific gifts for Marianne's teachers-- the pocket can hold a small scale fancy hot cocoa packet, one of those VIA coffee packets, a gift card, or in this case a Perfectly Posh sample! 

All you need is an extra piece of Shaded Spruce cardstock and a small piece of Basic White cardstock that is cute with the Tailored Tag dies. And you can get TWO out of every original card base-- that means you can make 10 of these cute cards!! Plus another five from the packet with the buffalo check cards... 

BTW-- the gems in this kit are SO sparkly! 

Did you know you can get refills? And all you really need is a good Christmas sentiment stamp set-- the magic is in the refill.

Keep hopping along to see all the amazing alternative projects! 

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

I am glad you are hopping over here to see what cute alternative projects we have cooked up... What an adorable kit this month! Sometimes it's hard for me to make alternative projects when the kit is this cute, but this month I found some cute gifts at the Dollar General that inspired me.

But the refills are still available and I would seriously grab some-- this would work with any stamp set you have! 

Aren't these mini wax melts cute? And they are perfectly colored to match with the kit-- Soft Succulent, Pale Papaya, Pumpkin Pie!!

I took one of our cute Ombre Gift bags, stamped on it with the leaves (stamping off for the solid image), and the crinkled the whole bag to make it look a little more rustic. A couple holes punches in the top and the wire closes the whole thing! These are going to make super sweet teacher gifts!

The card inspiration came from the box, which does make that adorable wheelbarrow, but this long piece was leftover from the side of the box and I thought it would make an adorable card! Add a little Soft Succulent cardstock and bam! I did punch one of the boxes to make the backer piece to the oval piece... 

Here are all the projects together-- I really love all the rustic elements-- and this photo shoot helped me realize that our floors are a perfect match! lol!

Don't forget to keep hopping along!  I am sure that everyone is going to have amazing projects!

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Welcome to my blog! I am so excited you are here and hopping with us to see some inspiration from this month's Paper Pumpkin kit! I almost didn't have enough supplies to make an alternative project because I made so many of the cards to send encouraging cards to my Girl Scout troop! They have a great year ahead of them in 7th grade and I know they will love the note from me...

But I knew I wanted to make a Christmas card with this card-- especially since I love the sentiments in the BRAND NEW Christmas to Remember stamp set!

I added some Wink of Stella to the trees, moon, and stars! Just to give it a little extra umph! I seriously love glitter that doesn't make a mess!

For my 3D project I sealed one of the gorgeous envelopes, cut the top off, and decorated the front! Then I made an insert and added the cute little file tab to pull it out!

So cute-- this would be a great gift for my girl to start 7th grade-- just going to add a Starbucks Gift card to it!

Thanks for hopping along... I can't wait to see what everyone else has designed-- maybe they got more inventive then me~ lol!!

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Welcome to my Sea to Sea Stampin blog and to the Paper Pumpkin Thing blog hop! Thanks for stopping by!

Have you ever had a Paper Pumpkin kit where you love the cards SO much that you don't want to alter ANYTHING? Yep. That's how I feel about this month's So Cool kit! My daughter (a 6th grader who is too cool for school) squealed when she saw it, ran downstairs, and made all the cards within 30 minutes! She was jazzed at how cute they are, how easy they were to make, and the stickers!!! There is a refill available and I would highly recommend grabbing one! 

But now to my projects... This was tough because I didn't really want to alter the cards as I am going to use them to encourage my Girl Scout troop this weekend!

​But I also knew I wanted to do a little ice cream social with them and these are going to be PERFECT! I had these cute ice cream containers from the Target Dollar spot (a few years back) and knew that a little decoration on them would really kick it up a notch! All I added was the Ice Cream Cone Builder punch and the Ice Cream Corner Designer Series paper!

Now for my other project I normally do a card, but these cards are just so perfect I couldn't...

​Instead I decided to do a little present packaging and use the Mini Paper Pumpkin boxes to stamp the popsicle on and then envelope to make a belly band! Again, the only items I added were the punch and paper, plus a strip of Blackberry Bliss cardstock cut with some new dies coming out on May 4th-- Scalloped Contour Dies! 

Two cute projects that look even cuter together!! 

Don't forget to keep hopping along and check out all the fun projects that my Paper Pumpkin Thing friends have in stock for you!

Happy crafting,
Melissa

And don't miss out on next month's adorable baseball themed card kit-- which even includes gum! I can't wait to get it! Subscribe now and join my Paper Pumpkin Playdate once a month on Zoom!

Welcome to A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop! Thanks for hopping over here from Sara's blog! Didn't you love her projects? With this month's box I knew I would love the mountain look but what I was most excited about was the stencils!

I love a purple Easter card and the craft envelopes gave me a great idea! So I cut an envelope up and put it through the Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder with Cinnamon Cider Ink on the embossing folder. I then put Bumblebee Ink on a piece of white cardstock and then ran it through the Subtle Embossing folder. The sentiment is from Springtime Joy stamp set and the punch is the Story Label Punch. 

Now I knew I wanted to use the envelope liners for something and they make the perfect belly band on this 3x3 acetate box. I embossed it with the Greenery embossing folder and then added a sentiment from Springtime Joy punched with the Classic Label punch. I then made a bunny with the Daisy punch (thanks to my team member Terry who showed me how!) and added a a double bow with the included twine. (Did you know that a cute post-it note pack fits in here? I got mine from Walmart!)

Isn't this a cute Easter set? I sent the card to my sister-in-law (sssshhhh) and the package is going into Marianne's Easter basket!

Hope you loved these projects and please make sure to keep hopping along! 

Happy crafting,
Melissa

P.S. Don't miss out on the next one-- subscribe with me by  Saturday, April 10th! 

Welcome to the Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop! Thanks for hopping here from Rachel's blog and don't forget to keep hopping... The list is below. But for now... 

Who loves Halloween?? This girl. And who loves Paper Pumpkin? We do. Match made in Heaven. 

I was so excited to get this month's kit and see where my imagination took me. My daughter and I did an unboxing video on Facebook last week when we got it and she wanted to make all the bags- right away! So we did. They are adorable. We will fill ours with some non-candy treats for her classmates. (Last year we made "Ghostly Clay" for every kid with essential oils and it was hit!) If you are interested in subscribing to Simply Earth's monthly essential oil recipe box, where you get cool recipes like this, please use my referral link here!

So, once we made all the packages there were a few of the cute shapes left over and I have had this card idea in my head for quite some time... I cut three pieces of card stock to cover the front of a card base (to make it look like Candy Corn!) and ran it through the Big Shot with the Scattered Sequins embossing folder. Add a little label stamped with some of the fun lettering from the kit, a bat, a strip of Black Glittered Organdy ribbon, and some splatters of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint- bam! Cutest Halloween card ever. And this is the add-on project that my Paper Pumpkin customers are getting this month! They love getting my happy mail... 

Now the 3D project had me stumped this month, but then I remembered that we love luminarias at Christmas and this bag would look cute lit up. I also knew that the reflective BOO and the reflective piece behind the pumpkin would pick up some of the light... So I cut a strip of black cardstock to hold the back and bottom upright and here it-- a spooky luminaria. Looks even cooler in the dark...

Here's another look at both projects together! I really love Halloween! You can read a bit here about why I love it and see a few other projects I've made lately with Holiday Catalog products...

Make sure you keep hopping along.... There are so many fantastic ideas on this hop! True Paper Pumpkin rockstars!

Did you miss out on the September kit and wish you could get it?

You CAN! Just subscribe to Paper Pumpkin and then you can pick up a FULL KIT for $18 or a refill (no stamps or ink) for just $9 in my store! Only subscribers can get previous kits or refills-- so don't delay! (And I heard October's kit is going to be a spicy colored fall kit! Woohoo!)

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Welcome to the blog hop created just for Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! Demonstrators all over North America! We are very excited to show you the gorgeous kit we got this month... It included a whopping 10 cards (5 of each style) and a sympathy sentiment that has touched the lives of many this month. 

As you might know, I take my Paper Pumpkins to a local Senior Activity Center and we make them all together. Unfortunately, they have a lot of need for sympathy cards... And apparently, this week I need to send one to myself. Our beloved dog Cassidy, of almost 13 years, passed away this week and it's been an awful week... So, I am sending this one to myself. Here's a picture of the sentiment and of her....

But last week, before she got really sick I made two cute alternative projects. Now, please tell me that the center of the flower looked like a heart to you too??? 

I decided to make a cute card that pulls out of the beautiful envelopes because I don't want people to throw those away!!! 

And then for my 3D project I made a quick little square bag with the Bag Punch Board out of Flirty Flamingo cardstock, added some flourishes, and called it a day! I think some Lindt truffles would be nice in here... 

​Thanks for stopping by and thanks for being a part of my life, crafty and otherwise. I appreciate each and every one of you!! 

And don't forget to subscribe for the September 10th kit-- it's Halloween!!!! I will probably get 3 just because I LOVE Halloween and I love handing out treats to everyone- Marianne's school friends, teachers, coworkers, the barista at the coffeeshop!!!

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Welcome to our blog hop! My name is Melissa Thomas and I have been a subscriber to Paper Pumpkin since the second month it came out! As a mom and busy woman, I love the convenience of having fun projects already designed and prepped for me!

​This month's kit (Picnic Paradise) was so fun and my mind was racing with ideas the minute I saw it. I love the apples and the timing of July-- so that we can make some fun "welcome back to school gifts" for Marianne's teachers! 

I was excited to see that the gingham tissue paper was sturdy and made a super cute topper to my small mason jars of scented bath salts that I always make and give out! I was also excited to see the use of the returning color Poppy Parade! It's new to me (before my time) and I love it! 

I was excited to use one of the envelopes to make a pocket for a card and thought that if I combined it with a Center Stair Step card, it would be such a fun add-on project for my Paper Pumpkin subscribers! I used the leftovers from the trimmed piece of tissue paper to decorate the edges and the Trio punch to round the corners and punch the ribbon hole for the polka dot tulle ribbon!

​You have reached the end of the list, but if you didn't start at the beginning you can click back over to the start with Sara and her awesome projects! Plus, did you see what Andrea did? Wow! 

Don't get Paper Pumpkin yet? Don't miss out on this deal! You can get your first box for only $10 plus tax (that includes shipping) is you use the code BLOOM0818 before August 10th. And remember, there is ZERO obligation- you can cancel or pause anytime! I would be happy to be your demonstrator and send you a fun extra project every month- so subscribe today-- don't delay! Subscribe here!

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Wasn't this month's kit awesome? I just love the bright colors and the touches of gold everywhere! Pam's projects were great right? Thank you for hopping along us this month, and every month! 

So, the contents of June's Broadway Star Paper Pumpkin are shown below and by now, you probably know that it coordinates with the Broadway Bound suite from Stampin' Up!'s annual catalog. (I know it is supposed to be Broadway, but honestly, it looks more Vegas to me! lol!) 

If you don't get Paper Pumpkin yet (crazy, I know) then check out this event where you can get a free card in the mail to try it out and join me live on Zoom, Sunday, July 8th at 7pm CST. I have limited space BUT would love to have you join me!! 

For my card, I took inspiration from my side-line and friend Peggy, who did an "impossible  card" out of this kit for a challenge in our group of demonstrators. I had wanted to learn how to make one, so I did. 

And this is the project that all my subscribers will get in the mail this month! It uses a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch piece of Lemon Lime Twist and 1/2 a black and white striped card, plus some of the accessories from the kit.

This view shows it flat, before it was twisted back. I will be doing a Facebook Live video today (Thursday, June 28th at 1pm CST) so tune in and check out how to make this! It's actually crazy easy! And once you make one template, then you are done! 

This picture shows the view when it is folded in it's original shape. It's just three simple cuts (made easy with the Stampin' Up! trimmer and scorer). 

This is another view so you can see all the pearls on the marquee board, plus the gold foil Hooray and the cute balloon stickers!! 

For my 3D project I knew I wanted to use our adorable gold Striped Treat Bags and the Designer Series Paper from Broadway Bound suite which features gorgeous gold foil on every sheet! Just add some white heat embossing for the CONGRATS and a library clip to set it all off and we are golden! (See what I did there? Ha.)

I hope you have loved my projects this month. I appreciate your comments SO much! Make sure to leave a comment or subscribe to my newsletter! I would love to keep in touch.

Happy crafting,
​Melissa