What is paper pumpkin anyway? It's a crafty subscription box. Each month Stampin' Up!® has a card or project kit. They're mostly cards but on occasion, it's a project like treat boxes. You get a peek of what is in the kit and the theme. The rest is a surprise. If you don't like surprises- this subscription isn't for you. Paper Pumpkin kits are a great value for any level of cardmaker. It contains all you need to complete the project, has instructions (in color) and you just need a few basic tools like scissors to finish the cards. I love that it includes an exclusive stamp set that can be used over and over and a ink spot. Bonus- you can buy ink refills to reink the spot and use it beyond the kit. It's a great way to get some different inks.
Here's the sneak peek for the October 2025 box:
I love the Christmas kits. October and November will both be a holiday kit. October kit is cards.
Details for this kit:
Makes 9 cards: 3 each of 3 designs with 9 coordinating envelopes
Pre-cut paper pieces with soft, stitched-look flocking
Shiny red sequin embellishments
Exclusive stamp set
Ink spot
Coordinating colors and ink spot: Basic Beige, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Pecan Pie (classic stampin' spot), Real Red. This is a traditional holiday color combo.
There is a set of dies that you can purchase from my online store. The set coordinates with the kits for the quarter (October, November, December). I like to collect these as it has a variety of dies and can be used on many different cards. The 4th quarter die set is called Abundant Joy. I love the word die!
You have to be a current paper pumpkin subscriber to buy the dies, refills or past kits. Get your dies here.
Is Paper Pumpkin for you? Subscribe by October 10, 2025 to get this box. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions- leave a comment below.
The fault line technique is a great way to show off your patterned paper. Love this simple tearing technique. You can use it with whatever patterned papers you have on hand.
You’ll start by stacking your patterned layers on the front of your card. Tear from one side to the other, creating a flap. Adhere the top piece of torn cardstock behind the front flap. One pattern (5 ½” x 4 ¼”) stays whole—this will be adhered under the torn flap.
Next, take your torn bottom layers and adhere them slightly staggered so each pattern shows through. Add just a thin line of glue along the torn edge, leaving space for the colored cardstock to peek through. Place this layered section toward the bottom so the background pattern still shows.
Trim off any extra paper from the bottom of the card with your trimmer. Then, finish it off by adding a greeting on a scrap strip or die cut.
(*See video tutorial for step-by-step visuals!)
Measurements:
Card base 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2"
Striped pattern paper (boho vibes) 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Calypso Coral two tone cardstock (light side) 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Floral pattern paper (beautiful gallery) 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this card technique. You can make a stack with a variety of themes. Check out a card I made earlier with Sunrise Sailing here.
September 2025 paper pumpkin by Stampin’ Up! is going to be a gorgeous kit. It has a toile theme and coordinates with the new Autumn Toile suite. The suite includes two stamp bundles, designer series paper featuring different toiles, a ribbon and embellishment. Check it out here.
This color combo is a classic fall combo. I love when the leaves start turning and there's a vibrant orange through the woods. Do you make fall or autumn themed cards? I've only seen bits of this kit as most of it is a surprise. However, what I have seen is beautiful. I love the different toiles. The best part of the paper pumpkin monthly kits is that everything is included that you need to complete the cards. You'll need a pair of scissors and something to wipe your stamp clean as well (and you probably already have those on hand). So give it a try and sign up today!
The new Autumn Toile designer series paper by Stampin' Up!® is stunning. You're gonna want to add it to your stash. It's perfect for fall themed cards and a few of the patterns are great for masculine cards. It's also part of a mega suite- Autumn Toile Suite and it includes two bundles (stamps and dies), streaked dots embellishments, a spool of irregular weave trim, Earthen toned metallic paper, and Autumn Toile dsp. What's not to love here?
On page 42 of the September-December 2025 mini catalog, you'll find a one sheet wonder template. I just love that Stampin' Up!® packs in the ideas with loads of samples and little tid bits throughout the catalog.
I used the cutting guide and modified a few things and made six autumn themed cards. For my live video I used the pumpkin toile dsp. Watch the replay below. Here are my finished cards:
You can keep it simple and use just one side of the paper and add on greetings. Or you can layer it up and flip over your busy pattern and use the other side with die cuts. I love how versatile this paper is. What paper do you have in your stash that you can use to create 6 quick cards using this template?
Cut at 4" and then 4". This gives you 3 pieces of 4" x12" strips.
Cut the first strip at 1 1/2", 5 1/4". This gives you 3 pieces measuring 4" x 1" 1/2, 4" x 5 1/4" and 4" x 5 1/4". I cut the 4" x 1 1/2" piece in half for my cards. Use the extra piece to decorate the inside.
Cut the second strip at 3 3/4", 5 1/4". This gives you 3 pieces measuring 4" x 3 3/4", 4" x 5 1/4" and 4" x 3".
Cut the third strip just like the first one. Again, I cut the 4" x 1/2" piece in half for my cards.
Grab colored cardstock to match your patterned paper and sort the pieces out.
Card 1, 2, 3 use a 4" x 5 1/4" piece.
Card 4 uses the 4" x 3 3/4" and 4" x 5 1/4" pieces.
Card 5 uses the 4" x 1/2" (x2) and 4" x 5 1/4" pieces.
Card 6 uses the 4" x 3" piece.
You can do different techniques with each card like Stampin' Up!® has shown in the mini catalog. I changed my cards up a little. It's fun to see how everyone uses this template and creates their own unique cards. Stampin' Up!'s samples each feature a technique.
Techniques:
Card 1: use blending brush and ink to alter dsp.
Card 2: use coloring tool (stampin' blends markers) to add color to toile design.
Card 3: cut images from dsp and layer on textured element. add in die cuts and heat emboss greeting.
Card 4: use large die to die cut shape from dsp. layer strips to separate the two dsps and heat emboss greeting.
Card 5: create banners and layer images die cut from dsp. use circle cut from dsp for greeting.
Card 6: alter dsp pattern with stampin' blends markers.
Here are my first six cards I made. I used the Mossy Meadow patterned piece with the pheasant toile. This paper is gorgeous. I love the scenes. It's great for anyone who loves the outdoors and masculine cards.
I hope you have fun with this template Stampin' Up! gave us. Have fun layering elements and making your set of cards.
Grab what I used here. Everything is already loaded in a cart. You can remove anything you already have.
See my tips and watch my tutorial on YouTube.
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my one sheet wonder cards.
Do you feel drawn in when the snow is sparkling and the trees have a layer of fresh snow? I love a good wintry scene with fresh powder. To recreate that feel, I made a wintry sky blended background. The new 2025-27 In-colors, Secret Sea and Cloud Cover, are the perfect colors for a winter sky. They are a blue with gray tone. Honestly, they are becoming my favorite go-to colors. I love the rich tones.
For my card today, I used blending brushes to blend a wintry night background and create some shadows for my snow piles. Grab the supplies here.
Measurements:
Card base (Secret Sea cardstock) 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2"
Cardstock layer (Basic White cardstock) 5 1/4" x 4" (x2, one on front, one on inside)
Supplies:
Secret Sea classic ink pad
Cloud Cover stampin' spot
Secret Sea Cardstock
Basic White Cardstock
Peaceful Evergreens stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Sophisticated Sled stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Large or Small blending brushes (1 for each ink color)
White craft ink
Wink of Stella
scrap paper to make a mask to blend snow banks
Instructions:
Cut Secret Sea cardstock base 4 1/4" x 11" and score at 5 1/2"
Cut Basic White layers (2) 5 1/4" x 4"
Tear or die cut scrap cardstock to create a mask. Make sure it's the length of your layer. Use a blending brush with the mask and blend on Cloud Cover just along the edge. Do this 2 or 3 times to create snow layers up the layer. * Tip: start on the mask and go onto cardstock in a circular motion to avoid getting harsh blobs.
Use a blending brush to apply Cloud Cover ink in the sky area. Keep applying until you get the desired darkness. ** Tip: start off the cardstock in a circular motion to avoid getting harsh blobs.
Use a blending brush to apply Secret Sea ink in the sky area starting from the top. Keep applying ink until you get the desired darkness.
Stamp winter trees in Secret Sea ink. Vary the sizes and put smaller trees toward the back or layer trees to create your scene. You can make it look fuller by stamping once and then moving the stamp over slightly and stamping again. I used trees from Peaceful Evergreens.
Stamp ground texture around the bottom of the trees in second generation Cloud Cover. *Second generation is inking and stamping off onto scrap and then onto your project.
Stamp greeting in Secret Sea ink. I used "let it snow" from Sophisticated Sled.
Stamp inside layer as desired. I stamped a tree and some ground texture.
Put a little white craft ink on a clear block. Use a paint brush or water painter to add a few drops of water and mix, thinning it out. Splatter drops of white ink all over layer.
Put a little Wink of Stella on a clear block. Pick it up with brush and splatter all over layer.
Allow the layer to dry thoroughly or white ink and wink of stella will smear. You can use a heat tool to speed up the drying time.
Adhere card front and inside layer onto base.
The white ink and wink of stella splatters add a ton of texture and give it a wintry storm feel. You can see the snow bank layers in this close-up photo. You can make them really defined by brushing on more color. It is really personal preference how dark you make the Cloud Cover areas. I like to start off light. You can put your mask back in place and add more ink if you want it darker.
I love add this splatter to my winter cards. It's a neat texture. Have you tried this before?
I do recommend stamping your greeting before you do any splattering or you may need to add a greeting layer.
This scene is inviting you to go play in the snow or take a walk and enjoy the beautiful trees.
You can step it up by adding another layer or by adding designer series paper (patterned) and a die cut layer and embellishments. Sometimes I like to keep it simple when I add blended backgrounds and splattered ink and sometimes I like to layer it up.
For this card, I just added a layer. I layered the stamped trees by stamping once and moving my stamp over a little, then stamping again.
Supplies:
Cloud Cover cardstock
Secret Sea Two Tone cardstock
Basic White cardstock
Secret Sea ink pad
Cloud Cover stampin' spot
Peaceful Evergreens stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Divine Night stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Large or Small blending brushes (1 for each ink color)
White craft ink
Wink of Stella
scrap paper to make a mask to blend snow banks
Measurements:
Card base (Cloud Cover cardstock) 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2"
Mat layer (Secret Sea two tone cardstock, dark side) 5 1/4" x 4"
Basic White layer (x2) 5" x 3 3/4" (1 for front, 1 for inside)
I did the snow banks and blending the same as I did on the first card. I stamped my trees a little differently. To make it look fuller, I stamped the tree once with Secret Sea ink and then moved the stamp over a little. Then I stamped again (second generation or stamping off). You can do this multiple times or just once or twice. It depends on how many trees you want in your scene. I stamped my greeting "joy & peace" from Divine Night in Secret Sea ink. Then I did the splatter technique just as I did on the first card. Remember to allow this to dry before adhering to your mat and card base.
My background layer on this card was lighter than the first. The white and glitter splatters do show up but not as well as they did on the darker sky. You still get the texture and feel up close in person. It is hard to pick up for the photo.
I'm a layers girl and this last card is probably my favorite of the three. I used some new designer series paper (Peaceful Garden) and die cuts to create my card front.
I like to stamp the scene a little different each time. Have some fun with it and change it up each time. You can also set it up on your stamp positioner and make several of the exact same layout.
Supplies:
Cloud Cover cardstock
Basic White cardstock
Peaceful Garden designer series paper
Everyday Arches dies (3rd largest)
Stylish Shapes dies (2nd smallest circle)
Low profile Sparkle dots
Peaceful Evergreens stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Itty Bitty Christmas stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired)
Secret Sea ink pad
Cloud Cover stampin' spot
Large or Small blending brushes (1 for each ink color)
White craft ink
Wink of Stella
scrap paper to make a mask to blend snow banks
Measurements:
Card base (Cloud Cover cardstock) 4 1/4" x 11" scored at 5 1/2"
Basic White layer 5 1/4" x 4" for inside
Die cut 3rd largest arch from Basic White
Die cut 2nd smallest circle from Basic White
Peaceful Garden dsp 2" x 5 1/2"
I did the blending just as I did for my other cards. I also added a little Cloud Cover to the edge of my die cut circle after I stamped the greeting in Secret Sea. My winter scene is created on the arch layer following the steps from the first card. I made this sky darker and added less trees toward the front. After adding splatters to the arch layer, I set it aside to dry. Then adhered the dsp and inside layer to my card base. The arch is adhered with stampin' dimensionals as well as the greeting circle. To add a bit more sparkle, I sprinkled on some low profile sparkle dots in Secret Sea.
Watch the tutorial for the first card on my YouTube Channel
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this card and are inspired to try making your own blended sky background. Use whatever tree or scene stamps you have in your stash.
You can find all the current products in my online store. There are loads of new goodies for holiday projects as well as fall and halloween.
I love when the sky changes colors and transitions from day to night or night to day. It shows us such beautiful colors. Ink blending can give use that feel on our card layers. You'll need some blending brushes and your favorite color ink pads.
The sky can show vibrant oranges, pinks or purples and many different combos. I'd love to hear what colors you see as your sky changes. Leave me your thoughts in the comments.
I found a photo I took of a sunset and that was my inspiration for my first set of blended background cards.
When I saw this photo, I felt the warmth and beauty of the oranges dancing across the sky as night was coming on. So it became my inspiration. Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful View background stamp was perfect to add in silhouette images for my scene.
I love the vibrant orange colors with the dark blues. This would be a beautiful view and peaceful as the stamp name suggests. I used Peach Pie, Timid Tiger, Misty Moonlight and Secret Sea classic inks.
Blending Process:
I started with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Basic White cardstock. With a blending brush, I applied Peach Pie classic ink. Start with your brush off the cardstock and with a very light, gentle touch bring the brush onto the cardstock. I use a circle motion to apply the ink. The color will be light at first. Build up your ink color to the desired darkness. Take your time to apply the ink with a light touch so you don't get harsh blobs of ink. You can go to about the middle of the layer or as high as you like from the bottom.
Next, apply Timid Tiger ink the same way. I wanted the dark pop of orange toward the bottom or ground of my scene. Build up the darker orange color to the desired darkness.
Next, create the dark blue part of the sky. Apply Misty Moonlight ink. Start off with a light, gentle touch to avoid ink blobs in the shape of your blending brush. Blend down toward the orange. You can blend right up to the lighter orange or leave a little bit of white space. Build up the color to your desired darkness. Misty Moonlight is a great blue for blended skies.
The last color to apply is Secret Sea ink. I started off the edge and brought the ink onto the cardstock. I wanted this color to stay close to the top edge of my layer. Build the color up to your desired darkness. Secret Sea is a rich, dark blue gray. It's going to be perfect for night and winter skies. Now your layer is ready to be stamped with whatever images you choose. I stamped in Secret Sea classic ink to create a silhouette look.
Products used: Same ink colors as above, Secret Sea Stampin' Blends markers and Weekend Adventures stamp set. Tip: when you have a line stamp, color it in with a blend marker to create a solid silhouette.
Be Bold and don't put a greeting on the front of your card. I used Scenic Adventure for this card. The cloud stamp was stamped in Secret Sea class ink several times (*I only inked the top portion of the stamp to look like a mountain.) and colored it in with a light Secret Sea Stampin' Blend marker. To create a dark greenery area, I used the glass die from Scenic Adventure and made a stencil. The trees are stamped in Secret Sea classic ink.
On this card, I wanted a greeting in the bottom right corner. So I stamped my greeting and heat embossed it in white on Secret Sea cardstock. Then I used a dark Timid Tiger Stampin' blend marker to color the white letters. The cardstock wasn't as dark as my stamped area so I used a light Secret Sea Stampin' blend marker to go around my letters.
I love how all these orange backgrounds turned out. They are all a little different and turned out beautifully. Make sure you save this color combo to your Pinterest boards.
I decided to try a few more color combos for my sunsets. I absolutely love how they all turned out.
Secret Sea with purples is amazing. Berry Burst is a vibrant pinkish purple color and it works so well with the dark blues. I used Peaceful Evergreens stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired) and the greeting is from Charming Day stamp set. The images and greeting are stamped in Secret Sea classic ink.
On this card, I used Petal Pink and Calypso Coral classic inks with the dark blues. These colors are a peachy, orange pinks and work very well with the blues to create my chaning sky. I stamped the ground from Grassy Grove stamp set by Stampin' Up!® (retired) in Secret Sea classic ink. I layered it a few times. The Calypso Coral was still peeking through so I used a light Secret Sea Stampin' blend marker to color in the areas. I love how the Calypso Coral still comes through. The child with an airplane and greeting are from Silhouette Scenes stamp set (retired).
I hosted a free class called Coffee and a Card on my Stamp and Create with Beth Facebook page. I showed how to make a blended background with classic inks and blending brushes. During this class I discuss the creative process a bit and participants make choices and help build the card. We made this card during the class. You can watch the video replay.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you give this technique a try and create some beautiful cards. You can use any inks and stamp sets you have in your stash.
Shop for current available products in my online store.
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