JULY PAPER PUMPKIN CARDS

I had great fun with the products in the July Paper Pumpkin subscription kit. I chose to play a little and to see how I could use the products for more adventurous cards. Here are the designs I came up with. 

PAPER PUMPKIN DEAL ENDS VERY SOON!

August 31st is very, very close. These projects are great fun and so easy to make. A little imagination and you can change the designs to suit what you want. I do that all the time. Above are photos of three of my own Paper Pumpkin sets. As you can see I changed each card so it is different from the others. There is no reason why, just because it comes in a kit (but a pretty one at that), that you can't put your own spin on your creations. Paper Pumpkin is a 30-minute creativity escape . . . with everything you need to create a sweet project . . . A surprise delivered to your door every month. Join Paper Pumpkin for only $12.50 a month for the first two months*! Use the promo code PUMPKINDEAL Sign up at www.mypaperpumpkin.com. Don’t forget to choose me as your demonstrator! Valid until August 31st. *Plus tax, where applicable. Shipping included. After your first two months, keep the creativity coming every month for only $24.95—shipping included! Contact me : Pauline Barratt at dreamcreationscrafts@shaw.ca

HOW DO WE COME UP WITH IDEAS?

Do you ever wonder about creativity? Yours? That of others? Are you like so many people who say things like "I can't draw", "I can't design cards", I can't come up with scrapbook layouts", "I'm not a creative person"? I think that most of us have doubts about our abilities sometimes. But I also believe that we are very capable of being creative, artistic individuals. Now how the heck did I get to thinking about this process? Well, the other day I was working at making a card for a home party (Stampin Up) that I was to do. The ideas were not flowing so I started searching the internet and magazines for ideas. Voila! I found a lovely idea in my latest Stampin Success magazine (the magazine received by Stampin Up demonstrators). Being delighted that I had found something I could CASE (copy and share everything) I set to work building my sample card. Well, as I worked I soon realised that this card-making journey was no longer following the map. My mind was taking the path of Pam Godderis when she asked "What if . . . " In fact my mind had left the map and was taking a journey all its own. That got me to remembering how some of my friends go about creating their projects. One friend begins with an idea and knows which stamp she is going to use to express that idea. Her cards are elegant and simple - they are quite lovely in fact. Another friend has an even simpler way of creating and her cards are the very epitome of attractive simplicity. Someone else I know creates by following her own pre-drawn designs. And I know ladies who have other methods of creating their art - and believe me card making and scrapbooking is definitely an art form. And how do I create? I'm not really sure but I do know that the process I go through is not like that of any of my friends. What I do may start with a flash of an idea or I may find an existing idea that sends me on a creative journey, just as this card did. Just as an unknown author once said "Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled", my projects fall from my imagination without order or pattern. And then I begin to explore. What colours? What paper? Is texture important? Can I include some shapes? What about layers? Should there be a greeting and if so what should that greeting be? Are embellishments such as brads, ribbon, clips, buttons, glitter etc needed? And, as I play, the materials in front of me begin to transform. Sometimes that transformation is less than what my mind's image is pleased with, so I take apart, build, re-build, and re-design until the project has evolved and feels complete. This is what happened with the card for the home party (Stampin Up) that I was designing for. Now who is right and who is flawed in their creative search? I believe that no-one is flawed and we are all correct in how we create. We are correct because our creations are an expression of ourselves and the 'self' that is in all of us is what makes us unique individuals. As you look at the cards below you may puzzle how my pansy card could ever have evolved from the lovely, more simple, card from Stampin Success. But it did. And that is individual creativity.

FUN WITH FESTIVE FLURRY FRAMELITS

This card was the one that I demonstrated at last week's Stampin Up Party. It was easy and fun to make and I just love the way that the soft tones of the designer papers enhance the beautiful snowflake. This card was created using all Stampin Up products. The design incorporates shapes and layering. The products used were Festive Flurry framelits (SUHM; silver ribbon (SUHM); Soft Sky marker (SUC); Winter Frost designer paper pad (SUHM); silver Glimmer Paper (SUC); So Saffron cardstock (SUC); silver Foil sheet (SUHM); Whisper Whire cardstock (SUC); Vintage Faceted button (SUC). The products used can all be found in either the annual Stampin Up catalogue (SUC)or the Stampin Up Holiday mini catalogue (SUHM). Both can be found on my website at www.dreamcreationscrafts.stampinup.net.Click the "shop now" button and you will find a menu for all the products with pictures and descriptions. If you want to order an item you can do it right from my website (Canadians only), or you can contact me at dreamcreationscrafts@shaw.ca.

PANSY CARD

This card was created using all Stampin Up products. The design incorporates shapes, colours and layering. Here is the list of products used - Baja Breeze cardstock; Crisp Canteloupe In Colour cardstock; Pretty Print embossing folder; Apothecary Accents framelits; Labels Collection framelits; Venetian Romance designer paper; In Colour 2013-15 Designer Series Paper stack; Pansy punch; Baked Brown Sugar ink; Crisp Canteloupe ink; Pistachio Pudding ink; Natural Trim ribbon; Dahlia Assortment embellishments; Hung Up Cute Clips; Sassy Salutations stamp set. The products used can all be found in either the annual Stampin Up catalogue or the Stampin Up Holiday catalogue. Both can be found on my website at www.dreamcreationscrafts.stampinup.net.Click the "shop now" button and you will find a menu for all the products with pictures and descriptions. If you want to order an item you can do it right from my website (Canadians only), or you can contact me at dreamcreationscrafts@shaw.ca.

A PLEASANT EVENING

Last Thursday I spent a very pleasant evening with some lovely ladies in Langley, BC. This was my first Home Party in a while due to having taken a break because of health issues. However, I believe that I am back and so happy that I for that. For me there is no better way to enjoy my craft than to share it with other crafters. If you want to get together with friends for a Stampin Up workshop or class, just contact me at dreamcreationscrafts@shaw.ca. We can chat about what you would like and go from there. Below is the card that we made for the Make & Take at the party.

WANT THE MAGIC EVERY MONTH?

Paper Pumpkin is a 30-minute creativity escape . . . with everything you need to create a sweet project . . . A sweet surprise delivered to your door every month. Join Paper Pumpkin for only $12.50 a month for the first two months*! Use the promo code PUMPKINDEAL Sign up at www.mypaperpumpkin.com. Don’t forget to choose me as your demonstrator! Valid until August 31st. *Plus tax, where applicable. Shipping included. After your first two months, keep the creativity coming every month for only $24.95—shipping included! Contact me : Pauline Barratt at dreamcreationscrafts@shaw.ca