Gillybean Crafting : Stepped up version of March's Paper Pumpkin kit from Stampin' Up!®

March's Paper Pumpkin kit is a real stunner! Three beautiful designs that I will gladly give to others. Having said that though, I also love how these designs are great starting points to create something a little bit more my own.

Case in point. I love this design and it's perfect for my fellow book club member but it's a milestone birthday for her so I wanted to step it up just a bit. I grabbed my Deckled Rectangles Dies and some of the Distressed Gold Specialty Paper and in no time we had more a WOW card. I then grabbed one of my last Tea Boutique Cards & Envelopes in Orchid Oasis as my card base and the stepped up creation was complete! See all the steps in the video below.

I also wanted to make a slight change to this card. The die cut piece came with a swirls of Shaded Spruce and Polished Pink and it just seemed really loud for the rest of the card elements. So, I took a block, covered it with ink from my Polished Pink ink spot, spritzed it with water and then "stamped" on the white side of the die cut. I love how it has softer look now and I think it blends much better with the rest of the card elements. Another option would be to use blending brushes but I wanted to try the ink spot first as not everyone has the brushes.