This kit contained 16 mini cards with a beach theme and once I’d made up the cards there were still lots of pieces left over. So I came up with two very different ideas for you.

THE BEACH SCENE

First up I created a bookmark with a sponged beach scene.

I began with a 2″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Thick Whisper White Card punched at the top using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch.

Next I covered the bottom 1-1/2″ of the strip and then used a 1″ Circle Punch to punch a Full-Adhesive Post-It® Note. I placed this onto the bookmark so about 2/3 of the circle remained above the top edge of the other mask.

Then in a side to side motion I added layers of ink using some Stampin’ Sponge. First I used Pineapple Punch ink to cover the whole of the visible area. Then I added Pumpkin Pie ink, but only very lightly towards the bottom. After that came Real Red ink, and finally Highland Heather towards the top.

At this point I removed the circle mask and added a little Pineapple Punch ink over the bright white circle.

Next I removed the mask from the bottom of the bookmark and replaced it to cover the sky I’d just created.

Then using Coastal Cabana ink I sponged across the whole of this bottom section. Just below my setting sun I added some Pineapple Punch ink as a reflection on the water.

Finally I tore a piece of scrap paper and used it to cover all but the bottom right corner of the bookmark. In this area I sponged Crumb Cake ink to add a small area of land.

That just left the sentiment from the Paper Pumpkin kit, stamped onto the water using Old Olive ink.

PAPER PUMPKIN TROPICAL TOUCHES

To add a little extra sparkle on the water I used a Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush.

Going back to the kit I took one of the leftover palm trees and attached it to the bookmark with Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Now it really did look like a tropical paradise.

Finally, to complete this project I threaded a piece of Gold Metallic Edge Ribbon through the slot at the top. Then I secured it in place with a bow tied from the Linen Thread in the kit.

Project 1 was done.

BIG CONTRAST

For my second project I wanted to create something really different, moving completely away from the beach theme. I think I succeeded…

For this card I started with the laser-cut vellum circle from the Paper Pumpkin kit. Although it was pretty I wanted something more striking and pressed a VersaMark ink pad all over the surface of the vellum.

Next I covered the vellum with Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. With that done I melted the remaining embossing powder using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high). I waited for the embossing to cool and then repeated the whole process again. This gave me a thick layer of silver embossing on a really interesting focal piece.

While the Heat Tool was hot I took the opportunity to create the sentiment.

First I wiped a strip of Night of Navy Card with an Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static. Next I stamped the “You are amazing” sentiment from the Paper Pumpkin kit using VersaMark ink. I sprinkled the VersaMark with Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. Then I removed a few stray specks before melting the rest with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

SIMPLE LAYERS

I could have created a background with sponging but I’d done a lot of that already. Instead I found the perfect abstract design in the Perennial Essence 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack.

So using liquid glue I attached a piece of the DSP to a layer of Whisper White Card. Then I did the same for the embossed sentiment. I used more liquid glue to add the embossed vellum circle to the DSP.

For my card base I went with Night of Navy Card, fixing the DSP layer to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I completed the card front using more Stampin’ Dimensionals to add the layered sentiment.

To create a coordinated look to my project I took a layer of Whisper White Card and the small rectangular stamp from the kit. I inked it up with Night of Navy ink and ‘stamped-off’ onto scrap paper to lighten it just a little. Then I stamped against the right-hand edge of the piece. I repeated this process until I had a strip of the abstract pattern along the whole edge. Then I fixed this piece to the inside of the card base with liquid glue.

TIP – I have recently reinked my Night of Navy ink pad so I reduced the amount of ink on the stamp by using the stamping-off technique. It’s always a good idea to do a test stamp onto scrap paper just to be sure the image comes out as you want.

To finish everything off I stamped another strip of the abstract image up the right-hand edge on the front of a Whisper White Medium Envelope.

OTHER OPTIONS

So that’s my two alternate projects using the A Little Smile kit. But what happens when you’ve run out of pieces? Well for the bookmark, make sure you hang onto the waste from the palm trees. You can use these as stencils and sponge the trees onto a project. Use a dark colour to create a silhouette, or use lighter colours and add details on the trunk with a Stampin’ Write Marker.

For the card, punch a 2″ circle from some scrap paper and use that as a mask. Then stamp the abstract image (used on the envelope) through the mask with VersaMark ink and emboss to create a similar effect.

So that’s my alternate projects, but there’s many more ideas for this amazing kit. Check out the rest of the projects created especially for the A Paper Pumpkin Thing blog hop using the links below.

PRODUCT LIST

Sadly the A Little Smile kit is no longer available although there’s no telling if it will appear in the online store as a past kit at sometime in the future. However the refill kit for the A Little Smile Paper Pumpkin kit is still available while stocks last.

The refill kit contains all the consumable pieces to make another 16 mini cards. Please note that the refill kit DOES NOT include the stamp set or Coastal Cabana ink spot included in the full kit. In order to be able to purchase the refill kit you must be a current Paper Pumpkin subscriber.

So with the exception of the Paper Pumpkin kit, here’s the list of all the other products I used to create my projects.

BOOKMARK

CARD