How to make paper pom pom pumpkins inspired by the book Page Maps 2

If I can't get my real pumpkins to grow because some critter insists on eating them before their time I will just have to make some myself! Here are some cute paper pom pom ones made using a spin on a tutorial in Scrapbook Page Maps 2: More Sketches for Creative Layouts and Cards.

Let me explain. I have three beautiful pumpkin plants in my yard and I had finally got a baby pumpkin that was about 2 inches in diameter. Then one day I went to water it and someone literally had taken a bite out my pumpkin! Another baby appeared and before it was even an inch someone was already chowing down on it! So yesterday I built a literal fortress of wire and screening around the next batch of baby pumpkins. Fingers crossed!
In the mean time I need some pumpkins to decorate with so I made some....just call me mother nature...uh maybe mother crafter???

OK here's how I made the paper pumpkins:

I die cut the circles out of some sparkly orange card stock with my Sizzix die cutter.
Then I cut a little bit off each circle so that the pumpkins would sit flat and not roll around.
Each circle was then folded in half and glued back to back.
A tiny bit of curled pipe cleaner was poked into the center space of each.

Let me just say that this book is simply packed full of great little details that I can't wait to put my spin on and use as decorating elements. embellishments to my crafts and as intended in my scrapbook and altered book pages. I bet you will love it too!
Scrapbook Page Maps 2: More Sketches for Creative Layouts and Cards
by
Becky Fleck

More about the book from Memory Maker Books:

More PageMaps to Kick-Start Your Creativity!

Even the most imaginative people get stumped sometimes. Author and artist Becky Fleck’s easy-to-use sketches will help get you over the hurdle with 92 brand new sketches for traditional and digital layouts, greeting cards, mini albums and home décor items. In addition, you’ll find new artwork for over 140 incredible layouts and projects in a variety of sizes that will inspire your own artistic creations.

- Discover new layout sketches and artwork from the author of Scrapbook PageMaps, including a full chapter devoted to greeting cards.

- Learn to use sketches to focus and coordinate your ideas whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by materials, photos and journaling.

- Take your favorite sketches along with you! Included are 64 travel-size sketch cards for easy planning wherever you get inspired.

- Learn new techniques and methods with easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

- Find “Eye Spy” tips from the author that point out the unique, unusual and unexpected elements you can use to make any page even more special.

If you’re feeling stumped with how to use that special photo, or if you just can’t decide how to use those beautiful supplies, Scrapbook Page Maps 2 will help you tell your story!

About the Author

Becky is the owner of the PageMaps web site, which provides scrapbook layout and greeting card sketches to over 20,000 readers each month. She is also the author of the highly successful book Scrapbook PageMaps. Becky is a professional graphic illustrator, freelancing for several scrapbook and stamp manufacturers. She teaches extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally at expos, scrapbook stores and conventions.

Mixed Media Greeting Card Album using embellishment ideas from the book The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook by Sherry Steveson

First let me say mixed media crafting makes a mess! A fabulously fun one, but none the less a big a** mess.

I love working with all sorts of bits and pieces so the book The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook was right up my alley being that it is divided up by chapter based on each type of embellishment....very cool!

The first embellishment that caught my eye was the little metal frame on this page in the "Metal" chapter.
I save tin cans to recycle into die cut elements and so it was easy to run a piece of soda can through the Sizzix die cutter with the slide/frame die.
I have a stash of old family slides and it's cool that they fit perfectly in the Inkssentials Memory Frames by Ranger.
But I think they would look better hanging being back lit so I then when to my stash of scrapbook paper catalogs which happen to be a great source of little images and backgrounds. I also poked through an old catalog of stock photography. Out of these two I filled my little frame.
I punched two tiny wings from the McGill punch and textured them. I assembled these elements along with a tag that said "wander" which I thought went great with the road image and shoes with a bit of wire.

For the background I cut a piece of woven plaid fabric and fringed the edge by pulling a few of the threads out from each side and glued it onto the cover of The Greeting Card Album.

I put an image into the soda can die cut frame.
Printed out the words "knot nice" with my label maker.
Glued it all onto the plaid cover with a sawed off end of a spent 12 gauge shotgun shell casing.

Kind of eclectic but so am I!

Want more fabulously fun ideas on how to use embellishments? Grab a copy of:
The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook
By
Sherry Steveson

Product Description from the publisher Memory Makers Books:

"The Scrapbook Embellishment Handbook, author Sherry Steveson covers 17 popular types of embellishments and teaches you how to utilize them on your layouts. With beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques for each embellishment, you will get over 50 step-by-step demonstrations, plus 130+ layouts and projects that illustrate these techniques.

A bonus Step It Up gallery shows you how adding embellishments can enhance a layout. In the gallery, you will see how a layout starts with a simple design, then is passed to a second scrapbooker who adds a few embellishments and finally it is passed to a third scrapper who adds even more embellishments, completing the look.

About the Author
Sherry Steveson has been scrapbooking for nearly nine years, and her work has been featured in Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook Trends, Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbooks, Etc. and Memory Makers Magazine. She is a design team member for several kit clubs, a manufacturer, and an online store. She is also the author of When Life Gives You Lemons."