Hello and welcome to my blog; today I am going to share with you three ways you can stretch your kits to make more cards as well as three alternative projects using the Light the Candles Card Kit.

Sometimes you may want to make more cards or projects from the Kit or Paper Pumpkin (subscription box) than what is included in the kit. Or maybe you want other ideas to use the Stamp Set that's included in the kits. Or you maybe don't like the projects as designed or they are to simple for you. Well, there are ways to use the products included in the kits along with a few additional supplies that you can make more or different projects with. I am going to share my top three tips with you today for doing just that!

Tip #1 - Think Outside the Box:

Yep, that's right think outside the box both figuratively and literately! Don't let the design of the intended project sway your creative process! If you are not feeling a kits project change it. For example with this card I used some additional cardstock for the card base, and layers. I pulled the colors from the kit itself. Not sure where to find the colors that coordinate. They are on the back of the instructions under coordinating colors. I am sure a lot of people miss that!

So, back to the card I pulled the colors of cardstock I wanted to use. I used a piece of Daffodil Delight Cardstock for the cards base, and some Basic White Cardstock to create the focal image and a little Coastal Cabana Cardstock for the mat layer. The banners came from the kit itself. Along with cutting one of the card bases down into a 1" x 3 1/2" strip to make a fishtail banner. Instead of using the overlay as intend I cut it down and made my own stencil with it and used coordinating ink colors and a blending brush to create a new look. Now I have a stencil that I can use on many cards to create even more cards from this kit.

Tips #2: Cut Your Card Bases:

Yes, I said it! Don't be afraid to cut your card bases in half, cut them up, or by that matter any part of the kit with a decorative element can be cut down to create even more cards. Even the decorative envelopes!

For the card above I cut the card base in half and then used the other half of the die cut piece that I used as a stencil and cut the part that was intended to go underneath the overlay down to the size I wanted. I used a piece of Coastal Cabana Cardstock to create a top folding card base and attached the cut up card base onto. I matted the two pieces of the candles that I had cut down onto a piece of Mango Melody Cardstock which was my mat layer and then cut a sentiment strip to stamp the larger sentiment on. I took a thin strip of Basic White Cardstock and then stamped the smaller sentiment on repeatedly before adding it to the card front. I used one of the smaller banners from the kit to place the sub sentiment on and attached with some Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.

Tip #3 - Create Stencils from Die Cut Pieces:

If the kit has any die cut pieces they can be made into stencils! Even the part that you pop the die cut out from can be used for a stencil.

For this card I cut one of the card bases in half (which gave me two printed pieces to use on two cards) and then attached it to a piece of Basic White Thick Cardstock cut to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" scored at 4 1/4". So, from the one card base from the kit and the one sheet of Basic White Thick Cardstock I now have two cards.

I then used some Vellum Cardstock that I had embossed with the Gingham Embossing Folder as a decorative element and used the die cut pieces as a stencil for the focal image. You may have to do a little masking but it's so worth it.

Thanks for dropping by today I hope that you found these three tips helpful on stretching your kits! And that you will give them a try the next time you want to stretch your kits! I have all the supplies listed below that I used to create the projects you have seen today in the shopping list below incase you need any of them.

Stampin' Up! Shopping List:

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Happy Stampin'

Rick Adkins