Pumpkin Topiary and Card #1

This post I originally did on MTdawn sister site Pumpkin Papercraft. But, since I am looking to close down that site, I want to move my favorite projects to MTdawn – and share them with you.

These are actually a favorite of mine – I hope you like them. There are in all 3 different color schemes. I am posting the first today – and the others I will the next two weeks. I would love to know which one(s) are your favorites!

What came first? The card or the topiary?

Long ago… (or maybe not) I got the idea for the topiaries first. I was working on a pumpkin topiary project for MTdawn (Dollar Store Mini Pumpkin Topiaries) and I thought ‘hmm, I wonder how these would look made from paper?’

Well, I got my answer – they are super cute! And since I thought they were so cute, I decided to make a matching card to go with each one. If you are wondering – yes, I do have a tendency to make more work for myself!

This card measures 5 1/4 inches x 7 1/4 inches

Supplies used:

• Stampin’Up! Fond of Autumn Stamp set and coordinating die set
• Recollections Halloween nesting dies – pumpkins
• Recollections Harvest Meadow paper
• Cuttle bug embossing folder (unsure of the name)
• Stampin’Up! ink – Soft Succulent, Tip Top Taupe
• Watercolor pencils
• Ranger Liquid pearls – white, marigold
• 1/2 inch organza ribbon

How to:

I started by cutting the base card from a 12×12 piece of tan textured cardstock. I cut it down to 10 1/2 x 7 1/4 and folded it so that it measured 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches. I then cut a piece of blue print paper, and white/tan print paper down to 5×7. I kept a scrap of each to use with the pumpkin die for the front, and extra blue for the die cut flowers. I then cut two pieces of the tan textured cardstock down to 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches and 2 1/4 x 4 inches. I turned them over so that the texture was on the back and embossed them. I then cut a piece of pink print paper to 2 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches and kept a scrap piece to use with the pumpkin die. And the last cut was a piece of white cut down to 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.

After all the cutting was done it was time to stamp. I stamped the banner and large flower (stamped twice) from the SU Fond of Autumn stamp set in SU Tip Top Taupe ink. And then the sentiment on top of the banner in SU Soft Succulent ink. **tip** you will need to curve the sentiment just a bit to match the banner curve.

After the stamping was done it was time to start using the dies. I used the pumpkin nesting dies to cut out the pumpkins. White/tan for the small pumpkin, pink for the middle and blue for the bottom. I also die cut the flowers and banner that was just stamped. I also used more blue scrap and die cut the flowers.

After everything was cut, I used watercolor pencils in coordinating colors to the stamped flower images. Then started to assemble the card. For the front of the card I placed the large blue piece on top of the tan base card and then the large, embossed tan piece. I gently folded the sides of the pumpkins forward and adhered them to the front using foam dots, making sure to overlap them just a bit. I then positioned 1/2 inch organza ribbon, tied in a double bow, and then adhered the banner, blue die cut flowers and stamped die cut flowers over the ribbon with foam dots.

Supplies used for Topiary:

• Recollections Halloween nesting dies – pumpkins
• Recollections Harvest Meadow paper
• Ribbon – 1/2 inch organza and wired tan
• Small terra cotta pot
• 14 in piece of 1/8 inch dowel
• Small Styrofoam ball
• Rice

Topiary is 11 1/2 inches tall

How to:

To start I cut 6 pumpkins for each level, ending up with 6 small White/Tan pumpkins, 6 medium pink pumpkins, and 6 large blue pumpkins. Cut the stems off the medium and large pumpkins. Assemble the pumpkins edge to edge. Once done there should be enough to slip the dowel thru the middle of them.

Trace top of terra cotta pot onto coordinating paper, cut out. Pierce a hole in the middle large enough for the dowel. Pour rice in the bottom, place the Styrofoam ball in pot. You may need to adjust the rice because you don’t want the top of the ball above the top of the pot. Once adjusted pour more rice to keep the ball from moving.

Place the circle cut out over the ball/rice and the put the dowel thru the paper down into the Styrofoam. Using approx./up to a yard of ribbon, tie the organza into a bow on the dowel, then using the ends make another bow, and another, until out. Do the same with the wired tan ribbon. Slip the large pumpkin over the dowel, followed by the medium pumpkin and the small one. Glue organza ribbon to the lip of the pot.