August 2026 Paper Pumpkin

🎨 Kindred Greetings Paper Pumpkin Alternatives, August 2026

Contents

🎨 Kindred Greetings Paper Pumpkin Alternatives, August 2026
Floating Botanical Z-Fold Card
Split Front Botanical Card
Two Cards, One Soft Botanical Style

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop Paper Pumpkin Card Alternatives

Welcome to another A Paper Pumpkin Thing, APPT, Blog Hop. Each month, a talented group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators shares alternative projects created with the current Paper Pumpkin kit.

I’m Linda Cullen from Massachusetts, and this month we’re creating with the August 2026 Kindred Greetings Paper Pumpkin Kit.

This kit is soft, elegant, and wonderfully understated, with watercolor botanicals, beautiful neutrals, and some seriously nice textured card bases. The colors include Basic Beige, Calypso Coral, Gray Granite, Lost Lagoon, Petal Pink, and Pool Party.

And those card bases and envelopes? I kept them, I used them. They have a gorgeous linen texture that adds so much to the finished cards, and I really didn’t want to cover them up or replace them with regular cardstock.

For my alternatives this month, I created two fun folds, a Floating Botanical Z-Fold Card and a Split Front Botanical Card.

I also tried something completely new on both projects.

This was my first time using the new Stampin’ Hot Foil System.

Nothing like testing a brand-new tool on projects you’re planning to publish on the internet. No pressure whatsoever. 😂

Floating Botanical Z-Fold Card

My first alternative is a Floating Botanical Z-Fold Card.

I used two of the textured envelopes from the kit, one coral & one gray. The floating focal panel stretches across the folded portion of the card, giving the design dimension while still allowing the inside of the card to become part of the finished look. (If you look close you can see the embossed leaves from the Botanical Glow Hot Foil Dies that I messed up on and placed the Gold Foil upside down and it embossed the image of the leaves. Happy Accident!)

The soft Pool Party and Lost Lagoon watercolor eucalyptus pieces from the kit became the main focal point. I layered them with additional botanical elements in Gray Granite and Crumb Cake to add depth while keeping the soft watercolor feeling of the original kit.

For the background, I used the Botanical Glow Photopolymer Stamp Set to add more subtle foliage and splatter details stamp from the kit.

Then came the shiny part.

The sentiment was created with the Sweetly Sentimental Hot Foil Dies using the Gold Stampin’ Hot Foil.

For my first adventure with the new foiling system, I was pretty thrilled with how it turned out.

There is definitely something satisfying about peeling the foil away and discovering that shiny gold image underneath. It’s a little crafty magic trick.

I finished the card with Linen Thread and a few embellishments.

When the card is closed, all of the elements layer together into one design. Open it up, and the Z-fold reveals even more of the botanical background.

Split Front Botanical Card

My second alternative is a Split Front Botanical Card.

Again, I started with a Thick Basic White card base (4 1/4″ x 9 3/4″, score @ 1″, 6 1/2″) then add panels from one of the beautiful linen-textured card bases from the kit.

Instead of creating a traditional card front, I altered the front so the inside panel becomes part of the design.

The split creates an opening that allows the soft Petal Pink envelope area inside the card to show through even when the card is closed.

I used the Botanical Glow Hot Foil Die again, this time creating a larger gold botanical design on the inside panel, one of the kits envelopes.

The metallic gold against that soft Petal Pink background may be my favorite part of the entire card.

I layered more of the kit’s watercolor eucalyptus pieces across the opening, along with Gray Granite and Crumb Cake stamped foliage and splatter.

The botanical pieces stretch across the split and visually connect the sections of the card.

For the sentiment, I again used the Sweetly Sentimental Hot Foil Dies with Gold Stampin’ Hot Foil.

When the card is closed, the inside panel becomes part of the card front.

When you open it, the gold botanical design is revealed across a much larger area.

That is exactly why I love this type of fun fold. The inside isn’t just the place where you write your message. It becomes part of the design.

Two Cards, One Soft Botanical Style

Although these cards use two completely different folds, I kept the colors and botanical elements similar so they feel like a coordinated pair.

The combination of Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Petal Pink, Gray Granite, Crumb Cake, and gold turned out to be especially pretty.

The watercolor pieces from the kit keep everything soft, while the gold foil adds a little polish and shine.

And I’m officially blaming these cards if I start foiling everything in sight now. 😉

Have You Tried Alternatives Yet?

Have you tried creating alternatives with your Paper Pumpkin Kit? I would love to hear what you made. Did you cut the card bases apart? Use the envelopes? Turn something into a fun fold? Or are you still staring at the pieces like they owe you an explanation?

Leave a comment and tell me what you created. Sharing ideas is half the fun, and the other half is pretending we are going to clean our craft desks afterward.

Paper Pumpkin Reminder

Paper Pumpkin is Stampin’ Up!’s monthly paper-crafting kit, delivered right to your mailbox. Each kit includes the supplies to create beautiful projects, and it is also a fantastic starting point for alternative designs like these.

The last day to subscribe for the next Paper Pumpkin Kit is the 10th of the month. Subscribe by then to guarantee your kit. After the subscription period, extras are not guaranteed, and we all know how that goes. You think about it too long, then poof, gone.

🧡 Keep Hopping!

Be sure to continue through the A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop to see what everyone else created with the Kindred Greetings kit.

One of my favorite things about this hop is seeing how completely different projects can begin with exactly the same little box of supplies.

There is always at least one project that makes me think, “Well, why didn’t I think of THAT?” 😂

🔗Helpful Links

🎃Learn more about Paper Pumpkin

🗓️ Next Month’s Paper Pumpkin – Aspens of Gratitude

Subscribe by September 10th (today) to receive the Aspens of Gratitude kit and the exclusive PPX Crew video tutorials. If you love birthday projects, this one is going to be a beauty.

Click on the image below to see the full details for next month’s kit.