July 2026 Paper Pumpkin - APPT Blog Hop

🎨 Hooray for Birthdays – July 2026 Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

Contents

🎨 Hooray for Birthdays – July 2026 Paper Pumpkin Alternatives
- About the Hooray for Birthdays Kit
Hooray for Birthdays Kit Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop Paper Pumpkin Card Alternatives

Welcome to another A Paper Pumpkin Thing (APPT) Blog Hop. Every month, our crafty crew takes the latest Paper Pumpkin Kit and gives it a little creative shake-up, because around here, the kit instructions are helpful, but they are not the boss of us. 😉

I am hopping with the talented PPX Crew and fellow Stampin’ Up! demonstrators to share fresh ideas, clever ways to stretch your kit supplies, and hopefully a few projects that make you say, “Well, now why didn’t I think of that?”

This month, we are playing with the July 2026 Hooray for Birthdays Paper Pumpkin Kit, and this one had me at flowers.

The kit has a cheerful mix of soft grid patterns, bold birthday greetings, pretty florals, and a fabulous color palette of Basic Black, Darling Duckling, Hydrangea Hue, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, and Timid Tiger.

For my alternatives, I created two coordinating projects: a floral shaker card and a 3D purse-style gift box.

The card really lets those beautiful flowers take center stage, while the purse box turns the same kit elements into a fun little birthday package. Because sometimes “Happy Birthday” is lovely, but “Happy Birthday, I brought you something” is even better. 🎁

If you are new here, hi, I am Linda Cullen from Massachusetts, and you are visiting Crafty Stampin’. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full APPT Blog Hop so you can see what everyone created with this month’s kit.

About the Hooray for Birthdays Kit

The July Hooray for Birthdays Kit makes nine cards, three each of three different designs.

The finished cards measure 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″, and the kit includes coordinating envelopes, precut paper pieces, printed stickers, and adhesive.

Colors:
Basic Black
Darling Duckling
Hydrangea Hue
Melon Mambo
Old Olive
Timid Tiger

The Hooray for Birthdays refill includes:

9 card bases, 3 each of 3 designs
9 envelopes
Precut paper pieces
Printed stickers
Adhesive

I really like the combination of the soft pink and blue grid patterns with those bright florals. It gives you plenty to work with without locking you into one particular style.

And that is exactly what makes Paper Pumpkin alternatives so much fun.

Hooray for Birthdays Kit Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

Hooray for Birthdays Shaker Card

For my first alternative, I turned the large circular focal piece into a shaker card.

To create the shaker, I made the frame using the largest circle die from the Spotlight on Nature Dies together with the largest circle die from the Stylish Shapes Dies. I also cut the front panel from the pink grid card base, then used that same largest Stylish Shapes circle die to cut the opening.

I attached a piece of Window Sheet to the back of the opening, then added the die-cut circle frame to the front. On the back, I added Foam Adhesive Strips around the opening to create the shaker well

Instead of filling the shaker with the usual sequins, I used extra die-cut flowers from the kit along with Blooms embellishments. I removed the adhesive from the Blooms embellishments first so they could move freely inside the shaker instead of sticking in place.

That little step makes a big difference. A shaker card is considerably less exciting when the shaker bits refuse to shake. 😉

Once the shaker elements were added, I attached the panel to a Basic White Thick card base.

To finish the front, I framed the shaker with more of the kit flowers and greenery. I concentrated the larger flowers around the upper left and lower right portions of the circle, which gives the card a nice diagonal flow. I also added some of the smaller floral embellishments around the outside of the shaker to carry those tiny flower details from the inside of the card to the outside.

The large “hooray” greeting stretches across the lower portion of the shaker window, with “it’s your day!” tucked underneath. I love the contrast of the Basic Black script against all those soft florals. It gives the sentiment enough punch to stand out without competing with the shaker.

And because the flowers inside the shaker coordinate perfectly with the flowers decorating the outside, the whole card feels connected instead of looking like I emptied the miscellaneous embellishment drawer into it.

Not that such a drawer exists in my craft room. 😏

Hooray for Birthdays Purse Box

For my second project, I decided those pretty kit supplies needed to leave the world of flat cards entirely.

Enter the purse box. 👛

This little box is surprisingly roomy and would be perfect for candy, a small gift, a gift card, jewelry, or another little birthday surprise.

The purse shape is created from one piece of cardstock, with scored and folded sides that give the box its dimension.

I added the soft pink grid-patterned paper from the kit’s card base to the front

I used the large oval die cut from the kit as the purse top. I scored it at 2-1/8″ & 2-7/8″, folded it over the top of the card, and used another large circular piece from the kit for the decorative flap.

I die-cut the largest circle from Stylish Shapes Dies from Basic White Thick, stamped the “hooray” in Secret Sea Ink and “it’s your day!” in Melon Mambo Ink.

The floral arrangement coordinates with the shaker card, but I kept this version a little simpler so the purse shape could still shine.

The “hooray, it’s your day!” greeting makes the front of the purse feel like a miniature birthday card all by itself.

A paper handle from the Hydrangea Hue card base from the kit curves over the top of the box, and a Hydrangea Hue ribbon bow finishes it off.

There is also a small closure on the front of a very small Velcro attachment so the purse can be opened and closed.

I love that this project looks decorative from the front but still functions as an actual gift box.

Cute and useful. We like a project that earns its spot on the craft table. 😉

Purse Box Cutting and Scoring

For the purse box, start with a piece of cardstock measuring:
7-1/2″ x 9-1/2″
With the 7-1/2″ side across the top, score at:
3/8″; 1-1/8″; 1-7/8″; 2-7/8″; 4-5/8″; 5-5/8″; 6-3/8″; 7-1/8″
Some of these score lines are partial scores used to create the shaped sides of the purse, so refer to my cut-and-score diagram for exactly where each score begins and ends.
Rotate the cardstock and score along the 9-1/2″ side at:
1-3/4″; 2-1/2″; 5-1/4″; 6-3/4″
Trim away the shaded sections shown in the diagram and cut the angled sections that create the purse-shaped sides.
The finished folds create the front, back, bottom, and expandable sides of the box.

Purse Handle

Cut the handle:
- 3/4″ x 8″
Score at:
- 3/4″; 7-1/4″
Those small scored sections become the tabs used to attach the handle to the purse.

Definitely keep the cut-and-score diagram nearby while making this one.

This is not the project where we confidently eyeball everything and then wonder why our purse has developed architectural issues. 😂

One Kit, Two Very Different Projects

This is one of my favorite things about creating Paper Pumpkin alternatives.

Both projects use the same colors, patterns, flowers, and sentiments, but they do not feel like duplicates of one another.

The shaker card is all about movement, layers, and that big floral shaker filled with extra kit flowers and Blooms embellishments.

The purse box takes those same supplies and turns them into something dimensional and giftable.

You could even make the card and purse together as a coordinating birthday gift set.

Pop a gift card, candy, or little treat inside the purse, add the birthday card, and suddenly you look ridiculously organized.

We will not discuss what the craft room looked like while all this organization was happening. 😉

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!

Thanks for stopping by today. Now keep hopping through the APPT Blog Hop for more clever, creative, and totally worth-copying Paper Pumpkin alternatives.

Your next “oh, I need to make that” project is probably just one click away.🌻

🔗Helpful Links

🎃Learn more about Paper Pumpkin

🗓️ Next Month’s Paper Pumpkin – Celebrate Spring

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.