October 2026 Paper Pumpkin Alternatives

🎄 Noel Greetings Paper Pumpkin Alternatives, October 2026

A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop: Paper Pumpkin Card Alternatives

Welcome to another A Paper Pumpkin Thing (APPT) Blog Hop! Each month, Stampin’ Up! demonstrators get creative with the same Paper Pumpkin kit, turning the original supplies into something completely different.

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

And apparently, I decided Christmas needed a little Blackberry Bliss! 💜😂

The original Noel Greetings kit features beautiful traditional Christmas colors, including Basic Beige, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow, and Pecan Pie. Add in the gorgeous gold accents and ornate patterns, and you’ve got a wonderfully elegant holiday kit.

But you know me. I love finding an unexpected color to make my Paper Pumpkin alternatives stand out.

So I brought in Blackberry Bliss, pulled out my Hot Foil System, and started experimenting!
This month’s projects are a Winter Village Christmas Card and a coordinating Box of Joy Gift Box. Both incorporate elements from the original kit, along with a few additional Stampin’ Up! products.

And I even found a way to use those leftover gold-foiled pieces. We don’t waste pretty things around here! 😂

💜 Winter Village Christmas Card

For my first project, I created a traditional top-fold Christmas card with a completely different color combination from the original Paper Pumpkin designs.

Blackberry Bliss might not be the first color that comes to mind for Christmas, but paired with gold, cream, and Mossy Meadow, it’s absolutely gorgeous!

I started with a Blackberry Bliss card base and added a 2 1/2-inch-wide section cut from one of the kit’s beautifully patterned card bases.

That narrower center panel leaves plenty of Blackberry Bliss showing on either side, giving the whole card a richer, more dramatic appearance.

But those gold borders?
That’s where things got interesting!

✨ Giving the Paper Pumpkin Pieces a Little Gold Foil Magic

The Noel Greetings kit includes a decorative rectangular piece with a beautiful openwork border.

Instead of using it as intended, I decided to experiment with Stampin’ Up!’s Hot Foil System!

I used the Reverse Hot Foil Die and Gold Stampin’ Hot Foil to add a metallic finish to the decorative piece. Then I cut away the two long sides and used them as fancy gold borders alongside my patterned center panel.

The original piece was pretty, but that gold foil against Blackberry Bliss really makes the details stand out!

And I saved the remaining foiled sections because I had a feeling they’d come in handy.
Spoiler alert. They did! 😉

🎥 Watch the Hot Foiling Technique

Curious how I transformed that original kit element?
I recorded a short video showing the foiling process so you can see how I added the gold.

It’s a fun way to give the pieces you already have a completely different look, and a great opportunity to experiment with the Hot Foil System.

🏠 Creating the Winter Village Scene

For the focal point, I used an oval element from the Paper Pumpkin kit that coordinates beautifully with the oval die in the Welcome Noel Dies.

I combined the kit’s snowy background with a Mossy Meadow tree-lined landscape, cut using the Welcome Noel Dies.

Then I added a dimensional white house with Pecan Pie roof details and sparkling gold windows.

I love how the little house looks nestled into the snowy scene!

A small gold star finishes the sky, and the “warm winter wishes” greeting, stamped in Blackberry Bliss using the stamp set included in the kit, completes the focal point.

I used a stitched banner from the Stylish Shapes Dies for the greeting.

The result is a peaceful little Christmas village surrounded by rich Blackberry Bliss, vintage-inspired patterned paper, and just the right amount of gold.

And no, I didn’t use the big Noel greeting this time. Sometimes the smaller sentiment wins! 😂

🎁 Coordinating Box of Joy Gift Box

For my second project, I created a little Christmas gift box using the Box of Joy Impressions Dies and the Neutral Noel Designer Series Paper.

The Neutral Noel paper has the same beautiful ornate pattern as the Paper Pumpkin kit, making it a perfect coordinating choice.

I wanted the card and box to look like a matching gift set, without decorating them exactly the same way.

The box already had that gorgeous patterned paper and decorative handle, so I kept the additional embellishing fairly simple.

A Blackberry Bliss Belly Band

I wrapped the box with a Blackberry Bliss belly band and layered a Mossy Meadow label underneath.

Then came those leftover gold-foiled decorative pieces from the card!

I arranged the gold openwork accents so they peek above and below the belly band, giving the box a little extra sparkle.

A small Very Vanilla label stamped with “JOY” in Blackberry Bliss completes the front.
And because a Christmas gift box deserves a pretty bow, I added Gold Striped Ribbon to the top.

The belly band is removable, so you can still open the box and tuck a little treat or gift inside.
I love a project that’s pretty AND practical!

🎄 One Kit, Two Coordinating Christmas Projects

What I love most about these projects is how differently the original Paper Pumpkin pieces look when you introduce an unexpected color.

The Blackberry Bliss completely changes the feel of the traditional Noel Greetings kit, while the gold accents connect everything.

And those decorative pieces that started as one rectangular element?
They ended up becoming details on both projects!

Between the card, the box, the hot foiling, and the additional die cuts, this project evolved as I worked.

Sometimes the best ideas aren’t the ones you started with. They’re the ones you discover while playing with the supplies on your craft table. 💜

💜 Have You Tried Blackberry Bliss for Christmas?

I know Blackberry Bliss isn’t one of the original colors in this kit, but that’s exactly why I wanted to try it!

Have you ever taken a Paper Pumpkin kit in a completely different color direction?

Or do you prefer sticking with the coordinating colors Stampin’ Up! has already chosen?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think. I’d love to hear whether you’d use Blackberry Bliss for a Christmas project!

🎄 Keep Hopping!

Now it’s time to see what everyone else created with the October 2026 Noel Greetings Paper Pumpkin Kit!

Be sure to continue through the A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop for more creative ideas and alternative projects.

We all start with the same kit, but the finished projects are never quite the same.

And that’s what makes this hop so much fun!

🎥 More Noel Greetings Paper Pumpkin Inspiration from the PPX Crew

Want even more ideas for your Noel Greetings Paper Pumpkin kit?

The PPX Crew has created a collection of alternative project videos featuring different ways to use this beautiful Christmas kit.

These exclusive monthly videos are a special benefit I share with my Paper Pumpkin subscribers and eligible team members.

It’s another fun way to get more creative mileage out of your monthly kit!

🔗Helpful Links

Request a new Catalog
Purchase retired Paper Pumpkin kits & Stampin’ Up! Products
Paper Pumpkin Information/Subscirption

🗓️ Next Month’s Paper Pumpkin – Tags of Joy

Subscribe by November 10th to receive the November Paper Pumpkin Kit and the exclusive PPX Crew alternative video tutorials.
Click the image below for full details on next month’s kit.