Welcome to the Paper Pumpkin Pop Up Blog Hop! We are all fans of this monthly crafting kit and want to share with you our enthusiasm for this box of fun and creativity. The beauty of the Paper Pumpkin kit is that you can follow the directions provided in the kit to make the projects as they were designed, or use the supplies as a starting point and let your creativity run wild. On this hop we will be sharing lots of ideas with you on how to use the July Picnic Paradise kit.

When I saw this adorable kit and those lovely apples all I could think of was caramel apples.  So, I set about working on making some caramel apples.

How to make caramel:

    * Trace the shape of the apple on a piece of Crumb Cake card stock

    *  Cut a uneven edge to mimic the way caramel looks. 

    * Ink up the "caramel" with Versamark ink and heat emboss it using clear embossing powder. 

    *Repeat the above step one more time for  a smooth and shiny caramel.

Next I had to make a stick.  If you have some popsicle sticks that would be the easiest solution.  If you don't have any on hand here's what I did.

    *Cut So Saffron card stock 1/2" wide by 3-1/4" long, round one end

    *Ink it up with So Saffron ink

    *Insert into the apple and apply the leaves

I trimmed a piece of a plastic bag to fit my apple and used one of the gingham vellum pieces to set my apple on and tied it with the white twine from the kit.  The next thing I did was make one of the baskets in the kit.  I didn't attach the handle so it would accommodate my real caramel apple.  Off to the store I went to get a caramel apple.  Well, I found out that August is not the month for caramel apples so I scoured the shelves and came up with another idea.

Did you know that the cute little cards in the Picnic Paradise kit makes the perfect cover for caramel apple lollipops?!  I followed the directions in the kit for the cards, the only extra step was I punched two little holes.  I inserted the lollipops and tied them up using the twine from the kit.

Ready to see the whole project?

A caramel apple lollipop bouquet!!  Wouldn't this be a fun little thank you gift?  I hoped you enjoyed this alternate idea of how to use the Picnic Paradise Paper Pumpkin kit!  Now it is time for you to hop on and see what Shirley has created for you!  I know it will be amazing!

If you are not Paper Pumpkin subscriber now is the perfect time to try it out!  Contact your demonstrator or if you do not have a demonstrator I would love to help you.  You have until August 10th to sign up for Paper Pumpkin and get 50% off your first box.  What do you have to lose?