Cards!

Its been a little while since I posted some cards, so here they are! A little selection of some of my fave cards from the latter part of this year :)

This was Alicia's Birthday card, I love the hexagon stamp set and punch from Stampin Up! And it was fun to include some sequins on there too!

I am also loving Hot Air Balloons and I have this gorgeous set from Stampin Up. I think doilies on cards are so pretty too, so you'll see them quite a bit on my cards at the moment!

There was something about this patterned paper that I really loved, and there are those hexagons that I love again! This time in Embossing folder form, I have fallen in love with my Cuttlebug again recently and have been embossing and cutting out heaps with it! I love it! I also pulled out my old Circle Circus set and stamped them for some added interesting patterns. Loved this card!

 This card was super quick to make cos I used all buts and pieces off my desk! I love when a card comes together so easily!

 More embossing! More hexagons! This one was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest. Man I love Pinterest!

And so I made the same card in different, more muted colours cos I loved it! There is a different embossing folder. I think I've used my embossing folders more in the past 4 months than I have in 4 years! I love actually using the products I have, and not hoarding them! {tongue in cheek!} YOu know I'm a hoarder but I'm breaking the habit!!
Hope you like my cards!
:) C

Circle Circus Bunting

I love digging out old stamp sets and using them in a new design card, or in a totally different colour scheme to what I normally do. Do you get stuck in a certain colour scheme for a certain stamp set too? I've gotta shake off normality, and try new things! {shaking shoulders vigorously!}
So as I've been in a Bunting Mood lately I wondered if Circle Circus by Stampin Up would make a great string of "Bunting Flags". Kinda like a cross between the beautiful paper or crochet doily bunting I keep seeing on Pinterest, and a traditional string of flags.

I really like how they turned out! I used different colours to what I normally would work with too, like Kraft coloured base card and deep Eggplant purple paper with eggplant printed vellum sewn over the top. Then the inks for the Circles were Soft Sage, Summer Sun, Vintage Violet and Rose Red.

For this second card I used the same colours of circles and paper, but the base card is Rose Red. I sewed the circles onto the square of background paper before I mounted it on the base card, so the sewing doesn't show through on the inside.
Then I thought I would really switch it up by using some retro themed background paper, but still use Circle Circue (well, it was already out on my desk, and I'm lazy enough to not change sets! Lol!)

I used Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise and Summer Sun ink, and also the Perfectly Scripted set for the sentiment (Perfectly Scripted is one of my fave sentiment sets, the font is gorgeous. It's my pic for most used sentiment set!).

I like how the same set can look complimentary, or quite different, just by changing up the colours you use!
Have you dug out your old sets yet? Go on! Grab them, and some different colours to what you would normally use, and go for it!
:) C

Break out your unused sets!

Hi y'all!
Are you like me? Do you have so many stamps or stamp sets that have never, or rarely, actually seen ink? Yep, you know you do!
Sometimes I like to sit and dedicate a whole stamping session, just to these sets! It's time to show them some love people!! It's not that I don't like these sets, but for some reason or another, they end up perennially on the bottom of the stamp pile, out of sight, or I've (momentarilly) forgotten about them! Or sometimes, and idea just wont come to me!
So recently, it was time to pull out those sets and give them some air time {smiles}. Here are the finished products:

These first two cards use a gorgeous massive Stampin Up background stamp that retired a couple of years ago called French Flair. I just love the birds and swirls, and for these cards I adhered a tiny pearl or jewel at the end of some of the swirls. So sweet! I used Rich Razzleberry ink and gold shimmer Versamark ink too. I used sentiments from SU's retired Wonderful Favourites on this first card and hand cut a little cardstock "banner" to stamp "friend" on. I like how it turned out!

On this second card I used more words from Wonderful Favourites, but I used the Postage Stamp Punch to punch out, then mounted it on some foam tape with a little piece of ribbon behind. Nice!

This next card uses Stampin Up's Sweet On You, which retired a few years ago too. I stamped the images on Sahara Sand card with Riding Hood Red ink, then I glittered the heart and paired it with some strawberry and dotty papers. I love how it looks! Sparkles make me happy! The sentiment is from A Word For You set, that is actually in the current catalogue! Oh My Gosh! I'm using a current set! LOL!

Next up is using Thoughts and Prayers which is still current too! Whoa! Slow down girl {giggles}. The sentiment is from Great Friend (retired) and I stamped it on an oval made with Stampin Up's scallop oval punch and I inked the edges. I stuck some red pearl "apples" in the tree too, which look awesome! As you can tell, the pearls and jewels were out on my desk on this day! LOL!
So I encourage you to get out some old sets and have a play one day, it's time some of those forgotten sets got some air play too! I'm happy with the cards I made, and I've got more sets to use now that I'm inspired (and have been reminded that I own them!)
:) C