Make Pretty Cards {from materials that don't go together}

Have you ever wondered how to pull together lots of different components that don't seem to go together, to create something pretty?

Sometimes you just need to let go of preconceived notions of what "goes" and what doesn't go.

To create the "Hello" card, I knew I wanted to use the blue checked premade card base. I dug through my little container of prepunched embellishments and found the rainbow striped piece. One of the stripes was similar enough to the blue of the card to work, so I grabbed it, and used it as a jumping off point to find paper to line an envelope. Believe it or not, that demure calico print has most of the same colors as the rainbow stripe print. Next, I found a strip of card stock and a sentiment. The card stock piece was from the top of a perforated paper pad. It had a hole punched in the center, so I knew I would need to glue something on top of it.

I did not worry about whether the stripes clashed with the checks or the dots or the calico flowers. As soon as I'd tossed the materials into a pile together, I knew they looked great together. A similar combination might look silly if you wore striped pants, a checked shirt, a polka dotted hat, and a calico scarf, but it looks really sweet on a note card.

The calico print was used to line the envelope, and a strip was cut from the scrap to create a band for the card front. The card stock strip was added on top of the paper strip. The rainbow scallop and the sentiment were then layered on top to create a pretty card anyone would love to receive. The sentiment came from a paper pad -- you know how you sometimes get a sheet of preprinted and perforated sentiments that coordinate with the paper pad? I'd actually found the very dated, half-empty paper pad at the Goodwill, and knew I could put it to use.

I hope this encouraged you to look at your stash differently. The calico was a pretty old paper (also from a Goodwill paper pad), but it was exactly what this card needed to pull everything together and to give it visual interest.

If you like easy card making ideas, you might love this easel card tutorial.

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Thanks for stopping by!
Amanda