Fun Cards from Gifted Papers

I was given a set of 8 A2 sized papers from a pack my mother had purchased from somewhere.  Here are the cards that I made using them.

 

Card #1:

I started with the paper I liked the least (saving the best for last, you know), and worked to see what I could make with it.  I figured - let's pull out some of the green with a green card blank.  I'm not sure that was really my best choice.  I probably would have done better to mat with green on a white card.  Regardless, what's done is done.  

I chose to cover up much of the paper with a large focal and went looking through my stash to see what I might use.  I found some cats I made up long ago from an old set called Pop-Up Kitties from Stampendous.  The sentiment came from an older set called Fur Babies Ultimate Sentiments from Creative Craft Products.

Card #2: 

 

 

I really liked this striped paper.  I thought about cutting it up and using it in various ways, but in the end, I liked it as a whole background.  I simply inked the edges, added the stamped greeting (again from Fur Babies Ultimate Sentiments), and added another kitty (again from Pop-Up Kitties).  This time I added her head with a little wobble spring - and added a few little adhesive backed discs to the sentiment.

 

The next two cards combined scraps from this card with two other paper panels.

 

Card #3: 

 

I really like the way this card turned out, though I struggled with it at first!  The orange was from one paper and the flowered pieces from another - and I only had a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of each!  I really liked the two together, but there was so little of it.  I totally used all the hidden part of the mat on the next card to die cut sentiments and flowers. Of course, because they're not Stampin' Up! products, I didn't have anything the same color as that orange, and I really wanted to create a focal with an orange mat.  Then I thought of Cajun Craze.  Perfect!  Though darker, that color can be seen in some of the flowers, and I really like the way it pulls everything together.  Most of the stamps and dies have been discontinued (actually the stamp wasn't even from Stampin' Up, but an old one from Hot Off the Press).  The exception is the circles.  I LOVE these circles!  They are called Spotlight On Nature.  There are two sets of circles and 3 different edge treatments.  Love them!

 

Card #4: 

 

For this card, I just had a bit of the paper with a sentiment & mat (sentiment & other pieces were die cut from the mat behind the flowered paper).  I again added Cajun Craze cardstock, but the card felt too plain.  Then I remembered that the 26th is National Doodle Day!  This was because of a challenge posted on a message board I frequent (thanks for the great idea!).  As you can see, I doodled around the outside edge of the card using my Cajun Craze Stampin' Write marker.  I hate that these are being discontinued.  There are just too many things I use these for where the Stampin' Blends won't substitute!  This is a case in point.

 

Card #5: 

Here, I've got bits of two papers.  I not only used the dark blue for mats, but I die cut some flowers and greetings from it (using dies from Stampin' Up!s Wanted to Say dies.  I saved pieces from both the dark and the light patterns for the next card.  Three sequins from my Spellbinder's 2024 Crafty Advent Calendar complete this card.

 

Card #6:

These are the leftover papers from the previous card - but I used the reverse side for most of it.  The darker orange stripes are Washi tape, and I added sequins to that. The sentiment and flowers are again from the Wanted to Say dies.

Card #7: 

My original plan had been to separate these materials into two cards (which would have given me 8 cards total - or one card per A2 sheet of paper).  However, I just loved the way this came together and decided to use both.  It still required a lot of "gutting" to make it work.  The dies used were from Stampin' Up!s Spotlight on Nature dies.  I stamped the sentiment using Boho Blue ink and a stamp from Stampin' Up!s Sentimental Rose kit.  The sequins were clear ones that came in my Spellbinders 2025 Crafty Advent Calendar.  I colored them with a Misty Moonlight Stampin' Blends marker.