As a card maker and paper crafter, I accumulate lots and lots of scraps of patterned paper which I simply cannot bring myself to throw away. Whatever size of paper you start with, be it 12x12", 8x8" or 6x6", somewhere along the way, you will end up with offcuts.

The two card styles I am showing you today use lots of those odds & ends, turning them into really effective cards.

First, chevrons. To create this style, your papers do need to be double sided. I have very few of these, but still found more than enough pieces big enough to create three cards with plenty left for more.

Both of these cards are 5x7" so I did still need a piece of paper large enough for the mat & layering. The card can of course be either landscape or portrait and the addition of a few sequins finishes it off beautifully.

For this 6x6" card, you can see that I created the chevron down the right side, then cut around the shape leaving a narrow edge, to give a different look.

These cards have more of a patchwork feel to them. Again, small scraps of paper, cut into squares, layered diagonally onto contrasting card and glued onto the mat. Add a sentiment of your choice, a bit of string and another great style using scraps.

Apart from the sentiment tag I added, none of these cards need dies or special equipment to make them. Using a different sentiment stamp, this style would suit pretty much any occasion.

My next blog will be back to Christmas and the latest NitWits collection, "Gnome For Christmas".