Spark your crafty mojo - let the paper do the work

Since my crafty mojo was temporarily displaced, I needed to kick it into high gear and make some cards quickly.  Last week, I shared some of my ideas on how to spark your creativity, so this post continues those tips.

One of my biggest tips is to let the paper do the work for you.  Pennants, banners, and chevrons are huge trends right now.  So, I used paper with these elements in it to make this card. This paper comes from the Happy Days Double-Sided Paper Pack.

When you've got one piece of paper working for you, make a second card.  That way, you can get two cards for the creativity of one!

Both of these cards also used Dazzles - they're very popular in England, and Hot off the Press is the best place I've found for these items.  I love their monthly club, because you get a nice variety of stickers, paper, a goodie, and a newsletter with ideas every month.  

Dazzles are stickers (which make them very easy to use) that look like embossed images (which make it look like you spent a lot of time making the card!).  They come in a variety of finishes, like copper, holographic colors, silver, and gold.

Several Club Scrap kits have also featured them, so check them out if you're interested in using them in your scrapbooking.

• Retreat 2012 - these numbers are super useful for birthday cards. I used them for Paul's card last year (which I haven't posted yet - eek!).  Get the full kit for even more numerical items.
• Bright lights, big city - these little stars pack a big punch.  The full kit has more coordinating items.

So, the next time you need to make some cards, but don't know where to start, let your paper do the work!  Share any tips you have for using paper to get started in the comments.  I'd love to hear what you think.