First July cards ...

So time to open my July parcels .......... how do the months go so fast? July was Liz's choice of challenge and she decided that every card must have at least 1 embossed piece on it.
So I opened Pats parcel, as always a lovely selection of bits and pieces fell out ............ and my mind went blank!! What was I to do with them? I looked, looked again ...... and put them away!!
Luckily Liz came over Monday for a lovely chatty crafting day, so out came all the bits and pieces again. Liz showed me the ideas she had for her selection and suddenly, fron nowhere, a couple of ideas came to my mind ............ it really helps having someone to share things with.
So I made 2 cards, both of them are quite different to my usual style and both are designs I've never done before .............. but I love them and will certainly use these layouts again ....... and again, LOL.
But time to show, not waffle, ...........

This one was quite simple in the end, the background paper is embossed and I just found  strips of blue & pink paper in my stash that matched to make the strip across, the flower, sentiment and little people images came from the parcel.

On this one I decided to cover the card blank with black paper from my stash, then (a bit nervously in case I went wrong!), I cut the lovely image from Pats parcel (which has some embossing on it although it doesn't really show here) in 3 and stuck it on to the card. I found some dark green card in my stash and cut and shaped as a background for the sentiment, which is from the parcel, and added a couple of little gems.

So 2 cards that I really like (so far, I may do more from Pats parcel yet) and 2 new layout designs that I love to use again ................... a success I think.