La Belle Vie...NOT My Favorite Paper Pack??

I know that we all have our own unique style of crafting.  That's what makes this craft fun!  What is your style?  Do you have a specific style that you are drawn to?  My style is more on the whimsical side....

For example, I LOVE the Clementine paper packet...the colors and prints are TOTALLY ME!!  Dakota and Moonlight are 2 of my other favorites in the Autumn/Winter Idea Book.  Clementine and Dakota are more countryish (is that even a word??)  Where Moonlight, even though it is Haloweeney (and yet another made up word!) has a more whimsical feel to it.  These are the types of colors/patterns that I am drawn to....

Which brings me to my post!  It was NOT love at first sight with La Belle Vie with me!!  It did not give me "goosies" when I saw it!  I really could not imagine in my head what I would even create with it...scrapbook pages OR cards.

WELL...the beauty of being a consultant who runs regular scrapbook groups and card classes is that even though I may not be in love with a certain paper packet, I have customers who have different styles than I do....SO I went WAY out of my comfort zone and decided to give La Belle Vie a try for my card class in December.

Each month, my card class creates 2 each of 5 different cards.  How the heck was I going to come up with 1 card let alone 5 using this paper pack that I was not a huge fan of??  I just took it little by little, starting with the paper that I like MOST out of the paper pack....then just went from there!

For this set of cards, I decided I was going to create the cards first, then look for a stamp set that fit the look, shape and feel of each card.  The first 2 cards, I felt, did not need any stamping on the outside of the card.  SO I stamped a Sympathy Sentiment on the inside....my group girls can either leave it blank, use the same stamp OR stamp a different saying inside.

This card and the one above use the "Country Life" stamp set that debuted in the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book.  I LOVED this set when I first saw it and ordered right away!  Well, that was back in January and I am JUST NOW getting around to using it!  Not that I have not thought about using it, or pulled it out to use on a different card, it just never seemed to speak to me till THESE cards and THIS paper pack!

This last card is my least favorite card of all 5.  I LOVE the flower...the paper and the pattern, just not a big fan of the sentiment....not sure if it fits the style of the card.  SO I may change it before class in December!  

Thanks SO much for stopping by today!!

Hope this has inspired you to step out of your personal crafting "style" and try using papers/embellies that don't speak to you.....you never know, they just might speak to your friends, family or customers.

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen