in pairs...

lately, i'm noticing, i've been making things in pairs. i don't know if i'm not getting my idea all the way carried out the first time and so i want to keep going, or if it's that i'm liking what i'm doing so much i'm wanting to build on it. who knows. anyway, here are a few pairs of similar cards that i've made lately.

i made this graduation card for the boy's brothers graduation from indiana university and let the new "happy everything" stamp set from a muse do the talking. dude cards can be hard sometimes, because 90% of image stamps are a little too girlie or young, but with this stamp set and one of my favorite papers from the basic grey "ambrosia" collection which happened to include the IU "crimson & cream" i had an easy peasy grad card.

same deal with this guy, a simple, graphic card using the same stamp set and the punched circles leftover from a layout that i'll share soon. these colors (along with a pebble, salmon, chartreuse and light teal) are one of my main color combo obsessions right now.

i may have no business using these "pure innocence" girls as much as i do since i don't have kiddos or anything, but they really are sweet, fun to color and total stress relief when it comes to just coloring and...

... paper piecing. i love to put together their little outfits with current favorite papers. and obviously i'll be using this "hip to be square" saying with tons of stuff.

these two cards are ones i made sets of for one of my favorite people in the world, nicole's birthday (if you're reading this nicole, surprise!) since i was making these into boxed notecard sets i really kept them simple so that the mass production would go smoothly. plus, with these girls, it's fun to let them do the talking. they were perfect for miss nicole who teaches yoga...

... and runs her own awesome burlesque (both in person and through e courses) business, pop fizz, that centers around the idea of being comfortable in your own skin rather than performing for someone. love. anyway, cheeky cherry was perfect for this, and again, kept it simple.

so, just a little peak and what i've been up to lately craftwise. i'm having a little trouble deciding exactly what this blog is lately. i love sharing my fives and mixes, but when it comes to crafty things i find myself writing as if this is the store blog instead of my own, which i have to get over. i might just start posting pictures of craft things and leaving it at that. i also don't know what to do about personal things here. just trying to figure out the blog balance i guess. i'll get there.