It's NOT a scrap---it's potential!

One of the results of card-making is a heaping pile of left-overs.  There are strips of cardstock, strips of Designer Paper, bits of Glimmer paper---literally bits of everything that has, at one time or another, been cut.     When I was first starting out, the piles seemed to be winning and I feared an avalanche might trap me in my room.  So back in February I started a discussion on the Stampin' Connection, a terrific online meeting place for demonstrators through which first-timers and old-timers can share wisdom, fears, hints and all things stamping.  I love the place!

That discussion left me with a lot of helpful advice which I've since implemented.  The very first thing I did was to stop thinking of the left-overs as "scraps".  Scraps are headed for the garbage.   Scraps get thrown out. They are the unwanted bits that clutter up our daily lives.  They are useless.  Changing my perception of the left-overs changed everything!  Thank you to Darrah Hopper for sending me the message which ultimately changed my perception:  "I don't have any scraps, I have small pieces...".  Simple words---huge impact.

Storage still remains a challenge but little by little I discover solutions that work and change from the trials that did not work.  The best system, I find, is a flexible system.  If it's "written in stone", you're closing your eyes to better solutions.

I try to use some of those pieces of potential whenever possible.  Lately I've also been trying to think of cards which lend themselves wholly to using more of them.

This card, for instance, is absolutely perfect for using strips of varying widths and lengths.  The results are so eye-catching, too.  Bonus!  It's called the Herringbone Technique and leaves you, basically, with a spiraling "windmill" shape.  The great thing is that you can so easily mix complimentary colours of cardstock with the strips of Designer Paper.

Another technique I tried last night used some of my leftover Designer Strips, but could easily also be done with cardstock.  In this card I simply wove the strips together and mounted the woven piece onto a background of Naturals Ivory cardstock.  Then I ran the whole thing through my Big Shot using my Square Lattice embossing folder.  Then I mounted that onto my base cardstock of Cherry Cobbler.  Really, all I needed after that was a sentiment.

But, of course, I couldn't leave it at that.  I decided to use the Jolly Christmas sentiment out of the No Peeking stamp set, stamped it in Gumball Green on Very Vanilla cardstock and added the little bird which is also from the same stamp set.  Then I added some silver Glimmer Paper stars.  And I used the Decorative Label Punch (on sale at 30% off right now) for the sentiment as well as the backing for the sentiment.

Would you call this a card made from scraps?

I wouldn't!  I'd say these bits and pieces finally lived up to their potential.