Don't Throw Your Mistakes Away

I come by my miserly um I mean my frugal ways naturally. My dad was the master of turning trash to treasures. I think Mom would cringe when he went to the dump because she knew he was apt to pick through stuff and bring something home. Like the Aladdin lamp teapot I still have. I remember one time he came home from a thrift store with wooden chairs which were in pieces that he paid something like a quarter for. He managed to restore one chair out of all the pieces and I believe at the estate sale that it sold for something like $100. Not a bad investment. 

Mom was frugal in her own way. She would use envelopes as scrap paper and even the back of letters. She explained that she had gotten into the habit when she was stationed in a country where paper was scarce. So you see I come by my ways naturally. I do throw out scrap paper when it threatens to take over the place but I also recycle a lot of it. In fact my sister laughed when I messed up stamping and told her I was taking the piece home to Gesso and reuse. 

Here is the card I made with the shape I messed up. A card base that I cut out for a card but didn't have the fold line in the center nor placed on the mat correctly to cut out. I had put it aside knowing it would be used for another card or to cut shapes out of. As well as an extra print and cut shape that I had cut out when I cut out a bunch before going to seeing my sister not knowing how many she would want last year.

 (click to enlarge image.)

When I started this card all I knew was I wanted to use the scallop rectangle that I had messed up on stamping. First I spread a layer of Gesso over the card stock using a empty gift card. I then let it dry overnight. The stamping showed through the Gesso but that was all right as I knew I was going to use ink over it. I decided I wanted to see what color cherry pink Stazon would turn out to be. I had bought the ink pad at a craft yard sale. I took a wedge cosmetic foam pad to apply the ink in a circular motion. Then used the Divine Swirls embossing folder. I decided to have it de-embossed instead of embossed.

 I tried several different colors of card bases but didn't find anything I liked. Then while looking through my leftover shapes I found this card base that I had messed up by getting the fold line in the wrong place and the card stock placed wrong direction on the mat so that the scallop was cut off on one edge. I went ahead and used both a silver and gold leafing pen on the straight edge inside. You can see it peeking through in the picture.

 I decided that the Angel needed something so took my jelly roll star glitter pen and edged it. I love just that subtle touch of glitter. There you have it my miserly um I mean my frugal card.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope I have inspired you to use perhaps something you might have messed up in a new way instead of throwing it out. 

Oh and if you want to buy Gesso and are near a Michaels if they carry Folk Art paints look for it probably near the bottom shelf. A bottle cost me $2.99 in comparison to another brand over with the artist paints for $6.99 for the same amount. LOL! The clerk didn't even know they had the Folk Art brand and I just happened to spy it while looking for something else.

Wishing you Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!