As The Scrap Heap Dwindles

Hmmm, "As The Scrap Heap Dwindles". Could be a Soap Opera. Could be a new name for my blog. Or not.

I have officially been working on The Scrap Heap for a solid month now, and The Heap does not look any smaller to me. I am sure it IS smaller, since I have made about 150 cards in these past four weeks, almost all from The Heap, and if you believe in the concept that matter is neither created nor destroyed, then I'd say it MUST be smaller. It MUST.

So Sunday I decided that in order to make any significant dent, and to get rid of these papers that I once cast onto The Heap, the best approach would be to use large pieces of the stuff. No more of these small strips of paper for me, nononono. I'm talking double-sided card-stock-weight papers that would get cut 4 1/4 x 11 and made into a full card. BIG pieces. So let's see how successful I was, shall we?

I have seen several of these really cute dresses on SCS, so since I'd made a bunch of dresses last year during the Onesie craze, I started with that. I changed the shape of the neck (used a larger circle punch), angled the sleeves differently, added the vellum layer, yadda yadda yadda. (Can you believe that the word 'yadda' is not known to Blogger Spellchecker? Did you also know that the word 'meh' is in the dictionary, so it is a real word? Can you believe I am this full of useless information?)

This one was cut into the coveted 4 1/2 x 11 size card stock, because the inside is a light enough color for writing. The ribbon is from SU (so pretty...it's like cotton lace), I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder on the vellum, and used some Swiss Dot embossed white scraps to cut the collar and cuffs. I hand-cut the scallop on the collar. I suppose I could have looked for the next size up scallop punch, but, well, you know, that sounded like work, so it was just easier to do it this way.

This version is a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of the patterned paper stuck on a white base, and I made two of them.

I am particularly pleased with myself for that little white rose I used. I knew I had some in the stash, so I used two of them on these cards. Only 8 left!! Getting it to stay stuck was going to be a challenge, until I spied the needle and thread stuck in my work mat (see how convenient it is to never put anything away?!?!?), and I tacked the flower to the lace ribbon with the thread. You may kinda be able to see the yellow-ish thread stuck behind the lace.

I just think this flower is too stinkin' cute. The card will require additional postage to mail because of it (something I generally try to avoid with cards I sell), but I think this one was worth it!

Here is a strip of some dotted paper I have used recently, and while I cut one piece 4 1/4 x 11, I ended up using the part that was left for this card, and that big piece went back in The Heap (I was kinda sick of it). I wanted a horizontal image to cut all those dots, so I dug around in my stamp supply and ended up with the Classic Pick-ups set (which shall never, ever, ever be sold). For that fluffy ribbon, I cut off the selvage edges and just frayed it, then tied it together with a piece of linen thread. Still manly, I think. I put this one in my etsy store.

Next I tackled this piece of patterned paper. I cut three 4 x 5 1/4 pieces and was left with a few strips which I used on the next card.

I think that die-cut is perfect with this paper, and I think the time I first used this paper was with that same die cut. I think I still have it in my Market box, too, so of course it makes sense that since it did not sell yet, I made some more. Sigh.

I put a little bit of Stickles in the center of the die cut, partly because I thought it needed something, but mostly because I could.

Now THIS card has a story to tell. I started out innocently enough by cutting the brown mat and trimming the two strips of patterned paper to fit. Then I spied the punch-outs from the die-cuts I used on the previous cards ... I had 6 of them, and I started playing with them. I ended up with this 6-pointed design, and I really liked it! So I stuck it onto a piece of Vanilla and cut it out with my largest Nestie circle, and matted it with my next-to-the-largest Nestie scallop circle.

When I put it on the card, it looked like (get ready) ... the Ark in a synagogue, where they keep the Torahs. I could not get past that: a 6-sided star-looking thing ... two panels that look like doors or a curtain ... the circle mounted on top of the 'doors' ... I just could not get past it. So I did what the card told me to do, and I made it into a Mazel Tov card that someone could give for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. (The Mazel Tov sentiment is from my PTI Mazel Tov set.)

Now I am all out of this pattern of paper - oh, darn! Sheesh, NOT! I am doing a happy dance, here!

Only a few days left before the Clean Sweep! Hopefully I'll be able to eek out a few more cards this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

PS: For the first time I am trying the scheduled posting thing to see if this publishes itself Monday morning. Fingers crossed here. Yes, I am always the last to the party .... ETA: Yay, it worked. I am such a Doubting Thomasina.