Am I the only one?

[wenchie]

OMG I have wasted sooooooo much paper this morning!! :mad:

So . . . . it begs the question . . . . . do YOU waste a lot of paper on false starts??

Somehow what I envision inside my head looks wonderful!! . . . but . . . once it's actually done is nothing less than a complete disaster :rolleyes: LOL Makes me wonder.

[nsruss]

I did that on Friday. I had bought lots of great new MS stuff at Mike's on Friday and was so excited to use it! I had this sheet of Crate paper that I was saving and broke out my new book cloth to alter an address book. Then I used my new glitter on it and some of the ribbon photo corners. It looked gorgeous! Just after I finished I realized I'd stuck all the decorating on the wrong side of the book. *sob* So not only was it on the wrong side, but it was upside down. The Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive really sticks well so there was no fixing it. I felt like a bozo.

[laderme]

Definately! Which is why sometimes it takes me forever to actually finish something. Why in my head is it gorgeous, but once together ..... YUK!

[Sherlie]

I very rarely waste paper and I dont know how I do it. When I work on a card, I do it in sections and if part of it doesnt work or look right, then I revamp the section that doesnt work as I go along. Sometimes whole cards come together in my head first and they always seem to turn out the way I envision them. I too hate wasting paper and I might waste white but never the colors and I save every stinkin' scrap,,, lol,

[Montana]

I can relate. I usually hate to waste paper, so my attempts go to my 3 yr old for her "projects" or I salvage them into some sort of card. Even when I'm not happy with the results there are certain people who understand and appreciate my effort. (like my mom- she has to like everything I make b/c she is my mom)

[GinaP]

First, I think you're probably being a lot harder on yourself than necessary, hon. It probably isn't a "complete disaster" by any means.

BUT, if I had to offer you one tip - never glue ANYTHING until you've sorta laid it out first... to be sure you want it before you stick it for good.

Hang in there... sometimes you just have to work it a bit before it all comes together just right.

[Kkrenn]

I usally waste a ton!! I am like you, it looks pretty in my head and then once I get it laid out (without adhesive) it isn't at all how I envisioned! I have a 4 small drawers full of scraps from cards that didn't go quite right!

[Skittl1321]

I don't waste a lot, but sometimes, it just has to go in the trash.

And unfortunately, since I switched from a tape roller to mono multi- there is no unpeeling!

Urgh!

[krabearkub]

I usually do get a disaster card once in a while where everything goes wrong - layout, colors, smudges :rolleyes:. I want to throw it away but Momma would never let me do that.

......haven't had one for a few weeks so I better look out......;)

[twyant]

I was working on cards for a swap last night and wasted some paper. It makes me so sad. I really use my scraps though, so I try to use that way. There is nothing worse than having a great idea and then not enough paper because you messed up the first time! Right now I have a baggie of precut paper for a set of cards I envisioned and then didn't work out. I am determined to make them work out somehow.

[Kittypaws]

Been there, done that. I now try to work out a card on junk paper to see how it will look before I go to the good stuff. If it doesn't work, then out it goes with no regrets.

[Marinaof5]

Just last night..I had to through a full card out...I had been waiting forever for my Doodle set and when I finallyget it I can't do anything.

it happens o the best of us.

my tip do not glue anything down till you have layed it all out.

[laurakj]

Exactly why DH and I created the Color Combo Site

At least it helps take the color choice out the equation. I hated cutting into my expensive CS only to mess something up completely and have to throw it away. Now I can play with the colors I want online BEFORE I ever cut into any CS It really helps!

[mungojerry]

I used to but now, not so much. I mostly do watercoloring for my main image. So, I always do that first, sit it aside for a bit and then come back and finish. I usually have a vague idea of what I'm going to do and hold the papers together, etc. I'll tell you, though, when I first got the Polka Dots and Paisley set, I must have boo-booed on 4 sheets of paper. I just couldn't get it to do what I wanted. ;)

[LateBlossom]

OMG, YES! I made one SB page this am that is da bom, and then I made one that bombed, LOL! I used alpha stickers (enough letters to render the sheet pretty much useless for another page) and the fish stamp from Very Punny and some kaleidescope paper. It's getting picked apart for useable scraps and the rest will be filed in the circular file.

Now I'm gonna do some serious cleaning and ruminate on what else to try with the uber cute pic of my son #2 in the pool last summer....

It's just paper (and stickers and ink and adhesive).

[denidill]

I recently made a card for a friend, posted it in the gallery, then deleted it! It is all wrong. It doesn't sit right with me. I know she will probably like it and not see the imperfections, etc. I guess I essentially 'wasted' cardstock and designer paper, not to mention time making this card. I know we should all give ourselves a break, but I think this is no different than any artist hobby.

When an artist makes a piece, if it is not good enough, they do not show it. It gets tossed or put away. Why should a card be any different. If, in your soul, you know you don't like it, I guess you might have to pitch it and chock it up to experience. I wish every card I started on turned out like I had in my head. But I know this is never going to be the case.

I find it frustrating...I try not to glue anything down until the last minute. My problems seem to come when I put that last finishing touch in ink. There is where I tend to go wrong. Once the ink is down, it is sometimes hard to hide it. And when I hide it, the result may not make the card work.

[jzig]

I waste paper by cutting things wrong. I have the hardest time comprehending directions that say on the 11" side, cut....I'll end up cutting on the 8.5" side almost every doggone time. It's frustrating! It also explains why I have waaaaaaay too many scraps!

[LouiseG]

I truly try not to be wasteful, and I often find some of my best cards come from things I've salvaged. But I also look at it like this: This is supposed to be a relaxing, fun hobby. If I am totally stressing it trying to make something out of nothing, then I'm going to throw it away and start on something else. It's like in school when you had to read a book no matter how much you didn't like it. Now if I read a book I had better be totally enjoying it or that's it, it's back on the shelf. And no guilt.

[wenchie]

ohhhhhhhhhhh man! I'm excited about the color combo site!! I swear, sometimes I'm just plain color blind LOL

I don't usually glue anything down until I'm happy with the overall look either. I get frustrated when I cut up good paper and find out it just doesn't work. I do save it for other future projects though.

Next thing on my list of things to do I think is get some of these designer color papers. Most of what I have is so generic and not that exciting anymore.

They say misery loves company and it looks like I have plenty of company on this issue LOL But . . . what better company to keep eh?

[grammatroll]

It's frusrating isn't it? After a few disasters I finally got a little smarter and started using removable tape. I put a little bit in the middle of the layer and put it where I think I want it. That way I can move it around easier and at the same time not have it slide all over the place.

[Topaz_n29]

Been there also..hence the scrap bin..lol..i also lay everything out too bfore any taping/gluing etc. i usually pik out 3 colors i want to work with..decide on the layers and try to go from there.I also paint..and have found ias in painting i leave it for awhile and come back and if i see sumthin is not working then i try to rearrange it.
A hint in painting for me was to hold my painted item in front of a mirror.
It's surprising how u can spot things that don look right or whats missing and where. works w/cards too..except for the wordings..lol.
loves ya

[sewsplendidstamper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GinaP

BUT, if I had to offer you one tip - never glue ANYTHING until you've sorta laid it out first... to be sure you want it before you stick it for good.

.

Too true. I did it on scrapbook pages all the time and one day I realized, hey why not do the same thing w/ a card (duh). It also helps when you are adding embellishments so the brads "legs" don't end up inside the card.
If you absolutely hate the card you can salvage quite a bit from it. The whole back of the card is usable and remember paper has two sides. A good quality cardstock won't show ink thru it.

[chrisations.ink]

I'm not there yet, to discern if it's a bad card or not. I'm just happy to get one completed! I am learning so much from all you artists on this website. Thanks for your willingness to share your frustrations as well as your successes. It helps us newbies to keep on trying!

[Penascodragonfly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montana

I can relate. I usually hate to waste paper, so my attempts go to my 3 yr old for her "projects" or I salvage them into some sort of card. Even when I'm not happy with the results there are certain people who understand and appreciate my effort. (like my mom- she has to like everything I make b/c she is my mom)

I hate wasting paper too and I have a special box that all of my boo boo's and or scraps go into. My girls use it for all of their "projects"
My mom is the same way, she still loves everything I make b/c I made it.

[Miabel]

I hope nobody decides to take my cards apart because they would see the "messed" up, chaotic craziness on the back just about every time! I can't help it....instead of starting over with a new piece, I just turn it around and scream DO OVER!!!

I also cut paper wrong...for the life of me, I see it straight but when it comes out, it's as crooked as a politician on election night (no offense to any current or future politicians!)

I have a huge scrap pile! However, I just got all of my lovely SU paper that I have been waiting to use so I am sooooooooooo happy that I have all the colors instead of trying to figure out what colors to use. yeah!

[gmcbunny]

i always have five of six false starts - and sometimes it still looks better in my head then it does on paper

[wenchie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miabel

crooked as a politician on election night

Thanks for the laugh!! That's a good one!!

[Ally]

I'm the opposite of a lot of people on here, I just view it as a piece of paper, if it doesn't work, I'm happy to throw it in the trash, I'd much rather do that than send it to someone.
Sometimes I smudge, sometimes my watercoloring is awful, sometimes it just isn't working on a particular day, I walk away at that point. So I mostly waste white cardstock and it's not SU white so it's not that expensive.
But also, I don't glue things down until I'm happy with the way a card is coming together.

[NYstamper]

Lately yes, I have been having a terrible time coloring and the more I try to fix it the worse it is! The last card I did I stamped and colored the same image about 5 times before I gave up and moved on to something else.

[stampkinz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marinaof5

my tip do not glue anything down till you have layed it all out.

This would be my best advice, too. I don't assemble a card until I am satisfied that each layer is the way I want it, or at least the best it can be. I learned this after having to scrap a whole card because I messed up. Hey, you learn and try to do better next time. I go through periods of stamping where everything I do turns out great (IMHO...LOL), and then times where all I can to is stare at a stamp set and/or nothing turns out presentable. Hang in there!

[Julesiana]

I use a LOT of Un-Du. I love the stuff--I have saved MANY of project.

So no, you are not the only one.