A Bug Themed Handmade Card Built From Leftover Pieces
A bug themed handmade card wasn’t exactly on my to-do list that day. What I did have was a small pile of leftover die cuts staring at me from a little container in the corner of my desk. You know the pile… the “I’ll use these later” pile.
I had fussy cut and die cut several sweet bugs and flowers from the Cute as a Bug Designer Paper for
earlier projects. They were too cute to toss, so they stayed. And instead of filing them away, I decided to let them take the lead. Sometimes the best cards happen when you stop planning and start playing.
Letting the Leftovers Lead the Design
I embossed a white cardstock layer with the Birchwood 3D Embossing Folder to give everything a little texture. Nothing dramatic, just enough to keep it from feeling flat. The soft background lets the little bug vignette feel like it belongs there instead of floating around.
For the sentiment, I went bold. White heat embossing on black cardstock always makes me happy. The “Love You Lots” pops just enough to anchor the design. It makes this card work for Valentine’s Day, but honestly, it would be sweet any time of year.
I’ve also been enjoying the Stampin’ Positioner when heat embossing sentiments. I like to stamp twice before applying embossing powder to ensure a crisp image. The Positioner makes that easy and consistent. It isn’t available to customers yet, but it is included in the Starter Kit this month for anyone who decides to join my team.
This card came together faster than most because the pieces were already there. I didn’t overthink the layout, I just moved things around until it felt right. That might be the real lesson here. Sometimes your next project is already halfway done — you just have to notice it.
Tell me, do you keep a little stash of extra die cuts for “someday,” or do you clean up completely between projects?
I'll let you in on a little secret: I've started keeping a small jar of paper strips, too, I'm going to use in the future. 🙂
If you’re in the mood for more playful paper, here’s another Cute as a Bug card that takes a slightly different direction.
