Scraps, wonderful scraps

My scrap drawers fill up rather quickly - I have an obsession for buying and using lots of paper - so I try to use my scraps to create my card-challenge cards.  Sometimes the scraps work well together and the result is rather nice.  Other times, what looked like a good idea doesn't turn out quite so well.  Sheila, AKA Sassy Lady, has shared some of her what she calls mistakes (they always look wonderful to me), so I thought I'd share a couple of scrap adventures and misadventures with you.

I ordered the Martha Stewart floral punch set when it was featured on HSN.  When the punches arrived, I grabbed a scrap drawer, dug around, and came up with this simple card.  I think these scraps worked well together and the punches and ribbon added just enough accent. Note that I almost always make my cards A2 size (4.25x5.5) because that's pretty standard and I can buy boxes of envelopes at Staples when they're on sale.  Since I make so many Cards for Soldiers and Cricut Card Fairy cards, staying with one size works for me.

For sketch #3 in this week's Raq's card challenge, I also went to my scrap drawers, this time choosing colors that I don't usually use except for accents.  I loved the layout which I designed on my Gypsy.  I used Heritage for the slider, Tie the Knot for the monogram, Jasmine for the corners, and Home Accents for the flourish.  It all looked wonderful on the Gypsy screen.  I laid out the papers I'd selected, cut, and began to assemble.  Hmmmm, looking a little strange so I added doodling, a little too much so I covered some of it with the corners. I Cuttlebugged (is that a verb?) one of the mats and added a little chalk ink.  Well, I do like the layout, but the colors aren't sitting well with me.  If I choose to send this design, I think I'll re-cut with a different color scheme.  I'll keep this card in my file - maybe I'll call it my "what was I thinking?" file.  I feel good when I'm able to use up some of my scraps (then I can buy more paper, right?), but sometimes those darn scraps look just like what they are - scraps!!!