Monday, May 22, 2017

I'd Rather Be Lucky than Good

In my quest to make birthday cards using all my wood-mounted stamps (or as many of the stamps as will be practical), I stumbled across a lovely Celtic knot square. Staring at it gave me the idea of using one of the Hero Arts ombre ink pads. Then this happened:




I inked the stamp on the diagonal for no other reason than it felt interesting and then realized I could arrange the squares so the colors slide from one square to the next. Isn't that incredibly cool? My husband has an appropriate saying from his Air Force days: "I'd rather be lucky than good." In this case, that's absolutely true.




The card has a matching envelope and will go to a relative who loves all things Celtic. The birthday sentiment is inside as it would have merely distracted from the pretty, colorful squares.


Card size: 7.25" x 3.5"

So much of the creative process is serendipitous...sometimes things work out spectacularly, and sometimes, well, they make pretty trash. I used to resent the failures but now see them as inevitable, resulting in teachable moments, a lesson learned.

Besides, when something like this happens, the failures hardly matter.

What is your attitude toward failure? Do you get angry at wasting supplies, or do you accept the cost of creativity and just move on?

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Stampabilities Celtic knotwork, Papertrey sentiment (not shown)
ink: Hero Arts ombre mermaid
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: rhinestones, craft foam, glue

7 comments:

  1. My mantra : There is no failure....there is learning. And learning is always good! :)
    Lu C

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  2. this is beautiful!!! lately I've been frustrated at failure. too much $$ seems to be spent with little to show for it. So it is clear a break is needed. when the process is no longer fun it is time to clean and organize!!

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  3. I often find that failure is relative - a failed background for a specific card, can make a wonderful background for another. Or maybe I can die cut it? Or add more ink/stamping/glitter and save it that way.

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  4. I use "failures" as a challenge—to avoid throwing it into the trash, how or what can I use from this on another card? How can I change it?

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  5. Gorgeous! I no have an idea forming in my head about how to use some old and unloved Hero Arts stamps! Your blog posts are always soooo inspiring, Jo x

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  6. I love this! When something doesn't work out as I had envisioned it in my head, I usually try to salvage something from it.

    Using the MISTI has really cut down on my failures and greatly reduced the pressure I feel when stamping. It used to be with each impression I added to a card, the pressure increased, because it was so frustrating to have lots you like and then get a bad impression when you are stamping one of the last things. But with the MISTI, I know if I get a blotchy impression, no worries--I can just reink and restamp. (But for anyone considering a MISTI now, I would advise waiting for the Tim Holtz/Tonic Craft Stamp Platform, because it is cheaper and also open on two sides, so you can stamp on larger pieces of paper.)

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!