Using the "Leftover" Cuts

I have entirely too many "leftovers" in my craftroom.  I hate to waste paper and I always hang on to the offcuts when I cut out a shape.  I used to be very good about making use of them right away (click HERE, HERE and HERE to see some examples from a couple of years ago).

About a month ago I made this card (original post HERE) and I have had the scrap sitting around ever since.  I knew I could make another card with it so it was added to the pile of useful bits on my table.

The cut was not centered within the cardstock so I needed to trim it to make it fit a new card symmetrically. The clear ruler shows me that I'll need to cut more from the right side than the left side. 

I use clear layout rulers almost every time I make something.  I prefer to have things lined up evenly and these tools are essential to saving me time and preventing mistakes (remember, "measure twice, cut once!").  The ruler with the red grid is available at most art supply stores.  It can be a little confusing because there are so many numbers and lines so I picked up the clear ruler with less numbers but some additional useful holes for placing items evenly at a craft store.

I measured the cut placing the "0" at the center point.  Since I know I want the layer for an A2 card to be 5 1/4 inches wide, I need to trim the edge at 2 5/8 inches.  The grid on my trimmer helps to align the cut.
The top and bottom need to be cut at 2 inches from the center in order to create a layer that is 4 inches high.

I can use my ruler to double check the cuts and be sure that I center the design when I adhere it to the card base.

I changed to a pearly pink card base for the final card.  I thought it was softer and more feminine and this is definitely a girly card!

I punched and embossed lots of leaves to add to the center of the card.  These are done with the Nellie Snellen punches that I wrote about yesterday. I checked with Mandy and you can order from her in Australia.  The shipping will be calculated when you put the items in the cart so you can decide if the shipping cost is acceptable (they are heavy).  She did also point out that the GST (tax) does not apply to shipments that are sent out of the country so the prices would be 10% lower than what you see listed.

I used my Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive pen to add glue to all of the tiny places that need to be stuck down firmly.

The purple backing for the cut is sized at 5 x 3 3/4 inches and I added it to the top layer face down on the adhesive and centered.

Here is the trimmed top layer with the purple backing added.  The yellow is Core'dinations Gemstone cardstock and the purple is from the DCWV Latte stack.

I figured out where I wanted the leaves before adding any adhesive.  Then I put some Scor-Tape in the center of the card.

I stuck the leaves into the Scor-Tape and added some tape to the backs of the leaves that were a bit further out to adhere them to the card front.

Once I had everything stuck down I added a punched green circle as a base for the flower.

The green circle covers the ends of the leaves neatly and helps to keep them stuck down.

A punched circle of dark purple serves as a base for the flower and intensifies the purple color.

Graduated sizes of pink pearls fill in some of the small "berry" spots in the design.

With the flower added (raised with a foam circle) the card topper is complete.

The last step was to simply adhere the topper to the pearly pink card base.

Now I just need to work my way through the stacks and stacks of leftovers and make some good use of them!  It does seem to be a never ending process...

Special Notice...

There is a new Cricut Cartridge available only from Close To My Heart consultants as of Wednesday, August 1, 2012.  The cartridge is called "Artiste" and it is a very full cartridge that I can't wait to try out.  My friend Melanie Brown of Courtney Lane Designs and Everyday Cricut is a CTMH consultant and she would love to help you if you are interested in ordering this cartridge.  You can get all of the details on Melanie's blog HERE and shop on her website HERE.  Melanie also has a new Facebook page for Courtney Lane Designs HERE.

If you purchase the "Artiste" bundle from Melanie during the month of August you will be entered in a contest to win a brand new Cricut Expression 2 with purple end caps.  Good Luck!

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