Work with What You Have

Do you ever get frustrated when you see a project or someone tells you what you will need for a project and you don’t have that? I say work with what you have. You’ll be amazed how close you can come to your original thought. Maybe, you’ll like it even better.

World Cardmaking Day was Saturday, October 1. Stampin’ Up! had a free virtual party that afternoon. They announced the stamp sets/bundles they would be using that afternoon before the event along with other product types and paper dimensions.

The day of the event arrived and I only had one of the three Bundles that would be used. Did that mean I couldn’t participate?Did that mean I just had to sit there and be sad knowing I couldn’t re-create the cards exactly?

My World Cardmaking Day

Worked with what I had.
Found a bundle that created images close to the example.
Learned new techniques.
Followed along as close as I could.
Made other substitutions as needed.
Learned alot
Had a great time.
Ended the day with three cards I love.

Birthday card with bouquet of flowers and leaves colored in with Stampin' Blends and Happy Birthday sentiment strip laying across bouquet.

Purple card with purple and green open door with two different hand holding mugs. Sentiment says, "Let's spend time together."

Crumbcake card with wreath stamped and die cut on white square. Pink bow attached to the bottom. Irridescent pearls around wreath. Sentiment says, "hello."

Birthday Bouquet Card Details

The bouquet was created using the Happiness Abounds Bundle and the Splendid Stems dies. Next, I had to use different Stampin’ Blends colors to add color to the flowers. I just looked for what was close among what I had. I used Daffodil Delight light, Pineapple Punch dark, and Rococo Rose duo.

Click here to see and purchase products used to create this card.

Also Used:
Pineapple Punch Stampin’ Blend Marker (Retired)
Rococo Rose Stampin’ Blend Markers Duo (Retired)

Open Door Card Details

This next card was the one card I created using the products from the example and following the directions of the designer. The two-tone doorway was created using a Blending Brush. Don’t you just love the pearl doorknob?

Click here to see and purchase products used to create this card.

Hello Wreath Card Details

Finally, this is another card created using something other than the suggested products. I couldn’t find my Plan B bundle of a retired wreath stamp and die set, so I almost gave up and had a pity party.

Instead, I did some thinking about how to create a wreath and used the Happiness Abounds set on this card again. I did have to go on a stamp hunt to find stamps to use both for the background image and the sentiment. Finally, I did not have a bow die, so I used an actual bow tied from Polished Pink ribbon and attached with a glue dot. Both the ribbon and the pearls add that extra pop of texture.

Click here to see and purchase products used to create this card.

If you want to create a project but don’t have the exact products you need, do you give up?

Work with what you have.