Nowhere, Anywhere, Somewhere

There is always this stash of stuff sitting next to my work area.  It no doubt ends up in a bin somewhere.  But in 2010 I decided that I need a better attack to that stash of stuff that ends up in the bin that usually gets stacked onto another bin that leads to nowhere.  I began a quest to use up scraps from layouts immediately . . . IMMEDIATELY (I say) . . . so as to not add to the bins, and eventually to eliminate maybe all but one bin down the road.  But it is seriously a great idea, because when it goes to the bin you spend hours trying to find things that go together.  By attacking it right away, I end up with cards that coordinate well (it's like a jigsaw puzzle trying to find the right layout for the scraps).  Best part is that all those extra pieces of chipboard embellishments have an immediate home and don't end up lost forever (in the other stack of bins with the extra pieces that no doubt are self-stick and end up all stuck together in a jumbled mess).

So any scrap of cardstock that is large enough for a card gets immediately sized down to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  Pattern papers get trimmed down to 4" x 5 1/4".  Smaller pieces of cardstock will usually be trimmed to 4" x 4" (perfect for Quickutz, Cottage Cutz, Sizzix dies), and I keep them all stacked so I can just grab as needed. 

Yes - I am rambling!

So I did make this layout for a challenge, to be posted at a later date.  And with my leftover materials, I managed to make two cards which I will be donating to OWH in a shipment down the road.

So the stuff that usually ends up somewhere, and then goes nowhere could actually end up anywhere in the U.S. (sent by one of our nation's armed forces to his/her family).

Two people are going to need to get well somewhere in the U.S., and we'll be ready for them.