I love watching the bloopers, the outtakes. You know what I mean, the parts of a film that get edited out when the actors/actresses flub their lines, make a mistake, or just can’t keep a straight face during a funny scene. Well, I made a real-life blooper the other night and it happened WHILE I WAS TEACHING A CLASS!
It was funny, (and admittedly a little embarrassing!) but I was able to redeem myself by turning it into a teachable moment. Let me share:
I was teaching a class featuring Masculine Projects. I also had my first male student in a class! The project was a simple, single layer card (I almost never make a single layer card) and I was teaching the masking technique to create an interesting background element. This is the sample card I had made. 
So I sponged on my background oval, then I showed the students how to place the main image, in the case a goose, so that the entire image was NOT inside the oval, but rather half in, half out. Like this:
Beautiful so far, right? And then I picked my card up and realized that I stamped my goose UPSIDE DOWN! That’s right; the fold was at the bottom rather than the top! YIKES! This was a “Don’t try this at home” moment. I quickly told my class they should always check where the fold of the card is before stamping and adhering any layers so they don’t end up like I just did! I’m sure it will be a memorable lesson as we all got a big laugh out of my mistake!
I redeemed my mistake by turning it into something that is more elegant than the original. I simply cut the paper in half, then cropped that piece slightly, added a layer, and popped it onto a new card base. See?
We all make mistakes from time to time, and one of my favorite sayings is “There is no mistake that a well placed embellishment can’t hide.” Most of the time. For those others times; layers. Either cut your paper and layer it over a contrasting or coordinating piece of cardstock, like I did here. Or place a layer over it (like a banner or sentiment strip). In the extreme case where none of these remedies can fix it, well, my second favorite saying is: “It’s only a piece of paper. Nothing that a new piece of paper can’t fix!” Yup, sometimes just throw it in the trash and start anew, empowered with the knowledge you gained from making the mistake the first go-around.
So, when you are creating and something doesn’t go as planned, no worries. You can redeem it. And if you made your blooper in a room full of people, use it to your advantage, for a lesson everyone will remember.
If you have a blooper moment while crafting, I’d love to hear it. Please leave me a comment and tell me all about it. Thanks!
Happy Stampin’,
Nancy
If you want to order any of the supplies I used to make these cards, just click on either of the images below.
Thanks for the tips, Nancy!
I love this story, Nancy! This is a really nice card 🙂
Thanks, Carrie! I appreciate your taking the time to comment on my post. I tried to make the best of a potentially embarrassing situation and turn it into something positive!