Fixing Mistakes

The reality of my creative work is that I'm human and I make mistakes, sometimes big ones. Take for example a custom card I created a week ago. For a 70th Birthday. Big birthdays deserve amazing cards.

Step one was to set about coloring an amazing background of beautiful florals with Copic markers. These kinds of projects take a considerable amount of time and I enjoy every minute of creating them. Coloring is a wonderful way to get lost and forget about a busy day.  It's very therapeutic for me as a maker.

Once my beautifully colored background was complete I decided to cut the numbers from the panel. Here's where this big oops happens. I haven't a clue what possed me to cut 75 from the panel, but I did. What's more, the card was a custom creation for a friend who needed it the next morning. There was no time to recolor a second panel and recut it.

So, how to fix this GIANT booboo? Well, you carefully pull apart the layers. Next, you tape the "5" back in place and position the "0" strategically over the top. Then you recut it. Yes, there will be some tiny parts to plug into place, much like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Trust me when I say no one will be able to tell, we're talking tiny slivers.

Now that you've cut the proper number out, glue the main panel back in place on the card front and pull out the fine point glue pen. Place a tiny amount of glue in the little spots where the tiny slivers need placing. Using extra fine point tweezers I placed all the pieces. Magic! You can't even tell there was a mistake unless of course you're reading this and see the photos side by side.

I don't toss a card unless it is totally beyond fixing. I use all kinds of little tricks to help me pull off beautiful cards for my customers.