Be the Light - Botched Skirt Redeemed with Paper Pieced Origami

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.  Mark Twain 

Asian stamp (unknown origin), Heartfelt Creations stamps, dies and mold; assorted beads, gold metallic card stock, black card stock, Cricut Design Space, copic markers, white gel pen, prismacolors, Nuvo Drops, gold leafing pen, dragonfly mini die

Hey there,

Anyone remember the awesome yearly stamp convention called the Rubberama that traveled across the country a few years ago? I was drawn to some gorgeous Asian stamps at one of those gatherings and bought several of them because the samples displayed in the booth were so stunning.  When I got them home, I enjoyed doing some monochromatic coloring on them but multi-colored details seemed daunting.  I was excited when I came across this one recently and knew it would be easier to work with since my stamping and coloring skills have  evolved a bit since those early days.    

The coloring was, indeed, straightforward and simple but the trouble came when I tried to color the hatch mark design on the skirt.  The more I colored, the more blotchy and messy my colors got, until I was so frustrated, I put my efforts aside and labeled them as unredeemable. But as happens so often in crafting, a random thought came to me on how I could fix my funky coloring.  Luckily, I happen to have tons of delicate origami paper in my stash just waiting to be pieced into a stylish skirt.  I stamped my image again on a piece of white paper to make a template.  I couldn't stamp her directly on the origami paper because the hatch marks would show up on my pretty paper.  I cut out my template and traced it on my origami paper. It was simple to fussy cut and glue the skirt into place on my lovely lady.  

It was so gratifying to save my discarded attempt and create a way to use this glamorous but challenging image. I embellished with some handmade Heartfelt Creations flowers with beaded centers  and a beaded die cut dragonfly, and accented her dress and the background with Nuvo drops and gel pens.    I framed her with a narrow white mat and  mounted her on a gold metallic die cut frame and a black square card base.  The sentiment was created in Cricut Design Space.

What could be more satisfying than rescuing something deemed to be beyond repair?  I think my origami paper adds elegance and  Asian style to my image.  What do you think?

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and recue something destined for the trash and create a work of art.  

Nancy 

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