Sunday, May 29, 2011

Know When to Say When, and Give It Away...with Enthusiasm

I was messing around and wasting a bunch of washi tape...which bothered me at first until I realized that if I never used it at all, that would be a bigger waste. So it was better to use it and fail than to never use it at all.  And then this card happened. It's not great, but at least it didn't end up in the trash!


Today's post is really about how some products seem like awesome ideas, but in practice, well, they are a LOT harder to use than it seems they should be. There are a few times when I've worked hard and overcome my blocks with products (Bic/Sharpie shading comes to mind), but sometimes it's okay to Just. Say. No.

Washi tape seems like it should be a whole lot easier than it is, at least for me. So I decided I'm going to send six partially used rolls to a) whoever wants to experiment with it without actually laying out money for it, in which case I wish you better luck than I had, or b) whoever has already figured it out and knows s/he can do a better job than I have done.

FOR THE GIVE-AWAY...All you have to do is to share your own experience with trying something new (craft related or otherwise) and deciding to walk away. Just like I walked away from majoring in chemistry in December of 1984 when organic chemistry kicked my brain's butt.

If you've never failed at anything in life, then please stop reading my blog because, seriously, you need to get out and start doing stuff.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." --Sir Winston Churchill

Comments will close for the drawing on Wednesday, June 1, at 10:00 pm EDT. Everyone is welcome to comment. I'll mail this stuff anywhere.

62 comments:

  1. I've thought wasbai tape looks great, but I've never tried it... so who knows, maybe I'd have a similar experience.... trying to think of ideas I've tried, saw a fabulous scored cupcake ring on a blog and I tried, and in the end in my craft scrap drawer I've got a fabulous piece of paper with lots of folds, that didn't work,

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  2. I actually really love your card. I've never used washi tape before, and have always wanted to try.

    I am the queen of abandoned projects. I have partially finished paintings, sewing projects (as in I cut all of the pattern pieces out of fabric, then decide it's too hard, and throw everything in a big box), etc. I also always give up when I try to get in the habit of working out. It never lasts more than a few months (at best....)

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  3. I've never tried that tape, but would love to give it a try, although I doubt that I would have an easier time with it than you. I tried crocheting a few years back. But due to my having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it actually hurt to crochet. I tried to keep working on my project, but I decided it wasn't worth it. But rather than give up on things, I usually just don't try ... I'm not very adventuresome at all.

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  4. I am absolutely with you on the washi tape thing, I have a roll that I will probably never use, because it still looks "untidy" to me (and probably only me). Scrapbooking may become my wasted hobby - I have a couple of albums that I just don't seem to be getting into, it all seems abit overwhelming and difficult. That perhaps says more about me that scrapbooking.

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  5. i'm the queen of not finishing, srsly...cardmaking is the only hobby i've stuck to for longer than a little minute

    copics are my nemesis, i've owned them, sold them and own them (a few) again and they keep kicking my butt

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  6. I'd love to try washi tape, but haven't been able to allow myself that investment. I'm not quite sure what to do with it, but I'd love to try.

    My abandoned enterprise? Grad school. Loved studying math as an undergrad, but wasn't sure where I was going in a statistics MS program at OSU. When we moved to the Boston area mid-degree, I decided to explore other options rather than try to transfer degree credits and forge ahead. Turned out that I found a fantastic career in math publishing and didn't need the rest of that MS degree. Pretty happy with how that abandoning thing turned out. :)

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  7. I will leave a comment, but please don't choose me for the tape! If it is hard for you, I don't even want to try it! Things I have abandoned: a granny square afghan. I made it as a gift to my parents and even wrapped up the partial afghan and gave it to them for Christmas one year, but never finished it. I give up on counted cross stitch... with numerous unfinished projects in my bag and tons of beautiful floss! And I have abandoned sewing. Gave my machine away years ago when I had to admit that though I love the IDEA of sewing, I hate sewing.

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  8. Thanks for the great laugh, Susan! I have a dozen rolls of washi tape and have used them in a few different ways but none have stuck with me for the long-term. They're mostly used now to decorate my son's Thomas trains (as 'advertising') and/or to mask parts of stamps. Imagine that!

    I have an undergrad degree in Anthropology and really wanted to be one of those field anthropologists but when I realized how much schooling I'd have to accomplish and that it would be difficult to raise a family, I abandoned that dream. However, the research part of it led me to a really great corporate career which, of course, is over now. :)

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  9. I like this card. I like all your cards. You rock.

    So things I tried and didn't work out for me:
    Sewing clothes
    embroidery
    painting
    sharpie/bic shading
    making stuff out of clay
    jewerly making
    housework.

    Will I add washi tape to the list, we shall see. :)

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  10. I heard so much goodness about washi tape but haven't seen one at all because I can't get them in my country. Love love to try the tape.
    My abandoned project...got my degree, worked in a few corporate companies but ended up as home maker with a part time home tuition job (...also means more crafting time...lol)
    My crafty abandoned project is scrapbooking. I bought lots of 12x12" patterned paper but have no idea how to get started. It has been a year!
    hugs, Heaney

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  11. Big ideas....little patience. I want it to be easy and fast! Never got the hang of watercoloring. I just make a mess. Also, start many diets, then give up. Can't let go of my chocolate. Have a half- finished devotional booklet. Very enthusiastic at the time. I feel it, but can't make it happen. Have a baby blanket I started for a nephew. He just turned 30 and it is still in my cross-stitch, drawer. That has to be the worst. Thanks for reminding us that we can't do everything, that we make bad buying decisons, and that it's OK. Blessings, Diane

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  12. Thanks for the chance at the washi tape! I'd love to try it!
    I also have tried out scrapbooking and found it wasn't for me. Cards are so much more my thing!
    DeniseB

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  13. I've never used it either but would like to try. I guess I have failed at lots of things, but my upbringing says "get up and get back on" so I tend to just muddle along i.e. my card making!! Cross stitching as Diane says - got lots of started pieces.....my veggie garden, that's a failure at the moment.....however, I enjoy all the things I do (learnt a long time ago not to do things that I didn't enjoy - just makes everyone around me deeply unhappy!), just not very good at most of them!!!

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  14. Oh dear Susan, I love your comment "I'll mail this stuff anywhere". Seems to sum it up, and if it is hard for you, it would be impossible for me. So, I don't need it (why would you want to mail it to Australia) but just wanted to comment. I have a few abandoned 'tasks' - scrapbooking was one which looked like a good idea but when faced with a blank page, I just get blanker!! So, cards it is, instant delight and I have stayed with it.
    Love turning to your blog every day, and I am trying to be more CAS. Sorry for the Anonymous tag, but I don't have a blog.

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  15. I don't really understand washi tape but I would give it a try. I started taking culinary classes at community colleges and planned on quitting the Air Force to go full-time to culinary school. But..... working in a kitchen is very hard work and my bad feet were not cut out for standing all day.

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  16. i love the pink and green combo. what I have given up on is colouring with anything other than my colour pencils. My colour pencils are quite forgiving unlike any other pens I've used - maybe I dont have the right products - but I choose not to care :)

    PS: google is not allowing me to Post :(

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  17. I have some Tim Holtz tissue tape which, again, "seemed" like a great idea - I think I've used about a 5" length!!!, thanks but no to the washi tape but I'm liking your card made using it

    Kathyk

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  18. I've been wanting to try the washi tape, but can't decide on colors so haven't ordered any. Things I've tried and failed: sculpey clay and sewing. I gave away my clay stuff to someone on freecycle recently, and have a box of fabric and some thread and needles ready for pickup to someone else on freecycle. Oh, and knitting and crocheting, too, but thankfully didn't buy many supplies for those. Think I'll stick with cards, ATC's and altered books.

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  19. Your card is cute! And boy, do I agree with you on Sharpies. I bought a set of those TWICE, each time taking them back a couple days later. Then I went to Copics, and thank goodness I only bought 3. I keep trying to use them, but always end up very dissatisfied. I finally decided I'm just a colored pencil kind of girl, and I'm happy. Something I gave up on? Driving in reverse. Seriously. I canNOT back out of my driveway. After catching my mailbox, I now turn around at the end of the driveway (it's long and curvy), and drive straight out. And after backing into a car in a parking lot (just a little!), I now find a parking place I can drive through into the one in front of it, to drive straight out. I hate giving up; I'm not an idiot, honest. I just canNOT drive in reverse! I give up!

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  20. I've seen lots of cool looking cards that have used washi tape but have yet to try it myself.
    I've abandoned sooo many things in my life. I'm one of those people who quits something if I'm not good at it right away. Card making is really one of the few things I've stuck with and have actually felt that I'm getting better at. Most of what I quit seems to be physical activity related. I have abandoned aerobics, boxing, rugby and squash at different points in my life. I also spent my childhood dreaming of being "a star" (I think I really just wanted to sign autographs and get fan mail). I went to university as an acting major, switched to theatre design after the first semester, worked as a stage manager for a few years after uni and then high tailed it back to Bermuda where I now work at a veterinary hospital. All dreams of stardom abandoned! LOL!

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  21. jajaja... sí, los fracasos en los intentos son terribles... Pero sirven también para aprender sobre nuestras propias limitaciones. Yo fracasé en mi intento de ser "Consultora Independiente" de Mary Kay... :( nunca resultó y me di cuenta que no sirvo para vender.... ¡snifff! Pero cómo ¿¿¿no era que los nacidos bajo el signo de tauro siempre somos buenos para los negocios??? ¿¿¿En qué me equivoqué???? ¿¿¿o será que leí mal mi horóscopo???? En fin... olvidemos el asunto y ya no más negocios para mi. Intentaré hacer lindos trabajitos de scrap y tarjetería (los taurinos también somos buenos para el arte jajaja)

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  22. I have never tried washi tape...but isn't it from Japan? I am hoping the little Japanese I have in me will come to life. ;)
    I gave up on my first girl's hand quilted baby blanket. My husband brings it up every now and again. But, now I have two more girls! That means not only finishing it...but two more!!! So, maybe I will finish it for my first grandchild.....or NOT. ;) Thanks for the inspiration...I think your card looks great. ;)

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  23. With me it's cooking. Try as I might, I just can't cook. I've taken classes, watched videos, read books. Love cooking shows. Still, all I do is either burn the food or don't cook it enough. My poor husband, bless him, has never complained one minute about my cooking in the 23 years we've been married. I finally realized that I should limit myself to grilling a chicken breast or hamburger patty on the grill. And microwave veggies.

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  24. I have a growing collection of washi tape, and I actually managed to use some on a card that didn't suk. Here is it: http://thecrookedstamper.blogspot.com/2011/05/sketchy-sunday-tg017-only-1-week-late.html

    That said, I have a room full of art products that I've either never used or decided to intensely dislike ("hate" is such a strong word).

    I have given up on coloring. I use my Copics like regular markers and just try to stay inside the lines. That whole shading thing is for people with way more patience than I have.

    And I don't need more washi tape, so please don't pick me. Just leave my name out of the hat. :)

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  25. Wow, if you could only see my basement/warehouse of abandoned projects. The one that still gets me is crochet. I can knit, but every time I pick up a crochet needle to learn a stitch = failure. There is no teaching myself to crochet, like the books and videos suggest. It's just not happening. Love your blog,

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  26. Well, washi tape is something I haven't tried yet within the crafting world! I'd like to give it a whirl but I'm wondering if it would sit in the drawer along with the fantasy film, glitter felt squares, tee-shirt pearl paint, scented embossing powder and the likes :-> Interestingly enough, the one crafting tool I have yet to be able to get the hang of is a manual circle cutter! No matter which brand I've tried it appears that my dexterity just doesn't flow smoothly in order to make those things go round and round. So I've adapted - I make square or rectangle shaped cards.

    Thanks so much Susan, for sharing your perspective and your blog candy. I enjoy reading your entries as well as the comments from your readers.

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  27. I'm a failure at organizing. When I worked in an office, I was great at filing and such, but at home - never. Now my craftspace really shows this imperfection. But I'm happier, I think.
    Thanks for a chance to win.

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  28. I would love to try Washi tape. I tried scrapbooking but didn't stick with it. I still
    have an incomplete album maybe I will finish one
    day but I prefer making cards. There have been
    products and stamps that I loved on other peoples projects but could not make work for me. I have learned that my style is CAS and that is what I love and do best. Now, I make fewer of those kinds of buying mistakes.

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  29. i got started in jewelry making awhile back, but never got hooked, and much prefer working with paper crafts, so i packed up my jewelry supplies and passed them on to a friend who was just starting out making jewerlry. linda patti
    tpatti@windstream.net

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  30. I have tried to crochet many times. I even bought a book for dummies and I guess I'm just "dumb" when it comes to crocheting. My neighbor also tried to help. Finally, I just gave up. And all I wanted to do was make scrubbies. Oh well, we all have our pitfalls.

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  31. I pick finance school as my major 18 years ago and after only 1 year, I decided to leave as my heart was really not in it. I couldn't finish reading any of the book. :)

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  32. I like the look of washi tape on your cards! I'm not too surprised that it is harder than it looks. I'm sure there are crafty things I have tried and failed miserably at, but right now breadmaking comes to mind. My homemade bread is awful! Time and again. I finally just gave up and my husband began hounding me to try it again. I told him no, my bread always turns out terrible and I suggested that he try it himself. Well, he did....and his bread is heavenly!

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  33. I am always game to try anything new. I had to laugh when a comment near the beginning mentioned working with clay. I remember in school working with 'plasticine' and all I could make was a nest with eggs in it.
    To this day I can not shape anything with clay. The one craft that I really like but just can't do is 'quilling'. I have tried so many times but I find that it is too small to work with and I end up squishing everything!

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  34. I hadn't heard of Washi tape, so hadn't a clue what I would do with it. A Google search led me to this site
    http://scraptime.ca/blogpage/?p=996
    and now I think I could actually create something with your generous offer. I'm ready to try!
    Walking away from projects? Mostly I just shelve them, thinking I'll get back to them. Although, when I moved houses, I did actually sell a lot of fabric (in a garage sale) that I had stored for years. I do like scrapbooking, because it can be a work in progress without ever finishing it.

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  35. I would love to try some Washi tape; mostly because I've seen you make a few cards with it that have been EXCELLENT despite your struggles. But, don't really want to spend money on it either!! :-)

    I walked away from my Copics. I jumped on the bandwagon because everyone at SCS was raving about how wonderful they are; and making really beautiful cards! So I laid out my limited craft dollars and bought some, 57 to be exact.

    After realizing I didn't really own any stamps that needed much coloring, then buying some of those....and not really enjoying all that much coloring....and adding up what I'd spent I decided I could resell the markers and the "needing too much coloring" stamp sets and have plenty to get a few other things I would really like. So that's what I did.
    If I decide I really want some alcohol based markers, I will probably try a few Letraset Promarkers ( much cheaper ). I have plenty of Bic/Sharpies but haven't had much luck shading with them...yet. :-)

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  36. Thanks for a chance to win. I would love to have some Washi tape to play with.

    I have tried clay, crocheting, and so many more - but just couldn't do them in a way that I liked the results.

    Even with cardmaking, I start with lots of great ideas, but they seldom come together and look the way I want them to. I either toss them or put them away for awhile just hoping that I'll have an great idea to fix them the next time I pull them out.

    Nana711

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  37. I have never tried washi tape and would love to try it. You would need a lot of time for me to list all the tried and failed, or tried and don't like the results of my life. One thing I seem to share with many other is the coloring/shading of stamping. Maybe you could give us some (more) hints sometime. Some others are embroidery and knitting. TEDIOUS! Thanks for doing the give-away.

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  38. I was teaching paper craft classes every month for quite awhile when I decided to stop because I never had time to enjoy making paper craft projects just with my friends and family. I'm so thankful that I had the teaching experience and now I'm equally thankful that I can enjoy this hobby just for the fun of it!

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  39. Susan~
    I do so relate to your experience here! I have a hobby room filled with stuff just like this. I'm thinking I have a drawer filled with unused asian stamps that might have a life with Washi tape - which I have to admit I have never even seen before. :-) This could be a match made in heaven... If you pick me I will do my best to use it and not add it to the failed experiments.
    Lura

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  40. The washi tape is new to me...I love Asian stuff, but have never seen it here in Cape Town (South Africa)
    I walked away in 1981 from finishing my degree in Pharmacy - Organic Chemistry was my downfall (too!). I changed direction to IT (programming) and never regretted it.
    Thanks for your inspiring blog!

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  41. Very cool. I have been dying to try the washi tape, but haven't found it locally and wasn't willing to pay shipping! I am sure there are many things I have walked away from deciding it is over my head. But I remember clearly when my children were in elementary that I had to ask for help with my PTO position. Thanks for the chance to win, Susan. As usual I adore your CAS card. I am sure I would probably like the ones that you "filed" away as well! ;-)

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  42. I have the hardest time getting eyelets to work on card. I like the look, but they always look awful when I add them. So, I've given up on them and stuck with brads instead.

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  43. I haven't tried the tape but I'm willing to try. I have some of the UFO's (un-finished-objects) in my closet but I have made it a goal to finish one at a time. I finished a cross stitch while I was healing from knee surgury.
    Thanks for sharing
    Angela

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  44. I will not pretend to have never failed or to know how to use the washi tape. As for the first experience, well, I can't say I'm a good designer (for cards or layouts) but even if I'm not always happy with what I make I won't walk away from scrapbooking in general. But I AM walking away quite a bit from cardmaking because this takes my precious (at the moment) time from making layouts about what really counts for me, my/our memories of our life right now. Thanks for a chance to win this product!

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  45. I got a B- in chemistry at the University of Michigan. I am now an accountant. I seem to have trouble with paint. I always try to incorporate it into my cards. I have tried canvas paper, regular paper, mini canvases, etc... Always ends up looking like something on the art room floor. Went to glueing dp to the canvases. Much funner. I would love to try the tape. Thanks! blogger is not working. Karen McAlpine

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  46. I applaud you for trying Susan and I have happened to like what you've done. As far as crafty things go, well, I've bitten the bullet and have gotten just two Copics. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I can't get them to be like regular markers if I tried. And I had to have to spend more money on blending and the like. Perhaps some day it would be fun to try when I have a lot of money!

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  47. I would like to give washi tape a try. I am usually pretty good at most crafts but my friend wanted me to help her make beaded angels from a kit and I totally bombed at doing them.

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  48. Hmmm, I'm a perpetual non-finisher. I really like cross-stitching, but it is so time consuming and concentration requiring that at my current stage of life, it is not a practical hobby! I tried crocheting. I started a blanket for a friend's baby and ended up finishing it (with a little help from my mom) for my own baby 6 years later! But most recently the craft item I've abandoned is the Quikcutz. It was a cast-off of my sister's because she has an arm injury preventing her from being able to use it, and I figured I'm M-U-C-H younger than she is and I liked the idea of having a small die cut machine. BUT it is just too hard to cut with and the resulting die cuts are too small to be of much use. So, I switched to the Slice and I'm very happy. BTW, I'm sticking with scrapbooking!!! NO DOUBT!!!

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  49. I think the one thing I have failed at is scrapbooking. That's how I first started out and it turned into stamping. then scrapbooking became boring to me. I have 2 big containers full of pictures and unassembled books. I have also done cake decorating. too much trouble and time for people to cut it apart in one minute and eat it. Crocheting, I used to know how. I'm trying quilting, now that's daunting. I will see if I stick with it. I don't count these things as failures so much as choosing to spend my time at something more enjoyable.
    I do not know what washi tape is but I would love to give it a try. Thanks for the possibility.

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  50. Your creations are truly an inspiration to me. However simple they may be, they surely have a wow factor. I tried doing a course in interior designing, but gave it up as I could not cope with the projects I had to do.

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  51. Love this card! Have been wondering about the Washi tape myself, but haven't picked any up. One thing that I've walked away from is downhill skiing. I grew up in the Midwest and didn't learn to ski since there are almost no hills. Then I moved to Oregon, where almost everybody skis. I tried for 5 winters to learn to ski. Lessons. Gear. Lots of money. And I was never good enough to get beyond the super easy slopes. More importantly, I didn't enjoy it. After I scooted across a "difficult" run on my bum and my friend told me he'd never heard anyone cuss so much, I decided it was time to quit. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  52. Abandoned? Scrapbooking... when I got into rubber stamping and cardmaking.

    Abandoned? Knitting... never could get the hang of it even though I taught myself sewing, quilting, painting, crocheting, basketmaking, cross-stitching, you name it. And now I've abandoned all those things because of... you guessed, it, rubber stamping and cardmaking.

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  53. I'd love to try Washi tape.

    Abandoned enterprise? Hand sewing. I just can't get the hang of it. I made a hat once and it was the ugliest thing you've ever seen. It was just such a bad idea.

    Really, I have concluded that the only crafts I truly connect with are scrapbooking and cardmaking.

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  54. I really do like the card you've made with the Washi tape - but I'm not sure what I'd do with it:)

    As for starting something and walking away - knitting did it for me! I was ¾ the way through a waistcoat - easy to knit - but I stopped! Wasn't enjoying it! I'm sure I still have needles and wool somewhere - but I'm not keen to start again!!

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  55. I would love to try the Washi tape. Don't have any and would love to give it a whirl.

    I have done this with stamp sets. I ordered one several months ago that I just thought I had to have and still have not used it. Maybe some day soon.......

    Grace

    Qwer1@cox.net

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  56. I have never used washi tape. I have checked out web-sites that offer it for sale.....and even picked out several patterns/colors that appealed to me......but just never got around to ordering any. I do think it would be fun to experiment with....and hopefully someday I will do just that!!

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  57. I'd love to try Washi Tape. Monoadhesive is my crafting challange. I can handle the ATG gun, but that tiny little mono does me in every time I try to use it!

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  58. I would love to try the washi tape.

    I consider myself first and foremost a calligrapher - I got into rubber stamping as a way to add images to my calligraphy. During one class, our instructor invited her husband to come and demonstrate cutting quills, the original instrument of calligraphers. What a pain! I decided that if I had to cut quills to write, I would give it up immediately. Instead, I gave up cutting quills and kept on writing!

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  59. I have never tried washi tape, but would love to try it out. One thing I have tried and gave up on is using an SU wheel stamp. I've been to a few workshops where they were used to make a nice backround, but I always seem to 'drive' crooked or the stamp doesn't ink up evenly. I guess I like to have more control over my stamping!

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  60. ahh... the tape! i have some lovely t!m holtz tissue tape that i have walked away from for the time being. it calls to me occasionally, but i resist because so far it has kicked my butt! i almost walked away from copics until i took the certification class and got more colors. now i LOVE them!!

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  61. Oh good I'm not the only one that wasn't happy with a hot new item. It is ok to not have to have all the hot items. Sewing cloths is something I can't seem to master. I can quilt fine but when it comes to cloths I'm lost.

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  62. I had to give up on knitting. I've managed every other needle art, but not that. I must still be holding out hope though, because I still have the needles.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!