DON'T THROW IT AWAY!

Sometimes garbage is just too wonderful to throw away. 

Have you noticed how really attractive kleenex boxes are? I have actually been collecting them for years. 

The other day, as I was refilling my tissue holder and holding the empty box in my hand, I decided to do something with it.

Without any hesitation, I rushed (yeah, right. Have you ever seen me rush?) down to my Creation Station to make this:

The colors in this particular box lent themselves to use with Gray Granite and Sahara Sand. Perfection.

I cut the box to 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" and ran it through my Big Shot inside the Old World Paper 3D embossing folder. Because I wasn't crazy about the shininess of the box, I gently sanded it to dull it somewhat, removing bits of surface design here and there.

I love lotus pods. Don't you? They are ever so appealing. The lotus pod image from the Enjoy the Moment stamp set seemed to be a perfect complement for this weird background. 

After stamping it in black onto a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock, I fussy cut it.

A pretty oval cut with the one of the Stitched Shapes dies was just the right size to host this pod. I tied a bow from Linen Thread, and with a Glue Dot, adhered it to the stem of the lotus pod.

I stamped a small sentiment to the left of the oval piece, then added the lotus pod to the right with a couple Stampin' Dimensionals.

A close up view of the focal point of my card:

Added to a card base combo of Sahara Sand and Gray Granite was the perfect finishing touch for my fun card.

Now, how about you? Do you save kleenex boxes? If so, do you ever use them? What about other pieces of "garbage"? Share with us!

Garbage

Smiles.