scrap paper cards

Today's tip for the weekend seems like a no brainer, and maybe all of you are already doing this, but it was a light bulb moment for me while making cards yesterday. 

I CASE (Copy And Steal Everything) a lot of cards, but I also like to design my own. I do a lot of trial and error when designing cards, and I have a giant stack of scrap paper that I use for stamping off, checking colors, etc. Anytime I have documents that I no longer need, I just cut the piece of paper in half and add it to the stack. ​Scrap paper is always handy. 
​

However, when designing cards, proportions are really important. I always want to know how an image or a group of images will fill the card front. Since I was designing some single-layer cards, this was particularly pertinent yesterday. Then it dawned on me, why not cut down my scrap paper to card front size. Then I could try out a card design before I stamped in on card stuck. Well, duh, why had I never thought of this before? 

Since copy paper is so thin, I could cut multiple pieces at once, and with just a few swipes of my paper cutter, I had a small stack of 5.5 x 4.25 inch pieces of scrap paper, perfect for practicing card fronts. 

Stack of scraps. 

Same size as a card front. 

Trial runs.

So, have you had any "well, duh" moments while stamping? I'd love to hear about them!