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- When Things Don’t Go as Planned
When Things Don’t Go as Planned
Finding Creative Solutions Along the Way.
Solia Venture
September 11, 2025
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Written by Solène
– We need a new card design.
– Yes! Let’s make one that works for any occasion.
– Flowers are perfect — people love them, and they fit any event. I’ll even paint a big bouquet.
– And don’t draw the bow, I’ll make a real one to glue on.
– Let’s do it.
My sister Zélia went straight to work.
 She sketched the bouquet… |  then painted it on watercolor paper — still waiting for its ribbon bow. |
We went to our local printer and came back with a hundred fresh cards.
Back home, I added glitter to the butterfly to make it sparkle (Mod Podge isn’t messy), then practiced tying tiny ribbon bows (I even made a quick tutorial—here’s the link!). One by one, I glued the bows onto the bouquets.
The result? Exactly what we had imagined: beautiful.
To make sure the bows stayed in place, we stacked the cards under the press. Hours later, we lifted the weight and… oh no!
The bows had left marks across every single card.
We looked at each other in disbelief.
– We have to find a solution. I don’t want to throw all these cards in the trash. What a waste!
– Should we hide the marks with paper cut-out butterflies?
– Mmm… no. There’s already a lot happening on the cover, and then when you open the card, there would be another butterfly? Too much.
– True. Then, we could cut off the back of the card and glue the cover onto another sheet of paper.
– Let’s try it.
So we looked for a paper color that matched, cut it to size, scored and folded it, trimmed our cards, rounded the corners (this corner rounder is awesome), and glued everything together.
Back to work
And… tada! Here’s our final card:
 Looking good again! |  Extra paper, extra quality — smooth beige with subtle fibers |
 Always grateful for our customers 💙 |  Choose your favorite! |
And here’s the final touch…
Some covers get a handwritten calligraphy — just like many of our other designs.
It’s definitely not the first time we’ve had to rescue a project. We used to get really frustrated when things went wrong, but we’ve learned to look for solutions — because most of the time, there is one! It may not be what we originally planned, but sometimes the rescued product turns out even better than the first idea.
In the end, what was almost a stack of half-price damaged cards turned into something even more special: each one with an extra sheet of thick, fiber-textured paper.
🤝 Before You Go
🎀 Tell us… would you have bought an imperfect card at a lower price, like people do with imperfect fruits and veggies? Just hit reply — we read and respond to every one.
🎉 Remember last week’s Fall Color Quiz? We’ve got a winner — congratulations to Pepper!
💌 New here? You can still catch up — read our previous newsletters here.
🔁 And if you know someone who might need this newsletter today, feel free to forward it their way.
Solène, for SoliaVenture
P.S. The Amazon links aren’t making us any money — we’re just sharing the tools and supplies we use.
How did you like today's newsletter? |
SoliaVenture is our creative adventure as young entrepreneurs, and we’re excited to share it with you! While we design and create the cards ourselves, we receive the support and supervision of our parents for managing the business operations as we continue learning and growing.
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