That's what happened today. I had a brainstorm and just had to get on with it as soon as I had the chance. From a distance it looks ok-ish.
I'm not too proud to show projects that go wrong, but I will NEVER show anyone the inside of this - it's diabolical! 
I've had a little handbag clasp kicking around for the best part of a year now. I've known that it was sitting in the little basket on top of the fridge, nestled underneath the string for gardening and silk Anenomies, Peony and Sweet Peas. Every time I walked into the kitchen, I'd look up at the basket and think 'must use that clasp soon'. Today being a day when all housework is up to date and everything that needed to be done was done, I thought I would tackle a little project.
I took the clasp down from it's hiding place, then cut out a few shapes in velvet, felt, cotton fabric and pink satin. My vision was to make a lovely vintage looking purse to carry my pennies and notes in.
The felt was used to back the velvet, which made it easier to work with on the sewing machine. The cotton fabric was a backing to the satin for the same reason (to be used as the lining). The additional fabrics would also have added a bit of extra strength to the finished purse.
All was going well, and then I hit problems with the stupid clasp. I'd had a feeling it was going to prove tricky to use and I was right. I've got a few little clasp purses, so tried to understand what to do by looking closely at them, but they gave no clues. It came with no instruction, so I ended up having to use glue to attach the body of the purse to the inner section of the clasp. Very fiddly. That was after I'd had to take the scissors to the inside of the purse. Urgh. It was a mess. That's why I have not shown any internal photos. Too yukky for words, although I do have to say that it was a brave attempt.
However. I look at this not as a total disaster, but as something that gave me good practice, allowed me to use the clasp at long last, and to do a little bit of beadwork.
I enjoy giving myself a challenge, and like to work things out as I go along. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, but by working like this I find out how my mind works and what I am naturally capable of. Even though I love collecting books with sewing ideas in them, more often than not I use them for inspiration and will make things in a haphazard (to others) way, and come up with my version of something. I rarely measure things, I just cut and sew. The husband finds it amazing/nutty that I do things this way.It's planted another idea in my head. The problems started when I wanted to attach the clasp, before that everything was going well and dare I say it, almost perfectly. My idea is to make a small bag in the same way, one that won't need clasps or zips to spoil it. I will take a good look at my newest craft book (the 'Bags,Bags,Bags!' one) to see if I can adapt one of the bags in there, but if not, I have a pretty good idea of how I will make it. And I can do some more beadwork on it, as I really enjoyed doing that.
It might not have been the end result that I wanted (I will keep the purse as a little bit of decoration on a shelf somewhere), but from doing it I have come up with a new idea, and how to go about it. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you try things and you think you've messed it up, look again and see the positive side of things. From the fact that you tried, to knowing you can learn from any mistakes.