Have you ever finished up a project and wondered what to do with those tiny bits of leftover paper? Do you throw it out? Do you let it sit on your desk for months waiting for a purpose? Don’t forget, though, that scrapbooking has “scrap” in it for a very good reason! Today, we’re going to show you how to use those extra little scraps in a big way!
Using your leftover paper remnants not only allows you to create some truly unique projects, but it also helps clean up your crafting area. (Let’s be honest, with all the great holiday products in the November–December Catalog, it couldn’t hurt to make some extra room!) 😉
To create the striking background elements in these layouts, we used some leftover paper pieces from the Every Little Thing, Hawthorn, and Spooktacular paper packets. As we get ready to say goodbye to these great collections, we couldn’t resist using them one last time, and we love how they turned out!
In this first layout, we’ve taken scrap pieces of various sizes and dovetailed the ends to create a background element for the main photos and title. It’s a fairly simple layout other than the bright colors in these dovetailed pieces, so a few scraps can certainly go a long way!
Tip: If you only have small scrap pieces, you can still dovetail these and position them so they peek out on either side of your photo. That way, you still get the effect, even if you don’t have a ton of paper.
This effect can be achieved with many different sizes of scrap paper, and you can use them on much more than just a large main photo or title. Use this trick with smaller photos and to dress up your journaling boxes. There really is so much you can do with just a few small scraps!
In this second layout, we’ve taken a slightly different approach; while we kept a few of the dovetailed pieces we showed you in the previous example, we also trimmed some other remnant pieces into small diamond shapes for an entirely new look.
As we mentioned in the previous tip, you don’t ALWAYS have to have a large scrap piece to make it play a big role in the construction of your layout. If you don’t have a piece big enough to use as a background for a photo, you can use smaller strips to form a frame, while leaving the middle open. Once it’s covered by the photo, no one will be the wiser!
No matter how you use them, scrap pieces are a great way to add some truly unique flair to your layouts, cards, or papercrafts. We hope you’ve been able to take some inspiration from today’s post, and we can’t wait to see how you incorporate your leftover scraps into your own projects. Leave us a comment below and let us know how you’re using scraps in your own artwork.
Recipes
12″ x 12″ Fall Is in the Air Layout
X7248S Every Little Thing Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7249B Hawthorn Paper Packet, CC10192 Spooktacular Paper Packet, X5955 Pebble Cardstock, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z3543 Hawthorn Wood Shapes, Z4235 Gold Loose Sequins, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z3515 Black Journaling Pen (.01), Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots
12″ x 12″ The Good Life Layout
D1873 My Acrylix® Hawthorn—Scrapbooking Stamp Set, X7248S Every Little Thing Paper Packet + Sticker Sheet, X7249B Hawthorn Paper Packet, CC10192 Spooktacular Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, Z2828 Toffee Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, X7248C Every Little Thing Complements, Z3552 Wooden Arrows, Z3274 Clear Sparkles, Z1263 Bitty Sparkles, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3224 Small Round Waterbrush, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z2089 Glue Dots® Micro Dots
I have always been an advocate for using my scraps and scraps or how I like to call them Remnants. I’ve been doing this for years and on top of that I make new stickers out of our left over sticker sheets. Thank you CTMH for that chance to do it.
Love the layered dove tail pieces in the first layout…striking with the black & white photos! After I’ve finished my scrapbook pages, I like to make cards with my scraps. If I am at a crop my rule is to use all the paper on the layout(s) and whatever cards can make. Any tiny bits leftover get trashed.
Oh the layouts are bautiful and i have to do a layout today and i will practce this too. I make cards with the scraps and each piece of scrap in one design is stored in polythene baggies. All the baggies are storfed in one bag so that when i am crafting i just grab that bag and keep it near me. Do you like my storage method and i would like to know if there is a better way to store scraps. Blessings
using up scraps us one of my favorite techniques to show my customers! I love how you used them to frame the photos!
I try to use everything up. Being a cardmaker as well as a scrapbooker makes that task easy. I’m always befuddled by people who say they don’t know what to do with the leftover paper from a kit… simple answer… keep using it until it’s gone . It’s not leftover, just more opportunity to create!
We like the way you think! <3
I love the diamonds you created for the second layout. Such a simple way to create a fun background with smaller scraps. I tend to keep ALL my scrap papers and make it a point at the end of each month to go through them and create a lot to “scrappy” projects to help use up my stash. I’ll definitely try these ideas!
I’ve always kept my scraps too. Comes in handy when all you need is a small piece for a tag too.
You probably already mentioned this somewhere (I’m new to the site), but I’ve even used those teeny tiny scraps from punches for “bubble” cards.
I also keep my scraps. Don’t always remember to use them, but it’s amazing how useful the tiniest pieces can be. I often use “useless” in between stops with my Cuttlebug when using the alphabet die cuts and thin cuts for making titles. – an “i” or “l” takes so little card to create.
I am new to scrapbooking. I love the way you used the scraps in your example. So creative. Your layout made me think about the material. I do some sewing and have scraps of stuff laying around. I used some of the material to make doll clothes for my granddaughters. I bet it would bring back memories for them in a scrapbook. Do you think I could use the material the same way you used scrap paper?