It always amazes me how quickly my work space goes from about 2x5' to about 2x5"! I feel so good when it's cleaned off, then within the hour, it's a complete disaster again! I know many of you can relate, right? Right?!!!! *crickets*
So, yesterday, I finally spent some time clearing off my crafting table. I hadn't given it a good once-over for at least a week, so the piles of trimmings near my paper cutter, not to mention all of the bits & pieces from the week's projects, were growing inches deep! Ack! I won't tell you how long it took me to find the whole table, but I did!
Aside from getting my work space back (for a few hours at least!), another bonus was that I found some fun, usable scraps. You know the ones. That strip of decorative paper that you trimmed off the edge to make it fit. The flower you stamped in the wrong color, tossed aside. The words you punched out with the Decorative Label Punch, then decided they looked better on a Curly Label Punch. Ribbon ends, trimmed off a too-long piece. The cast-offs, mistakes, not-quite-rights and ooopses.
Scraps! What you've got right there, kids, is Papercrafting Gold!
Now, I'll be the first to tell you that hoarding is highly overrated. I have some family members that could easily have their own Hoarders episode. (I'm not kidding. *waves to grandma*) But, when it comes to stamping, I'll admit that I may be becoming a genuine, I-might-be-able-to-use-this-someday hoar...uh, er, well, let's just call it "scrap saver."
Be A Spectacular "Scrapper!"
With the recent vintage craze, all those little scraps are terrific for embellishing torn & tattered, antique-looking collaged projects! Plus, many of the scrap pieces are already stamped, so they are ready to take on a life of their own on a new canvas. Gather up some would-be-throwaways, and you can put together a quick & easy card in just minutes! Like this...
I had most of the parts and pieces of this design laying right there in front of me. All of the makings of a work of art were ready to be assembled! The only thing I did was add a Vintage Trinkets safety pin, a Neutrals Button, and some shimmer paint, and it practiacally made itself!
How My Scraps Got A Second Chance
• The sponged Vintage Wallpaper embossed scrap was a piece I sponged for my Faux Patina cards, but I didn't like the Pretty In Pink and Baja Breeze color combination.
Instead of adding gold heat embossing like I did on the patina cards, I sponged the entire piece with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (and I may like that look even more! Oooooo! Click to enlarge to see the sparklies!)
• The striped Elegant Soireé DSP was the only piece I had left after preparing for my Bliss Matchbox Nugget Holder for Stamp Club.
• The Bliss Decorative Label punchout was left over from experimenting with my design on the nugget holder box. (Earn the Bliss set FREE with the Sale-A-Bration promotion!)
• I used a piece of Baja Breeze Seam Binding that I had cut to the wrong size to create the ruffle around the punch.
• The "4 You" Tiny Tags saying on the Jewelry Tag punchout was something I'd stamped and never used. Just punched a hole and attached with Linen Thread.
The whole card came together in about 10 minutes—that's record-time for me! Too Cool!
What Can You Create With Your Scraps?
Before you throw away those leftovers, take another look! Is there a opportunity for some new life for that "mistake" on another project? Can you make a 3x3" notecard with it? Can it be combined with some other scraps to make a cute embellishment? How about a vintage collage? Open your mind to the limitless possibilities!
TIP: As you're making your decision "To Throw or Not To Throw," and you're imagining a way that you could use that scrap, take action and create it immediately whenever possible! Most of the time, your reincarnation will be for something like a quick card, anyway, so while it's in your brain and you've already decided why you want to keep it, DO IT! If you wait, you'll have to waste time in the future looking at the same scrap and wondering, "what the heck did I save this for?"
Have fun "scrapping!"
Angie
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