Scrap Love

I gather from this thread on the Label Tulip message board that most people throw away their paper scraps. Not me. I'm a paper hoarder. I love to save my scraps and keep them by my desk in file folders sorted by color. But I'm not going to try to convince you to save your scraps. Rather, I'm going to try to convince you to use your scraps by transforming them into embellishments you can use later.

A lot of people don't like to keep their scraps because they find that (1) they don't use them and (2) it's a pain to store them. My solution answers both of these complaints.

Here's the deal: The next time you're cleaning up from working on a layout, make a little pile of your scraps and try out one of these ideas:

1. Flowers

There are many different styles of flowers, but the lollipop flowers are very popular right now and super easy to make. Here's how:

3. Basic Shapes

There are really only three shapes that I ever pre-cut so that I have a bunch on hand: (1) tags, (2) stars, (3) hearts. That's what I tend to reach for. You may have a different set of shapes that you like to work with. Now, I like a super handmade look, so I don't use a pattern or a template. I just start cutting. If you're a neater person, you may want to use a template, a die cut machine, or a punch. Here's a recent layout where I used up a bunch of scrappy hearts:

I store my shapes in a little drawer and just poke through them when the need arises!

3. Buttons

I am a button addict. They always seem to add just the perfect finishing touch, you know? With a few scraps, a circle punch, a hole punch, and some diamond glaze, you can make your own! Watch this video to find out how...

When you're finished, put away your new embellishments for later use on a card, layout, or even as a pretty finishing touch to a package!

I hope you enjoyed these tips!  Have a great day (and stop throwing away your scraps!!!)