The Scrap Stash Project

 I don't know a paper crafter that doesn't keep their small paper scraps. Some keep them for the duration of a project and some keep them for years (or decades). I keep them but, for the last few years, I have been good about using them. Once the pile gets to the point that I can no longer find things in it quickly, I pull it all out and use it. If I can't use it then, I pitch it. (Yup, you heard me; pitch it!)

I'm dedicating this post to how I managed to use up a pile of scraps and the things I made with it. I hope some of this might help you conquer your scrap stash. I'll probably have a couple posts regarding this ongoing project so stay tuned.

First, I pull out all the paper scraps. I sort them by color. I put them into rainbow order and put patterned papers in with the color that predominates. (If it's pretty equal, I'll just put them into the color family with which I would pair it.) As I am doing that, I am pitching any paper that is too small or is looking a little rough around the edges.

Any white or black (or sometimes ivory) cardstock is kept separate. I put these scraps into another pile. I use these scraps to stamp sentiments on for my cards or if the pieces are large enough, I'll also stamp images to be colored and die cut. I'll also use them as bases for ATCs, ATC Coins, and book marks. Colored cardstock scraps I am keeping to die cut as I recently invested in a die cutting machine. 

Second, for each color family, I sort the stack by size. Larger pieces may be big enough to be a A2 size background or they may be a good mat for a focal image. This is where I'll usually begin. It's easy. I start matching background paper to card bases and I assemble them right then and there. Do I have a finished product? No. What I have is a start. When I have a background all ready to go, all I have to add is an image and a sentiment or word, perhaps. I find my cards appear more cohesive when I have the background all selected as I can color a stamped image to match the colors of the card base.

For large pieces, it's easy to think in terms of a greeting card. But when you get down to the smaller pieces or odd sized pieces, you need to think in terms of other things. For instance, I use a lot of smaller pieces to make ATCs (artist trading cards or coins), bookmarks, or layered embellishments from geometric shapes.

The nice things about ATCs is that these could be used on a greeting card as a focal point. But I also keep a lot of my ATCs because I tend to use my favorite papers on them. Bookmarks can be laminated if you keep in mind not to use 3D embellishments or layer too many papers. If it's too thick, it won't laminate well but regular cardstock with a couple layers of patterned paper or stickers work pretty well.

Now you may wonder why I bother to sort things by color if I'm making backgrounds for cards and small projects. It's easier for me to see what papers I can pair up together. When papers are sorted into the same color family, it's pretty easy to see how many shades, tones, or values of color you have. If you're going to pair multiple colors together, you want to make sure those match between color families. It's also easier for me to match stickers or embellishments that I already have to these colors as well.

So that's the first step with the larger scraps. In the next post, I'll share my secrets of the Motherboard.

-Wy