Cardstock comes in all colors, sizes, patterns and textures. It is the one supply that paper crafters cannot do without! So, why not make the most of your cardstock?! In this blog entry, we will be discussing 10 fun ideas for your paper scraps and how you can cut down on waste by doing so! 🙂
Paper Bows
Paper bows are easy to make and are a nice embellishment to add to your cards, scrapbook pages, or gift boxes. These little bows can also double as toppers for paperclips to add a cute, decorative touch. Paper scraps are perfect for bows since only a small amount of paper is needed. You can find free bow templates online or simply purchase a bow punch that does the tedious work for you!
Shaker Confetti
Shaker cards – an ongoing trend in the card-making world that’s a crowd pleaser! Many crafters fill their shaker cards with sequins… but with a few paper scraps, you can make your own shaker confetti! Simply use a hole punch on your paper scraps and create your own shaker mix! You can use shaped punches or a standard hole punch. Experiment with mixing and matching colors… it’s so fun to customize your own shaker confetti!
Die Cut Sentiment Banners
I would say that the majority of handmade cards usually include a sentiment on the front of the card. Why not use your paper scraps and make up some sentiment banners ahead of time?! It saves time when making cards. I usually set a side a night or two to go through and die cut all of my small scraps into little banners using my Sizzix machine… kind of like a die cutting party! Haha! 😉 You can even stamp them ahead of time if you want, or leave them blank for future use.
Crinkle Cut Gift Packaging
Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays… there are many fun gift-giving occasions. Put your paper scraps to good use by making your own crinkle cut gift packaging! Simply cut your scap paper into long, skinny strips and fold in a zig-zag pattern. Mix and match colors and patterns for a fun look! P.S. Find out how to make your own gift boxes HERE.
Bookmarks or Bible Journaling Panels
Bookmarks are so fun and easy to make with your longer pieces of scrap paper. Simply cut scraps down to 2×6″ and decorate as desired! This is fun for kids and adults, alike. Not only is this size great for making bookmarks, but it is also nice to use as side panels for your Bible art journaling!
Pocket Letter Inserts
If you love to partake in swaps or have a pen pal, you already know how much fun Pocket Letters are to make! What I love to do is go ahead and cut my scrap papers down to Pocket Letter size so I have many colors and patterns of paper to choose from when I start creating! These little 3×4″ cards are not only great for Pocket Letters, but they also double as Project Life cards!
Gift Tags
Gift tags are easy to make on your Cricut machine or by using a tag die cut. You can make them as small or as large as you choose – which is why they are another great idea for all sizes of scrap paper! Gift tags are fun to embellish to coordinate with the gift, jar of homemade jam, or card which they are attached to!
Embellishments
Handmade embellishments are so versatile and can be used on so many different craft projects! Most embellishments are small, so your paper scraps will come in handy to make a whole variety of embellishments. You can make miniature pinwheels, paper roses, and ephemera – just to give you a few ideas. If you’ll notice in the card pictured below, I used paper scraps to make the tiny flowers to embellish this card. So much fun!!
Polka Dot Card
Not long ago, I designed a clean and simple polka dot card. Well, the idea stuck and I’ve been making these cards for a while now for various occasions! Polka dot cards are perfect for when you want a colorful, handmade card but are strapped for time. Simply use a 1″ circle punch and punch out circles from a scrap piece of patterned/colorful cardstock. Arrange on the card front, adhere, and decorate as desired. Super easy!!
Envelope Seals or Stickers
This idea sort of feeds off the previous idea in using the 1″ circle punch. Simply punch out circles from a scrap piece of paper, stamp, heat emboss, and run through your Xyron Sticker Maker. Presto! You have your very own custom envelope seals! You can stamp them with your initial for even further customization! I made my very own Christmas envelope seals last year and really loved creating them! Additionally, you can use your shaped punches or die cuts to make your very own stickers from paper scraps!
I hope you found these ideas helpful! I’m sure there are hundreds of more ideas which you can use your paper scraps for – so put them to good use! For more ideas on how to organize your scrap paper, please see my previous entry HERE.
The video for this post may be seen on my YouTube channel by clicking the link below:
Thanks for dropping by today… happy crafting!
Multiplicity Crafts 