Use up those paper scraps

It's no secret in my house that I have an addiction. However, I am surrounded by enablers. It's pretty harmless actually. I love pretty papers and colourful card stock. I can't get enough of it.

The problem is that my inventory far outweighs my production ability. So I try to place self imposed limits on myself. I want to make sure that I am really and truly maximizing the current papers I have, right down to the last little bit. This has forced me to be very creative in the cards I make. 

For example, I made this card using trimmed off strips of card stock. It's not my usual style but this design is getting a lot of attention. I like the bold, modern look and the off-side placement really works:

In this Happy anniversary card, I cut up little strips of leftovers in coordinating colours and just glued down one end of each little strips, overlapping them like little shingles. The effect is striking yet simple. I even taught a Christmas card workshop using this exact technique last winter.

You can also use a paper punch to make the most of your scraps. Place them either randomly or following a specific pattern onto a card. The possibilities are endless!

I hope some of these ideas will inspire you to look at your scraps in a different way. If you need more ideas, take a look at the Pinterest board I created all about making beautiful cards from scraps.

Once I've made a dent in my scraps, I may just allow myself to buy more paper. Oh who am I kidding? Christmas is coming and if I ever needed an excuse for more paper, that's it! Thanks for reading!