{DIY} Scrap Buster Cards & Other Useful Ways To Use Your Scraps

I’ve mentioned before that I have a wee bit of a hoarding problem. In fact, I’ve confessed this quite openly just recently. My hoarding extends to many things. Some useful… some far from it.

One of the items to do hoard is scraps of scrapbooking paper. I have an Ikea expedit cube full of scraps and offcuts from the scrapbooking pages and cards I have made over the past several years. Yet I’ve probably opened this cube maybe 2-3 times to actually find supplies, as compared to the hundred times I’ve opened it to hoard another scrap or 5.

Enough! It was time to act on the scraps. And here is the perfect solution – HANDMADE CARDS

Cards only require small pieces of patterned paper and I’ve always considered it such a waste to throw reasonable sized pieces out so putting 2 and 2 together, my hoarding does have use.

It also makes me feel better about the more than $1 spent on each piece of paper on average over the years and often not using the whole sheet. So it’s a thrifty method as well.

Materials:

• Blank cards or cardstock
• Scissors/cutting tools
• Adhesive
• Embellishments
• Paper scraps

Here are some of my most recent scrap buster cards:

You can make cards with a special occasion in mind, future events or generic themed cards you can use for last minute occasions. I like to keep a variety of all occasion cards on hand in case I haven’t the time to create one. Saves buying an over priced store brought card.

You can find a stack of inspiration on Pinterest for cards if you are stuck. It’s always my go to place for inspiration for anything.

And here are a few other stash buster tips:

Make a card or two out of scraps immediately after finishing a scrapbook layout – this means they don’t end up in the scrap box and you’ve just created a couple of projects in just a few minutes more.

Use them for kids craft – let your kids have fun with your scraps by giving them paper, a glue stick and scissors (depending on age) and let them make you a masterpiece. Keeps them entertained for hours which is an extra bonus.

Donate them – local schools, parents with kids, local craft groups. Ask around. You never know who might jump at the chance to make something wonderful out of your unwanted scraps.

Don’t limit yourself to just cards – sometimes scraps are all you need to finish off the next project you are working on, whether it be a scrapbook layout, Christmas tags, or an off the page mixed media project, remember to check the scrap box. Saves cutting up another piece of paper sometimes.

Looking for more ways to declutter in your home? Here’s some.