Use up those Paper Scraps-Recycle and Reuse!
If you are a paper crafter, then I can guarantee you have a collection of paper scraps! The size of your collection depends on how picky you are. Me, I can’t bear to throw any paper away. That can lead to serious storage problems as your paper bins, totes, etc fill up quickly with bits of paper of all sizes. I finally had to set a limit on the size of paper I would keep. Anything smaller than 2″ x 2″ gets tossed. Actually, it doesn’t get tossed. It gets put into the recycle bin for our biweekly recycling pickup.
So what can you do with all those pieces of precious scrap paper? There are tons of ideas and techniques. Let me share a few of my favorites with you.
Iris Folding Technique
Probably my all-time favorite paper crafting technique is Iris Folding. Iris folding is a paper craft technique that involves folding strips of colored paper in such a way as to form a spiraling design. The center of the design forms an iris — similar to the shape of the iris of a camera lens. Iris folding is a perfect technique for using paper scraps. The paper used needs to be long and narrow, then cut into smaller strips. This is a great way to use strips of 12″x12″ designer paper.
Back side of the iris folded shoe. See all the strips of paper used to form the design?
For more iris folding ideas and instructions, including a video tutorial, please visit my Iris Folding Page HERE
Faux Quilting Technique
My next favorite technique for using paper scraps is Faux Quilting. Faux Quilting is a great technique for using those smaller paper scraps, say 1″ to 3/4″ square.
Paper Piecing Technique (not to be confused with Paper Piercing!)
So what is paper piecing? This is what I found on about.com:
“Papercraft paper piecing involves cutting pieces out from a design and layering them on paper. This is a versatile technique and easily adapted. Rubber stamps designs are often used for paper piecing projects. A design can be stamped several times on a piece of paper and then these can be cut and adhered to a project.”
For this card, I paper pieced Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper over the image of the vases in the Vivid Vases stamp set.
The images for this card were created in My Digital Studio and printed out on glossy white card stock. I also created another page of just the balloons and printed them out as well. I cut out the balloons, creating a template, traced them onto some Designer Series Paper scraps, and cut out. Then, they were popped up on the main image using Dimensionals. I also added some black twine for the strings tied to the back of the bicycle.
Bargello Technique
According to Wikipedia, Bargello “is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs. The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello palace in Florence, which have a “flame stitch” pattern.
Hand-made Paper
The ultimate way to use paper scraps. Use it to make hand-made paper!
Check HERE for handmade paper ideas.
And a few more ideas:
Circles Lollipop Card:
And here is a card using the leftover circles from the Circles Lollipop card above:
Last, but certainly not least, why not use your paper scraps to create coordinating envelope liners? Here I used my grid sheetwork paper to create an envelope liner to match my flower-stamped card.
