When last we spoke I had a few scraps from my 6×6 DSP stack to deal with:
I had four large pieces that had been shunted off to the side and overlooked, as well as a BUNCH of teeny pieces left over from when I cut the pad down so I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss scraps. We all have them, and we have MANY different ways to deal with them. I want to explore that a bit and share how I store scraps.
But first, this is what I did with the paper scraps in the photo above:
The four in Watermelon Wonder are just like the cards in my previous post, so I won’t go into detail over them. Here’s a close up of my scrap cards:
To make these, I started by cutting four 4″ x 5 1/4″ pieces of Whisper White card stock. I then adhered the scraps to the WW card stock, one at a time, for a total of 7 used on each card. I then ran those panels through my Big Shot using a stitched border die. I layered that panel onto Basic Black card stock and adhered to my card bases with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I also ran the card cases through the Big Shot with the largest stitched border die which only imprints the stitches but does not cut on the edges. It is designed to line up perfectly on the card base.
I loved the pop of back so I embossed on Basic Black card scraps with white embossing powder and snipped a fishtail on one side. Festive, bright, and a super way to use up those scraps! I managed to use all but one of those thin strips in these four cards!
This is but one way to utilize every bit of your paper stash. Sandy Allnock has more great ideas for you if you’d like to read her post here.
Now, how do YOU store your scraps? Here’s my method:
I purchased several nice storage units from For Keep’s Sake wayyyy back in the day when I was using the good dining table to scrap on. I lined them up side by side and put a table runner over the top and figured they could pass as a buffet (or sideboard). Now they live in my craft room. All of my Stampin’ Up! card stock and matching DSP lives in these two 12″ x 12″ drawers:
They are kept in these wonderful 12 x 12 file folders and are stored alphabetically. You’ll see an (R) on some of the labels after the color name. Those are my retired colors, which I tend to keep. And here’s what I have stored inside each folder:
I keep my 12 x 12 and my 81/2 x 11 card stock together in here as well as any 12 x 12 coordinating DSP if I have any. I tend to purchase the DSP in a group buy so I end up with 6 x 12 pieces of DSP. I store those, along with any DSP scraps, inside inexpensive sheet protectors. Ditto with my card stock scraps:
Whenever I reach for paper, I check my scrap stash first. I love having EVERYTHING for each color right at my fingertips!
Stampin’ Up! has lots of sets of coordinating DSP every year. I keep those separately, like so:
The bins are ITSO bins from Target. The height of the bins keeps the paper secure while allowing me to flip through the easily, without having to take everything out. The 12 x 12 opaque dividers are by Cropper Hopper. I use my handy dandy label maker to make up labels for each tab and then store the paper behind. The scraps for each set are kept in sheet protectors and stored right with the 12 x 12 pieces (pictured above). I reach for my scraps before cutting into a new sheet.
Yes, I am an organizational junkie! I probably spend as much time organizing as I do creating, but that seems to have slowed down as I recently moved my craft room to another room in the house and now have everything set up just the way I want it…I think…for now…you know how that goes…:)
Would you be interested in seeing more of my craft room and how I organize my supplies? I was thinking about doing a weekly series on organizing, if there’s an interest, so let me know please!
I would love to hear how you store your scraps and how you use them up!
Thank you for stopping by!
