The scrapbooking industry is still on the rise despite economic factors, uncertain times and apathy. In fact, more and more people are turning to memory preservation as a way to keep family stories alive.

We all have gone into our favorite local scrapbook store (LSS) and come upon the latest and greatest new papers from one of our favorite companies and just had to have them – every one of them. You know the feeling. “If I don’t get these now, they may be all gone by next week. And I have to get at least two of each so my facing pages will match.” Been there, done that and have more than 1,000 sheets of designer papers to prove it. Plus, there’s all that additional stuff: embellishments, custom-colored brads, chipboard letters and shapes and ribbon. Oh, my goodness, the ribbon is so gorgeous! I must have it all and I must have it now!

If you’re one of those awesomely controlled people who can step away from the papers, my hat is off to you and you can quit reading right now. There are tales of ladies who plan one page at a time, make a trip to the LSS and come home with only what they need for a certain set of pages. There are others who go to crops at the store with only photos, paper trimmer, scissors and a glue stick and buy what they need to make their pages for the day. No waste, no muss, no fuss. How I admire these ladies! When I attend a crop, it usually ends up being a social occasion, and I never get anything done, but I do have fun.

This is all about using the extra papers, the ribbons, the embellishments you just had to have. All of these can be turned into gifts, home décor, party favors and invitations and a host of other things. At a recent Craft and Hobby Association convention, I saw a dress completely made of scrapbook papers. The wearer walked the show floor the entire day in it, and at closing time, it looked like she had (as my Granny said), just stepped out of a band box. There’s not much of a limit to what you can do with papers, glue and a few embellishments.

Tip: Always use copies of your treasured photos and store the originals in a safe place.

Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

The Obvious: Handmade Greeting Cards
Use beautiful scrapbook papers combined with plain cardstock, rubber stamps and colored pencils, pens or paint to customize a greeting card. This image was simply stamped in black ink on cream cardstock, colored with colored pencils and highlighted with a white opaque pen. The image was trimmed closely and mounted on black cardstock, then to a piece of patterned paper and then onto the black card fold. The sentiment was stamped in green ink on cream cardstock, then layered onto green cardstock and glued in place. Antique brass corners finished off the piece.

Supplies: Rubber Stamps (Artistic Outpost), black and green dye inks; black, cream and green cardstock; Prismacolor colored pencils; Sakura White Opaque pen; Brass corners; glue stick.

Instant Gifts
Need a hostess gift in a hurry? Watch for sales on scented candles and stock up when you get a good price. When you need a quick gift, cut a 12” X 4” piece of patterned cardstock or paper, trim the top and bottom edges with decorative scissors, wrap it around the candle and tie with a pretty ribbon or raffia. Add some silk flowers or metal embellishments, cover a repurposed paper coaster with the same patterned paper, ink all the edges and Voila! You have a custom-made gift in less than 5 minutes.

Tip: To preserve this beautiful candle, burn a half-dollar sized space from the top of the candle and insert a tea light. When lit, the only thing that will burn is the tea light, saving your beautiful creation.

Supplies: Pillar candle; one sheet patterned cardstock; dye ink pad; ribbon, silk flower or metal trim; paper coaster; glue stick

Sew and Sew
What a great way to stow your sewing supplies! Use a purchased papier mache box, spray paint inside and out to match your scrapbook paper, then cover box with patterned papers. Attach ribbon to box top with brad to hold scissors case or tiny scissors. (Be sure to line the inside cover to hide the back of the brad!) Add thimble, holders for needles and needle threader to box top. Add trim to box edge. You can give it as a gift, but I chose to keep mine for myself!

Supplies: papier mache box; spray paint; three sheets patterned paper; glue stick; sewing items; ribbon trim.

Scrapbooking on the wall
Use an artist’s canvas to show off a treasured family photo. I sprayed the canvas with primer than added random colors of spray paint. I glued the tissue paper on, purposely leaving the folds visible, wrapping it around the canvas edges. I added a little more color for a more cohesive look and allowed the piece to dry. The photo was mounted on bronze metallic cardstock and glued in place on the canvas. To make sure the photo didn’t ripple from the glue, I turned the canvas face down and placed a heavy book directly over the photo area. When this was dry, I added the swirls and hinges. This would be a perfect gift for an anniversary or birthday. (Mine is just for me because the gentleman on the far right is my grandfather and that is our family moonshine still. Sad but true.)

Supplies: Artist’s canvas, preferably gallery wrapped; Krylon Spray Paint and primer, assorted colors, or acrylic paint; tissue paper, Beacon Quick Grip Adhesive, Bronze metallic cardstock; Grungeboard swirls and hinges.

There are probably a million other projects you can come up with using your scrapbooking supplies.

• Make a gift card holder using a small envelope and covering it with scrapbook papers. Fold it in half and you have the perfect size holder for a gift card.
• Make a holder for a custom cd from a wedding, baby shower, graduation or birthday.
  Tip: If you are scrapping photos from an event or vacation, make a cd holder as part of your page design. Place your cd with all your photos right on the scrapbook page and you’ll always know where to find those pix!
• Cover a small purchased tin or mint box with patterned paper, sponge the edges and you have a great place to store paper clips right on your desktop. Cover a dollar store frame with papers to match and insert a photo of someone who makes you happy.
• Attach Grungeboard swirls to a wooden tissue holder, then paint it to match your bed or bathroom décor. Add a swish of a darker diluted acrylic paint and wipe off quickly to give the piece an antique look.

These ideas are just a starting point to get your creative juices flowing. Now, go see what you can come up with!

Tags: Supplies

This entry was posted on Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 2:21 pm and is filed under Project Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.