A hoarder's creative use of scraps - Xmas pjs

I'm a papercrafter, and I'm also a hoarder. I know some of you may be with me on this. I have a very hard time throwing scraps away. My problem has only gotten worse since I began cutting for workshops. Now I often have scraps already cut into useful sizes and off cuts from my Cricut sitting right on my desk. Sometimes I get inspired and turn them into a layout. This is one such layout.

The full page of cut out circles was the original inspiration for this layout. I completed the background before I had any idea what the design would be like (unusual for me.) In addition to the circle background, I used scraps of Frosted B&T and Crystal Blue cardstock to "fill in" some of the circles. The only piece that started out as a whole 12X12 was base page.

I feel very frugal when I use scraps like this. It is not as if I don't have other paper, but it feels good not to waste the bits and pieces as well as the time I spent cutting them. I stamped the title on a clear frame using pigment ink. (I then let it dry for about two days.)

Because the background was quite involved and eye-catching, I kept my embellishments to a minimum. I used some buttons, flax and ribbon in three different places on the layout to create a visual triangle.

If you have been following me very long, you know that the story telling aspect of scrapbooking is very important to me. I had many snipits to include on this layout rather than one long story. It turned out, I had just enough snipits to fill all but one of the Crystal Blue circles. To continue the pattern, I included the year in the final circle above the photo.




On this layout, I think my hoarding paid off, but there are still more scraps on my desk. It is a good thing there are still more stories to tell!

What do you do with your scraps? Are you a hoarder? Do you organize? Or do you throw them away?