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?

Frosted on the Paper Trail

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...

Are you singing yet? Although the weather here isn't quite frosty yet, Frosted is here on the Paper Trail! If you've arrived here from Karen's blog you're on the right trail. If not, don't worry. Our hop is circular!

I taught a couple of Christmas card workshops using this paper during this fall. Here are some we made.

On this card I used the Single Snowflake stamp to embellish the card base and then used two sides of the same B&T. The sentiment is from Glory to God (a set you'll see more of here later this week.)

On this card I added in some neutrals using Bamboo cardstock and Cashmere Ink. The stamps are from Scandinavian Wishes, the October stamp of the month. I also added a bit of bling - the star from the Sparkle Holiday Shapes.












When the card workshops were over, I had leftover pieces. I couldn't just throw away that beautiful paper, so I created this layout. I added Twilight and Colonial White cardstock behind the B&T paper and then Startdust Glitz Glitter Gel on top. I think the added sparkle is just the right thing for this paper!

Thanks for stopping by! Check back next week to see more artwork using the Glory to God stamp set. Until then, hop on over to Betsy's blog to see what she's created!