Don't throw your scraps of paper away!

Whenever I cut my cardstock to make cards and other papercraft projects I end up with little strips of leftover pieces. 

When I first started as an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator I didn't have a lot of cardstock so I saved every little piece of paper because I thought I might find a use for them . . . 

and I have found lots of ways to use my leftover pieces.

I have layered them on a card front to make an interesting background and then I decorated it with die cut flowers, leaves and a punched sentiment.

My daughter die cut through layers of cardstock to make an cute tag for her school lanyard.

You can make a unique card by gluing different sized strips of coloured cardstock on a card front and then stamp it with an image. Just make sure the colours aren't too dark for the image you're stamping.

I've made quick and easy cards by gluing scraps of Designer Series Paper onto a card base and just adding a sentiment.

I wove together some black and white scrap pieces to make an interesting background for a stylish birthday card.

I've even used scrap pieces to add colour behind a die cut shape and to create a Christmas decoration.

I always end up with lots of strips of white cardstock which are the perfect size to create sentiment banners. I added some gold gilding to the space between the sentiment pieces to make this card shine!

You can even create a theme for your cards by carefully selecting the type of sentiments you choose.

For my butterfly card I chose encouraging and loving sentiments which would make it a great Valentine's Day card.

I made a video showing how to use the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set to make a colourful birthday card decorated with a hummingbird from the Touch of Ink stamp set.

So next time you have scraps of cardstock remember to keep them, because you can create a wide range of interesting cards!

#KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #CreativeTherapy #KeepStamping #RubberStamping #FunFoldCard #CardMaking #ScrapCards

Combining my two hobbies -- Stitching and Stamping!

Most people think of card making when you mention rubber stamps but there is so much more you can do with your stamps! A year ago I wrote a blog showing that you can stamp on coffee mugs and now I've been Stamping Outside the Paper again by using fabric.

I had a challenge from an embroidery group I am a member of (Counties Embroiderers' Guild) to stitch something on a square of fabric using three assigned colours. I was given red and two shade of purple threads as well as a small piece of even-weave fabric to work with. At first I had trouble trying to think of what to stitch as I usually work with embroidery kits or from instructions. Then I had an 'AHA!' moment when I realised I can stamp on fabric.

I had never done this before but I've seen pictures online of projects like bags, shirts, towels and coasters stamped with StazOn black ink so I decided to give it a try. The hardest part was choosing which stamp set to use for this project. I chose the large butterfly from the Beautiful Day stamp set, which is now retired.

I use StazOn black ink to stamp the image because it is a permanent ink which works well on non-porous surfaces. I liked the look of the large spaces on the butterfly image as they would be easy to fill in with the three colours I had to work with.

I first stitched the centre parts of each wing with solid red thread using a long and short stitch. Since I didn't want the same colour to be touching each area of the wings I combined a couple coloured threads to create a varigated looked on some parts of the wings. I used the dark purple thread to outline the wings and create a contrasting body for the butterfly.

I am very happy with how this project turned out. If you are like me and enjoy stitching as well as stamping then you should try using your stamps on some fabric. I'd love to see what you create!

#KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #CreativeTherapy #KeepStamping #RubberStamping #Embroidery #Stitching