I hate wasting leftovers. Whether it’s two-day-old meatloaf or two-year-old scrapbook stickers, I rather use leftovers rather than toss them out.
This time of year it is not unusual for scrappers to do inventory on their materials. I spend at least a week trying to make use of all my leftover supplies, so I don’t start the New Year purchasing items I don’t need.
Once I figure out what and how much I have, I set about using as much as possible to embellish layouts. However, I try to find unique ways to spice up my leftovers, so they don’t appear, well, leftover.
For example, a little acrylic paint can go a long way to makeover a variety of leftover supplies. Freshly painted eyelets placed at random intervals on a border or scrapbook tag are a wonderful way to add a pop of color to a boring layout.
Paint also comes in handy when you have a bunch of mismatched stickers that you want to make use of. Simply paint several sets of different stickers the same color and use them to decorate a page corner or create a frame for photos.
You can also use paint to give leftover paper a uniform look. This works especially well on bulk paper that you don’t need anymore. If you want to enhance the look, instead of painting the paper all one color, consider mixing colors or adding stripes or transition from light to dark shades of the same color from the top to the bottom of the page.
Distressing scrapbook supplies is another way to breathe new life into leftovers. Giving your materials a vintage look is not hard at all. The simplest way you can give your items a shabby chic look is to crumple them up and flatten them out again. This works best on paper, as it provides it with interesting texture. Likewise, you can sand textured cardstock to reveal its white core.
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