scraps – The Art of Cobwebs

Like all – or many – crafters who papercraft, I have a ‘scrap drawer’. A place where all those bits of card and paper go to live after a project has been completed. If there’s enough card and paper left over, most crafters save it to perhaps use it for a sentiment or a little die cutting etc. My scrap drawer is getting fuller than I like, so I decided to make a card from some of the scraps.

I already had the base card stock – white 6″ x 6″, die cut and scored – so I chose three bits of scraps – the wordy one and the red papers which you can see have been used for the hearts and the fluttering confetti. Although I had stamps with the word ‘love’ on them – they were too small, so printed the ‘love’ word directly onto the card stock by putting it through my printer.

Next, I embossed a scrap of red paper from the drawer, and then die cut two hearts – one larger than the other, and glued those to the card. I then cut up another piece of red scrap, into really tiny confetti, and spread some glue (one which dries clear) onto the card, around the hearts, and sprinkled the confetti onto the glue, and gently pressed it flat with my hand. I also at this point added a few shakes of red glitter – just to give the card a few twinkly highlights. I then added some tiny buttons, a pretty insert and voila! A Scrap of Love was born.

I love this card. Such a simple idea and so incredibly easy to make – and it only cost pennies!

It would work as a card for a man or a woman. For Birthday; Anniversary; Just Because; Wedding; Mothers Day; Fathers Day; Thank You card .. … It would even work for Christmas too!

I really like this versatile card, and hope you do too!

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Have a fabulous rest of your day, dear reader!

I challenged blog readers to make a card, or something, from their stash this week. Anything at all, so long as they didn’t have to buy anything to make it … and I thought I’d better take up my own challenge and make something from stuff I had hanging around my craft room.

I dipped into my scraps drawer and found some bits of left-over papers which toned nicely together, but had a slightly vintage look about them. I took a card ‘dress form’ (mannequin) – from a selection which I’ve had for about 12 months and only used one of, and aged/distressed it to give it the right ‘feel’. I knew I had some sewing themed stamps in my unmounted stamps collection, which had come free with a magazine last year – so grabbed those and chose the ones I wanted to use for the card.

My pinking shears from my sewing box came into play to cut out the little squares of paper – in order to make them look like fabric which I’d quilted and sewn.

I stamped the sewing machine, first onto some craft card which was also in my scraps drawer, then cut it out and mounted it onto a scrap of black card, then cut round it again – but making sure to leave a tiny border of the black card visible, to make the sewing machine stand out and not get lost on the card.

Stamped sewing machine, mounted onto black card

The little card with the sewing thread wound around it, was again a stamp which was part of the sewing stamp set which was a freebie with a magazine. I was really surprised at how well these stamps worked. Normally stamps that you get free with magazines aren’t that well cut, but these were fabulous!

I knew that I wanted a short length of measuring tape to wrap around the dress form (mannequin), but didn’t have any of that ribbon which is printed up like a measuring tape. So I took a short length of Rayon Seam Binding and using black ink, I stamped a ‘rule’ stamp onto the seam binding. It looked exactly what I wanted, so I wound it around the mannequin and pleated it a little to make it look just right.

The addition of some teeny-weeny tiny little buttons, in vintage colours, and the front was finished.

But … I hate to leave cards without something of a surprise, – so I drew and cut out a little Something for the Weekend, from another scrap of card and added it to the inside….

Little surprise ... Something for the Weekend which I ran up on the sewing machine. — Little surprise ... Something for the Weekend
*which I ran up on the sewing machine*.

Hung from a tiny wire coat hanger – a little dress! … Made from some of the same green and white dotty card which I’d used on the front of the card. I added a belt from a scrap of paper left over from the squares on the front of the card and all that was needed then were some pale green teeny, mini buttons down the front. Voila! Something for the Weekend! All made from stash and scraps.