• patterned paper: dream street
• title: cosmo cricket
• tiles: fragments
• pearls: kaiser craft
• other: masking tape, graph paper

• patterned paper: basic grey and dream street
• cardstock: bazzill basics
• alphabet: jenni bowlin studios
• glimmer mist: tattered angels
• pearls: kaiser craft
• other: typewriter

• patterned paper:dream street
• cardstock: bazzill basics
• alphabet: making memories and american crafts
• embossing die: cuttlebug
• quote bubbles:
• other: typewriter, staples

• patterned paper: basic grey
• chipboard: riff raff
• rhinestones: kaiser craft
• alphabet: american crafts
• die cuts: quickcuts studio
• ink: staz on

• fabric paper: sei
• quote bubbles: riff raff, american crafts, bam pop
• cardstock: bazzill basics
• rub ons: american crafts
• alphabet: making memories chipboard, american crafts
• acrylic stamps: bam pop

• patterned paper: making memories and october afternoon
• alphabet: american crafts
• chipboard: riff raff
• floss: dmc
• other: notebook paper, masking tape, typewriter

• cardstock: bazzill basics
• chipboard: riff raff
• alphabet: american crafts and making memories

• patterned paper: scenic route
• die cut frames: bam pop
• alphabet: making memories
• other: typewriter

• patterned paper: dream street, basic grey, making memories, cosmo cricket
• chipboard: riff raff
• alphabet: making memories

I will confess, I am a supply hoarder.

Sometimes, I feel like shopping is a scrapbooking activity all unto itself. Organizing certainly is. And here I am, surrounded by all this gorgeous stuff and I don’t want to use it! I have paper that is “too pretty” to cut into and ribbon that I’m hoarding for a “special occasion” and adorable embellishments that I just like to look at!

Now, beyond the fact that it’s ridiculous to have this much stuff, I have recently come across several things that I was “saving” and now no longer like. How silly! So, I’ve now adopted a “use it or lose it” philosophy. Here’s what that looks like:

1. I like to play along with the challenges from How Much Is Too Much. This blog challenges you to use up a ton of stuff on each layout.

2. I organize and purge at least once every three months. I usually donate my excess supplies to local scrapbooking friends. But, hospitals and schools are also always appreciative of donations. And going through my supplies reminds me of what I already own, which helps me (1) use it and (2) not buy a duplicate.

3. If I love it, I use it right away. Instead of waiting for the perfect project, I use that “must have” item immediately! That way, it goes into my scrapbooks and becomes a part of my memories rather than a dust collector.

4. I keep my supplies out in the open. I’ll admit that this is not an easy task in my apartment, but I know myself. If I see it, I’ll use it. If I don’t, I won’t. Hidden storage looks really nice, but those boxes never get opened around here.

All of these changes mean that I’m scrapping more often, more quickly, and having more fun with it! Here’s a recent page I created…

I really love the way it turned out. Those swirls and roses are the border to a beautiful piece of Prima paper. But, I never would have cut up that paper without my “use it or lose it” philosophy.

Try it for yourself!

I cannot live without paint.

Okay, that was a little dramatic. But, it’s a huge part of the way I scrapbook. You can use paint to…

Create a Background

I used Making Memories’ acrylic paint for this one. I painted the center with red, then added the orange swirls on top. Finally, I used black paint to sketch in the border and the journaling lines. I diluted the paint (so it would go on thin) by painting with a water brush (a brush that has a reservoir of water in it).

Create a Title

Once again, I used Making Memories’ acrylic paint to create this title. I used a dry brush technique this time (meaning no water). I dipped a regular paint brush into both red and black paint (at the same time) and started to write my title. Depending on how I held the brush, the dominant color changed!

Use It As Adhesive

I reverse painted (i.e. painted on the back of) the snowflakes, which were printed on transparencies, with gesso (a canvas primer). Then, I placed them on the layout when the gesso was wet. Once the gesso dried, the snowflakes were permanently adhered!

To Obscure Patterned Paper

I loved this patterned paper, but it was so dense that I felt my photos and journaling would get lost. You can see that my solution was to use gesso to paint over the patterned paper. Because gesso is a primer, it does a great job of covering up patterned paper in a single coat.

Change the Color

I didn’t like the colors of the patterned paper I had to use on this layout. So, I used a light wash of blue watercolor paint to change the red and white background to blue and red. I also used paint on the scalloped section – black watercolor along the edge and red on the interior. Watercolor paint is thin, so it works really well to change the color of patterned paper since you can still see the pattern through it.

I hope that I’ve given you some fun ideas for using paint on your pages! Now get out your brushes and get going!

this is a card i made with the maya road chipboard keychain.

at a recent crop, kim was saying she thought it would be really difficult to trace the little icons onto your patterned paper and then cut them out to adhere to the chipboard…to which meredith responded “you don’t have to cut them all perfect, just sand the edges!” and i said that i usually just leave them as is or paint them. it ended up getting the wheels turning in my mind. which technique was better? quickest? easiest?

well.

i am a pretty impulsive scrapbooker. i like to bust stuff out with the quickness. i don’t hem and haw over placement, i just stick it down and make it work. so when i sat down to make these little guys i decided i was going to put both of the techniques to the test. take the time to try something new. the result? they are BOTH time consuming. they both take lots of practice. but they are both totally worth it. i mean, who doesn’t love a lady shape covered in ninguins??

to cover your chipboard shapes with patterned paper, i find it’s easiest to trace the image and cut it out with fine tip scissors (tonic and cutterbee are both great options). place the paper pattern side down, then place your chipboard piece face down as well and trace the outline. when you begin to cut, you want to make sure you stay inside of the lines, or else the paper will be larger than the chip piece. to work the curved edges, make sure you are turning your paper and not your scissors. you could also trace the image with an exacto knife, i just didn’t have one with me so i braved the scissor technique (and honestly i think that is easier, but it could just be me). next i used 3m tacky glue to adhere the paper to the chipboard, making sure to work the glue around all the edges. next you can sand the edges to give it that white, rugged look. this will also cover any mistakes you made while cutting. i used a black nail file (the kind you would use for acrylic nails) as well as a metal file to get inside the smaller spaces. when sanding, it’s all about the angle, filing in one direction (just like your nails) and letting the chipboard and file do the work for you, as opposed to sawing at the paper and forcing it to separate the chipboard layers and bending the legs of your little people (both of which happened to me). i also found the coarser the file the better.

i think someday i will be able to work the chipboard flawlessly, but for now i’m content with a bit of an unkempt, raw flavor. i think it gives the piece a bit more personality, and a bit more of me. which is what crafting is all about

Kristina