What do y'all do with your paper scraps?
 

What do y'all do with your paper scraps? I keep most of mine, especially if they are a decent size and easy color to coordinate with BUT...

I am over run with paper scraps! I am desperately trying to cut back and clear out the clutter but this could be useful clutter only I never use it and I hate storing it.

Any suggestions?

I toss them! I use mostly 6x6 pads and when I use most of the sheet I really don't see much use in keeping small scraps. It take so much time to sort through them looking for something I may want to use so I don't bother.

there does come a point when you purge... last summer I had a day like that. I sat in the middle of the floor and made piles.

First I kept big ziplocks of basic 10 colors-eg scraps of blue of every shade from light to dark, all large enough to use as a mat layer or at least a punch. Those bags I keep stood up and open in a basket on a shelf. Because I am somewhat a**l about organizing, they are arranged in the roygbiv rainbow with black, white/cream and metallics on the end.

I have useable sheets of patterened in a 12 x 12 x 4 rubbermaid type thing. I don't use too much, I use mostly solids.

I keep Christmas related patterned in a file beside the packages of solid cardstock.

As I was purging, I kept a bag of scraps that I knew the kindergarten craft table would love and took a bunch in to school.

It works for me now and I don't use a whole piece of cardstock very often; I go to my scraps first.

My friend (Scrapjanny) recently posted a video on her blog about using scraps to make mini notepads. Here's the link to that specific post:

My Crafty Life: Use Your Scraps

Same here. I spread everything out on the bed. Got Big Zip lock bags, organized by colors (reds, oranges, greens...) with no sub organization in order to keep it simple (I admit that I can easily tell the difference between Wild Wassabi, Kiwi Kiss, and Old Olive at a glance, etc.). Then I lined them up, all standing in a tote basket, the nice fabric kind of 'basket'. So they stay open and I can grab a bag and put it back easily. I can also throw a scrap in there when I need to.

Then I have a smaller zip lock (quart size) and I keep the littlest scraps like 2"x4" all in there, all colors mixed together, and in the front of my basket.

I took the really old colors and non SU stuff and punched out stuff and put it in a big bag. At my last stamping event I offered a bag of scraps "free to good home" and one of my friends took the whole bag full! She was thrilled and so was I.

I've had this system for about a year and it's still working :)... and I'm a bit of a mess. It is the only scrap system that works for me bc I am just not going to maintain anything difficult.

When it comes to dealing with scraps, know thyself. What will you do or not do. For me, I know I'm not going take the time to find the "color group" or specific color bag, and I know I'm not going to go to the file with the whole sheets in it. Some folks are super organized and will keep that up. You'll find a way that works to your style!

Thanks for sharing, Tina. :)

I use it until most of it is gone. and then I start over. I only save 3x3 and over.

Otherwise you will end of drowning in it!!!


I also cut my 12x12 down to 8x8 or 6x6. and store that way. A lot less waste this way.

I just started to make cards and other papercrafts and have a small collection of scraps at the moment. I find myself using the scraps to try out new techniques before I implement them .

Making notebooks is a neat idea.

Once i have enough scraps I might try to combine them as a collage for a card background. Especially if you can cut down the scraps into little triangles or squares.

I give them to my 4 year old - she loves them.:)

Thanks for the video of the mini notebooks. I may try that. I also like the idea of coming up with a size like 3 x 3 and not keeping anything smaller. I use to seperate scaps into baggies by color but never went into the baggies. If it is not right beside me in my paper bin, I tend not to use it. I'll probably use a combination of these ideas and appreciate everyone's input!

i just put them back in the folder, pretty much anything larger than 1/2 inch (i know, it is a sickness) you just never now when you might need just a snip of color.

I save very few of them. Just way too much stuff to hold onto scraps of paper.

Scraps
 

I end up leaving them at my work area as I I create 7-8 projects, then I'll try to create with the pile of scraps. I find I get to create some different, intersesting, color combinations this way. As you can imagine my work is a mess most of the time.

My most successful method of using scraps is to keep them all mixed up in a basket/box (not too big or too deep) on my work area. If I needed to punch something or try a technique it was right there to reach into.

And since most of my colored cs is from one company, I mostly know the colors and could fairly easily pick out a specific color if needed. And it was quicker to check color combos too.

If a piece of solid cardstock is not big enough to mat a typical image or sentiment I'll use, I toss it. Or weird shapes. I don't keep them.

I put half sheets back in my paper storage. And then I have a little basket hanging by my worktable and put anything smaller in it and try to use it.

The basket is small so that it can't really get out of hand -- if it gets too packed (it hasn't yet) then I'll purge my less favorite colors or anything that snuck by the first time, usually if I did a fast cleanup.

I don't save a lot of patterned paper scraps -- only those "something special" patterns that I love the most!

I used to keep my scraps separate from my paper, in zip top envelopes, by neutral, cool and warm colors. That wasn't working for me.

Now I keep the scraps with the larger sheets of the same color. I find myself using them a lot more often and therefore not accumulating too many.

Anything smaller than 1/4 sheet goes in a box for the grandkids, they love having their own box of stuff. I also add treasures to their box like old primas, jewels, stickers etc. that I no longer want. It works.
Larger scraps go in file folders, reds, greens, blues, neutrals etc. They sit right by my desk and I always check there first when making a card.
But, oft times the 'round file' is my friend!

If you cut them into Square then into Triangles the make great elements on pages, as photo corners.

I also used the bits of larger to make pages in my mini notebooks.

Forgot I make inches too. More great Elements for free.

How I sort mine is to keep a deep box and I tuck the scraps into it, if they are large enough to use, I keep like colours together and by having it on my desk reach for it first before I end up cutting into a larger piece.

I always use small 1cm and bigger stripes like ribbon on page. You may be shocked at just how effective such a small stripe when layered on another looks,

i save some that are big enough and donate to kids ministry at church, some I toss if to small, others I try using cricut to cut out diecuts but if to lazy I just throw haha

Anything that is of usable size (punch size and larger) goes into a 12x12 scrap paper envelope for each colour family. I keep the patterned paper and solids of the same colours in the same envelopes - I don't separate the patterned papers out. If a pattern has more than one colour, I usually decide where it goes by the most predominant colour in the pattern. I always go to my scraps first to see what I can use before I cut into a new piece, but some how I have lots and lots of scraps. Maybe I'll get ambitious and make some "homemade" paper in the blender soon to get rid of some of the scraps.

I sort my scraps in two piles - one for patterned papers, one for solids. Here's what I do with scraps when it gets to be too much:

---Sorted patterned papers by color/shade then sold at a consignment sale (ie scraps - shades of yellow)
---Gave to friends who love scraps as they then get colors/patterns they don't have
---Make serenity paper
---Give away on Freecycle

I also used to make punchies when I sold punchies on ebay.

What works for me for my solid colors is storing each color in it's own hanging file with a file folder in the hanging file also to hold the scraps for that color that way I always check the file folder first before cutting a full sheet.

I keep all my scraps colour coded by ROY G BIV in an accordian file folder. I keep everything! That said, when my folder starts getting full, I make a point to make scrappy cards. Here's some samples:

Scrappy Christmas Tree
Let it Snow for really small punch bits
Baby Quilts
Bookcase Inspired - These used really tiny pieces.

I actually use a lot of my scraps to make cards. I have designated Wednesdays for posting cards made with scraps on my blog. When I get lots of little pieces I end up making cool looking collage type cards.

If you never use it and hate storing it, THROW it away. You'd be surprised how liberating this is! I'll keep a scrap if it's large enough for a card front, otherwise it's tossed.