10 Tips for Scrapbooking with Scraps

Hey friends! I have been having a major love affair with my patterned paper scraps - I can't stop making layouts. And that's always a good thing, especially since I feel like my mojo has been lacking lately. 

A few weeks ago, Use It or Lose It Episode 14 focused on using paper scraps and today, I posted a video sharing seven more layouts! Seriously. Can't stop, won't stop. 

I shared 10 tips for using scraps over in my Crafty Use It or Lose It Facebook group the other day and thought I would post them here as well so they have a more permanent home. I've added photos of my "scrappy" layouts throughout, so enjoy! 


1. Choose a photo that will stand out against your busy background. A photo with few colors, a black and white photo, or a photo with a lot of open space (or white space) work berst. If you want to choose a colorful photo, consider opting for lots of neutral layers or a monochromatic color scheme.

2. Make sure your eye is drawn to the subject matter. On this layout, I chose a photo with lots of white space, which naturally draws the eye, but I also added an arrow pointing to my daughters face and put the title on top of it.

3. Start with your larger scraps, add your photo, and then layer smaller scraps. It's just so much easier this way! Make sure to use a variety of patterns in different scales. Use some that are very saturated in color, and some that have light colored backgrounds. Distribute the colors around in your layers so that your layout doesn't get lopsided with "visual weight", unless that's what you're going for because we all know that rules are meant to be broken, right?

4. When layering your papers, make sure that none of the edges line up. It makes for a much more interesting and eye-pleasing composition. If you look at the layers on my layout, you'll see that I have corners of papers nestling into each other and tiny edges of papers peeking through.

5. Leave in some of the rips, tears, punches, and uneven edges. Again, it just makes it more interesting. Look for ways you can incorporate it into your design. I love little details like that. Also, consider adding in vellum or transparencies. When you add these specialty papers over your layers, you get a cool peek-a-boo effect.

6. Add in something curvy to offset all of those square edges. Your layout can get looking really boxy and I find that adding in icons or embellishments with a different shape really helps. I love using circles, hearts, and flowers. Always flowers.

8. Line things up by color. You'll find you can add in scraps in various styles and make them look good together by simply sorting them into rainbow order and lining them up. Adhere embellishments by color as well to add interest without overwhelm.

9. Add a few embellishments that will change things up a bit. Paper on paper on paper can definitely work, but it's nice to bring in another texture whether it be puffy stickers, stitching, wood veneer, or enamel dots.

10. Use a bunch of one shape. Whether you create a grid style layout (like the one above) or go crazy with a shape like I did below, this is a great way to use up your scraps. Grab your punches or dies and go to town!

I hope those tips have been helpful! I would love to see what you create using your scraps. Join the Facebook group to be inspired and inspire others - I also do giveaways and live videos there too, so you won't want to miss it. :)

Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you again soon!