paper craft

Quick and Creative: DIY scrap pad

Junk Journals, Quick & Creative

If you’re like me and enjoy getting creative with paper, then you mostly have little piles of scraps laying around. These cute little scrap pads are perfect for using up all those pretty paper bits! Plus, the best part about these pads…besides being so aesthetically pleasing…. is that you can tear the sheets out!

What you’ll need:

  • scrap paper pieces: ledger paper, book pages, printed papers, old wallpaper, magazine pages, etc.
  • a sewing machine

What to do:

Stack up your papers, starting with the largest scraps on the bottom. Then run them through your sewing machine! It’s pretty straight forward! But here’s a few tips that I figured out after making quite a few of them.

  • use papers of similar weight in each pad…. this is important since you’ll need to adjust the stitch length based on how thick your papers are.
  • use a shorter stitch length for thicker papers. I use a 1.5 for card stock and a 2.5 for thinner/softer papers like old book pages. This part will require a bit of experimenting to figure out the best length for your papers. You want the stitches close enough together that the pages come out easily, but not so close that they fall out too easily.
  • leave at least a 1/2 inch margin at the top, so that you have something to hold on to as you tear out each sheet.

That’s pretty much it! You’re itching to go make some, aren’t you? Then go!

Happy creating!

Secret Supplies & Skills

Secret Supplies & Skills

Today: cutting a perfect straight edge!

It may sound like a simple thing, but getting a clean straight cut when you’re creating isn’t always easy. I’ve tried little sliding blade paper cutters, I’ve tried scissors, and a massive expensive paper cutter….the scary kind, if you have kids around! So I’ve stuck with my old college graphic design class method, with a tweak.

So here’s the Supplies you need for a clean straight cut:

  1. a cutting board
  2. a metal or metal edged ruler
  3. here’s the tweak…a sheetrock knife! Skip the awkward craft knife and go straight for the man’s tool! You can find one at a hardware store. (and I spray painted mine turquoise….because, well, turquoise! )
You can find the cute Kitty Journal cards HERE!

Then the Skill….

  1. line up your ruler …either on a line on your paper or using the ruler on your cutting mat.
  2. with the knife blade perpendicular to the paper, flat up again the ruler, pull the knife towards you. PLEASE… keep your fingers out of the way!! Start with light pressure and repeat the same cut until it goes through the paper. A thick piece of cardboard may take 3 or 4 passes… that’s the key to a clean cut.

And that’s it!! So easy…and so effective! Tell me you don’t love it!

Till next time!


Free Printable Stationery!

Printables

Hi Friends!

I have a little gift for you today! Who doesn’t love something given to them?!

Well, do you remember these doodle border note card/place cards?  They have been a huge hit, as far as printables go on my old blog 🙂 So I thought I’d share this coordinating larger version of them.  I figured these could be used for a number of things:  

-Stationery… to write a friendly note on.

-Pages for journaling… add to your journal or planner.

-Invites… simply print out, then reprint text on them.

-Signs or large labels… for the home or for a party, like on a food table.

Anyways, those are just a few ideas!  Leave a cheery hello if you download them, and let me know what you might use them for, kay?  And don’t forget to go download the matching mini note cards/place cards!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Simply print out on whatever kind of paper you’d like and cut down the middle!   

*As always… file for personal use only.  File and printed product not for resale or profit of any kind. 

Blessings,