As with the launch of every new Stampin’ Up! catalog, I don’t like to rush into purchasing items from it. I’m probably the only Stampin’ Up demonstrator who does it this way 😁 I like seeing what other demonstrators create with the new collections, and from there I’ll determine which items I want to invest in.
So as a result, I like to try to use up retired DSP papers, by making them into cards. The collection I’ve used today is Rings of Love, which is from 2022. I decided to only use the scraps I have, and not full 12 x 12 sheets:
I want to share my Top 5 tips for using up these paper scraps, so you can make room for more!
#1 I find it’s easier to stick to one collection or paper pack. Stampin’ Up!’s papers are double sided and designed to complement each other, so you can mix and match front and back sides.
#2 Pull out the stamp set and dies from this collection if you have them. They will often complement the papers well, especially if there are florals or background elements involved. In creating my cards, I used stamps that I hadn’t used before, because it went well with the paper I chose.
#3 Select the patterned paper you wish to use and find all the pieces with that same pattern and set the rest aside. For example, for my first card I chose the brown tree trunks and sorted out all those pieces; once you do this, you can judge how many cards you might be able to make from this pattern.
#4 Come up with a list of all occasions you send out cards for, and make a variety of cards with your scraps. Don’t be afraid to make Christmas cards in May if the paper seems festive! (Spoiler: one of my cards I made is a Christmas card!) Think ahead to holidays and birthdays; it’s always a great idea to have cards ready to go in case you don’t have time to make one.
#5 Make it your goal to use up all the paper scraps, but don’t be afraid to throw away small pieces that you know you won’t be able to use.
Bonus tip: It took me a lot longer than I anticipated to make cards from this pile of papers! If you don’t have an area to leave your papers and supplies out, you might want to invest in a 12 x 12 paper storage case to keep all your DSP papers together.
So how many cards did I end up making?
14! I didn’t expect to get that many from the pile of DSP I started with, but I’m happy with the results. I’ll be highlighting some of these cards in later posts and will link back to them here, so you can see the final results.
I ended up having a few pieces left over, which I’m ok with because I still have full sheets of those patterns, so I kept them for later use.
I hope this has inspired you to create more cards and use up your stash of papers!
Happy Creating!
Jen
The Inky Flamingo | Stamp with Jen Vitek 
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