What to do with all these scraps? About This Page:

[Mares75]

So now that I've done about 6 or so pages, I'm starting to get a nice little pile of scrap paper. I can't seem to find a good way to keep them organized. I tried just keeping them with the full pieces of paper, but they get lost in there. Then I tried keeping them together but they get all tangled up and honestly digging through them is almost more of a pain than it's worth. What do you do with all those little scraps?

[agnes1956]

Trash them!! If you have to save them, store them in something plastic that you can see through. That way you can put them all over your space, look at them and trash a few of them at a time.

Chances are that you will never use them again. If you do use them there is even more of a chance you won't like what you did with them and then will trash them, especially if you use the scraps to make cards.

Those scraps can grow and become a mountain, so my asnwer is to trash them.

[KMB733]

If its just a tiny little scrap, I usually throw it away. If its something I think I could find a later use for, I have a plastic file that I use to store all my scraps in.

[Mouseketeer]

I like to keep my scraps - I use them in my Sidekick to punch out alphabets. I've even held on to some of my longer pieces and used them for border strips. Bigger squares can come in handy for matting pictures.

I don't keep every single scrap though - I only keep solid colors that are large enough to do something with.

[Rainbowy]

I have been scrapping for 13 years, and the system I strarted with is the one I still use for paper. I can't stand to throw away the left over paper. It is expensive and sometimes you only need a little. So I have envelopes with color codes. One for pink and purple, one for green and blue, one for orange and yellow, one for plaid, one for vellum, etc. Each envelope is 6x8 in size. I take a scrap and cut off any stringy edges, leaving odd shaped blocks of paper. Then when I need to use some paper to go behind my letters, or to punch cut some decor items, I look in my envelopes for the right paper.
One other idea that we always use, is a blessing basket. This is a basket where you can put left over stickers, or scraps of paper so that some one else who needs for example, a small square of purple paper, then they can take it out of the blessing basket. After finishing a layout of my sons first "lost a tooth" pages, I had a bunch of little "teeth' stickers left on my sticker sheet. I had used all of the larger stickers, so I put them in the blessing basket, and sure enough, someone else was doing a page where their baby got a tooth, and they used those tiny teeth!!
Have fun scrapping!!

[Shell_of_the_South]

I don't save little scraps, but if it's at least large enough to do journaling on I save it. I have my scraps sorted by color in file folders. You can really save money by using scraps and not using a new sheet of cardstock every time.

[phiedragon]

Since I do a lot of stamping, I tend to keep most of the bigger scraps. As for organzing - I have a set of three plastic drawers for scraps. One has neutral scraps, one has warm and the other cool scraps.

[scmiller777]

I trim my scraps into usable pieces. Then I store them in a plastic container so they are easy to find.

[stretch2864]

Originally Posted by phiedragon

Since I do a lot of stamping, I tend to keep most of the bigger scraps. As for organzing - I have a set of three plastic drawers for scraps. One has neutral scraps, one has warm and the other cool scraps.

Welcome to the boards and the Spare Room!

[alisonhinsley]

I store my scraps in a box file. There is no organisation to it. I found the scraps handy for punch outs, lettering, large items for matting, often and not I use the scraps to test out a stamp ink or pen to see if it works with that paper/colour.

[chezp]

I must admit I end up trashing the little scraps as well.

[agnes1956]

Okay, I admit that I may have been a bit , okay, a lot too hasty to suggest to trash the left-over scraps. Yes, I do save the large ones and solid colored cardsotck most days. I was just trying to help you by keeping you from going crazy with all the piles of scraps we can acumilate. Yes, I have done borders with scraps but my taste of cardstock has changed too. Also, I just get tired of opening drawers and finding the different sizes of the larger scraps have jammed and bent too. So, now I am down to one large storage envelope that stores into a tote, With limited space to scrapbook when it comes time to put everything away there was those scraps staring me in the face. Now, I don't mind a dog staring me in the face, you can pat a dog and scratch behind his ear for him. Here are all those scraps that have a tendency to fall on the floor when we are tired at the end of the day. So I trash them but oh, I am more thrifty with blank cards. Then Scrooge comes out in me. If I don't like a card that I have made, off comes the design. If some of the design sticks too the background then off comes the background too. Once, someone sent me as a 'tnank you' card one of the cards in a set I made for them. What did I do, off came everything, even the background and I made the card into a different one and gave it a new envelope.
Now, times have changed since I found Passporter, I spend my free time printing lists and E-Books, and visiting the threads in here. I hope this isin't too long. Sorry.

[Tinkerbelly]

I always keep my scraps..not organized, just in a box...I love altered art and those little pieces come in handy..I have used them on big buttons..magnets and whatnot....if you don't find a need for it, recycle them..

[trixiedixie]

I asked this question not too long ago and some blessed soul recommended a tabletop file with dividers goine all the way to the bottom. I have since bought 3, one is 9.99 from Joann's it shows as purple on last page of paper organizers and uses the word tabletop in the discription. I have also picked up 2 on sale for same price from Hobby Lobby, Legacy crafters , all hold 12x12.

I use one for scraps, 1 for Disney sorting as it is the project I am on now, and 1 for large diecuts and negatives. I have a smaller pouch from Legacy that holds tiny diecuts. I want another large one for portable paper for crops. And another one for patterned paper (non Disney).

I do keep most of my scraps but mainly b/c I have a 2 yr old wanting paper for his "Art show" all the time. (We found an easel on consignment and he called it art show from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickeys Art show...)