I frequently buy scrapbooking paper packs, stacks and books. I have gone through spells of buying monthly scrapbooking kits, too. So you can imagine the stash I have!
I justify it because it saves me a lot of time and takes all the hassle out of matching and coordinating papers. However, if you are like me, the question always arises of what to do with papers you don’t like? You know the ones I mean, those that fall to the bottom of your paper trays, have been in your stash forever and show no signs of moving!
You could challenge yourself to use them in a layout, but since scrapbook pages are not just a record for your family, but for your own enjoyment too, this may not be easy. I know I am strongly affected by the colors I like, being uplifted by those I love and discouraged by those I do not, which means I find it hard to make a layout with these papers.
So, given that I may only use a handful of the papers from my scrapbooking kits and the rest languish in the bottom of my paper trays, do I feel guilty? Yes! Should I feel guilty? Well, yes, I should, for it makes my hobby even more expensive, wasting my resources and the natural resources used to create the products. And if it’s paper from monthly scrapbooking kits, the sooner used the better otherwise I’ll end up with a bigger stack of papers I’ll never use than those I’m willing to use, lol!
Can I do anything about it? Yes! Let’s look at some options.
1. Use scrapbooking papers you don’t like to Scrapbook for Others
Make layouts for family and friends as gifts. It doesn’t matter whether the papers come from wedding scrapbooking kits or baby scrapbooking kits, you can find an excuse to use them here.
Or seek out your friends whose color tastes differ from your own and offer to make some layouts for them. Think about it! They will wear clothing in colors that do not suit you, therefore presenting an opportunity to use papers you would not naturally use. Their photos could be full of colors you do not like but which match the papers you can’t use!!
Alternately, if they are scrapbookers you could give them the papers, and they may have papers in your color preferences they’d be willing to swap.
2. Use scrapbook papers you don’t like to Make Cards
Make cards with the papers and colors you don’t like because it could be the favorite color of those who receive them. Plus large patterns you do not like can look quite different when you see only a small part of it on a card. Extra papers from specialty page kits can be used here too because we often need cards for weddings, new babies, new home, etc.
3. Use papers you don’t like to Teach a Class
Another way to use those papers and supplies at the bottom of your trays is to teach a class with them. Volunteer to teach a class to the elderly, to a young mothers’ group, or to young adults with learning disabilities. Local homes and groups would love some ‘new blood’ with new ideas. Yes, it may be frightening to start off, but residents and staff are very helpful and would appreciate it so much.
Ok, you may decide you cannot do this, but there are many who can and would love your extra supplies, so donate your papers to someone who can make good use of them.
A while back when my mother gave up papercrafting, she gave me a box full of blank cards and other items, including some tools. As they duplicated many of my own things I gave them to a friend who taught a class at a local soup kitchen. Many of the young women who came along spent a productive hour or two, loved making the cards and wanted to do more.
I don’t know why I put an image of papers I like on a post about what to do with papers you don’t like!! Anyway, in case you are wondering about the paper kit at the top of this post, it’s the Wintertime 12X12 Collection Kit from Echo Park.
I commented recently on how hard it is to throw out scraps of paper; whole sheets are worse – whether I like them or not! However, knowing someone else will benefit makes it easier.
As a self-confessed paper-holic a recent post was specifically about handling paper scraps. So this one is for recovering paper-holics, lol – those of us who are at the stage of being able to be parted from our well loved stash and wondering what to do with whole or almost-whole sheets of scrapbooking papers and part or whole scrapbook kits when they contain papers we don’t like.
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