breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,453 
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 15, 2024 14:33:19 GMT
I've been flipping through all my papers trying to match some new photos with pattern paper. I haven't been scrapping very much lately, and haven't been buying new stuff. Yay me. But as soon as I start matching papers to photos, the urge to buy more paper starts. After having flipped through every paper I own twice, it starts to feel boring and old...
I'm thinking of recategorizing some papers, because I have a few categories I barely look at. I don't need any more paper, and the urge to scrap comes with the urge to purchase...
Any tips on re-loving and being excited about your stuff without adding more things and shopping?
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,372
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Post by artbabe on Jul 15, 2024 14:43:46 GMT
I think recategorizing your stuff is a good idea.
I organize my paper by collections. I like to pull out an old collection and then dig in my stash and see if I have any newer supplies I can add to it. Last week I did a page with old Graphic 45, one with old Authentique, and one with very old October Afternoon. It was fun to put the page together and then pull out newer embellishments- enamel dots, film strips, tickets, etc., and jazz it up. I have a huge stash, though, so it is fairly easy to find stuff that will go with the old lines. I was so excited to see new layouts with such old stuff.
I think the key is pulling old stuff out so it is right in front of you, and deciding you are going to make a page with it. If you scrap chronologically, it is probably harder to do this, though. I'm all over the place, so I can pull out some paper and dig through years of photos to find something that goes with it.
How do you have stuff categorized now? Do you have it sorted by collections, themes, colors, etc.? How are you planning on doing it differently?
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,453
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 15, 2024 15:17:52 GMT
Right now it's sorted by: 2-foot tall stack of paper pads, color and pattern or just pattern (blue florals, pink dots, grids etc) or by theme.
The categories I skip over are the paper pads, plaid, words/text, and retro/vintage.
I could probably put the plaids and retro stuff in a color instead so at least I'll look at it. I'm not sure about the paper pads.
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Post by papersilly on Jul 15, 2024 17:55:52 GMT
i've come to accept that some things cannot be re-loved. some papers can't remain timeless. some embellishments are just trendy and now the trends have passed. i just mentioned in another thread that i have too much flowers, buttons and ribbon. all of those have to go or seriously pare down.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,418
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 15, 2024 17:55:53 GMT
My plaids and some patterns are sorted by color. It does make it easier to use them. Adding ephemera or printed embellishments helps, too, since the eye is drawn to them, and the papers attract less attention. Add enough layers, and your papers won’t seem so stale anymore.
However, I feel that I have to add something to my papers to help them feel fresh, even if it is to fussy cut larger images from the paper to use like ephemera. Unfortunately, fussy cutting is getting harder the older that I get. I have found an alternative, although it does add to my stash digitally, it doesn’t add to it physically until I am ready to print and use it on a layout:
Recently I have been printing and cutting ephemera and embellishments that I either find free on Facebook or buy on Etsy for about 10 to 15 cents each. (I rarely buy any that cost more than that.)
I belong to a few free Facebook groups dedicated to AI art. I want to learn how to do AI artwork, although so far I have just been observing and trying to learn what programs are free to use, which are preferred, and why. Many individuals share AI images in these groups which state that they allow for personal use for printing and cutting.
I need to copy off the free designs from my iPad to my laptop before I can use the free ones, but I just printed and cut some inexpensive Etsy designs this morning and am really pleased with the results. I can use them on either layouts or cards, can print them any size that I want, use as many times as I want, reverse the image if needed, use them as a focal point, or in a cluster. The same would be true of using AI art.
At any rate, I hope you will check out the AI Facebook groups and see if using free AI designs on your layouts might help your papers seem less stale. And if your budget can handle it, consider looking at Etsy print and cut ephemera. At least they only take up space on your computer, not in your craft room, and there are some more affordable designs. If you’re in the freezer, the free designs on Facebook might be your best option.
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Post by Linda on Jul 15, 2024 18:07:53 GMT
re-organising stash helps.
Flipping over doublesided paper and putting it where the B-side fits (colour/pattern/theme wise) often makes me look at it instead of flipping past
paper pads that I don't tend to grab and look through - sometimes I pull apart and sort by colour, sometimes I pull apart and put in an envelope with my collection kits (those are closer to hand and I flip through more often), sometimes I just pick one to sit on my desk and tell myself to see if anything will work everytime I start a layout (ie start with the pad and then flip through other things).
I find Shimelle inspiring - she uses very random pattern papers where I would typically gravitate towards cardstock and I've been trying to do that more often.
Good luck
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,453
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 15, 2024 19:24:08 GMT
So far:
I've tore apart two paper pads and sorted them by color.
added four paper pads to the donate pile (most were gifts and not my style way too brown and grungy)
added an office theme folder (paper clip paper, typewriters etc)
added a butterfly theme folder (otherwise I won't ever remember to use them)
went through the baby paper and probably should just get rid of most of it, too retro
took my purple drawer and made it into a purple envelope
started a watercolor background paper drawer, so much watercolor paper, darn 49 and Market...
and generally made a giant mess.
I could probably justify going shopping because I have exactly one patriotic themed paper in my entire stash, and not enough red but I will try not to... for now.
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Post by infochick on Jul 15, 2024 19:46:20 GMT
I think the key is pulling old stuff out so it is right in front of you, and deciding you are going to make a page with it. I have used this technique referenced by artbabe to use some very dated paper that had layouts pre-printed on it. I knew I could likely never sell it, and I felt guilty throwing it out, so I made it a goal to use some of it up. This was a case where I started with the product, and then picked photos that went with it. Once I had the photos, I found a sketch I kind of liked, and then cut the papers down to make them work. I mixed them with some newer papers and embellishments to update the overall look. Once I started looking at it as a challenge it was actually really fun. I also strongly agree with what Linda has said about focusing on the B-side. I have a lot of tired stash that I have sorted into rainbow order based on the b-side colour, and I grab it all the time instead of cardstock, or to make embellishments. I have also learned that I am actually incapable of using paper from a 12 x 12 paper pad. I cannot explain why. For some reason, the paper pad itself is a barrier to me. I now almost always automatically tear down the paper pads, as you have done. I also like the concept of a "statement piece" of paper, or a "kit starter". This means I take a multi-colour pattern paper that I like and kind of excites me, and then I pull from my stash random other pieces just based on colour to go with it. There are lots of great kit building videos where people use this concept. Similarly, it can be fun to buy a single sheet of new paper, and then build a collection around it from stash, or to use stash to try to imitate a new collection. |
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Post by caspad on Jul 15, 2024 20:08:23 GMT
It's hard when you want to scrap and your stash doesn't seem to work with what you want to create.
I like the idea of flipping through the B sides.
What if you tried working backward and pull three or four papers that you like together first. Then go through your "to be scrapped" photos to see what would work with your new kit?
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Post by melanell on Jul 15, 2024 21:06:11 GMT
I too, was going to suggest considering putting together a few "kits" made of what you already have. Especially if you can pair something you feel a bit bored with along with something you're more excited about. One thing about one-sided papers is that if all else fails, and I know I won't use them (this typically happens to me with larger paper pads) I just use the white side for journaling blocks/tags/frames, etc. I was given a pad with a watermelon theme, but very few pages were just so specifically themed that I couldn't use them elsewhere--except the pages with watermelon related words all over it. So those pages I just use as white cardstock. And by removing the pages that were a "no-go" for me, it removed that negative every time I flipped through the pad. I've done that with other pads as well, sometimes just turning paper I really dislike into scrap papers just to get it out of the pad and away from the other papers. It was as if the other papers were guilty by association.  |
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Jul 15, 2024 21:45:03 GMT
I love that, guilty by association!
I had a really ugly paper pad, no idea where it came from. There was a green/gray color on a lot of it that made me dislike it. But, when I pulled that out, I realized there were some usable small print orange and also purple, which I didn’t have a lot of.
The other thing I do is make a 12x12 frame out of less pretty paper with a solid cs in the middle for layouts that are harder to match.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 1, 2024 2:18:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2024 23:15:14 GMT
When I’m starting with a photo I usually select one item that serves as a base for my design. This one item can be anything (embellishment, sheet of paper, etc.) that goes with the photos for any reason (theme, color, etc.). Then I make a firm decision to use that item on my layout and structure my other choices around using that item. If it’s an item I have to create (fussy cut, Cricut, etc.) I do that next.
This narrows the beginning stages of the decision process because I’m only selecting one item to go with the photo instead of looking through every paper I have in my stash right off the bat. If it’s a premade embellishment the rest is easier. I choose papers, etc. to match using the color palette of the item and draw inspiration from the photo for either supporting or accent colors.
If it’s not a premade item it forces me to choose something complimentary from my stash to make the item. I’ve again narrowed my decision choices because all I’m trying to make is one embellishment. I’m not super invested in the rest of the page yet. I decide what papers, embellishments, etc. go with that finished item and the photo after I complete it.
I find building my page around a complimentary item rather than solely the photo helps me look at my stash as supporting elements rather than an overwhelming sea of product I have to make choices about. It helps me visualize uses for old paper I might otherwise overlook and get more excited about using them. It also helps me create items resembling new things on the market using items I already have.
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Post by melanell on Jul 15, 2024 23:53:45 GMT
When I’m starting with a photo I usually select one item that serves as a base for my design. This one item can be anything (embellishment, sheet of paper, etc.) that goes with the photos for any reason (theme, color, etc.). Then I make a firm decision to use that item on my layout and structure my other choices around using that item. If it’s an item I have to create (fussy cut, Cricut, etc.) I do that next. This narrows the beginning stages of the decision process because I’m only selecting one item to go with the photo instead of looking through every paper I have in my stash right off the bat. If it’s a premade embellishment the rest is easier. I choose papers, etc. to match using the color palette of the item and draw inspiration from the photo for either supporting or accent colors. If it’s not a premade item it forces me to choose something complimentary from my stash to make the item. I’ve again narrowed my decision choices because all I’m trying to make is one embellishment. I’m not super invested in the rest of the page yet. I decide what papers, embellishments, etc. go with that finished item and the photo after I complete it. I find building my page around a complimentary item rather than solely the photo helps me look at my stash as supporting elements rather than an overwhelming sea of product I have to make choices about. It helps me visualize uses for old paper I might otherwise overlook and get more excited about using them. It also helps me create items resembling new things on the market using items I already have. This is a good idea, and I accidentally implemented it recently. I had 2 single sided layouts that would be facing one another and I wanted them to look nice together, but not use the same papers/lines. On the one page I knew I wanted to use a new paper line I recently purchased, and so that forced my hand on the other layout because I had to choose something that would coordinate with those papers. And it just so happened that I wound up using a very old paper pad in my stash that I had never used before.  |
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 16, 2024 13:16:49 GMT
breetheflea I was going to suggest you start with tearing apart the old paper pads and resorting them by color or theme, but I see you did that, so yay! I recently started going through my paper every time I pulled out a theme or older collection. I have rehomed some of those papers. Single sided papers I no longer love go in an envelope for using the white side. Wood grain on the back? Pulled it out and placed in in my wood grain stash. Floral papers that are in with a theme, like birthday? I rehomed them into my general stash, because I really don't use florals with birthday layouts. Re-sort to a system that works for you.
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Post by quinmm14 on Jul 16, 2024 15:02:46 GMT
I've used some older paper that I wasn't that fond of for die cutting tags to stick behind photos or used it for making labels which I put a word sticker (embellishment) on.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,418
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 16, 2024 15:55:52 GMT
I've used some older paper that I wasn't that fond of for die cutting tags to stick behind photos or used it for making labels which I put a word sticker (embellishment) on. This is a great tip, and it reminded me of the time that I gave some ugly papers from a paper pad to friends who were glad to take them off my hands. They used the ugly papers as layers on cards, and really, only a splash of the color showed, not the full, ugly pattern. It surprised me how cute the cards were, knowing that ugly papers had been used as one or more of the layers. Using your stash papers for tags and other ephemera could add interest, instead of being the background. |
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