Scrap-tastic Challenge!

Oh, scraps. We love 'em. We hate 'em. Lately I've been embracing the scrap in my 10-Minute-Scrap-Pile Challenge, so this challenge from Nichole for the senior Design Team (and me! as the Guest Designer) at Papertrey Ink could not be more perfect! This little cutie may not be a 10 minute card, but it is a much faster project than you might guess. The secret to the Patchwork Scrapwork (catchy, isn't it?) is super simple, super easy. Scout's honor.

• First up, gather a few scraps.

I went for a mix of patterns and materials. From the left I have a dry embossed glassine bag scrap (left over from a Paper Crafts project), a scrap of Simple Valentine patterned paper (left over from some valentines), a stamped and heat embossed scrap (yes, white embossing on Soft Stone again... in the words of Rachel Zoe... I die), and a scrap of vintage bookprint (leftover from my Christmas cards).

I kept to a somewhat monotone palette with just a pop of color, although I have also had success with this technique using all bright colors, shades of similar colors, etc. I really think it can work with whatever you like... just keep mixing it up until you like the patterns and colors together.

• Next, determine your layout.

I went with a standard A2 size card and then decided that I wanted the patchwork panel to fill up most of the front. I cut a piece of scrap white cardstock to use as the base for my patchwork strips that was a bit bigger than the size I'll eventually end up with on my card. There's no science to it... just plan to fill up a piece of scrap paper that's bigger than the space you eventually want to fill.

• Then, trim each scrap into several strips of varying widths.

You're aiming for randomness. That sounds a bit contradictory, doesn't it? I just cut a strip or two of each, then start laying them out on my paper base. I like to arrange them so that I break the A, B, C, A, B, C pattern. I think it helps the randomness in the next step.

• Glue them all down to your prepared base.

You can let all the edges hang over, just make sure to really make sure that the papers are all glued down rightnext to each other on the panel. (If you're using glassine bags as part of your materials, be sure to use a dry adhesive for that part - I used the GlueGlider Pro by Glue Arts. A liquid adhesive will show through the thin, translucent paper.) Also, you want to make sure that you glue the *entire* strip down - you can't just glue it on each end with no adhesive along the middle. This will be important later. Then, just use your paper trimmer to neaten up the edges. Mine looked like this...

All righty, next up.

• Just take your nifty panel of paper strips and trim it down into strips of random sizes.

This time, you're trimming the strips so that each strip consists of a little bit of each of the papers you used to make up the panel. On the above pic, that would mean trimming the panel down from left to right.

• Then, take your new strips and lay them down onto the panel that you want to use on your card.

Again, the goal is randomness. Start at the top or bottom of the panel and lay a strip down on it. For the next row, you'll want to scoot the strip over so that the papers don't line up exactly. If that leaves part of the panel bare on that row, it's ok. Just trim the strip off somewhere over the edge, then bring the extra back over to fill in the gap. Continue on until you like how it looks and glue it all down. Here's what I ended up with...

It looked a lot better after I neatened the edges up with my trimmer. See? I love how it looks like I trimmed out and glued down each patch piece by piece! Yeah, I totally didn't. Now, it probably took me waaaay longer to type all of that out than it will for you to make your patchwork panel. I swear. I really wanted to keep the focus on the patchwork, so here's how I finished my card out... I started with a card base made out of Guide Lines I cardstock... thought that would be a fun way to emphasize the patchwork pattern. I added a mat for the patchwork made from white cardstock and glittered the edges for an extra detail. I backstitched along the bottom layer of patchwork with some pink embroidery floss and then added the stamped sentiment above it with a bit of foam tape. I love how adding that little heart in the middle of the sentiment looks! I'm totally digging the patchwork scrapwork! It's a simple way to use up all those extra patterned paper or cardstock strips and make them into something super cute! One other thing I *love* doing with this technique is to just use one or two strips on a card along with a simple sentiment. You get lots of bang for your buck on that one as you can complete lots of cards with just one patchwork panel.

I'd *love* to see your patchwork scrapwork card! Be sure to come back and leave me a link if you post your own patchwork card!

Plus, there are more scraptastic ideas to be had from each of these ladies today...

Betsy Veldman Michelle Wooderson Lisa Johnson Heather Nichols Becky Oehlers And, if you'd like to see more of what I (try) to do with scraps, and try your hand at your own, come back on Mondays! I'll show you a card that I've (attempted) to complete in 10 minutes with the scraps from my personal scrap pile. It's always fun to see what the frenzy of 10 minutes brings me.

Thanks for visiting! Later, friends! {Patchwork Love You} card Stamps - Simple Valentine, Damask Designs (Papertrey Ink) Cardstock - Guide Lines I, Soft Stone, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink) Patterned Paper - Simple Valentine (Papertrey Ink), glassine bag, vintage bookprint Ink - True Black, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink) Other - Prisma glitter (Papertrey Ink), White Filigree Detail embossing powder (Papertrey Ink), Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Embroidery floss (DMC)