Tuesday Tute: Paper

Well here it is gals, the first ever Tuesday Tute! I can honestly say I'm nervous about this lol Just remember...it's my first time, be gentle! lol

Now, I'm focussing on paper today. Namely, ways to use your paper that may just save some dollars. Let's be honest, we all want to save what we can...so we can spend it on more goodies!! I'm sure some of you may already know of these little cheats, but hopefully I can help some of you out :) So, let's get to it!

~Tip #1~ My first handy hint is one that I use a lot! I often have just one piece of paper that I would like to use for my background, but then decide that a little of that would work well as a highlight piece on my layout too.

* Cut a panel out of the paper that you need, in a place that no-one can see. As you can see in my example, I used a print bg, but also wanted a small piece to highlight the LO. So, before adhering the back piece, I cut a (rather wonky) square from it, in a place that I knew would be covered/ hidden from view..see the cleverly placed arrow, just in case you missed the square lol When the layout is then flipped over and put together, no-one can tell the difference! Great way to both save paper and tie all the elements of your LO together.

~Tip #2~ Another shortcut 'fake it til ya make it' tip. Often, I find that I would like a large strip of paper behind my photo, or matt etc but just don't have enough. That's where this tip comes in.

*Find a small scrap of the paper you wish to use (note the small red piece in my pic. Cut it in half and then slot into place, taking care to align the pieces properly. You now have what looks like a long strip of paper, but is actually a small piece from your scrap drawer. Even if you do have enough to start with, why not be budget smart and try it anyway lol

~Tip #3~ This tip is especially good for those of us that like border strips, but it can be adapted to pretty much all situations. For this example, I am using 12inch border strips.

* Note that the patterned strip is not very wide. Choose the pieces you would like to layer for your border. Now, rather than make your lower layer (patterned in my case) reach all the way to the end of the page, trim it down short, and simply slip it into place. You achieve the same look, while saving paper and $$

~Tip #4~ This is a big money saver!! I love the scalloped paper shapes that are everywhere lately - love them! But, they are so pricey! Here in AUS, they range from $2 & up, some even going for $6 a piece. That's just one piece ladies - ridiculous!! So, if you want the look without the price tag, try this.

* An easy way is to simply grab a scallop piece that you already have, place it on the back side of the paper you want to use, and trace around it, then trim the piece. Easy right! But my new method involves a template. While shopping, a friend of mine came across chipboard scalloped shapes at the LSS. Well, I immediately grabbed them to use as templates. They had a large variety but I simply bought two different sized scallops, which were under $2 each. As you can see in the pics, I used them exactly as described above. Flip your paper, trace & trim.

And if you'd like to save even more - make your own template by tracing around a scalloped paper onto a sturdy piece of card. Too too easy!

~Tip #5~ I love doing this, it's become my new 'thing' lol. Whilst I love all the coordinating embellishments that you can purchase, the cost is quite off-putting. So this is my little cheat, to be sure that my bellies match my paper.

*Choose a patterned paper that coordinates with your plain, or that you are already using on your LO. Cut out shapes from the pattern (your paper might have flowers, apples, paisley's etc), ink edges, pop dot etc and add to your LO. It helps tie all the pieces of your LO together and is a very cost-effective way of adding embellies to your page. Also a great way to add a little extra to an altered project, such as my calendar and altered owl frame.

~Tip #6~ Another fave of mine, that you can make simple, or really detailed depending on your style.

*Use your paper to make embellies. Cut out a flower/star/heart etc shape from your page. Jazz it up with ink/bling/rub-ons etc and voila - a new, affordable embellishment. And by using coordinating papers, you can be sure your flowers etc will match your layout. In the pic below I went for the detailed approach & have made some cute little flowers using a fantastic tute that can be found HERE on Sugar Jen's blog.

So there you go! Hopefully I've been able to give you a few lightbulb moments and have gotten you thinking outside the square! If you use any of these little tricks I'd love to see the results!

That's all from me today, but pop back in tomorrow for my Wednesday Write-Up!

Thanks for stopping by :)