Shop Your Stash

And save some cash for the New Year

The holidays are behind us and the New Year is here! If your festivities were anything like mine, your wallet is feeling noticeably lighter and you’re looking for ways to save a bit of money. Maybe you’re even considering cutting back the amount you spend at the scrapbook store—which could mean making use of supplies you bought way back in 2006! (Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to shock your system like that!)

But tell me the truth. Don’t you already have enough scrapbook supplies to last you for years of scrapbooking fun? I know I do. I remember just a few years ago, how I waited anxiously for the staff at the scrapbook store to unpack the boxes of Making Memories foam stamps, metal-rimmed tags, and bookplates, so I could be the first to own the latest and greatest. And today, many of these items are still sitting in my stash of supplies.

In order to help some of these “oldies but goodies” see the light of day, I challenged myself and three other scrapbookers to dig out our oldest supplies (purchased at least 3 years ago) and create something new and exciting with them. I was wowed by the results, and I hope you will be too!

Cartwheel by Nicole Southworth

Supplies:

cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned paper (American Crafts) • letter stickers (American Crafts) • brads (American Crafts) • metal-rimmed tags (Making Memories) • bookplate (Making Memories) • date stamp (unknown source) • font (Century Gothic) • 11 x 8½ layout by Nicole Southworth

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First up is this layout that my Aussie friend, Nicole, shared with me. Aren’t those just the cutest photos ever of her sweet little girl? I love the way she turned the metal rims from three metal-rimmed circle tags into unique accents. The circles on the page play up the movement in the photos, and the yellow and blue brads match her daughter’s clothing perfectly. Other older products on this page: deco scissors and a metal bookplate.

Mon Jardin by Nathalie Vuille

Supplies:

cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned vellum (EK Success) • metal word charm (Making Memories) • photo corner (Making Memories) • metal alphabet charms (Making Memories) • foam stamps (Heidi Swapp) • transparency (unknown source) • solvent-based ink pad (StazOn by Tsukineko) • pens (Staedtler and Signo Uniball) • machine stitching • 12 x 12 page by Nathalie Vuille

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Nathalie’s layout was the next to arrive in my inbox, and when I opened it, I couldn’t believe how many old supplies she fit on such a beautifully sparse page. Besides the metal photo corners, “happy” metal accent, and metal alphabet charms, she also gave some old-school patterned vellum an updated look by hand cutting and folding the flower petals, and then distressing and inking their edges. Then she transformed some transparencies by stamping them with StazOn ink and trimming around the designs. What a great way to create newer-looking embellishments from older supplies!

Journaling translation: “I don’t have great gardening skills, but I do appreciate the calmness and beauty coming from my garden and flower beds on a nice summer morning, while I’m sipping a good strong coffee. —June 2009”

Boots by Linda Barber

Supplies:

cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned paper (Scrapworks) • bookplate (KI Memories) • brads (Queen and Co.) • vellum • Saturday Sans font • 8½ x 11 page by Linda Barber

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Take a peek at this playful layout that Linda created for my challenge. The supplies she chose look timeless and even modern in such a minimalist design, although everything on the page was released in 2007 or before. The sheet of vellum, which was all the rage in ’05, gives the page a foggy/misty feel that’s perfect for a rainy-day theme. And the bookplate accent adds a burst of color that coordinates nicely with those silly boots.

Still Lovin' It by Barb Wong

Supplies:

patterned paper ("Belleville Winter" by Scenic Route) • cardstock (Bazzill) • decorative mesh (Magic Mesh) • foam stamps (Making Memories) • ink pads (VersaMark and StazOn, both by Tsukineko) • embossing powder (American Crafts) • photo turn (7Gypsies) • brad (American Crafts) • eyelets (American Crafts) • pen (Signo Uniball) • 12 x 12 page by Barb Wong

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After hauling out a whole pile of older supplies for my page, I quickly realized I needed to be more selective so my page didn’t end up too cluttered. I used my old foam stamps for the title, but I heat embossed and individually trimmed each letter for a contemporary effect. Then I created the heart and border by layering Magic Mesh onto cardstock scraps and hand-cutting them. I even managed to use my long-neglected eyelets for the ellipsis. Thanks to my modern treatments of old supplies—plus the addition of a more recent polka-dot patterned paper, a current color palette, and plenty of restful white space—the resulting page is fresh and fun.

Take the challenge!

Dig into your old stash and create a new page or two! With adaptability and creativity as your goal, you’ll be surprised at the new uses you discover for supplies from yesteryear. And we'd love to see your results! Email pictures of your old-supply layouts to submissions@ellapublishing.com with "Ella Inspirations" in the subject line. You could be included in a future article or on The Daily Trumpet blog.