Scrap buster

I received my copy of issue 167 of Cardmaking and Papercraft late last week, but a busy week and working all weekend meant I didn’t get chance to play with my three free butterfly dies until Monday of this week. 

My crafty mojo seems to be a bit lacking at the minute and I have been using kits far more than my norm. I like these cute little butterflies because I can oomph up a kit with them, or get back to my creative roots and build them up into a card with little else.

I fell in love with the Create and Craft Antique Floral Decoupage kit ages ago, it’s almost holographic, but more subtle. When I’ve made cards and other creations, I’ve been keeping the ‘waste’ (A4 sheets with a lot of spare, shiny card), but hadn’t found a use for it yet, there are funny size and shape bits. 

I was waiting for the glue on the box from my last post to dry, so thought I’d cut butterflies from one of the sheets of waste. Shiny butterflies are always useful and pretty. Half an hour later and Iwas wondering what to do with 26 butterflies.

Feeling inspired by having used up some scraps, I thought I’d make a whole card with only scraps.

What I used:

• A 5×7 card blank
• The white card from behind a new stamp
• Free butterfly dies from issue 167 of Cardmaking and Papercraft
• The ‘waste’ from a decoupage sheet from Create and Craft Antique Floral Decoupage kit
• A floral embossing folder which was free with a magazine a year or so back
• Tacky glue

How to:

1. Cut lots of butterflies from your scrap card
2. Emboss the white card.
3. Mat and layer the embossed white rectangle onto the scrap card. I didn’t have a piece quite big enough, but I knew I was going to have butterflies overlapping the edges so I was happy to use two smaller bits and hide the join.
4. Fix the embossed piece central in the top third of the card.
5. Stick butterflies randomly on the topper, some with all the pieces pushed out, some with them in, some stuck flat, and some only stuck in the middle with their wings raised.
6. Stick some of the little swirls from the bottom of the butterfly wings around the topper

Overall, I am really pleased that I’ve been able to make a card with only scraps and freebies, and I quite like the actual look, although I’d not use the little swirls again, I think the card would be nicer if it was more simple. I’ve not added a sentiment because I’ve not got an occasion iin mind at present, but one should look nice simply stamped across the bottom.