Scrap Strip Tutorial

Thought I'd share a little tutorial on making the scrap strip background, shown in this card here. :) I have the hardest time throwing scraps of paper away, and I always end up with long strips. This is an easy way to use them up.

Start with enough coordinating scraps to fill a card front.

First, lay down some adhesive on a piece of text weight paper. I cut mine slightly smaller than a 1/4 sheet of cardstock - 4" x 5-1/4". I used 3 strips of doubled sided tape; I've also used glue stick. Alternatively, you can put adhesive on each strip, but that gets old. :)

Lay a long strip down at a diagonal. Make sure it's long enough to hang off both sides of the card.

Once the first strip is in place, begin laying down additional strips perpendicular to it. Trim them at the edges of the card as you go, so you have more matching pieces to work with. Work out to the edges from the center, so you don't end up boxing in a weird space.


Alternate perpendicular and parallel pieces. Keep going till your space is filled!

Almost forgot stamp credits for the card above - the butterfly is from www.jimstephan.net - he has some wonderful stamps, and I have a full sheet of butterflies from him (this one didn't come on it so I had to buy it separately). Thinking of You saying is from Art Impressions. Also, the square background paper is a free download from www.oscraps.com.

More examples of scrap strip backgrounds: