Hi Community!
It’s Tuesday again, which means it’s time to chat.
This week’s topic comes from @SarahiRubio, who recently asked how everyone handles leftover materials from craft projects. We thought we’d open it up here — maybe it’ll lead to some fun “scrap stories” from all of you.
You know the moment — the project’s done, but there’s still a weird-shaped piece of vinyl, a strip of cardstock, half a roll of ribbon… feels like it might be useful, but will it really?
So what do you do with your scraps and leftovers?
Do you sort them neatly for test cuts or mini designs? Toss them into a drawer and forget about them? Or keep everything, just in case? lol
Everyone has their own “scrap philosophy” — whether you’re a practical saver, a hopeful hoarder, or somewhere in between. Tell us your habits, your tips, or even that one tiny scrap you just couldn’t throw away.
We’ll randomly pick 3 replies to receive 100 Cheers — a little celebration for you and your scrap bin
See you in the thread!
I said to a couple of friends this when I was working in my current proyect:
this is me using the leftover space of the vinyl let’s see if greed breaks the sack
Well, the gree did break nothing, as the result with my Crafter was amazingly good
I love it! I just needed the threads and ties, the rest of the cuttings go to a box where I can always go and use for a test or a frankenstein project.
Most of the extra cuttings can be done in a small piece of vinyl, so nothing is wasted. All the little leftover pieces I still produce, go to another box, so I can use them for little pieces.
Even blank leftovers of print and cuts (again, I use the same with the gaps, try to put anything there), can be used with the pen feature, once you get control of it. I can even keep the printed sheet with the gaps and, if you preserve the P&C project, you know where the blank spaces are, so it´s easy to go back to them and use the pen on them (as you cannot print on them again without printer jam).
Making no scraps, take more time to fill the gaps, but in the long term, it is worth it
last night I used the sticker release paper that I kept to make some mini paper bags in preparation for our artist alley booth… been using a lot of craft foam too and there are usually some leftover spaces so I cut them into shapes…nothing gets wasted
I do keep a lot of left over materials and I think about how I can use them and usually use them for gifts… that way I use them up and even make someone a thoughtful present.
Yes I have scraps that I keep but usually I forgot where I put it or sometimes it got mix up with new ones. Sometimes when I think that I just use a scrap for a draft, I had to find it first I thank you for this topic coz it reminded me to clean up my scraps haha
I’m inspired I have lots of photo top cover left over too, I’m thinking of creating something out of it just like that, I think soon I have a lot of cleaning to do first hahahah
This is what I also try to do, add bits and pieces in those tiny gaps between cuts to make most of the material and if there will be some scraps I tend to keep them, the problem is I forget where I kept them
It depends. Usually I try to salvage what I can on projects but when I’m pressed for time and the place is already messy I would be forced to toss them in the trash because my husband my send me out for creating a dumpsite in our house
I have 2 bins for my scraps. One is Vinyl and one is HTV vinyl. And boy do they come in handy. Especially if I mess up on something I can go back and use the scrap sheet and redo the mistake instead of wasting an entire sheet (unless it’s a large design)
I have a medium size lidded container that I keep my cardstock scraps in, a zippered pouch for the pattern paper, and a much smaller envelope for my vinyl/HTV scraps. After cleaning up the craft room the other day I decided it’s about time to go through the cardstock and pattern paper and start tossing pieces that are way to small. I can’t stuff much more in the container and the zippered pouch is getting just as bad!
I used to keep everything but after a recent house remodel, I realized I was a little crazy!!! (Don’t ever tell my hubby, I will deny it, lol!!!). I will keep material, ribbon, and paper in storage boxes for big projects but for every day projects, I do keep scrap papers.
I have a wooden drawer where I keep all my scrap papers, but to keep them neater and allow me to actually find/use the paper, I do trim the paper to make squares or rectangles. Here is the messy drawer before…
I’m definitely a “save it until inspiration strikes” kind of crafter. I keep a little bit for cardstock/vinyl/ribbon scraps and challenge myself to use them first before cutting into fresh supplies. Sometimes they become test cuts, but my favorite wins are when a leftover strip or odd shape turns into the beautiful tag,I used them in keychains, or little embellishment.
That said… I do have a drawer that’s basically the land of forgotten scraps. It’s half “organized resource” and half “craft supply graveyard.”
For be curious… has anyone ever actually finished a projectentirely from scraps? I’am and I feel all of you are, we sometimes feel like that’s the holy grail of thrifty crafting.
So what do you do with your scraps and leftovers?
let’s see if greed breaks the sack 
or sometimes it got mix up with new ones. Sometimes when I think that I just use a scrap for a draft, I had to find it first 
I have lots of photo top cover left over too, I’m thinking of creating something out of it just like that, I think soon 
I have a lot of cleaning to do first hahahah
It’s half “organized resource” and half “craft supply graveyard.”
