Easy Projects with Craft Scraps

February 19, 2016
Don't toss the fabric and paper scraps lying around your crafts room. Turn them into a beautiful project.
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Recipe Box and Wall Decor

All you need are paper scraps to create this recipe box and fun matching wall art for your kitchen. Dress up a purchased recipe box with a strip of cardstock accented with a fun border punch. Layer a strip of patterned paper on top for a pop of more color. For the shadow boxes, accent the background with a piece of patterned paper. Add basic shapes, such as the two circles to form the plate, or get intricate by die-cutting kitchen and food shapes.

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Fun Canvas Apron

Dress up a plain canvas apron with bright fabric scraps in fun patterns. Stitch strips of fabric to the apron, layering the ruffles. Not a sewer? Use fabric glue instead.

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Jewelry Box

Decorate a purchased wooden box using ink, paper circles, and fabric flowers for an artsy jewelry box. Button stacks form fun legs.

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Button Bouquet

Create this happy flower bouquet using a combination of florist's wire, buttons, and beads. Stack buttons in various sizes and colors on florist's wire, and top each stack with a pretty bead for a little sparkle. Thread the buttons halfway down the wire, then thread the wire back through the buttons and twist to hold in place. A fun vase holds the finished blossoms.

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Bright Painted Flowers

Welcome spring with pretty flowers made from toilet-paper tubes.

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Wool Pincushions

Make adorable pin cushions out of your leftover wool scraps. These pretty cushions are super easy and come in handy for your next project.

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Quilted Messenger Bag

Create this bright quilted bag with scraps of fabric, ribbon, and buttons.

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Instant Artwork

Use leftover paper as a makeshift mat board. Simply measure your scraps and piece them together in a patchwork pattern. Position photos and journaling to complete your framed artwork.

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Paper Cupcake

Make a sweet cupcake as a nonedible gift. Fold a round piece of paper into a cup shape. Wrap long, narrow pieces of paper around a pencil to fill the cup with curls. Embellish with a little note or small stickers and cutouts.

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Sweet Baby Mobile

Make this sweet little mobile from large chipboard shapes. After adhering papers to both sides of the shapes, machine-stitch around the edges. Punch holes at the tops and tie bows. Hang from the large butterfly with rickrack. Be sure to hang the mobile safely out of the little one's reach.

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Decoupage Vases

Give vases a new outlook to match your decor. Cover a glass vase in decoupage medium, and then apply strips of patterned tissue paper. Cover vase sufficiently with paper, and then apply another coat of decoupage medium.

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Paper-Lined Jars

The difference is in the details. Cover the insides of plastic or glass jars and containers with patterned paper. Cut to size, place inside, and secure with tape. Cover a grouping of jars and display together.

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Paper Chain

Write quick notes about what you're grateful for and add it to a paper chain. Have the whole family get involved. The chain is a great use for the paper scrap pile. Link with double-sided tape.

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Ribbon-Embellished Notebooks

Beginning at one end of the wire spiral binding, insert a ribbon under the first spiral and tie in a square knot to secure. Continue adding assorted ribbons until each wire spiral is covered with two or more ribbons. (How full you'd like the fringe-filled spiral binding is up to you.) Leave some wire uncovered so the notebook will lay flat when open. Trim ribbon ends at an angle. If desired, apply seam sealant to prevent fraying.

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Pretty Party Favors

Fill small cellophane bags with candy or mints. Use decorative-edge scissors on both the top and bottom edge of a strip of card stock, adhere to the top of the cellophane bag. Glue on leftover decorative buttons or other scrapbook embellishments.

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Pretty Desk Organizer

Take your desk organizer from plain to pretty with paper scraps. Start with a clear acrylic desk organizer. Cut scraps according to size of the organizer spaces. Play with patterns and colors to create a fun look. Adhere to the bottom of the container with tape. These can be easily switched when your decor changes.

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Friendly Lion Puppet

Create animal puppets from paper for an inexpensive kids' craft. Use buttons and other embellishments to add life to the animals. Button eyes and a full mane of paper strips give this lion paper-bag puppet his cheerful charm.

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Kooky Elephant Puppet

Mismatch your puppet's eyes to give it extra kooky character. Sprinkle metallic glitter on a chipboard crown to create the elephant paper-bag puppet's scruffy hair.

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Cuddly Bear Puppet

Place a bumblebee brad near the bear's stitched mouth for an extra-cute touch. Use a big black button for his nose.

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Gift Embellishments

Adorn gifts with repurposed paper details. Tie up packages with pretty ribbons. Stamp on plain or patterned paper. Cut around the design and adhere to the gift or use as a tag.

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Greeting Cards Wreath

Select a palette of coordinating hues to create a whimsical wreath. Cut greeting cards into different-size circles. Arrange the circles into a wreath shape, overlapping as desired. Secure with crafts glue. Machine-stitch over the top using coordinating or contrasting thread. Attach a ribbon to the wreath with a colored paper clip and hang.

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Elegant Book Jackets

Lovely handmade papers make these journals more than just a good read. Remove the existing jackets and use as a pattern. Cut the paper to size and then replace the original jacket with the new cover for display.

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Creative Scrapbook Pages

This scrapbook page uses leftovers in a creative way. A single piece of chipboard splashes an initial on the bottom left side of the page. Bits of ribbon add a touch of personality without taking over the page. Paper scraps are transformed into a flowers to go with this beachy theme.

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Photo-Frame Pillows

Embellish an ordinary pillow with ribbon scraps and fringe. These photo-frame pillows are easy to make -- and make the perfect gift.

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