Looking for ideas to use your paper scraps? This cardmaking challenge shows you how to turn leftover patterned paper into a feature design.
This challenge is all about bringing your scraps to the front of your card, instead of tucking them away in the background.
Today’s idea was inspired by a project by Hélène den Breejen, and I’ve taken that concept and explored a few different variations you can try using whatever you already have on your desk.
The Idea: Feature Your Scraps
Instead of treating patterned paper as a supporting element, this technique lets it become the main feature.
When choosing papers, I like to start with one multicoloured focal pattern—in this case, the floral succulents—and then build around it with tone-on-tone or quieter single-colour patterns to complement it.
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I began by layering torn strips of patterned paper to create a soft, textured panel across the front of the card. The imperfect edges give it a relaxed, slightly organic feel.
Clean Cut Variation: Banner Ends
If the torn look isn’t quite your style, this is a cleaner alternative.
Instead of tearing, I:
- trimmed each strip into a pointed banner end
- used a simple template to keep them consistent
- layered them in the same way as the torn version
This keeps the same layout, but gives a more structured, polished finish.
🎥 Watch the Full Process
Torn vs Banner style? You can see these variations come together in the video below, including a few small decisions and changes along the way (some planned… some not!).
A Small Creative Decision
One of those finishing touches is choosing the background colour.
I was deciding between a soft pink and a light yellow—both worked beautifully. In the end, I chose the yellow because it added a little more brightness and helped lift the other colours in the design.
I’d love to know—which would you have chosen?
BONUS: Stepped-Up Experiment
This challenge inspired an additional variation that builds on the same idea in a slightly different way.
If you’d like to see this bonus project, I’m sharing it with my email subscribers:
Keep It Going
If you’re working through your paper scraps, this is such a versatile layout to come back to. You can:
- change the edge style (torn vs clean)
- play with colour combinations
- keep it simple or add extra detail
It’s a great reminder that even the smallest pieces can become something really special.
See you in Challenge 8!
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