Top Ways to Makeover Your Scrapbook Stash

By Dana Hinders

If you're looking for the top ways to makeover your scrapbook stash, you're not alone.

Thanks to a sluggish economy, scrapbookers of all ages and skill levels are finding themselves in search of ways to make old scrapbook supplies look like new. While it's true that part of the fun of scrapbooking is shopping for new papers and embellishments, challenging yourself to make the most of the items that are already in your scrapbook stash is a wonderful way to spark your creativity. With a little effort, you can easily turn outdated supplies into personalized page accents.

Top Ways to Makeover Your Scrapbook Stash

Painting, distressing, and making a collage are three of the top ways to transform your scrapbook stash.

Painting

Acrylic craft paints are a fabulous tool for scrapbooking, as they can be used to makeover a variety of items. Here are a few easy techniques to try when you want to find the top ways to makeover your scrapbook supply stash:

Make an interesting accent for your page by setting mismatched eyelets at random intervals on a border or scrapbook tag. Paint the finished accent with the color of your choice, covering the eyelets completely.
Do you not have enough matching stickers for your page title? Unify mismatched letter stickers by painting them all one color before adding them to your page.
If you purchased a package of bulk patterned paper only to discover several patterns that don't fit your needs, paint over top of the unwanted sheets with the design of your choice. If you're not comfortable sketching out an actual image, simply create an ombre pattern by transitioning from light to dark shades of the same color as you move from the top to the bottom of the page.

Distressing

The shabby chic look continues to be a hot trend in the scrapbooking world, as popularized by companies such as BasicGrey. Give your supplies a bit of vintage flair by trying some of the following techniques:

Give paper a bit of texture by crumpling it, then flattening it out under a pile of books.
Sand your textured cardstock to reveal the white core underneath.
Tear the edges of a sheet of patterned paper, then lightly apply a bit of brown or black ink to the exposed strips.
Tone down the appearance of bright patterned paper by applying a light wash of brown watercolor paint.
If you have a sheet of light colored paper with a subtle pattern, print a black and white copy of a favorite photo over top of the design. Enough of the underlying pattern will show through to provide an interesting effect.

Making a Collage

You may associate collage techniques with elementary school art classes, but this is actually a very good way to use up some of the paper scraps that have been collecting dust in your craft room. Go through your pile of patterned paper scraps to sort each paper by its dominant color. Cut the scraps from each pile into strips or squares, then glue to a solid cardstock background to make your own customized patterned paper. You can either arrange the shapes in a linear grid or trying weaving the strips together, depending upon the look you prefer for your project.If you want to be even more creative, you could try making paper that incorporates a simple shape into the background. For example, you could make a collage featuring various scraps of red patterned paper arranged to look like a heart on a background of pink paper scraps. A brightly colored flower could be used as a pretty focal point for a young girl's scrapbook album, while rays of sunshine made from orange and yellow papers are sure to perk up a page about the joy your sweet baby boy brings to your life.

Depending upon your scrapbook style, you could try incorporating elements such as glitter, beads, or flocking onto your collage background. This can be a fun way to add an artistic touch to an otherwise simple layout.