How to Make Scrapbook Embellishments From Paper Scraps and Stamps

Pull a handful of paper scraps, a few clear stamp sets and two or three ink pads. Ashley starts with the back of a product packaging sleeve that has a printed grid. She liked how it looked when she used it as scratch paper. A matte finish takes ink well. Add an acrylic block for the stamps and set out your punches.

Ink a small word stamp and press it onto the scrap again and again, turning it a little each time. Overlap the edges so the words build a busy, all-over texture. You are not making one neat sentiment here. This becomes background paper, and the punch will pick out a random patch of words later. Black pigment ink keeps tiny text crisp.

Now stamp single sentiments on other scraps. Ashley adds a round stamp to a blue striped cardstock offcut. Round stamps are handy because a circle punch fits right over them. Leave space between impressions so each one can be punched out on its own. Use a darker ink on light paper and a light ink on dark paper.

Try stamping on patterned paper too. Ashley puts navy round sentiments on pink patterned scraps, which gives each piece color with no extra layer. If a stamp does not print well on a busy pattern, switch to a bolder design. She swaps to a word stamp and covers another scrap with "love these details" for a second background.

Flip the circle punch upside down and slide the stamped paper in so you can see where the circle lands. Center the round sentiments, or catch an interesting patch of the word background. Punch a mix of sizes. A 1.25 inch and a 1.5 inch punch let you stack one circle on another later. Keep the pieces in a little pile as you go.

Switch to shaped punches for variety. Ashley uses a scalloped circle punch for the red and pink pieces and her favorite cloud punch for a lighter stamped paper. A scallop makes a frame behind a plain circle. The cloud is a softer shape that breaks up a page full of rounds. Punch two or three of each.

Start pairing pieces. Set a small stamped circle on top of a bigger scalloped circle and stick it down with dot adhesive. Ashley also puts a piece of cork behind a purple circle and stamps right on top of it. Two layers are enough. More than that gets bulky in a page protector or a planner.

Dig into your wood veneer for small accents. Hearts, stars, ampersands and tiny mugs all work. Look for one that fits the word on the circle, or one that echoes a shape on your page. Ashley tries a few on the scalloped stamped piece before choosing. Stick each veneer down with a strong dot of adhesive.

Type a few short words on cardstock with a typewriter, or print them small, and trim each into a thin strip. Ashley adds one to the "today" stamp and two more to other pieces. Stick them across the circle with adhesive, or fix them with a tiny stapler for a handmade look. The strip adds a personal note to a generic stamp.

Finish a few pieces with cork. Ashley pre-cuts adhesive-backed cork into hearts, half circles and scallops, so she can peel and stick. Press a cork heart onto a stamped circle and the set is done. Lay everything out together and check that the colors and shapes look like one family. Store them flat in a bag.