Scrapbook Repurposing

I love to watch home decorating shows. It just amazes me that by adding a splash of color here and a certain accent there, a room can be changed dramatically. I also am just as impressed by the novel uses designers come up with for ordinary objects. Who would have thought that hanging an old door on a wall and then placing pictures on it would look so cool? Or putting old doorknobs on a painted piece of wood would make such a unique shabby chic coat hanger? These designers are masters at repurposing objects. Scrappers can do the same thing—some good ole scrapbook RP.

First of all, repurposing is not a new concept in our hobby. We have found items to use in our scrapbooks at hardware stores, chain stores, discount stores and garage sales. But have you thought about repurposing what you already have? The benefits are many. You can save money, justify what you already spent, and have customized embellishments on your pages.

I have found that there are a couple of essential tools needed in my SB RP toolbox:

StazOn0™ ink by Tsukineko
Embossing powder or UTEE (gold, silver and clear are the ones I use most)
Sandpaper
Sepia and other inks
Acrylic paints
Clear micro-beads
Diamond Glaze

StazOn™ ink:
Perfect for changing the colors on metal and plastic embellishments. Have a bright pink button but need it to be black? Just add some Staz-on™ and you have a new use for that button.

Embossing powder or Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel:
Another great tool that can change accents to the right color you need. Have a gold layout but only silver metal tags? Change it to gold just by using embossing powder. Have too many metal letter tiles but not the right letters? Cover it with several layers of embossing powder and make the letter you need. Or cover it and make it into a totally unique metal accent.

Ink/Paints:
Easily enhance stickers, diecuts and paper with ink. You can even paint metal embellishments with acrylic paint.

Micro-beads:
Erin Terrell had a great article in the June 2003 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooking on how to alter stickers. One way she demonstrated was with clear microbeads. Just cover your sticker with Diamond Glaze and then pour clear microbeads over it. Let it dry and when it is finished it has a stained glass, beaded look to it.

You can also jazz up die cuts and large stickers by enhancing portions of the items with different color microbeads.

Diamond Glaze:
This is one of my essential items now! It works as glue but is very versatile. If you want a page-pebble effect, just cover your embellishment with the glaze. Add a couple layers and crack it for an antique effect. Add some pearlescent pigments to Diamond Glaze and use it to enhance the appearance of your project.

These are just several ways to repurpose your scrapbooking embellishments. But SB RP is not limited to just embellishments! Try it with your tools, organizational supplies and paper. Before you head out to buy a whole new stash of supplies, see what you can do with what you have on hand. Get in the SB RP mode and let your creativity flow!

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Related Links:

Heat Embossing Basics

Don't Toss Your Scraps!

Creating Altered Clip Boards

Related Products from Scrapbook.com:

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