It’s always important to me to stretch my supplies as far as they can go.This is especially true when I have a small quantity of something I completely love. Rather than hoard the paper, I try to find a way to use small quantities of it with big impact.

Currently, I am working through LOAD214. I rely on 6×6 paper pads as a quick go to supply. They are like a mini kit with most of the supplies conveniently coordinated. I often rely on sketches during LOAD to help me create quick and easy layouts. Let’s take one of these layouts and break down how I used a 6×6 paper pad to complete it.

Let’s Dissect This Layout So You Can See How the 6×6 Paper Pads Were Used

This particular layout uses paper from three sheets of the Amy Tangerine Plus One collection. I chose to work with a 4×6 photo. The size of the paper pad compliments the size of the photo, making it easy to just make basic cuts of the patterned paper. I didn’t have any 12×12 paper from this particular collection, so I chose a piece from my supplies that coordinated well.

1. I cut two strips approximately 1.5 inches each. These strips were placed on either side of the photo. Though they have the appearance of being a full size matte, the paper does not go underneath the photo.  I have a little bit of this patterned paper left for a future project.

2. Many papers in a 6×6 pad have a small border strip where they attach to the cover of the pad. In many cases, a hole has been placed in the pad, through this strip, so that the pad can hang on display in a retail store. This hot pink section was just such a strip. I used the strip as a shelf under the photo, covering the hole with a chipboard circle.

3. The yellow portions used in the border is the same type of strip mentioned above. In this case, I cut away the portion of the strip with the hole, then carefully ripped the strip in two. I was then able to tuck ripped pieces throughout the border. The red striped paper is also a border strip. It came from the 12×12 green patterned paper I used as the canvas.

4. I cut two strips of the heart patterned paper, each about 1.5 inches in size. I then carefully ripped down one side of each strip. I layered them along the edges of the 12×12 paper to become a border. To distract the viewer from the seam. I layered tape and ripped pieces of paper ( mentioned in part 3 above), then stitched random spots with my sewing machine. The appearance of the seam will be more prevalent in some patterned papers then in others.

5. One of the patterned papers features blocks with images and journal spots. I cut this camera from the sheet, then mounted it on a piece of cardboard to raise it up a bit. Raising it up helps for it to match the dimension of the chipboard element.

This Happens by Christy Strickler |Supplies Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine, Studio Calico; Letters. Stickers, Chipboard, Epoxy: Amy Tangerine; Jewel: Hero Arts; Tape: Jenni Bowlin, Based on a sketch from the Simple Scrapper Premium Membership

Making the layout using the sketch and the 6×6 paper pad was pretty easy. It’s a matter of using the small amount of supplies in an efficient manner. Doing so has left me with a small amount of  the heart and feather patterned papers which I can easily use on another project. More than likely, no one will even suspect the  way you have manipulated the paper to suit your needs. Would you have known if I hadn’t broken it down for you?