Paper Punches and Sentiment Stamps
Hey there!
In my last blog post I mentioned some of the DIY ephemera that I keep on my desk for projects. I always have some cutouts and stamped sentiments that I can use. Today I thought I’d share some of the items that I create to keep on my desk. They aren’t expensive and they are super easy to create.
Over time, I’ve built up a collection of small paper punches. I have larger ones too but my smaller punches are perfect for just that little touch on projects. You can get them for under $3 each at the craft stores. If you want to invest in larger ones, wait for a sale or use a coupon.
I punch out hearts, butterflies, flowers and other small shapes. I have circles and squares too. You can make some really fun embellishments with those.
I keep all of the small shapes in these grey containers that I picked up from the Dollar Tree. All of the compartments are perfect for mini shapes. And because they are a dollar and compact in size, you can fit quite a few of them in a small space. My crafting area isn’t big and I have several of these for different punch shapes.
Once you add these punches to your collection you’ll understand why you’ve saved all of those scrap pieces of paper. When I’m finished with a project, I look at the leftover paper and decide what I can use it for. If it’s small, I might get one or two butterflies punched out of it. If it’s a larger piece of paper and not too busy a pattern, then I think about stamping a sentiment on it.
I acquire sentiment stamps the same way that I acquire paper punches - I wait until there is a sale or I use a coupon. Once in a great while, I’ll see something that I just have to have in my collection. When I have leftover paper, I pull out my ink and stamp a few messages. They are so versatile that you can use them on birthday cards, scrapbook layouts, project life spreads or even flipbooks. I just keep them in a dish on my crafting desk and pull them out as I need them.
I cut the pieces out or trim them down so that they fit whatever I’m creating. You can use lips on many things and telling people to live a beautiful life is a nice reminder.
As I said, my last post was a photo album so I took the opportunity to add some of my cute embellishments to the pages of the album. I like to matte my photos and then just embellish it up!
I know that people think embellishments and ephemera can be so expensive but I’ve often said that you can make your own pieces quite cheaply. Next time you have some paper left over or you are searching your brain for ideas, pull out your paper punches and sentiment stamps and create something wonderful!
