For our March Creative Day, we dove into one of my favorite things to do: making funky collage embellishments. And let me tell you, this was the kind of project that had us laughing, gluey-fingered, and feeling like paper alchemists. The best part? We barely needed anything fancy—just our scrap bins, a little washi tape, and a stack of old magazines.
(a.k.a. the ultimate excuse to dig into your stash!)
Base Paper Strip
-
Cardstock, scrapbook paper, or even a cereal box
-
Size: approx. 30 cm x 10 cm (but honestly, anything goes!)
-
Patterned paper, tissue paper, book pages, music sheets, leftover die cuts—whatever you've got hiding in your stash!
-
Assorted washi designs—mix patterns, colors, metallics, whatever makes your heart happy
-
Magazines: Grab a few old ones and hunt for:
-
Words
-
Phrases
-
Interesting fonts
-
Letters you can mix and match ransom-note-style
-
-
Good scissors for fussy cutting
-
Glue stick, liquid glue, or even a tape runner—whatever you love
-
Ink for edging and adding a little pop of color
- You can also use tiny stickers, labels, stamped images.
-
Sewing machine (if you're feeling fancy!)
🧃 Step 1: Big Strip Energy
We started with a big ol’ strip of paper—about 30 x 10 cm. Something sturdy like cardstock or scrapbook paper works great as a base. You could even use a cereal box, because why not? Upcycling is totally in.
Step 2: Let’s Get Scrappy
Next, we pulled out all those little scraps we can never throw away (you know the ones), along with rolls of washi tape. We layered, overlapped, and glued them down all over the strip. There’s no wrong way to do this—just follow your gut and keep piling on the pretty.
Step 3: Magazine Mayhem
Now here's where it got fun: cutting out words and letters from magazines. Have you ever done this? It’s kind of like a treasure hunt. We looked for words, phrases, or even just letters that resonated with us. Funny ones. Thoughtful ones. Totally random ones. If it caught our eye or made us giggle, it got snipped.
Step 4: Snip Snip Snip!
Once everything was dry, we chopped up the strip into smaller pieces—kind of like little collage tiles or embellishment squares. Some of us went with rectangles, others leaned into tags or wonky shapes. Total freedom to create whatever felt right!
Affiliate Disclaimer:
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase—at no extra cost to you! I only share products I genuinely love and think you’ll love too. Thanks for supporting my crafty corner of the internet!
