Other uses for stuff I thought I would use...

Alright, so if any of you out there are like me, you thought you were a scrapbooker, so you bought a whole bunch of supplies (enough to scrap the rest of your children and grandchildren's lives), made about 4 pages and then let all the supplies sit in your closet for 4 years.  No? Okay, so I'm the only one who will admit that I spent way more money than I needed to on a project I would never complete (and therefore will never remember my children's special moments--wait, no, that's not true.  That's why I update my FB status for every little crazy thing they do...capturing memories...yay!)  Back on the train...

So, now I (and you, even though you won't admit it) have a closet full of scrapbooking supplies and don't know what to do with them.  Well, short of handing it all over to someone who would actually use it for its intended purpose (some of which I will), I have found some other uses that I will share with you.  And for you ladies that actually DO scrapbook, I know you have a bunch of leftovers and things you don't want to trash...so here are some ideas for scraps.

A couple days ago I made this:

  

DIY Dry erase calendar

Supplies

• 1 - 16x20 picture frame with glass
• scrapbook paper
• poster board
• ruler
• pencil
• glue or glue stick
• dry erase markers

I found a frame at the thrift store for $2.  Take your poster board and cut out the size to fit the frame.  A 16x20 frame works well because it gives you enough room to write, but doesn't take up too much real estate on your wall.  

First things first, I left a 1/2" boarder around the whole piece of poster board.  I did this so that I left space between the squares and the edge of the frame once I put it all together.

Now measure out your squares.  I made 7 rows and 7 columns.  The top row, obviously, is for writing the month and days of the week.  My squares are 2" tall and 2.5" wide.  I left 1/4" between each of them to make a pretty border between each piece of paper.

Then cut out your squares from your scrapbook paper.  I used 6 different patterns, but you could use just one or two, if you like.  Glue your squares on the grid you marked out and then frame it.

Now you have a dry erase calendar.  You'll never have to buy another wall calendar!  Yay!

Another project with scrapbooking supplies:

Mirror "decals"

I used to use dry erase markers on my bathroom mirror (I still do sometimes).  But some of the things I used to write with dry erase I wanted to be a little more permanent.  So this is what I came up with.  They are not permanent, but they are more so than dry erase markers.  There are two reasons I went with this option over the more popular rub-on decals.  First, this didn't cost me a dime I hadn't already spent.  I was re-purposing a product I already had.  Second, I could change these at any time, still not spend anything, yet, they don't come off when you accidentally spit toothpaste all over the mirror because your 4 year old says something like, "Mommy, I like hot girls," and you have to clean the mirror.

Supplies:

• scrapbooking letter stickers
• straight-edge (I used a level)
• dry erase marker

Start with a clean mirror.

Use a level or straight-edge to make a line where you want your message to appear.

Draw your line with a dry erase marker, so you can erase it easily later.

(Make sure you choose letters that you have enough of to complete your message.)

Plan out your message and start at the middle.  For instance, my message of "flush, wash, brush, floss, lights" centers on the "u" of brush, so that's where I started.

Put all your letters up, then erase the dry erase marker with a soft cloth.

ENJOY!