The Art Of Reuse For Scrap And Smash Books

     I've never been a wasteful person, so even as a kid, I always looked at paper waste quite differently from most people in my family. At the time, I knew nothing about the importance or reuse or recycling, and the term "going green" had not been coined yet, but there was a part of me that was very aware.
    Even now as an adult, when I come across a beautiful gift or clothing price tag (I mean the ones you get from more expensive clothing or fancy boutiques), I put it in my stash for use in an upcoming project. But, that's not all. Specialty envelopes or small boxes that can be broken down, make wonderful templates, and believe it or not empty cereal boxes make quick book covers, (especially for kid projects) when decorative paper is added. However if you are making a journal, smash or scrap book you want to last, you should stick to actual book board.
      My point is that there are so many wonderful things to be recycled! Even old children or other books that are destined for the trash, can have cute characters, pictures, or phrases that can be clipped and saved to give a unique touch to a special project. 
     One of my favorite things to use in my scrap or smash project are vintage cards. I'm talking about the ones from the fifties or before. Those cards usually have very cute big headed characters that make you smile! Chip boards from your old writing pads also make lovely book marks or book covers. Never throw those things away. They always come in very handy to give book marks sturdiness.
     So here's a very fun challenge. Go on a treasure hunt in your own home, looking for paper items you can reuse or recycle. Remember they are things you would normally consider trash. Now, obviously, trash is just that, trash, and I'm sure you know the difference, so no hoarding! But I'm talking about a paper tag (you can keep as a stencil or actually use, old cards (that you don't want to save) with cute images to cut out, old library book inserts, a very cute label from a box, jar etc.. All of these things can help to truly personalize your scrap or smash project. There is no exact design or layout for either. It's your project your way. It's that simple. 
     I'm sure you could find a lot of what you need to start a smash, scrap, or journal project. Or, if you're like me, at least start a stash. Trust me, once you start doing this, you will never look at a piece of paper the same way again. Yes, you will need to buy certain things form the store, but this is just about finding some new uses for things you may not have thought of, and it helps to save our planet and money too. :)