World Cardmaking Day: Using Tear Strips

Even though I make all of the cards that our family sends, I don't really consider myself a cardmaker. I don't follow many cardmarking blogs or creators, I don't have many of the tools or equipment most cardmakers use, and I don't have the same passion for making cards that I do for making layouts. Basically, I am a scrapbooker who also happens to make cards. 

Earlier this year I participated in a scrapbook event (I don't remember which it was) with a challenge that seemed really strange to me. I couldn't do the challenge at the time, but decided to put the idea on hold and try it on a card. Last Saturday was World Cardmaking Day, so it was time to tackle it. This is the result:

Can you guess what the challenge was? It basically said, "We all have a bunch of tear strips sitting around, so use them to create a cute element for a layout!" My thought was, "You all have tear strips sitting around?"

In case you aren't familiar with the term, these are tear strips: 

Most high-quality 12" x 12" scrapbook paper is actually 12" x 12.5" when it's sold. The extra half-inch strip is where the manufacturer prints their brand name, the collection name, the paper's name(s), and a bar code. In the early days of modern scrapbooking, they used to be perforated (hence, a tear strip) but now they need to be cut off with a trimmer. 

In the picture above, I've displayed the side of the tear strip that has the most of the patterned paper showing. For example, the first piece is entirely patterned on one side (printed info is on the reverse), but that is not the norm. Most have just a few inches of pattern. Apparently people are hanging onto these and had them on hand for a scrapbook challenge? 

Not me. If I'm using the entire sheet, I cut the collection name/paper name out and glue it into my supply notebook. If I'm not using the whole sheet, I keep the tear strip attached to the paper so that I'll know what the paper is the next time I use it. For example, my Christmas Eve 2020 layout used three patterned papers. I used the entire "Sparkle Flurries" paper from the Cozy Christmas collection by Simple Stories. I didn't use the entire "Charlotte" (Country Boutique collection from Fancy Pants Designs) or all of "Blush/Green" (Spring Farmhouse collection by Simple Stories). 

Anyway, I've been saving tear strips ever since that challenge and was eager to see if I could use them to make a decent card. ("Decent" was my goal. I'm not a cardmaker, so I gotta keep those expectations low!) Arranging the bits and pieces was actually really fun. 

I glued them all down except that white grid piece in the center. I stamped a sentiment on it and then outlined it with a brown pen. I added the punched Rinea leaves (affiliate link) to form an orange visual triangle, then finished the card with a sparkly gem. I'd say the results are... well, decent. 

I ended up making four more cards on Saturday, all inspired by various World Cardmaking Day challenges. I'll share those over the next few days.