April 22, 2026
Celebrate Earth Day the Scrappy Way
Scrappy Earth Day, memory-keepers! As scrapbookers, we understand the value of preserving the past. But as caretakers of this planet, we also recognize the importance of protecting our future. This Earth Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the small, meaningful ways you can help make this hobby more thoughtful, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Eco-friendly scrapbooking doesn’t have to be complicated! Here are some easy ways to get started:
- Stretch your supplies. Instead of trimming a full mat for every photo, try photo corners or a peek-a-boo frame technique that lets you reuse the center piece for another element.
- Get creative with packaging. That clear plastic wrap around your paper packs? It can be repurposed as a layering element or shaker window on a layout. These are also great to use when you are using inks and want a nice place to tap off your brush or mix your inks.
- Organize for reuse. Sort and store your scraps by color or size so they’re easy to grab and use on future projects. You’ll be surprised how often they come in handy.
- Use your scraps. Bits of paper left over from trimming, “punch poop” and border offcuts can be layered, pieced together or turned into decorative accents. Check out the video below for a quick project that turns your scraps into a statement piece!
Even just one layout made from scraps keeps paper out of the trash and puts your creativity to the test… and this project let’s you do just that!
To create this layout, you will need:
- Any scraps & leftover decorative items (this project uses Delight papers, embellishments, and stickers)
- 12-inch Trimmer
- Photo Trimmer
- CCS Border Cutting Tool
- Red Blade
- CCS Cutting Mat
- Tape Runner
- Repositionable Tape Runner
- Foam Squares Variety Pack
Layout by Annalisa Smola, Creative Memories Home Office
Step 1: Cut a 2″ x 12″ strip of white cardstock for the base of your scraps border.
Step 2: Gather a variety of scrap papers and trim them into strips of varying widths and lengths. There is no need for perfection here, variety is key!
Step 3: Adhere the paper strips horizontally and angled across the white cardstock strip, slightly overlapping and mixing patterns as you go. Continue until the entire strip is covered.
Step 4: Once fully covered, trim any excess paper from the edges of the strip using your 12-inch Trimmer so the strip is clean and even on all sides.
Step 5: Align your border strip along the left edge of your cutting mat. Place the CCS Border Cutting tool so your preferred pattern is on the right, and the outside edge of the left feet aligns with the left edge of your border. Using the Red CCS Blade, cut along the right edge of your border.
Step 6: Taking another 2″ x 12″ scrap strip in a contrasting color, align along the left edge of your cutting mat. Place the CCS Border Cutting tool so the same pattern is on the right, and the outside edge of the left feet aligns with the left edge of your the strip. Using the Red CCS Blade, cut along the right edge of your strip.
Step 7: Adhere the scrap strip behind the border strip so there is approximately 1/8″ to 1/4″ showing on the right edge of the border. Adhere the finished scrap border on the left edge of your white base page.
Step 8: Cut three 4″ x 6″ mats and arranged on your page as shown. If you have extra scraps, cut triangles from a contrasting 4″ x 6″ mat to layer, or double mat the photo with a 4-1/4″ x 6-1/4″ mat in a contrasting color.
Step 9: Crop three photos to 3-3/4″ x 5-3/4″. Adhere your photos to the mats, and add your embellishments and stickers. Use foam squares for added dimension.
Step 10: Journal as desired.
Post your Earth Day creations in the Virtual Crop Group using #ScrappyEarthDay! In what ways do you reduce, reuse and recycle your scrapbooking materials? Learn more on how Creative Memories does their part by exploring the details in this previous Earth Day blog post and watching the video below!
P.S. Are YOU a member of the Virtual Crop Group? It’s your go-to place for MONTHLY Virtual Crops, MONTHLY Completed Album Challenges, QUARTERLY Secret Box Openings with project tutorials and so much more! We hope you’ll join our community of more than 52,000 fellow memory-keeping enthusiasts — you’ll feel right at home!
