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ScrapHappy in January

This month’s challenge combines two inspirations: Kate, who encourages crafty projects from scraps, and Natalie Brown, who shares clean, simple card tutorials on YouTube and Facebook. 

Natalie shared a sketch, colour palette, and theme, challenging us to make cards using her suggestions.

Here’s the inspiration:

A calendar page for January 2026 featuring a sketch with the word 'sentiment', a photo of a pink flower, and color blocks in green, pink, and orange. Additional details include 'Medium: Paint Pens', 'Tool: Smoosher', 'Theme: New Beginnings', and 'Shape: Feathers'.
copyright NB Cards (Natalie Brown)

My first scrappy card uses the envelope of a marketing mailer (scrap).

A colorful greeting card featuring a floral design framed in pink with the word 'Bloom' in a playful font, placed on a background of green grass.
A partially opened envelope featuring tropical flower designs, with a message indicating a $50 award from Tommy Bahama.

It also incorporates Natalie’s design sketch, suggested colours, and applying ink with a smoosher, a simple DIY tool made from a plastic bag and some paper towel.

I cut parts of the envelope into narrow strips for the background, and chose a focal point from another area, then matted it in on a scrap of white paper, inked with a coordinating shade of pink.

Close-up of a partially torn envelope featuring floral designs with white flowers and green leaves, alongside the text 'Start your holidays at Santana Row'.
Used to cut image for focal point
A decorative card featuring a floral design in a framed square with the word 'bloom' in a stylish font, set against a white background and surrounded by colorful embellishments.

I stamped the “bloom” greeting on an image of a pink petal and punched circles in three tropical colours. Cutting the narrow strips was fiddly, but fun in the end.

The second card uses a shiny black page from a paper sample book given to me by a friend years ago, a piece of gold paper from the lining of an envelope, scraps of two kinds of white paper, and the last of the paper napkins gifted to me by Pauline King before she passed.

A greeting card featuring a colorful illustration of a black cat with white paws and a yellow background, bordered by decorative edges. The text on the card reads 'thinking of you'.

You can see other napkin cards in my post, Crafting With Scraps.

If you would like to share your own crafty creations, please get in touch with Kate, at Tall Tales From Chiconia.

Please have a look at other ScrapHappy posts at the following links:

Kate, Eva, Sue, Lynda,

Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 

Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,

Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,

Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 

Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,

Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,

Hannah and Maggie

25 thoughts on “ScrapHappy in January”

  3. Well done following the challenge, I especially like the narrow strips used as a background. The recipients of your cards are lucky to receive a little work of art.

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  10. You work miracles with scraps of paper. I’m always in awe of your ability to do that. I think I have every one you made for me. I look at paper and think, what can I do with this but then…I don’t do. I think often about sending them to you. I have some that will be great bookmarks for your LFL. They are on my desk now to go in an envelope. You make my mind whir. :)

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  11. Such wonderful cards, dear Alys! I’m always impressed with your artistic use of recycled materials in your artwork. Natalie’s Challenges look like a great creative ‘workout’ each month! I look forward to seeing your next Challenge, my friend! 💕 ~ Dawn

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  12. Your cards are lovely. I especially like the use of scraps. I save bits of paper, and you’ve given me good ideas. Handmade cards, hands-down, are so much fun. I crafted a few this week out of pressed flowers and my mood soared with the making of them. Thanks for posting your creations.

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