

I love embellishments. They are great for so many purposes I probably can’t count them. Let’s try with some examples: for cards, for organizers and journals, for gift wrapping, for appreciating little children’s work – like badges for good homework or at school or help at home…
I also very much like the American style with all these elements connected together to create the perfect message. I am trying to be very minimalist in my craft materials collection, but I am definitely not a minimalist in my craft. I love colours, elements, different layers, tags, pockets and every little message which can be hidden inside a greeting card.
But I also don’t like to buy unified packs of embellishments. Somehow doing it this way all the “messages” end up being somehow the same and the biggest problem is these pieces are never all used. We are buying the packs and after a certain project always something is left over and has to be hidden away in a box or an envelope… And this is cluttering up our workspace – maybe a lot! The problem is that not only do they clutter your craft area but also they are also cluttering your mind. For me this is the biggest problem and if you want to read more about this, you can check my book about Capsule craft collection.
The best way to start creating our scrapbook embellishments
The best way to start is, of course, with a simple white acid free high-quality paper. I am using watercolour paper, because I like the texture and also one of my favourite techniques is with marker water-colouring.
You don’t need any special instruments, machines and cutters. Simple glasses, for example, will do a great job.
Or gift tags, even old ones or clothes labels with interesting shapes. Very often jeans or handmade pullovers have these specific label tags, so you can use them…
… and also transform them to make smaller ones. One tag gives you lots of opportunities to create different tag and label shapes.
And because I said I love hidden messages, I am also using my DIY pocket template – you can find how to make it in here.
Create your colour scheme
Creating the colour scheme of your DIY embellishments is important, because it will organize them into a collection. From this collection you can use all the elements. Because you can create the exact number you need for your project or idea.
For this project I chose mainly pink, green and blue with some yellow and orange accents. So, the main elements were in pink, green and blue and I used the marker water-colouring.
It is an easy technique and the results are always great.
Finishing touches
After you finish with the water-colouring and the paper is dry, it is time to embellish the embellishments. I am using a black marker, a white acrylic marker and a glitter gel pen.
Write your messages, outline some parts, add some dots (my favourite!) and other details.
When all this pleasurable work is finished you will have your embellishment collection ready.
Cut the pieces and start playing with them. Organize them in different ways. Maybe in the beginning you will realise you don’t have enough elements, or you made more than you needed. Don’t worry – with your next collections you will become better and better at judging how many of each you’ll need.
The most important thing is you will create your absolutely unique style and people will start recognizing your craft. You can even create your own designer line or your own small business. Why not?!
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If you love to craft with paper, maybe my Purple Poinsettia tutorial will be interesting for you? Check my Etsy shop ♥


Following the link on the banner below, you can find printable embellishments, based on these from the article:

