We all love a pretty piece of patterned paper right? Yes! So you bought a couple of extra sheets and before you know it there were a dozen or so more new ranges on the market that you just had to have – so you bought them too. And now you are left with some pretty papers in your stash but you have no idea what to use them for because they seem to be outdated – wrong. I have always found the Graphic 45 papers so beautiful – but when it comes to working with them I shy away – that’s until I changed my mind set about it. I have never been anywhere close to the East that is Japan or China, so for me to even want to work with the ‘Bird Song’ range by Graphic 45 made no sense at all. But since I don’t scrap my photos to match my paper, but rather use the products I like, I felt quite comfortable to go right ahead and use the beautiful paper with birds on it. 

With love layout 

For my layout I used photos of a friend who celebrated her 9th birthday recently. I teamed the photos with the older Bird Song range of papers and threw in a new paper from Basic Grey’s Bow ties range. By using a newer paper alongside an older paper you can easily update the look or change it to something else. To further update the look of my paper I added some stamped images using the Artiste Markers and some themed stamps. I used Crystalina glitter glue to highlight some of the elements on the papers and lastly updated the look with some funky washi tape giving my layout the funky edge I wanted. The washi tape was used selectively for its pop of colour giving my layout an accent colour of bright pink and adding loads of unexpected interest. The elements used throughout focus on a feminine theme with birds and flowers – and the Eastern theme are no longer my main priority on this project.

cut out elements dressed up using glitter glue Crystalina

 Here are some more easy tips and tricks of how you can revive 

some of those older paper collections in your stash 

1. Pair them with a new sheet of paper and you won’t even know the difference between old and new 2. Heat emboss a simple design on patterned paper and then cover the rest with ink for a beautiful new look. The embossed image resist the ink and leaves only a small hint of the original patterned paper 

3. Add a layer of gesso (white acrylic paint) to camouflage some of the pattern you don’t like, then add collage stamped images onto the white areas to create a whole new look 

4. Cut them up and use small pieces on a project. Work on a white background to give the paper a fresh new look 

5. Use them on an altered project and camouflage the design with flowers and other embellishments 6. Throw paint and ink to the surface and cover up the old design or colour 

7. Blind emboss the paper using your Cuttlebug and embossing folders and add ink or thermal embossing to it to totally change the look 

8. Ignore the theme of the paper and use it anyway because you like it – don’t be limited because you think the papers has to match your photos 

9. Pick a technique and use it to alter your paper like die-cutting elements out of the papers and using them on cards or gift tags 

10. Add some new products into the mix – I added some modern Washi tape to my projects giving the older paper range a new funky twist and a nice element of surprise Don’t be afraid to alter and change the look of your paper stash – you will get so much more out of your purchases by adding some clever alterations to them.

To see how i altered some more of the beautiful Bird Song papers on a gift tag, head on over here

Products used 

Artiste Dual Tip Brush Markers (12 Pack) – Brights [DDOA851100]

Bird Song Double Sided Paper - Bird Song [GF 4500569] 

Bird Song Double Sided Paper - Endless Spring [GF 4500574] 

Bird Song Double Sided Paper – Tranquility [GF 4500573] 

Bird Song Double Sided Paper - Cherry Blossom [GF 4500575] 

Bird Song Double Sided Paper - Shanghai Girls [GF 4500579] 

Couture Creations Glitzin Glamour – Crystalina [ADCO 721971] 

Therm-O-Web Zots 3D 200 [TW 3786] 

VersaMark Watermark Ink Pad [TVM-001]