How to use crepe scraps from leftover paper flower projects

Paper florists all over the world will inevitably run into the same problem: what to do with all of those crepe paper scraps? You paid for that lovely crepe, and throwing it out feels wrong. But you’re swimming in the scraps, and your home can’t take anymore leftover crepe crammed into nooks and crannies. 

I faced this same problem early on as a paper florist. Dealing with scraps is actually how The Posey Box got its start! While lamenting to a friend about all of the crepe bits I didn’t want to throw out, the idea formed to box the scraps and sell them as mystery boxes. Those first ten boxes sold out so quickly! From there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to coupling boxes of crepe with tutorials and officially starting The Posey Box.

While The Posey Box features new supplies, those little crepe scraps still accumulate like dust bunnies under a couch. What should you do with them? Here are some of my favorite ideas.

Make New Paper

This is a great option for those really tiny scraps. With this tutorial you have to cut the paper up into bits anyway, so you can skip a step by dumping all your tiny crepe pieces together as you work. Then they’ll be ready to go. The tutorial linked above gives great step by step instructions, but here’s the general gist of what home paper making entails: 

• Mix paper with water and beat with a blender.
• Pour into a flat pan.
• Slip in a screen, then pull out and let drain.
• Blot and roll to get excess water out.
• Let dry.

The new paper will be thicker, but still beautiful and useful for many other projects.

Create Tiny Flowers

There are many varieties of flowers that are teeny-tiny and perfect for using up scraps.  Here are some of my favorite ideas: 

• Rose buds
• Magnolia buds
• Cherry blossoms
• Berries
• Forget Me Nots
• Jasmines
• Orange Flowers
• Lemon Flowers
• Hydrangeas

Use Your Imagination
Often as paper florists, we strive to make the most realistic paper flowers possible. It’s incredibly satisfying when someone mistakes a picture of your dahlia for the real deal! 

That said, when it comes to using up scraps, you may not have enough to make an entire flower, even if it’s something small. Many small flowers come in bunches, like cherry blossoms, and if you don’t have enough crepe in that color, you might feel like it’s impossible to use scraps for them. 

This is where your imagination can help. Last July at The Posey Box, our tutorial showed you how to make a giant peony to hang on the wall. Being bigger than my head, it was not meant to look exactly like a real flower, but rather a magical version of one. 

With scraps, you can let your creativity go wild. Why not make a rainbow daisy? Or a miniature version of a ranunculus? Because you’re using scraps, it’s okay to experiment and try something new. If it doesn’t work out, you’re only out a bit of time, not materials.

Donate

If you really can’t use your scraps, don’t toss them! There are many organizations out there who would love a donation of supplies. Art classes, senior living centers, schools, and more could all use paper scraps for many different projects. One child alone could probably go through a bucket of crepe in a few months’ time with all of the possible craft projects out there.

One thing I love about the paper flower industry is how we share knowledge and time to help each other out. Finding a new home for your crepe paper scraps is an excellent way to spread that love even further outside of our paper flower community.