One of my favorite parts of scrapbooking as a hobby is learning to “think outside the box”. Have you ever considered using paint chips from the hardware store as a part of your scrapbook pages? These free strips of color are perfect for embellishing, color coordinating, and enhancing your scrapbook pages. Visit your local hardware store or home center and collect your bounty of free paint chips, then let your imagination unfold.

Paint chips (samples) make a great addition to a scrapbook layout page. Most paint chips that I have tested are acid-free, and come in a multitude of colors, patterns, and even shapes! If in doubt, simply test the paint samples with a pH pen. You can cut apart the strips of color, and arrange them on your page to form a pattern, or you can even keep the strip of colors intact for a “blocky” effect. Some of the samples are textured, and others have unique patterns and designs to them to help give more visual appeal to your layouts. Disney has even introduced Mickey Mouse ear-shaped samples. These look terrific on those Disney vacation pages.

If you don’t wish to use the paint chip directly in your layout, there is another use for these free commodities: coordinating your layout colors using the paint chips as a guide. This is extremely helpful, especially if you consider yourself “color challenged”! The colors are usually arranged in matching color categories, allowing you to mix colors that complement each other.

I have also found that the strips are a great addition to handmade greeting cards. You can attach the strip(s) to the card with eyelets, brads, fibers, or adhesive, then place a strip of vellum on top with a personal message. The possibilities are endless!

Here are several ways to use paint chips in your layouts. I hope you are inspired to find some new ways to embellish your pages!

Cut apart the strips to use as accents behind the Vellum journaling

Use the entire strip here, and then adhere to card. Attach Vellum greeting over the strips.

Here, use square paint chip samples behind the photo, then complete the layout with a monochromatic look.