Free Cardboard

As you all know I love FREE supplies. And the world is full of them if you're on the lookout. My sister-in-law has caught the Miser bug (see the 12 cent layout) and has some great ideas. She recently moved back to Australia from America with my husband's brother and their two boys. And because she knows how much I love free supplies she saved some of her packingaging off a recent delivery.



She gave me some lovely corrugated cardboard and some packing ribbon in the same colour as my son's school uniform. I can't wait to try out the cardboard. I'm going to dry brush it with paint and then tear the edges.... I just need to decide on a project for it.



So I think it's a great idea to involve your friends and family in this search for free supplies. If people know for instance that you'd love to have the back's off their old notebooks (a great source of free chipboard), then before you know it you'll have more chipboard than you can possibly use in a lifetime. My DH is always on the lookout and once bought home an earing he found on the ground (It was no good for wearing as there was only one but ideal as a page embellishment).



But how do you use all that chipboard that your friends and family donate? I trace around mine and then use a craft knife to cut it out. I'm also planning to go to my LSS and pay the $10 table fee and use their sizzix machine and dies to cut out every shape and alphabet they have. Of course I then couldn't say that the chipboard items were free (strictly speaking) but I could add up all the items I create for that $10 and work out an individual price for each piece. That way in future when I'm calculating the cost of a page I can be more precise in my estimation.


I'm wondering what everyone's favourite free item is? Mine is chipboard what's yours?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I purchased a dress once and it had a broach on it. Too much for the dress but I think it will look GREAT on a layout one day (kind of free as I just had to buy the dress).
Anonymous said…
Costume jewlery at thrift stores and yard sales would be a good place to check too. Have to ask tho- how safe is the cardboard from boxes and packaging to add to photos? Be sure everything is acid free. Another idea for those hard to match colors- go digital...its' easy and no waste of papers.plus you get multiple uses out of the kits. www.3scrapateers is a great site with lots of ideas and freebies on it. Awesome designers too!

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