Hello fellow scrappers,

Kayla aka keepscrappin here with today’s Saturday Special Challenge. If you’re anything like me, you want to get the most from your scrappin’ supplies, so today I’m gonna to show you one way to get more outta those alphas you’ve got in your digi stash. Sure we all use alphas to title our layouts, but how about using those alphas as embellishments for our layouts? Don’t worry, it’s easy and fun too!

The basic idea is to look at your alphas in a different way. Is that an exclamation point? Yes, but it could be a flower too just by duplicating it and rotating each new layer 30 degrees…. continue until you’ve gone all the way around.

How about using that asterisk as a flower or in a scatter. Take that period and use it as a flower center or part of a scatter. Combine those Y’s in a circle to make a snowflake. The possibilities are endless, so just let your imagination go wild and have fun!

Here’s a small sampling of some ideas you can do with alphas.

My favorite letters to work with from alpha sets are: asterisks, periods, exclamation points, v’s, i’s, and y’s; but really you could use any letter you want. Just look at the shape of the letter and see what you can come up with. Don’t be afraid to resize, duplicate and rotate your letters or even delete part of your letter to get the look you want.

Here’s a layout I made using a couple of alphas to embellish my page.

I used the alpha that came with the On the Front Porch kit from Plum Dumpling Designs for my scatters and I used the Frosty Alpha from WM[Squared] Designs to make some flowers.And here’s some pages from the ScrapMatters Creative Team

from Melissa using Sprocket By Elise’s Pieces

She made flowers from the asterisks and turned her title sideways to use it as a vertical embellishment on her page.

from Trista using Grandpa’s Garden and Grandpa’s Garden – Veggies by Chelle’s Creations

She used the I, l, V, 1, and, – from the alpha and clipped green paper to create grass.

from Melanie using Be Inspired – JennV, Oh Snap! Mega Mini & Oh Snap! Word Art all by WM[squared] Designs

She duplicated and rotated the v to make stars.

from Kelli using Gimme Space Templates – Band Geek Designs, Blessed to Be Your Mother – Jady Day Studio, Blessed to Be Your Mother Add on Alpha – Jady Day Studio, Stitch Me Up Frames – Chelle’s Creations

She used the lowercase L to make a tab for her date.

Aren’t they all great?

And here are some alphas from the ScrapMatters store that would make good candidates for this challenge.

Wet Paint Alpha

Stamped Foam: Primary Alpha


Frosty Alpha

And many more in the alpha section of the store, so go check ‘em out!

Got enough ideas now? Good, then let’s get to the challenge. Your challenge is to use an alpha as an embellishment on your layout. [ I want to see you use an alpha in some way other than just as your title]. Please make sure you tell us what alpha you used and how you used it as an embellishment. (ie. I used the lowercase L in the Frosty Alpha from WM[Squared] Designs to make a flower.)

And the fine print!

• You will receive one point for posting in the forum thread & in the Saturday Special gallery. You can receive an additional point for using new ScrapMatters products but, please add a note in your post here to say that you used a new product to ensure you receive the extra point. At the end of the month you’ll be entered into a random drawing that could earn you some bonus points!
• You have the entire month of May to complete this challenge for MOS points.
• Remember no double dipping, your layout must be unique to this challenge.
• You don’t have to use ScrapMatters products, but we love it when you do!

Have fun and keepscrappin’