No More Feeling Guilty for Hoarding Paper Scraps

December 26, 2025

A direct line from my art table to your inbox—where creativity, connection, and a little chaos collide.

Over the past year, the video I’ve been asked to film the most is a tutorial for my Franken papers. They first started showing up publicly in my work during the BB Bash earlier this year, and honestly… I hardly ever reach for a “regular” sheet of paper anymore.

I’m obsessed with the automatic texture this process creates.

Franken papers are leftover scraps, attached together to form a larger piece.

I like to think of Franken papers as a puzzle I’m putting together — but with no predefined ending. Whatever I make is the right solution.

Here’s why this method checks so many boxes for me:

✓ it’s easy and meditative
✓ it uses up the scraps I can’t bear to throw away
✓ it adds texture without trying
✓ it creates the perfect substrate for future work
✓ and it offers quick, portable creative wins

In this new YouTube video, I’m walking you through how I make Franken papers (sometimes I call them patchwork papers, because they remind me of a quilt). I also share examples of how I’ve used them in my own work, plus my favorite ways to attach pieces together — from glue and tape to safety pins and stitching.

Watch the Franken Papers Tutorial

One of the biggest mental hurdles I hear from people after I share this method is how they are supposed to use them. My biggest tip is to think about Franken papers as if they are no different than a regular, unaltered piece of paper.

If you want to go deeper, I wrote a full blog post where I share more about why this process works so well, how it supports low-mojo days, and different ways you can use these papers in your own practice.

Read the full Franken Papers blog post

I’ll also be sharing even more ways to work with Franken papers during the very first prompt of the 3rd Annual BB Bash, happening February 1–14, 2026. Put your name on the If you’d like to join us, you can hop on the waitlist here.

P.S. — if this style of working interests you, I’d recommend making a few Franken papers ahead of time before the BB Bash begins.

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The BB ConnectionTheresa WithamDecember 26, 2025Comment