Wallpaper is definitely not just for Grandma's house anymore. The thing is when you have selected the perfect wallpaper to go into the bathroom, hall, den or wherever you are placing it in the house, you will inevitably be left with some overage. What are you to do with this? It could be just a small bit or several rolls. You don't want to waste it. Here are a few thoughts on what to do with your leftovers.

You can use it to create unique matching mats to frame pictures for the area you just wallpapered. All you have to do is turn the paper over and lay it face down. Mark your measurements on the back where the hole for the picture is going to go. Use an exacto knife and cut the hole out. Place the picture over the hole and tape in place. Add your backing and frame the picture, then hang.

You can also take this one to the next level and cover the frame itself with recycled wallpaper.

Cover the light switch and electrical outlets with the wallpaper. Follow the manufacture guidelines the same as you would for pasting the paper to the wall. Cut out the opening holes and fold back the edges so that you have a smooth fit when placing back in position.

To finish off the room, why not cover a waste paper basket with the wallpaper. Again, just follow the manufacture directions for cutting and pasting the paper to the basket. Square baskets are easier, but with a little extra effort round ones can be covered as well.

Lampshades can be covered in wallpaper. To finish off the edge cut it just to the end of the lampshade both top and bottom. Glue ribbon around the lampshade and over the wallpaper to create a wonderful finished designer look.

You can cover just about any flat surface with wallpaper. Mirrors, bulletin boards, gift boxes, etc.

Create unique cards out of left over wallpaper. Simply cut a square the same size as a piece of copy paper. Wet the prepasted side of the wallpaper until it is just damp, then lay the copy paper down on top of this and let dry. Once it is dry, you can fold it in half to use as a pretty card to send a personal note out on. These fit nicely into the greeting card envelops that come in a multitude of colors.

wallpaper isn't just for Grandma's house anymore. Not only can you freshen your own home with a new look, but you can salvage what is left over and use it in a multitude of ways.

This article copyright to lynnechandler at HubPages 2009.