Hi Everyone! I’m so happy to be your host for today. How are you enjoying our new summer schedule? Personally, I love it! I haven’t paid attention to the calendar, well, except to make sure I posted on the right day, and so each morning I visit is like a happy, fun, scrapbooking surprise!
If you haven’t already guessed from the title, today I’m going to talk about patterned paper. Patterned paper is my number one, all-time favorite scrapbooking supply and I use it on every layout I create. I tried once, during a National Scrapbooking Day challenge, to make an all-cardstock layout and guess what? I couldn’t do it. I just love patterned paper too much and to me, my pages feel naked without it.
As I was working on today’s post I looked through some layouts I have made recently (and not so recently) and I noticed that I used patterned paper for different purposes depending on the layout. There are 5 unique ways that I use patterned paper in my scrapbooking and I want to share them with you.
Use patterned paper as an embellishment
Occasionally I’ll come across a patterned paper that I love and yet I will have no idea how to use it. In a recent Studio Calico kit, Lawn Party, there was a beautiful doily print paper that was backed with a basic grid design. Despite being a mommy to two boys (or maybe because of that?) I loved the doilies; I also loved the colors. However I also thought the pattern was a bit busy and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. In the end I decided to cut out a few of the doilies and then taking inspiration from the original paper I mounted my photos and the doilies onto another grid pattern. Here is the resulting layout:
This works for all types of patterns whether the designs are large or small. Personally, I tend to shy away from larger or bold patterns and so that’s usually when I employ this technique. Here is an older layout where I cut out a flower and a butterfly from a patterned paper to create embellishments:
Use patterned paper to add a hint of color to layouts
We all use patterned paper to add color to our layouts. Patterned paper can be colorful and bright and bold and can bring oomph to our designs. Sometimes however, we want to add just a touch more color to our layouts and we don't want the design of the paper to overwhelm the page. For those times I like to use stripes, because I love stripes, but really any pattern will do so long as it's used in small amounts. On this example I used the program Shape Collage to create the heart shaped photo on the layout (to read more about that process see this post at The Daily Trumpet):
Because the collage contained so many images I wanted to keep the design of my page simple, but loving patterned paper as much as I do I still wanted to add something. For this layout I opted for a text pattern and a thin strip of a stripe pattern.
The next example doesn’t have a lot of photos, it has just one, and I wanted the focus of the layout to stay on that one photo so I chose to use a simple hexagon pattern and two semi-solid patterns. I was able to indulge my patterned paper love and still keep the focus on the photo and story:
Use patterned paper to help reinforce a theme
Aside from Christmas and holiday layouts, I think that oftentimes we try to stay away from themed patterned papers because we are afraid of going overboard. But the patterns and colors we use on our layouts can help us in our story telling and when used in moderation themed papers can add to the story rather than detract from it. Here are two examples where I used patterned paper to help reinforce the story of my layout:
I love these photos and in particular the one of Nathan taking flight. I used the cloud paper here to emphasize the idea that he really is flying
Since my oldest, Gabe, has started reading I have caught him a time or two telling stories to Nathan. I took this photo on one such occasion. From a school-themed collection I chose a pattern made from numbers and letters to tie-in with my reading theme.
Use the designs in the paper as the inspiration for a story
I have often been inspired by certain papers to tell stories that would have otherwise gone untold, or to focus the direction of my story so that it is more complete. In the following layout I used a photo of my oldest son playing with his toy AT-AT:
It is one of his favorite toys and I took this picture during his brother’s nap time one day because I thought it was just sweet moment. I even had the photo printed fairly soon after with the idea that I would scrapbook it, “right away.” That never happened. I mean, the photo was cute, but other than that I didn’t really know what it was that I wanted to say about it. Enter October Afternoon’s Rocket Age collection and this patterned paper with the solar system on it stood out to me immediately. First in my mind came the title, then the design and very soon after that came the idea to pair that paper and title with this photo. My son tends to get lost in his own little world when he is playing. The pattern of the solar system inspired me to record that simple fact. That is actually the very detail about this photo that makes it sweet, it’s that he didn't even know I was taking the picture he was so involved in his play.
Use patterned paper with reckless abandon because you love patterned paper
I thought I’d leave you with a few more layouts using patterned paper, just because. Sometimes you just don’t need a reason to use patterned paper. If you’re like me you use it because you love it! =)
Well there you have it, there are all the different ways that I use patterned paper. What about you, do you love patterned paper too? What is your favorite way to incorporate patterns in your layouts? Are there any types of patterns that you struggle with?
I’ll be back next month to share with you another product I love and the various ways it can be used. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for give.away.day!