Morning, all!

For the next 4 weeks for Friday Focus, we’re looking at patterned paper. A lot of you asked for tips and tricks for working with patterned paper, so I thought this would be a good area to focus for a bit.

The 3 “rules” of patterned paper (according to Kristina)

I think for some people, myself included, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how we choose patterned paper. I think since I studied design, experience has trained me to instinctively pick patterns and colors. Just whatever “feels” right. However, when I started examining why I choose what I do, I came across three tips that might help some of you…

  • Large/Medium Pattern + Small + “Solid” = CONTRAST
  • Keep it to only one multicolor pattern.
  • Plan ahead–How will each pattern be used?

I go other these three tips in the video, so be sure to watch it below. :) We’ll revisit these tips in the upcoming weeks as we explore different ways to choose paper.

Week 1: Choose patterns from a collection

I can attest for the fact that product designers painstakingly pick colors for scrapbooking collections. That’s one of the reasons I like to choose papers from the same collection. It takes some of the guesswork out. When I buy patterned paper loose-leaf, as opposed to buying it in a collection pack, I usually buy 4-5 sheets of the same collection. I do this because it makes it easier to use the papers together.

So, for this week’s card I chose papers from American Crafts’ Garden Café collection. On the back of one of the patterns there is a brown pattern, so I took that cue and used Dark Wood chipboard letters from Jillibean Soup. I also used the Large Monarch Butterfly Double Punch from Martha Stewart Crafts.

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy! Have a wonderful Friday!

Watch video below | Watch at YouTube

Supplies