Hi there, Jennifer here to share a few layouts and tips on mixing patterned papers! Patterned papers are a love of mine. It started way back when I first began paper scrapbooking. I fell in love with the fun designs, the color schemes and the way each paper would coordinate with one another! That love has stayed with me as I moved onto digital scrapbooking. Personally patterned paper can make or break a kit for me, and if there is one paper I absolutely adore I will splurge on the whole kit! It silly, but true!
This kit by Scotty Girl design is a prime example of that love. The balloon animal paper is one of my very favorites to date, I love it so!
Having a clean and simple scrapbook style, can make using patterned papers tricky! Some papers seems too overwhelming in large portions.Using a solid paper as a background for your layout, helps balance the patterns & they seem less overwhelming to the eye. Breaking up the patterned papers into small sections (as I did in the layout above) also helps break up the busyness, and helps the eye focus on each paper individually.
Patterned papers can also be used effectively as background papers:
The key is selecting a patterned paper that is more on the simple side, one with a basic repeating pattern or a single color. This will help the other patterns you select pop off of the background pattern! Another tip to break up the patterns is to use a border or stitch between each paper & photo. This gives the layout a finished look, and ties all of the papers and elements together.
Layering patterned papers in another fun way to use them:
When picking out papers to layer, always make sure to take into account the size of the pattern, this will have an effect of the outcome of your layout. A pattern that is too large in comparison with other papers will compete with each other for attention. If you choose a busy patterned for your background paper, try selecting papers that have a more neutral pattern (design & color) to layer on top! Always try to select patterns that compliment each other in size and color!
I hope these tips and tricks make you want to break out your patterned papers and scrap!
