10 Best Tips and Tricks to Using & Mixing Bold Patterned Paper in Your Scrapbook Layouts

by Adrienne Boese - 6:30:00 AM

I am a paper hoarder. I love scrapbook paper and cardstock. I'm literally obsessed with it. No really, I am. But bold partners used to be tricky for me...

Welcome to Paper Hoarders Anonymous! "Hi, my name is Adrienne, and I have a paper hoarding problem. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to a successful recovery, right? Wait...do I want to go into rehab for hoarding paper?! Umm...let me think on that." [Gives side eye to person running rehab session.] "Ah, nothanksseeyoubye!"

I have a Create Room (formerly known as The Original Scrapbox) Workbox 3.0 and it is full of papers and cardstock. If you think I'm exaggerating, I have 27 of my 12x12 totes full of paper and cardstock. And on top of that, I have several 12x12 Art Bins full of papers and some cube storage full of papers plus 12x12 drawer storage full of cardstock scraps. It's insane and my family tries to keep me away from the scrapbooking section every time we go to a craft store or tries to remind me that I already have enough. (Umm...no, I do not...)

And we all have those papers that we think are gorgeous, purchasing it without knowing what to do with it, thinking we'll figure out the perfect project for it later. Yup. That's me, but often. A lot of times those papers that I fall in love with have bold patterns on them. And while these papers are beautiful, it can be hard to figure out what to do with them.

Luckily, I've managed to figure it out along the way and today, I'm sharing my best insider tips and tricks to working with bold patterned papers. Once you've figured out how to "tame the beast," so to say, working with bold patterns shouldn't be intimidating. In fact, it's quite fun, especially when you mix and match patterns. And so you can see some of these tips in action, I'm also sharing a step-by-step photo tutorial of a scrapbook layout using not one but three bold and colorful patterns!

10 Best Tips and Tricks for Using Bold Patterned Scrapbook Paper

1 | Choose a photo that is simple with minimal background noise and colors. A busy photo + busy patterned paper = too much chaos, which you don't want--unless you are scrapbooking a page about chaos and then I say go for it!

2 | Use patterned paper with colors that closely resemble those in your photo. This will provide continuity in your layout and keep it from appearing too busy.

3 | If possible, match the patterns in your papers to the patterns in your photo. This may require finding just the right patterned paper, but when you do, the result is pure magic!

4 | When using multiple patterned papers, use coordinating collection pieces to make it easier. Because these papers are already coordinated, colors and patterns will match across your papers bringing continuity.

5 | When adding in cardstock, match colors to your patterned paper as closely as possible. Again, this will keep your layout from becoming overly busy.

6 | Omit color from your photo by turning it to black and white or sepia tone. This will allow you to choose whatever color patterned paper you like. However, remember that black and white photos actually show more detail because your eyes and brain are allowed to focus solely on shapes, rather than on shapes and color. Be sure to pick a patterned paper that compliments the shapes in your photo.

[Learn more about using color strategically in your scrapbook layouts.]

7 | Soften a bold pattern by adding art mediums. For example, dry brush on some paint to soften the pattern around your photo. The best color to use is a neutral shade such as white, or a bolder color within your color scheme.

8 | Add bold patterned paper sparingly. Use it as a frame around your page or your photo by layering a less bold patterned paper or cardstock on top. Or just add a strip of bold pattern to create a border or use it on only half or less of your page. You can even cut out blocks or shapes of different patterns and create a geometric look.

9 | When using multiple patterns stack your patterned paper so that the least bold pattern is on the top. This will lessen the boldness of multiple patterns.

10 | Embrace being bold and use patterns to create an effect. For example, if you have a photo of your child in a garden or field of flowers, continue that look onto your paper with a floral patterned paper and floral embellishments. Creating effects like this or moods, such as chaos, can be very helpful in telling the story behind the photo.

Patterned Paper Scrapbook Layout Tutorial with Step-by-Step Photos

With these tips and tricks in mind, I chose a photo with minimal colors (white, teal, pink and coral) and a very simple background (a white fluffy blanket).

From there, I matched colors and patterns from my photo as close as possible. I was lucky that I already had on hand a collection of papers from Basic Grey called Tea Garden that already had one patterned paper that closely resembled both the color and pattern of the bow on my nieces head.

However, I wanted to stack my patterned papers to lessen the boldness of some of them while keeping the mint floral paper the main background paper. so I chose to use the coral lace pattern on the top to match the color of the blanket, then the brushed mint (a delicate pattern), then the white floral and then the mint floral as the base.

I cut the coral and the brushed mint papers both to 5 x 7 inches and the white floral paper to 5.5 x 7.5 inches.

I looked through my stash for other embellishments and inks that would match my color scheme. Again, I picked out coral and white or clear embellishments to use.

Next I distressed the edges of my layering papers a bit by folding and tearing them just a little bit. If you have been following my blog for some time, you know that I love this technique because it adds texture and dimension to a page without having to use a bunch of expensive embellishments.

I colored some white cheesecloth with my abandoned coral Distress Spray Stain from Tim Holtz and set those aside to dry while I worked on other parts of my page.

In keeping with the floral theme, I used paper clay and a Prima mould to create two butterflies. I set these aside to firm up just for a little bit but I did not wait for these to fully dry before altering them. While they dried up a bit, I fussy cut out flowers from what was left of the white floral paper. (You'll see those in a minute.)

Once the butterflies were firm enough to handle without fear of breaking off the antenna, I used the same Distress Spray Stain and a water brush pen to add some color just to the tops of the butterflies.

After briefly drying the butterflies with a heat tool to dry the stain, I added a dry brushed layer of white impasto paint to the tops and sides of the butterfly moulds. This helps to draw out the detail in the butterflies.

Here you can see all the fussy cut flowers and such as I prepare to start gluing things down to the page. I began by using glue tape runner to adhere the white floral paper to the background mint floral paper.

Next I used foam mounting squares to pop the brushed mint paper up off the white floral paper a bit.

Then I used glue tape runner to adhere the photo to the coral lace paper and then used glue tape runner and foam mounting squares to adhere the coral paper. I also glued down the stained cheesecloth with a bit of soft gloss gel, tucking it under layers of paper.

I used another foam mounting square to adhere the flower with the A (for Alira, my niece's name) and then began gluing down the Kaisercraft paper blooms in coral with some heavy body gel.

I also used the heavy body gel to glue down the butterfly moulds, which were almost completely dry by then.

Then I used Glossy Accents (because of the fine tip applicator) and foam mounting squares to adhere the fussy cut flowers. And finally, I used the Glossy Accents to also glue down a few Prima melange art pebbles.

Products Used
Basic Grey: Tea Garden - rose hip, chai, earl grey, jasmine | Prima: Art Basics - soft gloss gel, heavy body gel; Art Alchemy Impasto - Snow White; Art Ingredients - melange art pebbles; ReDesign Moulds - regal findings | Kaisercraft: Paper Blooms - coral | Tim Holtz: Distress Spray stain - abandoned coral | Ranger Ink: Glossy Accents | Scrapbook.com: Foam Mounting Squares - small, large | Other: paper clay, cheese cloth

I just love that I was able to match my niece's bow pretty closely with some paper that I already had in my stash. I guess being a paper hoarder paid off!