Using patterned papers effectively

Are you sometimes intimidated by certain scrapbook papers? Do you like the color or pattern but you think,"Wow, that's a little "busy"?  No worries! The key to using patterned papers is to use in moderation.

In my early days of scrapbooking, I would use just one sheet of patterned paper as a background, no matter how bright or busy it was; now looking back, I see that my pictures were overwhelmed by the papers. I have learned that by pairing patterned papers with solid cardstock or with a related but smaller/cleaner pattern, I can use the "busiest" papers around, yet still have my photos be the focus.

A great example of a company that has wild patterned paper is Sassafras Lass. I love their paper and embellishments. It makes my heart sing to look at them. However, I know that I have to use their products in a different way so that my layouts are not overwhelmed. Here's one of my favorite layouts that I made using Sassafras products:

By using a black background and by using the papers as borders and accents, I was able to still get the fun, whimsical look, but my photos are still front and center.

Another company that I love is American Crafts. They too have some awesome papers that may need a little tweaking.

If I had used an entire sheet of the stripes, my pictures would have been lost. However, by breaking up the stripes with some solid cardstock, I was able to still get the fun pattern but without all of the clutter.

For more examples of patterned paper layouts, go to my "Gallery" page here on the blog!

So don't be afraid of those wild papers! Just use them in moderation and you will have a layout that you are proud of!

CHA Winter 2011

The CHA Winter 2011 Conference and Trade Show is coming up!

CHA is where the newest crafting products and lines are debuted. Just thinking about all of that crafty goodness in one place makes me giddy!

You'll be giddy too when you look at some of the CHA sneak peeks. The wonderful Nancy Nally, publisher and editor of Scrapbook Update, has gathered a list of some of the many companies and the lines they will be debuting at CHA. You can see them here. Thanks, Nancy!

After looking at all of the sneak peeks, I can see some definite trends for the new lines:

• Vintage/retro - Lots of papers and embellishments that look straight out of the 1920's-1950's (with a couple of 70's thrown in!)
• Circus/carnival (mostly vintage/retro) - Just as long as we don't have to see lots of clowns. Clowns eat people.
• Pastel/muted colors

All of the new lines are wonderful. I can honestly say that I didn't see a dud in the bunch (and believe me, I have seen some duds in past CHA releases!). However, these are the things that stood out to me:

GCD Studios: Melody Ross "Soul Food" -- OK, this one comes with a disclaimer... I love everything that Melody Ross does. She could poop in a bag, put a little vintage bird on it, and I would buy it. Seriously. But even if I didn't have an overwhelming "scrap crush" on her, I would still love this collection. The colors and the retro ladies take me back to the late 70's, sitting in Calico Corner and looking at sewing pattern books with my mom. (That's a true story -- Calico Corner was our local fabric store & I loved going in there as a kid, just looking at patterns!)

Echo Park Paper: "For the Record" -- Love love love this line. I would buy it for that vintage typewriter alone.

Sassafras: "Paper Crush" -- Sassafras Lass (I can't help it... that used to be their name and I will always call them that!) can do no wrong in my book. Their papers and embellishments just make me happy. Love the border strips on the edge of the papers. Love the 2-sided paper (but it makes it hard to choose what side I want to use). And the little chubby cannon firing hearts made me say SQUEE!

Webster's Pages: "Spring Market" -- Oh. My. Goodness. This collection makes me want to plant a garden and make homemade jam. No lie. And the fabric flowers? Shut up. I am dying over here.

So what are your favorites? See anything that you will just have to buy when it hits the stores? What collections make you want to run the other way?