Hi Stampers!
Do you ever find yourself wondering if the designs on two or three pieces of patterned paper will work on a card? Do you fret over mixing stripes and checks or florals and dots? Would you faint at the thought of mixing florals with stripes and dots? Do you avoid pattern mixing all together, or do you stick to one or two tried and true pattern mixing duos? Would you like to mix patterns without doubts and use up more of your papers? If so, this just might be the post you have been waiting for! Today we are talking about mixing patterns without fear and adding a bit more pizzazz to our cards. Of course there is a card layout to help us along. This week’s layout is perfect for mixing pretty patterned papers , and is perfect for using scraps! I have created a lot of sample cards for today! Let’s take a look at a few:
MIXING PATTERNS CARDS
VIDEO
TODAY’S LAYOUT
(#2603)
This layout is perfect for mixing patterns. The background panel, panels #1 & #2, and the cross-panel are all areas that can be filled with a patterned design!
WHAT YOU NEED
* Cardstock for card base, inside panel, greeting, focal image, a panel and or mats for panels (optional)
* Patterned Papers - three or four different patterns
* Stamps, inks, die cuts, embellishments, adhesives, etc.
WHAT TO DO
*Prepare card base (A-2 size) 8 1/2”x 5 1/2” scored and folded at 4 1/4” or 11” x 4 1/4”scored and folded at 5 1/2”.
* Select and cut patterned papers and cardstock for panels and mats (if using), cut cardstock for inside card panel and greeting. (See diagram above.)
* Stamp greeting, sentiment on inside card panel, and focal image (optional)
* Adhere inside card panel.
* Adhere mats to panels if using
* Adhere 5 1/4” x 4” mat to card front
* Adhere 5”long panel centered top and bottom and about 1/4”from right edge of card.
* Adhere the cross panel to the card from one edge of the mat to the other at center or slightly below
* Adhere 4 1/4” panel slightly below center
* Add greeting
* Add embellishments
NOTE - These are tips, not rules. They are a starting point. Once you feel comfortable mixing patterns, you’ll discover there are no rules.
* Mix various patterns of matching color.
* Mix patterns with same color scheme.
* For a multicolored design, pick a predominant color or two, and mix with patterns featuring that color(s).
* Stripes, florals(includes plants), dots, and checks (includes plaids) all tend to mix well together.
* Balance larger patterns with smaller or understated patterns.
* Treat tiny or small patterns as solid colors.They mix well with most anything.
* Catagorize similar patterns as stripes, florals, dots, or stripes. (There are example found in sample cards below.)
* If you like the combination, it is perfect! Go with it!
NOTE - Paper Pads usually contain patterns that mix well together.
STRIPES, DOTS, AND FLORALS
One of these things is not like the other . . . or is it? These three cards mix dots, stripes and floral patterns.
STRIPES, FLORALS, DOTS, CHECKS
WHERE ARE THE FLORALS?
* When a pattern contains a repeating image or similar images with space between them, as the fish pattern above, I treat it as a floral. This makes it easy to decide what patterns to mix with paper containing such images.
(All supplies are from Stampin’ Up!)
WHAT IS THE PREDOMINANT COLOR?
* A design with multicolored images is easy to mix with other patterns, just pick the predominant color and go with that. What happens when there really isn’t a predominant color? Simple! Choose the color (s) you like! I chose the pink and added stripes and dots with the floral pattern.
* The pink wood grain pattern I categorized as a stripe pattern as it is basically parallel lines.
(Embellishments from Simple Stories; all other supplies from Stampin’ Up!)
MORE STRIPES AND DOTS
* For the floral paper the predominant color is black. I chose some black and white patterns to go with it.
* The background paper is a honeycomb pattern. I consider it a dots pattern.
* The tiny black dots on white give the eyes relief from all the black.
* Where are the stripes? The chevron pattern can be considered stripes.
(Embellishments from Simple Stories; all other supplies from Stampin’ Up!)
COLORS AND PATTERNS
Color is one of the first things we notice about a card. Color can be used to coordinate patterns. I used colors to select the patterns used on the cards above.
MONOCHROMATIC
* Monochromatic color schemes can sometimes be tricky, but using papers with designs that are the exact same color can help keep the theme on track. For this card the papers contain some white which helps give the eye a break from the purple. * The script and ogee pattern used for this card I considered stripes. The straight lines of the script certainly resemble stripes. The curves of the ogee pattern is a bit more difficult to see as a stripe, but keep looking, you’ll see it. I am not saying either pattern is a stripe. I am saying you can consider it a stripe for purposes of pattern mixing.
(All supplies are from Stampin’ Up!)
MOST PREDOMINANT COLOR
* Once again I started with the multicolored paper (the critters), and once again there really is no predominant color. There is a case to be made for selecting black as that color, so I did and I added the turquoise. The print on the turquoise paper is small enough to look great with most other prints.
(All supplies from Stampin’ Up!)
BALANCING PATTERNS
* On this card the balloons can be considered florals for pattern mixing purposes. The background is a bold and colorful stripe pattern. The turquoise print can be considered dots, and the green print has a diagonal stripe pattern. The two papers with smaller designs add balance to the card.
(All supplies from Stampin’ Up!)
VALENTINE PATTERNS
* This card features papers with hearts. Two papers have a color theme of red, pink, and white. I paired these with another heart patterned paper that adds purple to the red, white, and pink. For me, that is a little bit out of my comfort zone! The small dashes pattern on the final paper breaks up all those hearts! The red mats for the panels highlight each pattern.
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
*Doesn’t the text panel add a surprising touch to this card? Text and script patterns mix well with almost all patterns! I like the small hearts on the text panel, because it brings some unity to the card. The red dash pattern breaks up all the purple.
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
* Sometimes mats help define card panels, but sometimes a solid colored panel works too. This card features a solid red panel. It is embossed with a floral pattern similar to the other floral patterns on the card. The stripes coordinate with the other papers and add variety to the card.
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
MORE SAMPLES
Here are three more examples of mixing patterns on cards.
FLORALS, DOTS, AND STRIPES
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
MONOCHROMATIC PATTERNS
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
FLORALS, DOTS, STRIPES AND A SOLID
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
ORIENTATIONS
As with most all card layouts this one can be created in portrait and landscape orientations. Of course mixing the patterns works with any orientation or card size.
PORTRAIT ORIENTATION
This is a good example of just giving it a try and surprise, it works!
(All supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION
This is a sample of what the card looks like in landscape orientation. I did place panel 1 (floral) more centered left to right to balance the card a bit.
(Patterned Papers - Simple Stories; All other supplies - Stampin’ Up!)
VIDEO CARDS
(Embellishments - Simple Stories; All other supplies are from Stampin’ Up!)
I hope you pull out your patterned paper scraps and create cards with mixed patterns. This card layout (2603) is perfect for mixing patterns, as are the layouts in the previous two posts. Here is the most important thing I have learned about mixing patterns - it is all a matter of personal taste! Pattern mixing is like everything else in card making; there are no “set in stone” rules. It is a creative process. It is okay to color outside the lines, or erase the lines all together. So go ahead, mix those patterns, and if you like the results, your card is perfect!
That’s all for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Until next time . . .
Stamp Happy!
Kim
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