Scrapbook 101: Mixing Patterned Paper

Does mixing patterned papers scare you? Does staring at rows of papers make you feel clueless and afraid of getting started on patterned papers?

There's many beginner scrapbookers who have a fear of mixing and choosing patterned papers. With so many choices, colours, and patterns out there, the confusion is real and understandable. Even for me, when I first started scrapbooking, I tend to use mainly cardstock and avoid using much patterned papers. Then I started to look out for companies that offer coordinating lines of patterned papers.

It's more about experimenting and having fun actually. There's no right or wrong in scrapbooking. Some mixing will look fabulous, some are merely passable and some will instantly make you go, "No...".

But of course, if there's some tips on how to mix your patterned papers, it'll definitely help things out a lot. Watch this video by Tammy Mitchell and the next time you are at your scrapbook store, you'll be less intimidated about choosing your patterned papers and start getting creative with using patterned papers.

I'll also keep her tips in mind when I want to mix patterned papers on my next shopping trip. :)

To start off, a big tip is look to your photos for the dominant colors. Pick up the blue color from your daughter's sparkling eyes or the red from your son's shirt. Choose the color that catches your attention. Then with the dominant color in mind, you can start picking out the patterned papers.

First paper - Pick a more neutral, solid-colored background paper. If you're feeling more adventurous, you can even pick a very subtle patterned paper as your background paper.

Second paper - You can go for a bold patterned paper. Feel free to choose a big design but there must be something, usually a color in this bold patterned paper that complements your first paper.

Third paper - Pick a patterned paper that's more subtle so that it doesn't compete with your big, bold patterned paper. The tricky part is where you have to select a patterned paper that picks up something from both the bold patterned paper and the background paper.

Enjoy learning about mixing patterned papers!