Pattern Play Day 3

Hi there.  I have 4 cards using some of the the tricks I learned from Day 3.  This day was dedicated to tricks for working with hard to use or bold paper.  So far, I think this has been the best day, in terms of helping me better use my patterned papers.  Those big, bold and colorful papers that initially catch my eye and make me want to buy a paper pad, are often the ones that just it in the box, because I have no idea what to do with them (except pet and admire).

The first lesson was to cut the paper into strips and then reassemble them.  Keep it simple, add a sentiment, and you are done.  What a timely lesson.  When I was going through my Basic Grey What's Up pad, I came across a piece that was so pretty, but the entire sheet was a scene.  I loved the scene and the colors, but had no idea how to use them.  Lucky for me, my Bountiful Banners arrived just as I was making this card.

I tried this idea on some paper from Bo Bunny Timepiece Collection.  I bought this pad several years ago because I thought it would be great for masculine cards, but had never been able to figure out how to best use those papers.  I stamped my sentiment from Hands of Time onto one of the tone on tone papers in that pad, and then matted it with a tiny border in white, a trick from Day 1.  I distressed the edges, and I think it helps those papers work better together, another tip from Day 1.

My last two cards use another techinque from this lesson, of just using small amounts of the bold pattern.  This first card uses 5 different patterns from Echo Park Hello Summer.  I never would have done this before yesterday, but I think they all work so well together.  Three of the patterns are tone on tone, so they work kind of like solids, the bold is in the front, and the fifth paper is just a striped strip, which ties all the colors together. 

My last card uses papers from Echo Park So Happy Together, and is inspired by this card from Ashley during the PTI release.   I used 4 patterns from this pad, but three of them are practically solids.

That's it for me today.  I have some more ideas about things I can do with more of my bold and hard to use papers, and I have a new appreciation for all those tone on tone, solids, and subtle prints that are included in the 6X6 pads.  This class is helping me see how to best use all of the types of papers included in those pads.  Perhaps I should get some more of them now....

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