Scrapbooking with a Bold Floral Patterned Paper

I love floral patterned papers, but they can be tricky to use sometimes. Especially if the pattern is really big, because then when cut to a small size can turn out unrecognizable. So today I'm embracing the big floral with these two layouts.
Here's the first one-


There's something about Maggie Holmes' floral papers... The one I used here is from the her first collection for Crate paper. That paper is just beautiful. The good thing about it, is that the colors are not that contrasting or bold. At least not compared to the floral in the next page.

Tip #1 for using big floral patterns as backgrounds- Frame it.
Cut the background paper to 11 and 3/4 of an inch, or 11 and a half, and mat it on cardstock or a calmer patterned paper. I used here another pattern from the same collection. This frames the page, and keeps your eyes from wandering outside the layout.


Tip #2- Keep it simple.
With that busy background, I try to add just a few other elements. Here I just used some bits and pieces from a cut out sheet also from the Maggie Holmes collection. I didn't add more colors, but went with the colors of the floral. The embellishments I chose were small and simple. I placed the title on the camera, and this united those two larger elements to a smaller area of "real estate" on the page.

 
A few finishing touches with wood veneer feathers and a little stamping in black just for some extra texture on the page.

Here's the second page, an even more challenging pattern, from Maggie Holmes Flea Market collection-


Tip #3- Use close-up photos.
I think using photos that are close ups really helps them "compete" and hold their own with the background. A photo with small images or a lot going on would get lost on a page with such bold colors and pattern.

Tip #4- Mat your photos.
Matting the photos on cardstock or patterned paper with a smaller and calmer pattern helps separate the photos from the background and stand out more. I actually used another floral here as a photo mat, but the flowers are small and there's only one color on that pattern, so I think it works well, and brings out the yellow of the small flowers on the background paper. I know I didn't mat my photos in the first page, and I have to admit I wish I had, even though that floral is less bold than this one.


Tip #5- Hide your journaling.
I doubt writing on that background paper will end up in anything legible, so the other options are to add another element to the page, or use vellum. I think hidden journaling is a good way to go here. I really didn't want to add another busy element to the page. I added the bow for easy access to the journaling spot, I sometimes use ribbon (attached to the paper with Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher) or washi for the same purpose.

I hope you enjoyed this post and feel more courageous about using a bold floral as background. Thanks for visiting!

Comments

  1. Beautiful pages! I am a bit scared of bold florals but I really love the way you have used them.

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  2. awesome layouts! love all the accents and detail.

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