Putting Pretty Patterned Paper Scraps to Use | Becky Novacek

I love paper. All kinds of paper. Patterned paper is one of my favorite kinds of paper. I like to cut it up, tear it, punch it into shapes, rumple it to give it a different shape, stitch it, glue it.... As a scrapbooker, I think we are always thinking of ways to use our little bits and scraps of our beloved patterned paper. One of my favorite looks on a scrapbook page is to have a mix of little bits and pieces of patterned papers that may not coordinate perfectly, but somehow when mixed together, work perfectly to create interest. Today I’d like to share a very simple page using a mix of patterned papers from the Lisse Street Scrapbook kit.

Since I don’t typically use a full sheet of 12x12 paper, because I’m an 8.5x11 scrapbooker, I often have cardstock and paper leftovers. When I start the creative process for a layout, I will often gather a few supplies and include the paper scraps that I have sitting on my desk.

I like the look of imperfectly cut strips (or handcut letters!), so I simply take my scissors and cut strips with the intention of them ending up a little or a lot wonky. I want my pages to look handmade and not as if they were manufactured.

For this page, I knew I wanted a large photo, with the strips filling in the open space. Something that I think is really effective when using mixed pattern papers on layouts, is to keep the photo/photos black and white, rather than color. I like the contrast of the bright pops of color with the simple black and white.

The design of this page is very simple, but with the photo and the pattern paper strips as the foundation, I knew I needed to add very few additional embellishments. At this point, it’s fun to begin to layer.

After layering a few embellishments into place, I did a little machine stitching. When I machine stitch, I try not to use much adhesive, I add just a dot to hold it in place.

Once I had everything stitched down, I pulled up the edges and rumpled them a little to add a little texture and dimension.

I hope you'll try this technique with your own patterned paper scraps!

Supplies:Lisse Street Scrapbook kit, Iris Add-on, Precision Scissors, Dot Glue Runner

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4 comments

  1. MichelleWedertz says…
    04/17/2015

    Great layout Becky!

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  2. barbnichols says…
    04/17/2015

    Hi Becky. I've been a fan of Studio Calico for some time and love the site. I Just found out today that we are practically neighbors. At least fellow Nebraskans. I'm a vendor at Simply Bungalow and friends with Heidi and Pam. Love your photography site as well. I'm thoughtfulimagesink on FB and instagram and my site is www.thoughtfulimagesink.com if you'd care to check it out.
    PS. love this layout by the way!

    1 Reply 0 Replies
  3. beckynovacek says…
    04/17/2015

    Thanks! @michellewedertz

    Thanks! @barbnichols That is so funny! I love Simply Bungalow! I will find you on FB and IG!

    0 Reply 0 Replies
  4. JennPicard says…
    04/20/2015

    Becky this is awesome! Love the stitched strips and the layered embelishments on the large photo:)

    0 Reply 0 Replies