Don't Be Afraid of Pattern! Simple Tricks for Layering Multiple Patterns without Overwhelm

I love patterned papers. They are so lovely and beautiful. I want to use as many as possible on my page. However, I must be mindful not to go overboard. Here are some suggestions on how you can use those wonderful patterns in your page without getting too crazy.

I will start with a fresh layout. No templates. No sketch. I just start piling on patterns and cutting them into smaller pieces. I find that piling them is better so you still see the pattern but it becomes your secondary base for your photo. The main goal is to highlight your photo using those patterned papers to complement your design. Many of us love clustering as many elements as possible on our pages  but I would suggest not going overboard when using multiple patterned papers. Remember, the photo should is the focus and the rest is

For my page using Traci’s Ex Libris kit, I started off with several patterns, cropping them into smaller pieces, arranging them into a pile. I used a subtle pattered paper as my base paper. Then I added the photo over the top of my pile paired with a frame and added some elements around the photo. Finally, I added journaling using a simple paper tag at the bottom. That’s it. You see all the beautiful patterns but the focus of the page remains on the photo.

Here are a couple of pages using Traci’s other kits where I mainly used patterns along with minimal elements to bring focus on the photo.

I hope this will help you with how to use those gorgeous patterns on your page without overwhelming your design. 

Ex Libris Galaxias Collection