Happy Tuesday! I love the challenge of combining paper lines and thought I'd share some of the techniques I use to do this easily. This layout combines four different lines. I bet you wouldn't have guessed that from just looking at it, would you have? I used Paper Crush, Starters, Sweetly Smitten, and Ellie's Tale. I love that the Sassafras lines have some overlapping colors with so many of their lines. It makes this technique really simple to accomplish.
First off, my favorite way to successfully combine lots of patterned papers is to do either a quilt square look of employing a lot of little strips. Using small bits like this makes it easy to get a cohesive look. This layout nods to both methods.
Another tip I have is to pick two or three colors and stick with them for your design. For this layout I chose pink, turquoise, annd yellow. After you choose your colors, find pieces of paper that share those colors. You can fudge a bit with the saturation of the colors, I have some reds and oranges, but those are close relatives of the pink and yellow. When designing with so many different patterns, stick with the tried and true design element of the visual triangle. I used it a lot on this layout, I have turquoise, pink and yellow triangles. Employing triangles gives the eye something to follow, it makes it easier to have lots going on if there's an obvious element. For the turquoise triangle, I used the button in the top right corner, the title, and the strip just below the bow. There's more turquoise on the page, but it's not as obvious when you first glance at the layout.
My pink triangle is more subtle. I used the butterflies and the pink strip.
And finally, my yellow triangle again uses the flower element in the top right corner, then the journaling spot above the title, and ends with the yellow strip of lined paper in the bottom right corner.
I tied everything together with my final favorite technique when combining paper lines. I usually stitch with my machine, but I am visiting family in Utah this week and didn't want to bring my machine. Instead I added a bunch of orange and white twine to the strips. This gives some texture to the design, but also combines with the colors very well.
I hope you have learned a few tricks and will be more willing to try combining lines now. I always love the feeling of accomplishment when I successfully employ this technique!
FANTASTIC! I really needed this tutorial on basic design- the strip method is one of my faves. Wonderful page!
Posted by: Michelle Hernandez | 31 May 2011 at 07:10 AM
Stunning Emily! Love it!
Posted by: PaulaSG | 31 May 2011 at 07:16 AM
Such a wonderful layout and combination of colors! Love it!
Posted by: meganklauer | 31 May 2011 at 09:09 AM
Love this - such a great way to use up all those scraps of Sassafrass papers that I just cant bring myself to throw away :)
Posted by: Sarah Groen | 31 May 2011 at 05:01 PM
This rocks, Emily! :) gorgeous!!
Posted by: Michelle Clement | 31 May 2011 at 05:30 PM
exactly sarah!
Posted by: emily | 31 May 2011 at 08:30 PM
I love this post, Emily! Stunning!!
Posted by: Kyoko Kobayashi | 01 June 2011 at 01:29 AM
this is fabulous Emily, you rock ! Now, I have to give it a try !
Posted by: Stephanie | 02 June 2011 at 08:41 AM
I am an addict of the design triangle... I (bold)see the triangle here on your layout between the flower and the two journaling spots! :) Ya missed one! LOL!
Great LO! :)
Posted by: Penny Smith | 06 June 2011 at 12:06 PM