Creative Ways to Use Patterned Paper

I love patterned paper! So many beautiful designs make me want to have them all and make all kinds of greeting cards, albums, boxes, decorations and so much more. I usually end up buying a lot of them just because they are so pretty, but the truth is that sometimes I don't know in which way to use that beautifully designed paper due to its big focal points, vivid color and bold patterns since it's hard for clear stamps and die cuts to stand out.

How to use patterned paper - My examples

When patterned paper gets mentioned, backgrounds come first to mind. You can use patterned paper as a background for your greeting cards, as the base of your scrapbook pages, or to transform plain journal covers by wrapping them with patterned paper. But patterned paper isn't just for large background areas; it's also perfect for adding intricate and eye-catching details to your handmade greeting cards and paper crafts. Here are several examples of how I used patterned paper within my projects and some other techniques and ideas to incorporate patterned paper into the finer details of your projects..

Shaped Background: For making a summer birthday card for a boy, I used patterned paper (blue watercolor paper design) for making the background, but not whole of it, yet to make it look like a sea. Wavy die cut helped me get this patterned paper look like a sea which was perfect for my summer card.

Custom Shapes: Within the same card, patterned paper (dotted and with stripes) was used to make elements for the boat. I used my scissors to cut these shapes, but you can also use die-cut shapes like flowers, stars, hearts, and butterflies to add decorative elements to your projects.

Covers: I love to buy and have patterned paper with big focal points on them (vase of flowers, sceneries, large text), but I also find them hard to use for smaller designs (such as greeting cards, gift tags, bookmarks) since their motif is so big and I can't make myself to cut them into smaller pieces. That kind of patterned paper I use the most for covers, just like I did for this album.  Beautiful rose is the focal point of this album cover.

Layering and Matting: Layering is a fundamental technique in paper crafting that adds depth and dimension to your projects. If you're using patterned paper as a background layer for your cards, cut a piece slightly smaller than your card base to create a border. For a dynamic look, slightly offset each layer to create a shadow effect. Matting can help your elements pop if you layer patterned paper behind photos, die cuts, or stamped images.

Focal Points and Accents: If you want to break up solid colors of your design and add visual interest, try to cut strips of patterned paper to use as borders or banners. You can also combine different patterned papers to create intricate designs, such as quilt patterns or mosaic effects. This is a more time consuming technique, but the final result is breathtaking.

Creative Cutting and Folding: Slightly more complicated execution, but you can create pop-up mechanisms to add surprise detail when the card is opened, sliders to make interactive card, or make shaker cards using patterned paper. Use patterned paper to create flaps or windows that reveal hidden messages or images underneath. Cut tag shapes from patterned paper to use as decorative elements. Try origami or other paper folding techniques to incorporate three-dimensional elements into your projects.

Additional tips about using patterned paper

By focusing on uses of patterned paper listed above, you can add intricacy and charm to your handmade greeting cards and paper crafts. Experiment with these techniques to discover new ways to enhance your projects and make them truly unique, but you should also consider next tips to incorporate while paper crafting:

• Match the pattern to the theme of your card or craft. Floral patterns work well for birthdays and anniversaries, while festive patterns are perfect for holidays.

• Smaller patterns are great for background fills, while larger patterns can be used for focal points or accents.

• Use stencils or stamps over patterned paper to add layers of design.

• Ink the edges of patterned paper or distress it for a vintage look.

• Use solid colors to highlight specific patterns, ensuring they stand out.

• Alternate patterned and solid layers to create contrast and make your designs more striking.

• Cut out words or phrases from patterned paper. Patterned paper can give a unique twist to typical sentiment strips or banners.

By thoughtfully combining patterned paper, die cuts, and clear stamps, you can add intricate details and personalized touches to your greeting cards, albums, and decorative boxes. Experiment with these techniques to discover new ways to enhance your paper crafting projects, making each one a unique and cherished creation.

Fussy Cutting: What I did with this birthday card with cute animals in space is - I carefully cut out motif of a fox astronaut from patterned paper and used it to make a moving element of the card while the same patterned paper (with other astronaut animals) was also the background of the card. If doing this, you need to pay attention of the whole composition of elements so that some elements wouldn't harm the position of others (not to overlap each other).