Idea of the Month

The ABC's of Paper Layering

"Presentation is everything."

Let's face it: we all want to create those "Wow!" cards and layouts, don't we?   It's not so much "what" you've stamped on a card that makes it a jaw-dropper, but rather "how" you present it.  The "how" includes such things as your color scheme, your layering, and the embellishments you use.   This month's Idea of the Month is a departure from my usual format of giving step-by-step instructions for some particular project.  Instead, I want to share with you what I've learned over the years about paper layering and how it's really helped my cards and layouts look so much more professional.  Combine a little knowledge  with the Close To My Heart® lines of inks, cardstocks, and papers and you simply can't go wrong!

I was honored to be selected to teach this topic at the 2000 Close To My Heart® annual convention in Salt Lake City, along with my friend and fellow consultant, Teri Oswald.   What follows is a summary of the class we taught.  If you are artistically inclined, then many of these concepts are probably second-nature, and you do them without thinking.  For the rest of us who are "artistically-challenged," myself included, I say, "Take heart!  We are trainable!"   And so, here we go:

1.  Everything begins and ends with color!  Color really is the foundation of your work, whether it's a card or scrapbook layout or something else.  Have you ever had a great idea for a card, stamped it up beautifully, colored it in and...it just didn't look right?  There's a good chance that your color scheme was the problem.  You need to be sure that you are working with colors that, well, work together.   There is a reason that markers are sold in sets of pastels, primary, etc.  Think about it.  Close To My Heart® makes it so easy now by offering its exclusive line of matching cardstocks (CS), background/texture paper (BGTP), ink pads and markers in 60 colors categorized into 5 seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Basic.  When in doubt, use colors within each season.  It's that simple.  Yes, there are beautiful color combinations that can be made by using colors from different seasons, but if you are unsure, you can't go wrong sticking with one season.    

2.  Select your colors for layering carefully.  Ok, so you've stamped up something beautiful and stayed within a color scheme.  Now you need to select papers for layering.  The important thing here is to layer with colors that appear in your stamped design.  Do NOT introduce a new color.  If your design has been colored with pastel pinks and greens, then do not use yellow paper to layer, even if it's a pastel yellow.  The idea is to use layering to enhance the stamped design, so you need to "pull out" one of the colors you used within it.  Here is where you should start playing with various paper colors, because each paper color will "pull out" or emphasize a different area of your design.  For example, if my design was colored with Green Chiffon, Baby Pink and SunKiss Yellow, then I'll try placing my design in turn on top of  Green Chiffon, Baby Pink and SunKiss Yellow cardstock (CS) to see what I like best.  Now, I'm not cutting any paper yet; I'm simply placing the design towards the upper right or left corner of the CS, leaving a small border showing so I can get a feel for how it will look and which design element I want to emphasize.  This technique works the same way with photographs in a scrapbook layout, except that you are choosing colors from the photo itself as a starting point.

Here's a non-stamping example that I hope will help illustrate my point:  A few years back we moved to a new house.   I had a set of 3 original watercolor paintings in my old bedroom that I wanted to use in my new bedroom.  The problem was that my old bedroom was blue, and my new bedroom was plum and a deep green.  Hmmm.  The paintings were originally framed in blue and white, emphasizing the blue flowers.  However, the paintings also had a few  plum flowers, plus some of the leaves were a deep green.  So, I asked a local framing shop to change the mattes to plum and deep green.    The new mattes now emphasize the plum flowers and green leaves, matching the bedroom perfectly.   So you see, you just need to take a look at your colors and decide which design element you want to emphasize.  Again, this concept works the same way with photos!  Try layering a photo on various colors, and watch which  person/element is emphasized.  Choose the color that draws attention to the person or element you want to be the focal point.

3.  You can't have too many layers.  Let's go back to my bedroom paintings for a minute...did you notice that I said the paintings were originally matted in blue and white, and then I changed them to plum and green?  That's two layers!  Look around your house at any artwork you may have; chances are the paintings are matted with at least two, if not more, colors, and that each color can be found in the artwork itself.  There is an amazing difference when something is layered over two colors instead of one.  Try it! 

4.  Layering with dark vs. light papers: using contrast.  In most cases, I have stamped my design on white or light cardstock, and so it looks best to have my first layer be a darker color of cardstock or one of the darker patterns of Close To My Heart® background/texture paper (BGTP).  Otherwise, there simply isn't enough contrast between my light cardstock and the first layer.  One of my favorite techniques is to create my own personalized paper by stamping a coordinating image all over one of the "lighter" patterns of BGTP.  But as I mentioned, this paper still won't be dark enough to contrast with my main stamped design.  So, I solve this problem by using two layers: I mount my stamped design onto a piece of darker cardstock and then onto the stamped BGTP.  The same principles work when you have stamped or embossed your design onto dark paper; you then need to make your first layer out of lighter paper.  In fact, layering embossed designs in a no-brainer if you use metallic paper to match your gold or silver embossing, etc.  It also looks gorgeous!

5.  Vary the widths and angles of your layers.  Remember that all layers do not need to be the same width or orientation.  Many times my first, darker layer may show only a 1/8" wide border around the stamped design, followed by a 2nd, lighter layer that is wider, and so on.  It also looks neat to offset various layers and mount them on an angle on the card.  Just trim off any corners that go past the edge of the card.  You can also mount your stamped design at various places on the card itself, not just in the center.  Try layering a message and mount it in the lower right corner, for example, and add a bow or other embellishment in the upper left corner.

6.  Add texture to your  layering.  What fun to add texture!  Here are some ideas:

        a.  Crimp one or more layers

        b.  Tear the edges of the paper.  If you like, add contrast to the edge itself by sponging

              it, or by dipping the edge into embossing ink, sprinkling on your choice of

              embossing powder, and heating.

        c.  Layer with mulberry paper.  Beautiful!

        d.  Add more texture to background/texture paper by stamping a coordinating image

             all over, as mentioned earlier.

        e.  Use a marker or Legacy Writer to add dots, dashes or lines to the edges of various

             layers.

        f.  Trim layers with fancy edgers.

        h. Decorate layers with punches.

        i.  Experiment with unusual papers such as tissue paper or brown paper bags that have

            been crumbled up then smoothed out.

Click Here to return to the Past Ideas page