Whenever I make a background, I try to do it on a full sheet of paper, so after trimming to the size of my project there are always leftovers. I toss them in a folder and like to use them in collages and other things. There are many ways to do this, and today I'm going to show you the paper strip method.
Start with a pile of background scraps, and throw in a couple of scraps of solid paper and patterned paper as well. Whatever you have in your stash in colors that work with your backgrounds. You'll also need a piece of cardstock to act as the base, a paper trimmer, and some adhesive.
Using a paper trimmer, start cutting strips. Vary the length and width.
Then just start glueing the strips onto a sheet of cardstock. Don't think too much or try to create a pattern. Just pick up a strip and glue it down. Glue some down vertically, some horizontally. When you're done, and have trimmed any overhanging bits, it might look something like this:
Depending on how (or if) you further trim this down, you'll get different looks. Here are some ATC sized backgrounds I made from the piece above:
You can stop here, or you can add more layers. I dabbed some white paint on top of this one to tone the colors down a bit, then stamped right over the paint (after it dried!)
Stop here or....add a little brown ink for a more distressed look.
If you like a subtle shimmer, you can then spray with a commercial shimmer spray or one you've made yourself.
I used this one as the background for this week's challenge at the PID yahoo group. The theme is Love Birds, and this new collage sheet (
#721) has plenty of those.
There are no rules here, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you can do with your leftover backgrounds. Have fun with this....you'll never get the same thing twice.
Eileen
Paper Imagery Designs
Design Team
