Making My Own Patterned Paper

I am a huge fan of making my own patterned paper using my scrapbooking supplies.  The quickest way to create a pattern is using stamps and ink, but I also like to layer strips of paper (either cardstock or patterned) to create a unique and colorful background.  To make this striped paper, I…

1)  Cut cardstock into 1/4″x12″ strips.
2)  Ran an 8.5″x12″ piece of cardstock through the Xyron to create a large sticker.
3)  Removed a little bit of the backing at a time to lay down my strips of paper in a random pattern.
4)  Cut off the excess cardstock by turning the piece over and cutting along the edge of both sides of the base.

I now have a fun piece of striped paper that will give my next project a pop of color!

Now, I’ve been using this technique for years with my paper supplies, but it’s also a perfect technique for customizing your Studio J layouts!  The technique is very similar in Studio J…you simply use text boxes to create your strips and then fill them with a solid color or patterned paper.

When creating small strips using text boxes in Studio J, you may see a warning symbol.  A couple ways to minimize the warning symbols is to reduce the font size in the text box and hit the space bar so the text is replaced with a blank space.  If you still see the warning symbol, never fear…it won’t print on your final layout.

On this example, I used small strips of blue paper to cover up a color that did not go well with my photos.  I love that Studio J allows us to be as flexible with our layouts as our classic supplies do.

Below you will find a video tutorial that shows you how I created this layout in Studio J.  It also gives a couple more examples of how I used strips of paper to mask or add colors using my classic supplies.