Background made with DSP scraps

Do you hold on to those little leftover pieces of patterned paper because you can't bear to toss them? I certainly do. One great way to use them up is by creating a block-style background for a card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Daydream Medallions, Party Hearty
Paper: Island Indigo, Whisper White card stock; Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Island Indigo, Pool Party
Accessories: Floral Frames Collection Framelits dies, Summer Smooches Designer Fabric Brads, 1-3/4" circle punch, rhinestones, Dimensionals

This technique is great for packs of patterned paper because the colors and styles are all coordinated for you. The DSP I used here, Sycamore Street, has a lot of strong colors and patterns so I wasn't sure how well it would work for this card. It's definitely a busy background, but I like it.

To make this background, collect several scraps of coordinating patterned paper. Choose a piece and adhere it in one corner of your card front, leaving a narrow border of card stock (I went with about 1/8"). Working from that corner, keep adding pieces, trimming as necessary to make them fit. Be sure to mix up the size, shape and orientation of the pieces. This technique is also fun to do with solid color card stock (I like to use three or four colors) or pieces that are all the same color but are embossed with different textures.

I used a large focal image with plenty of white showing to break up all the patterns. I cut out both stamped pieces with the Floral Frames Collection Framelits dies and attached them together with a fabric brad. I added two flags at the bottom of the focal point (another pattern from the Sycamore Street DSP pack) and attached it to the card.

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