Creating with Multiple Patterns in a Craft Project.

First off - I apologize for being MIA after the kick off of the blog hop.  I got that nasty bug that has been going around and I could not shake it.  Every time I thought I was starting to feel better it would return in a matter of hours. 

I was officially well on Monday, but because I had fallen so far behind in everything, it has taken me 2 days to get to my blog.  I think I am going to write a blog post dedicated to catching up after you or someone you care for gets sick.  It is like falling into a black slack hole and unfortunately, the merry-go-round keeps spinning. If you are hard wired like me, the negative chatter (in my head) that occurs during and after these life lapses can be as miserable (if not worse) than the illness itself.  But enough about that... lets talk about craftiness.

This week's challenge in the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is "Mix and Match- Use 3 different patterns of paper in a project".  As icky as I was feeling, I just had to participate in this challenge.  The use of multiple pattern papers in scrapbook layouts is one of my FAVORITE design styles.  One of the best multi-pattern-paper scrapbook and Cricut artists I know of is Monique Griffith.  She does amazing things with colorful, vibrant, active palettes.  Visit her website to see her gorgeous creations!

Cricut Cartridge Simply Charmed

For my DT contribution towards the challenge, I used 4 different patterned papers in a 2 page layout. I used the Cricut Cartridge, "Simply Charmed" (page 57 - scarecrow hat) to cut out the hats that coordinated with the hats in the photos (the top photos on the right page). I did the bumble bee and lady bug details by hand.

Working with a paper collection makes multiple pattern paper projects a breeze.  No need to scour your stash to find the perfect hue or complimentary pattern.  When you purchase a collection you can put together dynamic pages with very little effort.  Some of the best collections for this kind of design come from:

Simple Stories

Basic Grey

We Are Memory Keepers

just to name a few.  There are so many great paper lines to work with that sometimes the hardest part is picking which one to buy next!