A Pattern Refresher Course

Refreshing the Pattern Gallery in 2017

featuring: Pattern #276 and Square Grid Dies

A new year is here and a fresh start to all things. We’re going to be sprucing up the Pattern Gallery and bringing you some new looks to old favorites. The first pattern we’ll refresh is Pattern #276 a Mostly Squares Pattern in our Pattern Gallery.

There are 14-2.125” squares, a 4×6 block and a 2.125” x 11.125” strip that make up this pattern.

We’ll use these materials:

• 12×12 Mosaic Moments Grip Paper: Pewter
• Mosaic Moments Grid Cut 2.125”x2.125” Die
• Mosaic Moments 1.875” Squares Die
• Mosaic Moments Alphabet Die Set
• Textured cream cardstock
• Cardstocks in purple, pink and periwinkle
• Watercolors
• Clear embossing ink and clear embossing powders
• Ink-a-dink-ado flourish stamps
• Chipboard to cut title letters
• Stick It! Adhesive
• Viva Pearl Pen: Ice
• Liquid Pearls: Majestic Purple

The Original Layout:

Paije’s layout features mostly photos. She has matted photos surrounding one larger central photo. In two spots she’s also included our snowflake cornerstone tile on either side of the main photo. She has a scrapbook paper header at the top.

The New Layout:

My refreshed layout features one central photo surrounded by watercolor resist squares and title.

The new layout utilizes the two new square die grids to cut mats and the toppers. These dies help to stream line cutting paper or photos for your layouts.

I’ve also used the new Alphabet 2 Die to cut the letters for the freestyle title.

 

I’ve used a resist technique to create my paper. I began with a textured cardstock cut to 4×6 cards, but a watercolor paper would work perfectly too. To this I stamped in clear embossing ink a series swirls using Inkadinkado clear stamps. Then clear embossing powder is heat set on top of the ink.

With my watercolors I painted the three cards with a variety of colors. The painting will reveal the stamped image below. Once cut the squares can be used in any direction and anyplace you want to in this design.

Once dry the smaller 1.875” grid die cut the pieces I need. They are randomly placed on the base squares around the center photo.

I repeated the technique on the title 2.125” x 11.125” strip.

The Alphabet 2 die is used to cut letters in purple and chipboard. The two are adhered together with the Stick It! Adhesive sheets and then glued to title strip with Tombow liquid glue. The chipboard was just enough to give a bit of a lift above the page. The new Alphabet 2 Die Set allows you to freestyle the arrangement of letters across the title space.

Once the letters were added I dressed them up a bit with Liquid Pearls Majestic Purple. Pearl Pen in Ice dots tops the dots of the stamped images to bring another layer of festive interest for this birthday celebration.

I have no added photos or journaling for this layout; I wanted to feature that central photo. It’s just a bit on the dark side and by using the watercolors to repeat those colors in the photo I hoped to brighten the whole thing up.

An Alternative Layout:

In a previous layout done for a Design Team Challenge I used this pattern and I filled the squares with a combination of photos and journaling. My center 4×6 section was a perfect spot for journaling about the page on ‘my life online in 2012.’

I think you’ll find that Pattern #276 will be very versatile and easy to accommodate photos, journaling or patterned papers in your layouts this year. Why not join us this year and refresh your patterns? Make a new resolution and spruce up as you join us on this “pattern refresher” course through the Pattern Gallery in 2017.

Andrea Fisher