TOTW - Rockin' the Monochromatic

I don't know if you've noticed, but I really like monochromatic colour schemes on my layouts and projects. I usually stick to one colour or colour family, with a dash of a contrasting colour to liven it up. With all the snow we've been getting up here in E-town, I thought I would share a fun way to do a white layout.

The key to pulling off a white layout is texture...and lots of it! If you are using multiple patterns and textures on a colourful page it gets too busy and your eye doesn't know where to focus. And it just ends up looking bad. But on a monochromatic page, as long as your different patterns and textures are the same colour it looks good!


You will need:

• White cardstock for your background
• White embellishments: I like ribbon, tulle, mesh, felt - things with texture. Grab some buttons and brads as well.
• Anything else in your stash that's white, like chipboard letters, tags etc.
• White paint and bubble wrap...to create the texture in the background
• A text stamp and a light-coloured ink pad. I'm using a light blue because it goes well with the blue sky in my photos.

The key to this techneek is to keep adding layers until you have something you're happy with. I started with a big pile of white things and then tried the ones I thought would look good, and set aside the ones I didn't like. You won't use everything in your pile, but it's helps to get you started.

Tip: When applying paint to your bubble wrap, squirt a big pile on then spread it around with a popsicle stick. Works super.




I applied the painted bubble wrap all over the background paper. Press down, then lift it up, move it over, and press it down again. There's no need to apply more paint in between each application. It looks better if the bubbles are uneven.

I used the text stamp sparingly, and only to add some extra colour and texture behind my photos, kind of like a photo mat. It helps if you remove some of the ink before stamping it down on your paper...you can always add more but you can't take away.




And here's the finished layout...the colours look kind of wonky because I took these photos in my basement. I will re-take them tomorrow when there's some good light outside! You can click on the photo to get a better look. I love how the focus is totally on the photos, because everything around them is in the same muted tones of white and off-white.




Tip: I took these boring white chipboard letters and jazzed them up by pressing them into the still-wet bubble wrap! Sweet!


I'll try and get something done for the project on Saturday...Juli is super busy with school, work, work and her new Wedding Planning business! So while I wish her the best of luck I miss her help!!