Background check – Create an Anchor for the focal point
Hello everyone and welcome to idea #2 for background check series. If you are new here, nice to meet you! :-) This month we are exploring ways to enhance the background for our card focal point.
Today’s idea is to create a panel with patterned paper as an anchor for the focal point like so:

The rest of this card is just a lot of layering and playing with patterned papers and stickers (Question: would it be a good idea to do a series on techniques / design guidelines to create these fun clusters? Do let me know in the comments below!)
My main note part was a light colored one and so was my cardbase. So I decided to spice it up a bit by adding another note part right behind with a contrasting color. In fact it is the same paper as the top one, but showing its other side.
I also picked sentiment stripes from the paper pack that matched coffee / warm theme and adhered it to the note. To add little more interest, I added a banner on one side. Lastly, I added generous amount of glossy accent on all the hearts. At this point I realized I wanted just a little something-something more on the card base itself. So I stamped one of the heart images using Glacier Lake Colorbox ink, and covered it with glossy accents too.
Supplies list
For your convenience, I am sharing links to the supplies I’ve used for these cards – click on the picture or link to go directly to the product. Wherever available, I have used affiliate links, which means when you make a purchase, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) which I use to run this blog. I truly appreciate your support!

Doodlebug CREAM AND SUGAR 6×6 Paper Pad 5530

Doodlebug LATTE LOVE Sprinkles Shapes Assortment Cream and Sugar 5456

Simon Says Stamp Card Stock 100# SURF BLUE SB21

Simon Says Clear Stamps COFFEE AND TEA SSS101695

ColorBox Archival Dye Ink Full Size Inkpad, Glacier Lake

Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive GAC17042

3M Scotch 1/2-Inch by 36-Yard Double-Sided Foam Tape

3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Permanent

Scor-Tape 1/8 Inch Crafting Tape


We R Memory Keepers TRIM AND SCORE Board 71337-1

[Amazon] Fiskars 9 Inch Bypass Paper Trimmer
More like this
The card below is almost using the exact same idea except it does not define a single focal point in only one area of the card. It spreads the design across entire card front.

You can combine the idea from previous #vsbackgroundcheck post along with the one here to create something like the one below. I layered a patterned paper panel as the lowest layer and over it I added another panel to act as anchor for my focal point.

In this example below, I added the focal point as well as sentiment anchored to a patterned paper panel:

In this one here, I created the focal point by directly heat embossing and watercoloring on my card base. I added a strip of patterned paper to bring in some more of those same colors onto the card and pull the whole design together.

Giveaway
This month onwards, I will be hosting giveaways! To win a $20 gift card to a craft store of your choice, leave a comment here by 11:59pm CST on 2/28/2017 telling me if you are a fan of layering patterned papers for your projects. :-) (The winner’s name will be randomly selected and emailed after the giveaway closes. International folks are eligible, too!)
Please do spread the word about this for me. If you post about this on social media, please use the tag #vsbackgroundcheck
Big thank you and warm hugs! ~Varada

#ssscardkit #vsbackgroundcheck #Backgroundcheck #SimonSaysStampFeb2017cardkit