I wanted to share with you some design ideas for creating a unique foundation on your page for your photos to reside.  It's a great way to begin a page because it gives your photos a "home"  and gives them a solid layer on which to build upon.  Obviously, a square of cardstock or patterned paper is the simplest way to create this base. I'm going to give you some out-of-the-box ideas using supplies you may not have thought of before.

Try PATTERNED PAPER STRIPS as your foundation:

To create a sense of motion on this page about my kids tubing, I used various widths of patterned paper staggered across the page.  It makes a visually interesting platform for the photos and gives the mostly-white photos a nice colored background to contrast against.

supplies:  patterned paper (Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin Studio, vintage) + stickers (Studio Calico) + pearl (Basic Grey) + flower

I could have used a square of kraft cardstock to matte my photos and journaling on this page, but by weaving several 1/2" strips together, I've added much more texture and interest to the foundation.  I purposely trimmed the edges unevenly to keep the base from feeling too blocky and square.

supplies:  patterned paper, journal card, stickers, label (Jenni Bowlin Studio) + flower (Prima) + button

Come back next week to see what other foundation ideas I share. if you missed my previous weeks check them out .

Week 1 PAINT

Week 2 STAMPS

To learn how to make layouts like ones shown here pick up a copy of Design Workshop for $5.99, authored by me, Lisa.

week 2 winner is goldnuggt