Color Me Monday: Rich and Regal

Who says monochromatic is boring? Not me! Today, I’m working in a near-monochromatic, complementary palette of Autumn Terracotta, Crème Brulee, Brown Bag, and Chocolate and the results are rich and dramatic, wouldn’t you agree? With a little help from photos provided by CTMH event planner Yvonne Drake, that is. Isn’t her daughter a doll? Her red hair is a perfect inspiration for this color combination.

Brown Bag is a great color that often doesn’t get used as frequently as Chocolate or Cocoa—but it’s lighter, almost orange undertone makes it a perfect pitch for this color combination. You can also see I’ve lifted some inspiration from a recent Art and Soul episode where we showed paper leathering using stamp pads (on my small “Dad” card). It’s a great—and foolproof—way to easily add texture to cardstock. Simply place your cardstock on a level, smooth surface, place a stamp pad facedown on the paper (a complementary color or the exact same color works best) and rub the stamp pad in circles until you have your desired intensity of “leathering.” It’s so easy to do and the results are awesome.

For an extra dimension boost, I’ve also distressed my covered Dimensional Elements letters in the “daddy” title of my scrapbook layout, then sanded off some of the color. Both paper leathering and sanding are easy ways to add texture quickly and easily, without using a lot of tools or complicated techniques. Think of these great shortcuts next time you want a rich and regal look without major effort!