jamie pate: how to use your Heidi Swapp collections in any season

how to make any heidi swapp collection seasonal

fall for the season

In these parts it is October (finally...snort). And while the weather here is quickly reminding me of this reality, I still have loads of bright spring and summery hues of collections in my stash. Today's post will share one of my favorite Heidi Swapp Collections, Color Fresh, and how I am making it fresh with a fall vibe.

First I think it's ok to keep the background white. Using white cardstock creates a basic background to hold any story, no matter the season. This allows any color or any seasonal motif to not have to compete with other patterns. A white background makes always for a wonderful canvas. Now it's ready for any pattern paper or mixed media technique you have in mind to create your story.

Next, you can see how choosing complimentary embellishments, of course, supports one's story too. This girl did not walk into her school in person until fall. I wanted to point that out with a fall themed layout. After all it's a big part of the story that she went in-person a month after school actually started. I kept the embellishments clustered, yet simple, to keep the focus on the photo. Choosing basic embellishments does not clash with the season of the story.

Pull out your seasonal die cuts to support the theme of your layout. I have no problem creating a fall story using hues of pink and orange. While not strictly traditional, it's OK. One can use almost any color of anything all the while making die cuts that tell the viewer, hey, it's fall ya'll.

To create more interest to this fall-ish page, I also added in some texture to the color effect of the background. You can see all these techniques in the process video linked below.

I used Heidi's White Texture Paste. While this is a medium to be used with the Minc Machine, I just used it for the white. But you know, while I am sitting here writing this post, that would have been beautiful foiled in champagne. (Note to self: write that down.)

Here's the point, the possibilities are endless for making and telling our stories. Keep the seasonal stories traditional, or not. Use white cardstock and create your own customized background, or use your favorite pattern papers. Die cuts help tell what season it is. And any and all mixed media is welcome, whether it's foiled or not.