A Mix-n-Match Approach

Monday, July 19, 2010

Hey ya’ll, it’s Lu again, and this week I wanted to share some inspiration from interior design. My favorite (residential) design style is a  relaxed eclectic or “collected” look. With interiors, that may mean years of patiently waiting until you come upon the exact piece of whatever (furniture, rugs, accessories, etc.) that you envision to complete a room (who hasn’t done that??).  Although in my personal experience, a space is never complete, lol!  I get a great deal of inspiration from “home” magazine features. The image below particulary caught my attention for a few key reasons, the mix-n-match aspect and the composition. My eye was immediatley drawn to the bold wallcovering as the room’s “theme”, contrasted with the crisp white quilt & accented by the small-scale supporting fabrics. And although it’s a “formula” that I have often practiced, I thought it might be fun to dissect the image & use it for inspiration on a layout!

Thankfully, it takes comparatively little time to pull together a “mix-n-match” layout… just a little imagination to think outside of the “kit” so to speak! You might ask, with beautiful kits already perfectly coordinated, why would you want to mix and match? For me, the answer is two-fold: 1) sometimes, as wonderful as a kit may be, it may not have all the necessary pieces you desire for a layout, and 2) I personally feel that mixing & matching can add depth  and interest to a layout. I know that whenever I look in the gallery & I see how others have used a combination of kits, I am always very inspired by their creativity. So with that in mind, I used the above image for inspiration to create a layout. Although I chose another color palette to work with, I did try to use a few elements from the original photo. I used an allover pattern for my background, layered a paper to mimic the headboard shape, used a solid neutral to create a focal area and added an “accent” paper  (much like you would  throw pillows) to reinforce the color scheme. Then I threw on my “accessories” to complete the look! I challenged myself to use a different kit for every item and I’m sure that I could have done it, with some restraint (I struggle at times with that concept)! But there are just so many wonderful options, I ended up using a few things (okay, several) from quite a variety of different kits. Here is what I came up with:

 Here is my product (credit) list:

• Wild Love- background paper, accent paper behind photo, alpha
• Barefoot- green paper
• Clementine- black button, heart stitch
• Sweetie Pie- heart with safety pin
• Sprout- key, photo ribbon wrap, damask stamp, ivory lace (yeah, I have a hard time saying “no” to Sprout)
• Damask & Dots- aqua flower
• Modish Girl- floral swirl
• Gigglebox- greenery and phrase strip
• Yours Truly- lobster clip
• An Affair to Remember- aqua sequins
• Summer Cottage- red embroidery stitch
• Sandbox- aqua label tab

For me, it’s a bit like a treasure hunt (both for interiors & digi-scrapping). I enjoy the “thrill of the hunt” almost as much as the finished product! Software such a ACDsee can help organize your digi-supplies & make “mix-n-matching” almost effortless! If you’re interested in learning more about that program, here is the webpage focusing just on digital scrappers. Although I personally have not used that program, with a growing digi-stash & an aging recall ability, lol, I might just seriously consider it!

Above all- whether the eclectic style is yours or not- remember that inspiration can come from anywhere! Just a little confession… until SP’s post on Ad Inspiration, I  had not consciously considered ad layouts as a source of inspiration! Now, I truly scrutinize every page, lol! An open mind is the source of creativity, I believe. If I’ve inspired you today, please let us know… better yet, show us a layout with the challenge to use a different kit for every item! (Remember to credit the kits, as you just never know who you’ll inspire)! I think you’ll be pleased with the result… Until next time, Happy Scrappin’!

LuBeauty & Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized 5 Comments