"Matching Patterns"

Hello Friends, Visitors, Viewers and Followers.
How do you go about picking design papers or patterns for your cards?
Do you just open a pad and start using the papers out of that one pad because you think they all match with your image?
Do you go to a scrapbook store and pick out paper that are in the same color range?
Do you lay out papers that are all of the same color and see what match with your image?
Do you pick patterns based on the colors in or on your image?
This is what I did.
I don't very often use black unless it is for matting.  However, I do have some pattern paper that has black for the background color.  I was trying to come up with a design just by using some pattern paper with a black background to go with a black and white image.  I'm not going to tell you how many pieces of paper I cut up just to finally settle on this design....that will just be between me and my paper (lol).  Just to not have the card to be completely black and white, I added a touch of red to give it some "punch":

Entry for WordArtWednesday.blogspot.com

Design papers used on this project...Recollection Toile; American Crafts Christmas Foil; Recollection Christmas Noel .

As you can see a mixture of papers from different manufactures were used here.  I have to admit that most of the time, I do pull papers from the same book because someone else has gone through the task of assembling like patterns together and I don't have to fuss over what goes with what.  Yesterday, I talked about challenging yourself and this was a challenge to use black and white papers .

Entry for Outlawzchallenges   Wednesday sketch

I followed a sketch given on the Outlawzchallenges.ning.com  (Wednesday sketch) for this week.

I've used Neenah white cardstock cut at 4.5 x 5.5

Dark blue Bazzill cardstock cut at 1/8" less than the white.

I embossed the blue cardstock using a Darice (snowflake) folder.

The topper was cut from a Our Daily Bread Designs Beautiful Borders die.

The bottom snowflakes were cut using the Martha Stewart punch.

The outer circle of the image was cut using Our Daily Bread Designs circle stitched dies.

The image is watercolor using three different shades of blue and white on the bottom.  I hand drew the trees on the right but the tree branches on the left are from Sizzix Thinlits birch trees die cut.

Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte was used to create falling snow.

Thanks for viewing with me today.  Come again and leave a comment.  I enjoy hearing from you.

Sending you a hug and LOVE,

Lois