Six by Six Papers

I see them and hear about them everywhere, 6x6 paper pads. Manufacturers of scrapbooking supplies have been producing whole patterned paper collections in that smaller size for awhile now. They're all the rage. A lot of card makers use these miniature versions of 12x12 papers because the patterns are scaled down and work better on cards than a larger pattern cut down to size.

Scrapbookers are using them, too, probably at least partially because there's a whole lot of variety in one paper pad for around $6, and there are a lot of ways to use those pieces that make it not only economical but also fun to go 6x6.

Awhile back, I received a collection of 6x6 papers as a thank-you, and I decided to see how I could make 6x6 work for me on scrapbook pages. First, I created a couple of Starting Points with only a vague idea of how I wanted to proceed with each layout.

Starting Point number one:

Starting Point number two:

For the first one, I went with two pages because I had several photos from a long-ago Thanksgiving Day that I wanted to scrapbook, and the colors fit the harvest theme.

Here's the complete layout:

(Supplies: Card stock by Stampin' Up! Patterned paper by Pink Paislee. Autumn stamp by Technique Tuesday. Stickers by Little Yellow Bicycle. Gems by K&Company. Letter stickers by Basic Grey. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress.)

For the second one, I chose a single 4x6 photo of my husband playing with Christmas lights, which was perfect for the story I had to tell, even though it really has nothing at all to do with Christmas.

Here's that completed layout:

(Supplies: Card stock by The Paper Company. Patterned paper by Pink Paislee. Buttons by Bella Blvd. and Crate Paper. Pearls by Hero Arts. Stamp by Stampin' Up! Ink by ColorBox. Stickers by Echo Park. Letter stickers by American Crafts. Punch by EK Success.)

Probably the biggest challenge with his page was finding masculine embellishments. Stars worked well on this page because they carried through the theme of light, fortunately. But I'm always on he lookout for more boyish accents, so if you've got ideas, feel free to share.

Those are two ways I found to use the 6x6 papers, and I'm working on another project that uses several sheets from a Bo Bunny paper pad I've got in my stash.