It's all in the layering

Hope you're all having a fabulous Saturday!  Here's a page I made a few nights ago.  I used My Minds Eye paper stack.  I took a few patterned papers, layered them and voila!! I also distressed all my edges and inked them with "Vintage Photo" distress ink.  I added some embellishments and used the Cricut to cut out the "Happily" (Gypsy Fonts cartridge)  Here are some tips I found on scrapbook.com on paper layering...see photos after tips.  

Mix different size patters together - such as a one large pattern with a few smaller patterns.
*** Use consistent patterns with different colors - such as all stripes, all circles, etc.
*** Use patterns with similarities other than color - such as all geometric shapes - with one pattern being stripes, one being squares, one being circles, etc - or all plant themes - with a small floral print, a large floral print, a leafy print, etc
*** Use a solid piece of card stock to pull together several patterns using the same color.
*** Use patterns with subtle similarities - such as a striped pattern with thin black accent lines, a leaf pattern with black lines accenting the leaves, and a square pattern with thin black line accents.
*** Use patterns with the main colors within the same color family.
*** Put all your patterns on your desk beside each other - take three steps back and squint. If something sticks out like a sore thumb - remove that pattern and look again.
*** If you have a pattern you want to use, but it doesn't quite match, try changing it - for example if you have a few patterns with a yellow base color and one page that goes well except for the bright white in it, use your chalks to change the white to yellow!
*** When using bright patterns, if you like them together, but something just isn't quite right - try "inking" the edges white. It will soften the colors and give it a more unified look.

Materials

Distressing paper (I did this to all of them)

inked all the edges

Start layering

more layering...

and more layering...

one last layer..this is actually the
mat to my photo.

Add some embellishments and here you have it.