how to make your tone-on-tone layout POP

Tone-on-tone scrapbooking is a hot trend right now, and it's a look I really love. I don't think anyone does it better than Ashli Oliver of the Purple Mailbox fame. Here I'll share some of my favourite tips for achieving the tone-on-tone look while still making sure your layout pops! 

1. Don't be afraid to put white on white. While your whole layout will look washed out if you use only white, a bit of white on white can be very striking. Here I didn't need to use any colour for the title or the block behind the journalling as the simple white works well enough on it's own. 

2. Keep papers in neutral hues but mix up the patterns. While my scrappy sidebars on my layout aren't truly tone-on-tone, they are cumulatively neutral. By mixing patterns I've added some interest and visual texture without adding a lot of bright colour. 

3. Dimension is your friend. Even a double layer of cardstock adds depth, increasing the visual interest of your page. Consider using pop dots to add dimension, or try not adhering all of your layers and embellishments completely flat, like I did here. That tiny bit of curled up paper and resulting shadow really adds a lot! 

4. Consider metallics and wood grains as neutrals. The tiny bit of gold and silver on this page, plus a single wood veneer button, adds some shine and texture without imparting a bold sense of colour. Another alternative is to consider mixing different types of papers in a neutral colourway: consider mixing textured cardstocks, flat papers, corrugated cardboard and vellum.

5. Just a few dots of mist (in a sort of grey-green shade) adds a pop of unexpected colour and a tiny bit of contrast behind the journalling block. Notice that I repeated the mist in the top left corner of this page, helping draw the eye in a diagonal line across the layout.

Products used on this page include:
Wonky handcut alphabet cut file (SVG and PNG)
Silver foil jewellery tags with star
Assorted cute tags
Squirrel wood veneer button

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