Ideas for Background Textures


Ideas for Background Textures

 

What’s Inside Your Texture Box?

If you’ve been trying out the decorative paper techniques from my site, you know how much I like to make background textures on paper. I have a big Nike shoe box crammed full of different found materials. When I decide to play with decorating paper, I pull out my box and dive in.

I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the things that we can use to make neat patterns on paper. This paper can be used to make cards, collages, altered books, stationary, picture frames, journals, boxes . . . all types of things.

Here’s what I have so far . . .

  • burlap
  • doilies
  • assorted sponges
  • cheesecloth
  • chop sticks
  • popsicle sticks
  • lace
  • punched metal ribbon
  • bubble wrap
  • plastic and wire mesh
  • bottle caps
  • wine bottle corks
  • assorted coffee cup holders
  • large background rubber stamps
  • string stamps
  • yarns and string
  • netting from sacks of oranges

Here are some ideas that readers sent in . . .

From Kristi ~

  • dry Wall Joint Tape
  • No-Slip Rug Tape (has a different design than the joint tape)
  • No-Slip stuff from RubberMaid for your cupboards and drawers
  • old keys (works great with Pen Score to make a stamp)
  • sand paper
  • scrap of a shingle
  • rubber band ball
  • koosh ball
  • scrunched tin foil, wax paper, and plastic wrap
  • wire designs
  • costume jewelry

From Grace ~

  • pine cones, tiny ones for tiny textures and huge ones for spots. (You can wash the pine cone to get paint off and dry in low oven.)
  • cut up makeup sponges and the funny sponges used between toes in manicures
  • plastic canvas, now it comes in diamond and star shapes
  • cardboard that is corrugated on one side
  • silk leaves or fresh leaves with veins
  • press your painted paper on to the back of floor tiles (the backs of tiles have diagonal or square patterns.)

Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth: Stamp, Screen & Stencil with Everyday Objects is a book by Rayna Gillman with more ideas for printing with everyday items.