In the next few months we will be highlighting different styles in our Goodie Bag posts. We’ll identify several of the most popular styles and help you to discover your own personal style. We’ll offer tips to make your style stand out and maybe inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.
Today we are finishing up our style discussion with the trendy contemporary collage style, which features layers of paper, a mix of textures and fun, hip color schemes.
Colors: The Contemporary Collage style is anything goes when it comes to selecting colors. Choose one color and use various shades of it for a monochromatic ombre look, or pick a trendy color combination to highlight. Mint and gray come to mind right now when I think of trendy color combinations, and navy blue and yellow are hot colors as well.
Design: While many of the other styles involve well thought out symmetrical designs, contemporary collage focuses on asymmetrical design with groups of embellishments clustered together and often piled on top of one another. The focus of this style is on the details. Small groups of embellishments with mixed patterns and textures draw the eye in. The trick to this design is to carefully place the pieces so they look like they have been layered on without a care. It’s about moving things around until it looks just right. I love to use sequins or confetti on this style and I will often just sprinkle it onto my card and then adhere it wherever they land. 
Papers: This is a great style to play with when you want to use mixed patterns on a project. Try mixing a floral, a stripe and a polka-dot to achieve a collage look. You can also mix and match floral patterns if you pay careful attention to the size perspective of each. A paper with a small delicate floral pattern works well with a large bright floral pattern. Pieces of ephemera can add a just right touch to this style. Try cutting shapes from old dictionary papers or layer tissue paper or fabric onto your project.
Cutting Files: Contemporary collage is about design shapes rather than realistic images. Try using the Honeycomb Overlay, or the Circle Background as background pieces for your card or layout. Swirly sentiments and decorative titles such as You Make my Heart Sing Title or the Sunshine Banner make great overlay pieces as well. The contemporary collage style works great for silhouetted images too, such as the Autumn Harvest Windmill, the Tiara, or the Hat Lady files.
We hope you have enjoyed learning about the four main styles Vintage and Shabby Chic, Elegant and Classy, Modern Graphic and Contemporary Collage. Our hope is that you will find your own style and then be inspired to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Have fun creating!
~Michelle
love the ideas you have given us thinking out of the box will have to give it a go thank you Michelle
Thank you Catherine!