Trendy Tuesday – Chevrons

Trendy Tuesday – Chevrons
By Colleen Harshaw

We are happy to say we have resolved the technical issues we had and can bring you our Trendy Tuesday article today!
We hope you enjoy what Colleen has to share.

Today I want to talk to you about a very popular trend….the chevron.  A chevron is an inverted ‘v’ shape, and it can be found everywhere in papercrafting right now!  It is difficult to browse a blog or a papercrafting magazine without coming upon a chevron.  I was at CKC Cincinnati a week-and-a-half ago, and chevrons were everywhere I turned.

I have found many beautiful samples to share with you….so let’s get started!

First I have this beautiful card by Karen Giron, creator of the Sweet Sunday Sketch and design team member for My Favorite Things (MFT) Stamps.  Karen chose to finish off the inside of her card too….another popular trend right now.  You will notice chevrons on both the front and on the interior of Karen’s card.  See the second photo below for the inside view.

Card by Karen Giron for www.mftstamps.com

This is the inside of Karen’s card……….

Card by Karen Giron for www.mftstamps.com

 This next card was created by Jen del Muro for Lil’ Inker Designs.  I love the flip flops!  Jen does a great job of mixing patterns on this card.  This is something that can be a bit scary for some of us, but Jen keeps the colour palette the same, which helps to make those mixed patterns work.  The combination of the colours and those cute little flip flops just scream ‘summer’ to me!  Notice the chevron paper in the background as an accent piece.

Card by Jen del Muro for Lil’ Inker Designs

This next card is also by Jen del Muro, but this time it is for her Sketch For You To Try challenge.  Jen chose to mix patterns, colours AND textures on this card, and somehow, she makes it all work!  I don’t think I could pull it off!  I think it helps that the chevron patterned paper used on the background of the card is quite a small pattern.

Card by Jen del Muro for SFYTT

This next card was created by Joanne Basile for MFT Stamps.  Joanne used a chevron patterned paper for the scalloped accent below the main image on her card.  She has done a great job of mixing patterns on her card as well.  How cute is that grass?!

Card by Joanne Basile for www.mftstamps.com

This next card was also created by Joanne Basile.  You will notice the chevron paper band in the center of the card behind the main image.  Joanne has mixed all kinds of patterns and textures on this card….ribbon, lace, stitching….she’s got it all.  Joanne has also done some very detailed paper piecing on this card.  Isn’t it beautiful?!

Card by Joanne Basile for www.mftstamps.com

OK…we have finally made it to the last card!  I know….that felt like a lot of cards, didn’t it?  There were so many beautiful samples that I had a difficult time narrowing it down!  If you would like to explore some more samples yourself, all you have to do is go to www.goolge.com, click on images (at the top) and then type in your search criteria.   You will find many more beautiful samples of papercrafts using this latest trend.  You could also browse on Pinterest….another huge trend right now!  Have you joined yet?!

Back to the card!  This card is another sample by Jen del Muro…this time for The Cat’s Pajamas.  She has a few hot trends wrapped up into this card….she has the chevrons (of course!) along with stars (another popular shape right now) and paper pleating.

Card by Jen del Muro for The Cat’s Pajamas

 Next, we move on to the scrapbook layouts!

This first layout was created by Tamara for a blog challenge over at My Mind’s Eye.  I love the colours she chose, as well as those cute little fish tail banners on the right side….I’m sure you all know that is another hot trend right now!  You will notice the chevron pattern in two different places on this layout, both above and below the main image.

Layout created by Tamara for www.mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/challenges

This next layout is actually part of a two page spread that I found on the My Mind’s Eye blog as well.  You will notice the chevron pattern in a more subtle way on this layout.  It is above the adorable photo strip section on the right hand side of the page.  Notice the washi tape too!

Layout by Shelly for www.mymindseye.typepad.com/blog/challenges

 This next layout was created by Creating Keepsakes 2012 Dream Team Memeber Autumn Baldwin.  She actually created her chevron pattern digitally.  She also created a video tutorial so that you can learn how to do it too!  You can find the details on the Creating Keepsakes website here:  http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/articles/How_to_Digitally_Create_Chevron_Patterned_Paper

Layout by Autumn Baldwin for www.creatingkeepsakes.com

This next layout was found via Pinterest (have you joined yet?!).  The photo quality isn’t great, but I wanted to share it with you because I really liked the effect of the large chevron pattern against the white background.  I thought that it packed a lot of punch.  If you happen to be a subscriber to Creating Keepsakes Magazine, there is actually a step-by-step for how to create your own chevron pattern using paper scraps in the September/October 2012 issue.  It can be found on page 119.

As per Pinterest, photo credit goes to www.gcdstudios.blogspot.com

This next layout is one of my favourites.  Even though the elements of the page are colourful, the black and white photos stand out very well and remain the focal point of the layout.  This layout is on target in the trend department too….with both chevrons and hexagons being featured.

As per Pinterest, photo credit goes to www.twopeasinabucket.com

This last layout is fun and vibrant and on trend.  I think we sometimes find it difficult to scrapbook our boy-themed pages (I do anyways) and this is a great example of how to create a boy-themed page while incorporating some current trends.  You will notice some stars and some chevrons on this layout.  Hopefully, you will feel inspired to create some layouts for the men (big and little) in your lives!

As per Pinterest, photo credit goes to www.boysrulescrapbookkits.blogspot.com

As I mentioned earlier, chevrons are everywhere in the industry right now.  I am going to skip posting photo after photo of chevron patterned paper, as I think that would get pretty dry for everyone!  You have a couple of out-of-the-box ideas for creating chevron patterns both digitally and using paper scraps (thank you Creating Keepsakes), so I think I will leave you with a list of manufacturers that I know to have chevron patterned papers available.

American Crafts
Bella Blvd.
My Mind’s Eye
Jillibean Soup
October Afternoon
Fancy Pants Designs

This is by no means a complete list of everything that is available, but it will give you a starting point.  I hope that you are inspired to try this trend, as there is a LOT of inspiration out there!  Have fun creating!