What do you look for in a backing paper?

[Funkyhand]

Hi everyone,
What do you look for in a backing paper when you are card making? Is there a particular colour scheme that you can never find? or a pattern that never appears? What would you love to see but can never find?

Any of your comment would be gratefully received as I am designing a new set of papers and I want card makers opinions on what you want to see rather than just following the 'current ' trends that the big companies churn out.
I look forward to your responses,
Thanks
Anice xx :):)

[EMEvans]

My fav colours at the mo are duck egg blue and different shades of brown. I would love to get some backing papers that have these colours.

Also it's nice to buy packs/C.D's with a theme, e.g baby papers, kids, wedding etc. I like to make 'scrapbook' cards so having different papers that match is great.

[Samm]

I generally look for something that's classic, not too overpowering. Like dots, stripes but it's nice to have something other than white for the main colour to be against. Browns are very in at the moment, so duck egg blue, browns and pinks would be a good place to start I think.

[lizan]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH Lorve backing

I would say browns/beiges....brown/pinks combo's...In swirls dots and ginghams

Same in black //white black //pink combo

I also like lime green// pinks 'n lilacs graet modern combo

yer duck egg blue is nice as well

I make my own backing sometimes but just at the mo no time

Love to see your papes when they are done how exciting

Lizan

[Primmers]

I'd love to see your backing papers.

I like classic papers that aren't too overwhelming.

I like chocolate/pink colourways, lime/fuchsia for bright work, Oriental themes - they're so elegant -pastel spots and stripes, William Morris types in rich colours ( works for blokey cards, which are always a problem).

I also like embossed papers, but they are so expensive to buy. I've thought of investing in a Fiskars thingy with embossing plates to do my own. I've got to run that one past OH, though.

I too like duck-egg blue, soft pinks, creams, beiges,and the soft metallic ones you can get - not the super-shiny stuff, the subtler stuff in bronzes and dull gold.

I also like tiny floral all-over patterns.

I particularly like matting, using toning colours, but I'm always sad that by its very nature matting covers up quite a bit of the bottom layers!
I suppose I could edge the bottom matts in the paper and only fully matt the final one.... cheapskate, aren't I?:)

[Seahorse]

Id like something taht creates a mood/theme, like if Im doing parite stuff it should be sepia/browns with some relevant pic on it from the era, like an old galleon.
I think metallics are nice to.If it could have a gold accent colour somehow used in it.

[Funkyhand]

Thank you all for your responses. They have given me plenty to think about. This backing paper CD will be my 5th one so it gets harder and harder to stay fresh. If you want to see examples of other papers I have done, they are on my Website. There are examples of cards I have made with some of the papers too, just if you are interested.
Well I have to get off and get on with designing whilst I have all this inspiration!!
Thanks again
Anice xx :):)

[Tip Top]

I've tried for ages to get good clean colour backing papers - I've resorted to copying fabric designs that can easily be repeated on a word document and I've searched the American free backing paper websites - some quite good ones, but again its the big white border thing going on which I really don't like!

I've added your website to my favourites as I have a feeling I may be buying from you but need to sell some of my stuff first before I can replenish stocks heheh!!:)

I'm into stripes and dots at the moment and gingham is hard to get. I like bright bold colours but also like William Morris stuff - I have some postcards but and refuse to cut them up! Flur de leise (?) patterns too would be nice.

Good luck and post a note when the cd is done!!:mf:

[heavenlygirl]

I like sponged effect papers ie 2 or 3 tones of one colour sponged together, when i can get these they sell quite well in my shop.

Heather

[liz15a]

I think the two packs you offer already are great - if you could replicate these packs in other colour ways that would be brill.

So if you did each pack (as they have different sheet designs) in black/whites, greens, paler pinks and blues, oranges etc etc they would be good.

I would certainly be interested in stocking these if there were more pre-printed packs available!

Dovecraft and others have some new packs out which are very 'designery' and nice, but I think simpler designs and smaller shapes work better for card makers.

[indri]

As I do quilling on cards when I make them I want a background paper that isn't too fussy when I'm using one. So no fine detailed patterns or anything with too many contrasting colours otherwise the detail of the quilling doesn't show and I may as well not put any quilling on there!