Scenic Route

From the LM Archives

March 17, 2005

Scenic Route

by Madeline Fox

Festival \Fes"ti-val\, n.

1. A time of feasting or celebration; an anniversary day of joy.

2. Revelry; conviviality.  Syn: Feast; banquet.  Also festivale, as in Scenic Route’s newest line of patterned papers for scrapbooking.  Syn:  feast for the eyes, celebration of color, amusement park of patterns!

Have you “scene” it?  The newest collection of 36 patterned papers from the Scenic Route Paper Company, calledFestivale, is a sight to behold.  It’s like a fabulous stroll through a street fair, being bombarded from every angle with color and pattern, one stall more intriguing than the next.  Every way you turn there’s a new combination of colors, patterns that inspire, and interesting applications of typography.  

It’s the beautiful colors that grab your attention and continue to intrigue.  Each of these artistically crafted papers is printed on a thick sturdy cardstock in jewel-like colors in schemes ranging from cool blues and greens on white to the dazzling multi-colored diamonds on worn.  If clean, geometric and bright tickle your fancy, you’ll find papers in the collection perfectly tailored for you.  The crisp white background contrasts nicely with diamonds, circles, squares, stripes and flowers, to name a few of the patterns that grace these papers.  If a more shabby-chic look is your “cup of tea” the papers with the worn, tea-dyed background should fill this niche nicely.  Either way, you’ll find appealing patterns in gorgeous colors that are easy to incorporate into any variety of page designs.

My favorite pattern… (Well, OK, second to the funky chickens maybe)…has to be the modernized Harlequin diamond design.  Much to its credit, the Festivale line takes this classic pattern to a new level, with the addition of color and visual texture unlike any I’ve ever seen.  The mélange of colorful diamonds, softened by a bit of distressing and a layer of text is the perfect start to any page.  Pick your base color, because these diamonds can be found on either a bright white or more subdued “worn” background. 

Another standout pattern is the large daisy design, Big Yellow Daisy or Big Red Daisy, on a background of text on white or text on worn respectively.  Apples, pears, or colorful flowers are other pattern options, in addition to stripes in a multitude of colors and styles.  The many scripts also lend themselves to great paper compositions when layered with a coordinating pattern or two.  The “almost solid” is a great anchor for a larger pattern.  In my page, Good Neighbor, the large daisy design would be overwhelming if not tempered by the addition of the green script and matching accent envelope. 

I can’t forget to mention the wonderful papers of word art.  There are Spring Words, Adventure Words, Expressions, and more.  Even a page of chicken jokes!  Gayle, on her Shabbat layout, has strategically placed a section of one such paper so that the words, believe and discover, are advantageously displayed alongside and above her photos.

Are you wondering how all of these colors and patterns can be found on just 36 sheets of paper?  Well let me tell you!  (This is the best part!)  The entire line is comprised of double sided cardstock papers, where each pattern has a coordinating flip side.  This is such an awesome feature, a definite advantage when you design pages using multiple patterns!  It also makes it easy to design cards, folders, bookpockets, accordion tags, etc. with no worry as to how the “other side” will look.  Stripes, scripts and solids back each of the larger designs!

First drawn to the artistry of the Festivale line, I then began to appreciate the finer details that make working with these papers a real joy.  New to the store and sure to enhance any paper crafting project are this line’s cardstock sticker words and monograms and an appealing array of great alphabets.  Also available are six vellum designs, including a diamond pattern, words, and large alphabet.

Next time you’re in the store, take the Scenic Route and explore their newest offerings.  You’re sure to find just the right papers to compliment your memories!