Double Duty with Double-Sided Cardstock

As pretty as it is, regular patterned paper is very "one-dimensional." Flip it over and it's boring old white. Sure, white can be useful, but why go with the status quo when the opportunity exists to use double-sided cardstock?

Most of the time, when we think of cardstock, solid colors come to mind. Some of it is textured and some of it is two-toned, but this time around we're going to focus on double-sided, patterned cardstock.

What makes double-sided cardstock different from traditional cardstock.

• It's usually thicker than regular patterned paper (about the same weight as traditional cardstock).
• As its name suggests, the paper will have a primary pattern on one side and either a coordinating solid color or a complementary pattern (the former being more prevalent) on the opposite side.

While there used to only be a few companies that manufactured double-sided cardstock, you'll be hard-pressed to find a new paper line that comes out without at least one double-sided design. In some instances, companies only create double-sided cardstock.

Why? Double-sided cardstock is so much more versatile than regular patterned paper. It facilitates color coordinating by providing you with a variety of matching color schemes. Similarly, if you're always perplexed as to how to combine patterned paper, double-sided cardstock lines can help as they tend to already be fashioned in visually appealing pattern combinations.

So, what scrapbook layout elements can you create to take advantage of double-sided cardstock?

• You can use the patterned paper as a ribbon substitute - either as thin strips of paper, as seen in the layout below, or as an accent piece (like a piece of ribbon folded over and stapled to a photo mat). Since there is a pattern and/or solid color on each side, it gives your layout more visual interest and you get more use out of one piece of paper by just flipping it over.
• Dress up your photo mats by cutting them a little larger than normal and folding the corners over to reveal the color/pattern on the back. I did this on just one corner in this layout.
  
  
  
• If you have a layout with lots of pictures, but you still need room to journal, you can make your layout interactive by creating flaps. To do this, measure your paper for a typical photo mat and then double the length. You will then fold your paper in half. Adhere your picture to the front of the flap and then you can journal on the inside of the flap. NOTE: I find this works best with smaller, square pictures.
• You can also create your own multi-layer die-cut flower by punching out shapes and using both the front and the back of the double-sided cardstock.
• Finally, you can dress up your handmade cards. Instead of using plain cardstock that will be the same color inside and out, or a piece of regular patterned paper that will be white on the inside, use a piece of double-sided cardstock that will give you a pattern on the outside and a color on the inside (as I did with this recipe card).
  

No matter how you decide to use it, I've found that, at the very minimum, double-sided cardstock makes my life easier. It's color-coordinated, I don't have to think too hard when trying to match patterns and it kicks my layouts up "another notch!"

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