Creating a vertical band on your layout is a great way to bring movement and flow to your page. You can use a column of embellishments, a patterned paper background or multiple photos to create this effect.

I love to add a vertical layer of patterned paper on my backgrounds. Since I tend to gravitate towards a white background, the patterned paper can add a pop of color and little texture on my page. For my layout above, I started by trimming a piece of paper to about 3.5-4 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Following the rules of thirds, I layered my paper roughly on the right third of my background. Next I added in a few more paper layers and die cuts to create depth and dimension. These die cuts from Kim Stewart at Studio Calico are my new favorite. I love all the intricate details and movement they create.

Tip: I usually staple my die cuts to my patterned papers so I can move them a little rather than adhere them flat to my page.

I like to layer embellishments on top of my die cuts to help draw your eye to their delicacy. And as you can see in the photo above, I often overlap the die cuts onto my photo. I think it helps ground my image and my page.

To balance out the left hand side of my page, I created a small cluster of embellishments using tags, ribbons, a resin flower and a die cut. It's simple, but effective in balancing out the weight of my page.

I would love to see your take on the vertical band! You can use patterned paper, embellishments, photos, words, etc! It's totally up to you!

And thank you so much to Maria and Anita who played along with my last challenge!! You girls are awesome and I just love your projects!!