Black is the one color that never goes out of style. It is timeless and can be used for a variety of things: home décor accents, clothing, cars and of course, scrapbooking. Black is also the one color that matches every other color. There is no such thing as “clashing” with black. The unacceptable Brown & Black pair has even made its way into popular fashion.

Some scrapbookers turn away from using too much black because it might make their page seem too “dark” or “depressing”, or maybe “serious”. Others are intimidated by the color and how to use it. In reality, black is not even considered a color, but rather the lack of color. But as you will see, black on layouts is anything but boring and colorless. The examples and information below are meant to help open your eyes to the classic color of black and all it has to offer as a layout background.

Taking on the Trends

Unless you’ve been locked in a closet the last couple of years, you are probably aware that Pink & Black are an incredibly trendy color combination right now. Like most color trends, this has made its way into the scrapbooking world. You can now find a large selection of patterned papers sporting these colors in fashionable patterns. But, you don’t have to purchase new items to create a page using a new & popular color combo.

Black and pink are a very trendy color combination

To create this Baby Shower layout, I used existing supplies, but with a twist. Since the mother-to-be was expecting a little girl, I felt obligated to use pink on the page, but I’m not big on lots of girlie frills. Instead, I began with a black background – something you might not typically think of for a baby. Each photo is matted with white cardstock, and again with light pink patterned paper (Provo Craft), which was then inked with a black ink pad (Rubber Stampede).

A strip of the same patterned paper was used as the base for the border. I chose several baby girl themed buttons (Dress It Up) and then inked each one with a black ink pad several times. After each inking, I rubbed the ink off with a cloth. Some of the ink will stay on the buttons, but the most effective part of this technique is how the ink gets into the cracks, allowing the detail of the button to be more visible. I then cut white cardstock slightly larger than each button; chalked with pink chalk (Craft-T Products), inked the edges with black, and then attached the button with Mini Glue Dots. The accents were then attached to the patterned paper strip with Pop Dots. Journaling was printed on white cardstock (also chalked and inked) using the font “Myriad Web”.

Black and Bright

Personally, I have the most fun with black when I combine it with bright colors. The vibrant and rich yellows in this Block Party layout are the perfect compliment to backgrounds of black and dark gray.

Combine black backgrounds with bright and vibrant colors!

This layout was a breeze to complete by choosing background paper and stickers from the same manufacturer (Memories Complete). I began by sanding the background edges before adding any elements. Utilizing the pre-printed squares on the right page background, I added sticker elements to each block. Each sticker was sanded and inked with a black ink pad (Rubber Stampede). On some, I used alphabet stamps (Club Scrap) to show the date.

Each photograph was matted in yellow cardstock, which was also sanded. I created two journaling blocks, where I journaled by hand with a black marker (Zig Writer), and added titles with letter stamps and my own handwriting. The same sanding and inking techniques were used on the journaling blocks, as well. For each photo, I wrote who was in the picture, inked the edges and attached. As accents, I added two ribbon belt border stickers to the layout.

Blast to the Past

Using neutral colors with a black background tends to give a layout an older, vintage feel, such as this layout entitled Explore. I chose these colors to help bring across the “old-timey” mood of the village we had visited on this particular field trip.

Using neutral colors with a black background gives an older, vintage feel.

Instead of simply using black cardstock, I spiced it up a bit by inking the entire background with a copper ink pad (Ink It Up). Using metallics on black is a great effect, regardless of whether it’s an ink pad, rub-ons, or pens. To finalize the background, I added various sized pieces of ivory cardstock and patterned paper (Scenic Route Paper Co), all of which have edges inked with a black ink pad (Rubber Stampede).

The photographs are all left un-matted, allowing the color blocking technique to help “frame” each picture’s placement. Journaling was done on the computer (font: Grudge) and printed on the ivory cardstock prior to attaching to the layout. As finishing touches, I added the date with letter stickers (Sticko, EK Success), and cut out accents from patterned paper (Scenic Route Paper Co.), which were attached with Pop-Up Glue Dots for dimension. Finally, I used letter stamps (Hero Arts) to label a few photographs.

Black is often used on heritage pages, and even more often with black & white pages. But, when pulling out black cardstock, do not feel obligated to use such guidelines or restrictions. Remember – Black is classic, timeless, all-matching, and a perfect way to experience freedom on a page!

More Ideas!

If you are itching for more ideas on pages with black backgrounds, here are some examples from our gallery:

Note how this layout by Lisa still has a young and fun feel to it, while using black cardstock as the background. Red is the perfect compliment! This layout also illustrates how you can use both black and white, and color photos with such a layout.

http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/18111/sort/1/cat/533/page/3

Lissa’s layout, Wings, uses a black background to frame or mat the layout. This is a great idea for a very finished look if you are leery of having too dark of a background.

http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/12469/sort/1/cat/534/page/4

On this layout, Janelle utilizes the most classic color combination of all – black and white. She combined patterned and solid papers with a black background (and a black & white photo) for a truly timeless, yet fun, look. The various patterns and accents are not overwhelming because of the simple color combination.

http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/14282/sort/1/cat/535/page/3

On Julie’s layout here, a black background allows for the layout to have an artistic look. It’s not overcrowded with photos or accents. The color compliments the photo’s subject while helping the subtle accents stand out. Also note that she used the once-forbidden combination of black and brown!

http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/17798/sort/1/cat/3038/page/7

Here, Nancy not only used black as her background for a page, but for many pages in a mini-album. Black is the perfect touch of masculinity, but with an accent color such as this teal blue, the pages are still young at heart.

http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/24271/sort/1/cat/3321/page/1