For my background, I started with the black paper from Vicki's Magic in the Mess Stripes, Solids & Plaids pack.
I then layered Rachel's "mmp-08" paper from her Misc Mixed Media Paperie pack on top of the black. Before using a blend mode, I recolored the paper to black and white and then used the multiply blend mode.
I then selected my black layer and masked the portion of the paper so that Rachel's mixed media paper would show and become a focal area on the layout.