I think "too scrappy" has a lot to do with your personal preferences. I made a mystery quilt last year going really scrappy and it was too scrappy in my opinion. This year I've started some scrappy quilts but toned it down. I kept colors within a certain range, deciding one quilt will be brights and another will be happy colors but with more of a subtle greyed value. I have learned that I like scrappy but controlled scrappy. I like to keep the colors in my neutral prints also in the same color range.