World Cardmaking Day: Sketch Challenge

 I'm sure I've followed a card sketch before, but if so, it's been a looooong time. I really enjoyed digging out my vintage Doodlebug products to make a card using their sketch. Here's my card...

Thinking of You (affiliate link)

... and here's their sketch. 

As you can see, I kept the main elements the same: I have a solid background (pink), with a scalloped-edge patterned paper next (plaid). On top of that, I have a grid paper (pink) and a strip of checked paper (yellow). I flipped the elements on the tag so that the sentiment (thinking of you) is above the focal element (fruit). I added embroidery floss to my tag, but kept it untied. 

I never (ever!) would have made a card like this without the challenge to prompt me. It was so much fun to interpret it and to see how I could make my limited Doodlebug products work for me. 

I Love Bunnies

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day. As usual, I got up before dawn and scrapped well into the night, chatting with friends via Zoom as I worked. It was a lot of fun. And now I have a bunch of layouts I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks, interspersed with other projects (including a review of a painting kit and some edible art, to name a few). 

The first layout I made on National Scrapbook Day is this: 

I Love Bunnies (affiliate link)

A few days ago, I received a box of fabulous goodies from Scrapbook Customs and I couldn't wait to jump in and play. Everything on this layout except for the white cardstock is from Scrapbook Customs. Aren't those patterns fabulous?! Click the affiliate link above for specifics about the products. 

The layout is based on this sketch from Victoria Marie Designs. 

As you can see, I stayed pretty true to the sketch. I swapped the two photos for one, flipped the flags so they are off the photos, moved the journaling under the title, and changed the stars to hearts. I'm really happy with how it turned out. 

Our dear Trouble is now 10.5 years old and slowing down, but still as packed with personality as ever. I really love that bun and am glad to have another page about him in the album. 

I Love Big Stuff

While digging through the box of printed photos that hadn't made it into the scrapbook for the I Love You the Whole World layout, I found six photos with Trevor and/or me posing with ridiculously-oversized things. I put them together to make this layout:

I Love Big Stuff (affiliate link)

I made this layout for the Follow the Playbook challenge during the Victoria Marie Designs crop. In it, we were asked to use this sketch:

As you can see, I dropped the left side of the sketch and just used the right. I doubled the number of photos, moved the title onto the dark strip across the bottom, and extended the journaling to fit the space where the title had been. 

This is my least favorite layout from the crop. I don't hate it, but looking at it now there are a few things I'd tweak to improve it. 

The Last Day of 8th Grade

Nobody likes Dolores Umbridge, but the Umbridge Rules Sketch Challenge was one of my very favorites from the Yer a Wizard Online Virtual Crop. I always love a good sketch challenge! Here's what I made:

Last Day of 8th Grade (affiliate link)

And here is the sketch:

As you can see, I did some flipping and rotating, but all the elements are there. I'm particularly happy with the circles. I dug out some ancient vellum and it gave me just the look I wanted. I'm going to hang onto this sketch, as I can totally see using it again. 

Fair Food: NSD 3-Hour Sketch Challenge

This layout is another National Scrapbook Day sketch challenge:

Fair Food (affiliate link)

This was a 3-hour challenge. Participants had to make a layout based on this sketch... 

... BUT not as is. I flipped the sketch, used one photo instead of two, added a bunch of journaling in the lower photo position, removed some layers, and changed the shape of the text box. I thought the papers worked well with the rainbow of colors in our self-serve shaved ices. By the way, we're obsessed with those and a bunch of other fair foods. Everything in moderation, right? Right.

Allison at Easter - NSD 5-Hour Sketch Challenge

Here's another sketch challenge from National Scrapbook Day. I used two photos of my niece, Allison, in her purple Easter dress.

Allison at Easter (affiliate link)

Here's the sketch that I followed:

In addition to following the sketch, we had to use at least two different patterned papers AND use buttons and brads. As you can see, I kept the major elements of the sketch and made little tweaks. I used three patterned papers, added a button center to the flower, and added brads to the horizontal border strips that anchor my title and journaling.

It's not my usual style, which is part of what I love about NSD. It's fun to jump outside my comfort zone and to see what I can create.

Chief Laundry Inspector - NSD Sketch Challenge and Punch Challenge

As always, I had a very fun and extremely productive National Scrapbook Day! I got up at 4:30 am to get a jump on the early East Coast challenges and kept going until around 8:30 pm, with a short break for dinner. I completed 16 layouts based on challenges from three different sites. I finished two more layouts that just need journaling. I'll be sharing the pages I made over the next few weeks, interspersed with other projects.  

This was the first layout I made. 

Chief Laundry Inspector (affiliate link)

The primary inspiration was the Scrapbook Boss Sketch Challenge at Victoria Marie's iNSD 2018 Online Crop. I'd been wanting to scrap this picture of Trouble gooing on our clean laundry for awhile, and this challenge was the perfect occasion. Here is the sketch:

As you can see, I stayed fairly true to the sketch with just a few minor changes. I really like this sketch. It's versatile and appeals to my clean and simple aesthetic.

National Scrapbook Day: 4th Grade

Here's another layout I made for a challenge on National Scrapbook Day. 

4th Grade (affiliate link)

It was inspired by this sketch at Scrapbook and Cards Today. 

As you can see, I kept the basic structure the same - title on the left, journaling on the right, pictures in a row, focal photo overlapped at the bottom left. I moved a few things over, lengthened the journaling spot, and added a second row of photos.

NSD: Any Way But Straight Sketch Challenge

I really like sketch challenges, so I knew I wanted to play along with the "Any Way But Straight" challenge at Scrapbook.com. The objective was to use the provided sketch any way except as is; in other words, you had to flip, rotate or otherwise change up the sketch when making your layout. Here's my page: 

And this is the sketch that inspired it, designed by Bev Code:

As you can see, I flipped the sketch horizontally so that the title was on the right and the embellishments on the left. I doubled the number of photos and moved the photo block up above the striped strip of paper, which I cut down to hold the embellishment cluster. I added journaling to the empty space on the bottom right. I really like how it turned out. 

Next week I'll be sharing some of the kids crafts and other projects I've been doing lately, then I'll be back the following week with more of the scrapbook pages I made on National Scrapbook Day.

Meeting Teagan

I'm the proud godmother of three. I've blogged about my goddaughters often. Trevor and I met Kylinn and her mom Courteney at baby storytime at the library when Trevor was 7 months old and we've been close ever since. I was lucky enough to be there three years later when Ellia was born. It was an honor to become Kylinn and Ellia's godmother in May 2011.

My third godchild was born in March 2013. His name is Teagan, and he is the son of my cousin Tim and his wife Ginger. They live about 1000 miles away. Teagan's baptism was held exactly one week after his birth (to accommodate Ginger's visiting family). With such short notice, I wasn't able to make the trip to attend the baptism. I met Teagan for the first time when he and the rest of the family traveled to California to attend the baptism of my niece Allison four months later.  

Here's the layout I made to coincide (almost) with the anniversary of his baptism.  Teagan's godfather is his cousin Ryan, my cousin Matt's stepson.

I used this sketch by Laura Whitaker for Let's Get Sketchy.

This was my first time playing along at Let's Get Sketchy. When I saw this sketch, I thought it would be perfect for my photo. I decided to experiment with vellums. I followed the sketch almost exactly, using vellum for every component except the black cardstock that is matting my picture. As is always the case with vellum, I had to be very thoughtful about where I put adhesive so that it wouldn't show. I painted the vellum letters then added Stickles on top for sparkle. The scan doesn't do the layout justice. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Our Shrinking Snowman

I love snowmen. Amongst the many snowmen that decorate the house each December is a large stuffed snowman. Trevor poses with him every year. I'm pretty sure the snowman has been gradually shrinking over time. Check out the photos from 2009 and 2013 and see if you agree with me. 

Our Shrinking Snowman (affiliate link)

I really like how the layout turned out, so I worked backward from it to make a sketch.

I shared the sketch with the team at Ideas for Scrapbookers.  Five of the contributors made layouts from my sketch and I was blown away with what they did.  They are all completely different.  Head over there to see what each of them made!

Pam's Sketch

A few weeks ago, the fabulous Pam Callaghan sent a sketch to all of the Contributing Artists at Ideas for Scrapbookers.  Here's her sketch:

And here's what I made:

I kept most of the elements from the sketch, including the tags, hearts and journaling strips.  I added two photos to the three in the sketch and did some flipping and rotating.  

To see what the other designers made, head over to Ideas for Scrapbookers!  Each layout is completely different!

A Card from Sketch 10

A few weeks ago, I shared a layout from Easter 2013 that I made using this sketch:   

As usual, when I was done with my layout I used the scraps from the layout to make a card.   I love doing that.  Everything is already out and color-coordinated and just the right size for cards. Here's my card:

 

See the mistake?  I didn't... not until I'd scanned it, edited it, and was about to submit it for an article.  Here's the improved version:  

If you didn't notice the problem, check the lower right corner.

Anyway, about the card... as you can see, I kept several of the elements from the sketch and used the same color scheme as the layout.  Because of the extra mailing expense, I don't usually make square cards unless I'll be giving the card in person.  Approximately 98% of the cards I make are A2, so it was a fun exercise to make a card that with a different shape.  

Easter 2013

I made this sketch recently, my tenth:

I used it to make the second of two layouts from Easter 2013.

I was happy with the layout... until I scanned it.  As soon as I saw it on the screen, I didn't like the way some of the letters in the title seemed to disappear.  It looked fine in real life, but I decided to change it so that it would look ok digitally too.

I didn't want to spend too much time making the change, nor did I want to use new supplies.  So I carefully peeled up the a and the e and added some turquoise ink to them.  The title is much easier to read now.

One simple change and now I'm satisfied with how it looks both in real life and digitally.

Backyard Fun

Here's the May sketch from The Scrapping Stamper:

And here's my interpretation:

 

Here's what I did to make the sketch work for me:

• I took the overlapping pictures and separated them out a bit.  (I tried to overlap them, I really did.  I just couldn't do it.  It's simply not me.)  
• I wanted to use tan vellum to make the large circle from the sketch, but I only had a very small piece.  I cut the largest circle I could and set it above my focal photo, then used the teeny scraps to make the other two circles.  None of the circles are complete. If you were to peek under the photo mat, you wouldn't see any vellum hiding under there.      
• I moved the title down so that it rested on the horizontal strip, then dropped the journaling underneath that.

I love that my layout is all about the pictures.  My eye goes first to Trouble munching on swiss chard, then to his awesome tail, then to his giant back feet stretched out behind him. Adorable. 

This layout provides a good opportunity for me to talk about a facet of owning a house rabbit that I didn't discuss during Bunny Week, which is outdoor play time.  All rabbits need plenty of daily play time where they can run at top speed, investigate objects, and interact with toys. Trouble has free run of our downstairs from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm, so he easily meets his exercise needs indoors.  When the weather is nice, we'll take him into the backyard with us to provide a different environment for him.  When he is running loose outdoors, we do not take our eyes off of him and are always just a few steps away.  A rabbit can easily dig under a fence and escape or become victim to a hawk or other raptor, which are numerous where we live.  When we're doing yardwork or picnicking or crafting or doing anything where we cannot watch him every second, we put him in a large x-pen under our shade structure (to block raptors from seeing him).  We still watch him, of course.  We do not leave him unattended outdoors, even for a second. Trouble loves outdoor time - running at top speed without his paws slipping on hardwood floors like they do indoors, grazing in the garden, and lounging in the cool grass.

Making a Sketch Fit Your Style

Here's the latest sketch for the Scrapping Stamper Design Team.

At first glance, it isn't a good fit for my style.  I do like it, but between the torn, offset background to the six different patterned papers to the six flower accents, it has a lot more going on than my usual pages.  Plus, there's no designated place for journaling.  But I've learned there are ways to make any sketch work for you, no matter what your style.

Here's what I did to make this sketch work for me:

• Rotated the sketch 90 degrees to the right
• Used clean white cardstock as a base, then matted that with black.
• Chose three different patterned papers to make strips.
• Changed the area designated for a subtitle into a journaling block by removing one paper strip.
• Skipped the embellishments.

 

I am really happy with my finished layout.  It's clean, simple, has a lot of journaling, and the focus is on the photo... exactly my style.  As I worked with this sketch, I realized how much I actually love it.  A sketch is all about finding inspiration and this one led me to a design I never would have come up with on my own.  

Sketch 8

As promised, here is the sketch to accompany my Library Card layout.

 

I'm still using OpenOffice Draw to make my sketches.  Eight sketches in, the process is much faster for me than when I made that first one.  I feel like I sort-of know what I'm doing now!

Trick Oreo Treat

It seems like I did nothing but Valentines and kids' crafts this week, but I did actually manage to get a little scrapping in.  Each October, Trevor and I head to Baskin Robbins for their Flavor-of-the-Month, Trick-OREO-Treat.  It's one of our favorite fall traditions.

 

I used this sketch by Shannon White.

The Baskin Robbins logo at the top left of my layout came from a gift card holder.  I just cut it out and glued it on.  It's probably not acid-free, but I don't really care.  To make the oreo in my title, I simply found an image online, adjusted the size, printed it and cut it out.  

I just now realized that I should have chosen "Eat all 12 of Baskin Robbins' Flavors of the Month" as one of my 40 Things.  What was I thinking?!  I missed a golden opportunity to justify going out to ice cream every month for a year!  Maybe that will be a project for my 41st year...  

S+C

I had a lot of fun working on my January layout for The Scrapping Stamper.  This is only the second time EVER that I've used lace on a layout.  I love the soft look it gives here.  I've had that lace for about 15 years, which is when my grandma passed all her sewing stuff on to me. Who knows how long she had it before then!  

 Here is the sketch that inspired the layout:

Some of the elements are in my layout: a single 4x6 horizontal photo at the center right, a strong horizontal strip anchoring the picture, the title in the bottom right, and horizontal trim at the top and bottom.  I chose not to back the picture with the circle/star, and I moved my (non-tree) accents upward from the bottom left to the center left.  I skipped the journaling (gasp! so unlike me!) but slid a blank journaling card behind the accent strip.  

I really like how this turned out.  I love working with sketches, keeping what works for my particular layout and changing what doesn't.

Black and Gold Thank You

I've been writing articles for Scrapjazz for awhile now, but I've only recently started checking out the contests and challenges in their forums.  When I saw the November card sketch challenge, I knew I wanted to play along.  

The sketch is very simple - just my style!  I recently uncovered a piece of shimmery gold cardstock that I'd embossed on a friend's Big Shot way back when.  I decided to use that as my background.  As to what color to pair with the gold, that was a no-brainer.  My high school colors were black & gold (go Matadors!) and I've always thought it was an elegant combination.

Here's my card: 

 

And here's the sketch:

As you can see, I followed the sketch very closely.  I think the embossed dots, the scalloped circle, and the extreme shimmer of the paper add interest.  Overall, I'm really happy with it. I might have to try this again with some other color combinations!