Sketch Week #1| How to Use and Adapt Scrapbook Sketches | Day 1

Sketch Week is back!

In case you are new to Sketch Week and don't know what it is, many years ago in an effort to show how versatile a scrapbook sketch can be, I would use one sketch and create multiple layout examples with varying alterations. I would share those examples throughout the week along with a detailed description of the variations. It is always fun to see the many different ways you can use a sketch and the changes you can make to adapt it to fit what you are working with.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to get this going again. Sketch Week was always my favorite week!

For the first Sketch Week on the new blog, I have a new FREE two-page sketch that I will be using and three layout examples I'll be sharing today, tomorrow, and Thursday.

You can download the full two-page sketch with measurements and placements by clicking here.

My first layout is a fairly close representation of the sketch with just a few minor adjustments to fit my personal preferences.

Variation #1 - Using one larger photo in place of two smaller photos.

I didn't have enough pictures to create the sketch as is, so I used an enlargement (an 8x6) in place of two smaller photos (4x6.) The larger photo takes up the same amount of space as the two 4x6" photos so no other adjustments were needed.

Using a larger photo in place of multiple smaller photos is an easy way to adapt the sketch to fit the photos you have.

Variation #2 - Removing the background strips.

I went a little bigger and wild with the flowers, so I was afraid the background strips would be too much. I didn't want all of the flowers to get lost in those strips so I simply removed them. Removing pieces on a sketch, like those strips, is a super easy way to get a different look with little effort.

Some other ideas to change up the look of those strips:

• use a repeating line of shapes like stars, triangles, hearts, hexagons, butterflies, squares, etc. in place of one strip.

• break up one larger strip into several smaller strips.

• use strips of all the same size like 1/2" or 1"

• use smaller vertical strips going across the whole page in place of the largest strip

I used to shy away from flowers because I had two boys. I thought I had to stick to the stereotypical boy embellishments. But then my youngest has taught me that you can be a boy and love things like the color pink, unicorns, flowers, and glitter while also loving dirt, cars, German Shepherds, and jiu-jitsu. I just don't put a lot of thought into the gender stereotypes when it comes to scrapbooking as much as I used to. I'm obsessed with all things floral right now, so I'm going to use flowers on my boy pages!

Variation #3 - Replacing the striped strips with a stitched border.

I removed the striped strips (I never thought I would say that!) and replaced them with a stitched border. I loved the idea of all the colors being in the flower clusters and so I kept everything else super simple.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another layout using the same sketch!

Check out day two and three here:

Day #2 Day #3

Products used - Patterned papers and stickers: KaiserCraft #me; Chipboard alphabet: American Crafts; Tonic Studios Nuvo Drops