Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Sketch Week, Part 3

Are you ready for day three? Today's layout adds a lot more photos including a horizontal 4 x 6 instead of the two vertical 4 x 6 photos.

The sketch that has been used as the starting point for each layout this week.



Layout #3 - Christmas 06


Supply list - Cardstock: Bazzill; Jewels: KaiserCraft; Everything else: BasicGrey (Jovial)

See, I told you this sketch can be used for so many themes! So far this week I've used it for an outdoor theme, a flower theme, and today a Christmas theme. Then I saw a lot of comments about using it for fall, travel, snow...there are so many ways to use it!

Variation #1
One of the best things about a photo block like the one on the sketch is the amount of photo size combinations you can come up with. The possibilities are endless. As long as it fits into the 9 x 11 block it will work! On my layout today I took a sketch with seven photos and turned it into a layout with nine photos by using a few smaller photos.

I know that I usually have more horizontal photos than I do vertical and by changing the photo sizes and rearranging them I was able to work in a horizontal photo. The only part of the photos that stayed the same are the three 3 x 3 photos on the left page.

Variation #2
Since I used Christmas photos on this layout what better way to embellish the page than adding a big Christmas tree. I wanted the tree on the left page to be a lot bigger than the trees on the sketch so I had to move it down a little.



I think Christmas trees are one of my favorite embellishments to make. To make the tree I used three different sizes of triangles layered on top of each other with foam adhesive. To add some fun details I used a border sticker as the garland and then added jewels to the border sticker.

On the right page I made a smaller Christmas tree with just one layer of patterned paper.

Variation #3
Since the Christmas tree was so much larger and I wanted the details on it to show I didn't really want to add another next to it. Instead I used one of the cute BasicGrey snowman stickers. Don't be afraid to mix up the embellishments on the sketch. Who says you have to use three of the same things. As long as they are all supporting the theme of the layout, it works!

Variation #4
I added a 1/4" striped strip over the top of the bottom strip that goes across the bottom of the hills. At first I was going to use the stripe alone but it was so lost in the patterned paper that I cut it to a smaller size and added the white strip behind it. Adding more patterned papers, like I did, even if it's just a little bit here or there is a great way to make a sketch your own.

If you have noticed so far I've used journaling strips on each layout. Usually during Sketch Week I try to show different ways to alter the journaling format but this week the sketch makes it kind of difficult to do that. Because of the hills and the embellishment to the left of the journaling having a journaling block would look a little out of place. There would be weird spacing and gaps and it just doesn't seem to fit with the look of the hills either. My favorite thing about journaling strips is that you can shape them around elements on the page, which works great for this sketch.

Day three = third chance at the BasicGrey and Sketches for Scrapbooking giveaway! :)

146 comments:

Steffanie said...

I love this Christmas layout! I particularly like how the larger tree along with the hills, title and phot block really seem to frame the journal strips. I'm loving this sketch!

Amy said...

Great layout! I wish I had your creativity - you always come up with the best embellishments!

Just Sew Sue said...

I love the simplicity of the trees. Thank you for making the sketches available as a download.

Anonymous said...

Looking at your layouts really does show how versatile the sketch can be - I am starting to imagine all kinds of uses!

Judith said...

I have already had a go at using this sketch. You can see it on my blog here
http://judith-pagesofmemories.blogspot.com/2010/09/another-double.html

KGBELL said...

Love it! I wasn't sure about the hills at first and as always, you have shown in only 3 sketches how versitile they are! Thank you for sharing your creativity.

Anonymous said...

This is such a cute layout. I love the "garland" on the tree. I appreciate the details you provide.

Linda from KS

Susan said...

Another lovely layout as usual!!

Marcia S said...

Thanks for explaining how to make those layered trees complete with a border sticker as the garland. I would never have thought of that.

Sonya said...

Love the Christmas tree & snowman embellishment!

Nicole Michelle Gray said...

What a cute layout, love the tree.

tgrdina said...

OK.....this is a great layout too! The tree is really creative. This is a sketch I see me using over and over again. Thanks for sharing!

LeAnne Smith said...

Love how you dressed up your paper christmas tree. TFS!

Christel said...

I love your layout and how versatile this sketch is. I've been using journaling strips alot lately too. :)

Jody B. said...

I love the layered Christmas tree. Another great layout. This new Christmas line from BG is awesome.

JodyJane said...

Merry Christmas! This is such a great sketch. Love the colors of Basic Grey! Great Job

Angie said...

great LO- love the handmade embellies and I love seeing how versatile your sketches are! Thanks for the inspiration!

dawn said...

This is a great layout. I love Christmas trees too. This is such a simple sketch this month. My layout is almost done just need to journal.

You could also turn the hills into waves maybe for a water layout

Anonymous said...

Great tree. Thought those hills would be limiting...but not the case.

Kathy R

anet said...

Thank you so much for showing how to use a horizontal picture in there. I always struggle with that.

tape said...

This looks great! I love sketch week. That BG series is a must have!

April said...

Another awesome way to use the sketch! You amaze me...
- April W

Anonymous said...

what an adorable tree!

ruth said...

I love seeing all the variations!

Trisha M. said...

This Christmas LO rocks!!! I love everything about it, the tree, the snowman, the papers, the journaling strips. So cute! :)

Anonymous said...

Another great layout. I just love sketch week, it's always great to see the different layouts. Thanks!

JJD

Lisa G. said...

Great stuff! Love the patterned paper! :)

connie said...

Another great LO! Love the way you embellish your LO's.

Donna O'Bryan said...

I'm loving those hills more and more everyday.

Laura J said...

I'm loving this layout! What a great idea for Christmas pics...I wouldn't have thought of the hills, but the Christmas trees make it work perfect. Ooohhh, just had the idea to do sledding pics with this sketch! I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't had the springboard of the Christmas layout...yay!

Scrapthat said...

Super cute! I love how many journaling strips you can squeeze on there too! TFS!

nanapatty said...

Thanks for showing and telling us how you make alot of your own embellishments. That really helps stretch the scrapbooking budget.

Miss Misi said...

Adorable and great way to get lots of holiday photos done.

CodyandTraci said...

Love it! Thanks for the Christmas inspiration I have the past few years that are still not in albums :( This should help solve that. Thanks again, Traci

Janelle H. said...

What a great layout! I'm always looking for new ideas for holiday pictures - I'll have to give this one a try!

Mom2TwoBoys said...

I wasn't sure how you could use this sketch for other things but yet again you amaze me. Thanks!

AmyBug said...

Great variations. I like all the small pics as sometimes it is hard to narrow them down. The added garland, jewels, stars are so cute.

Unknown said...

Very cute- I love how many pictures you were able to use too- I am liking this sketch more and more each day:-)

Jac said...

I continue to be amazed on how many different ways this sketch can be used!

wendy said...

I love your attention to details! This is a great sketch :)

momtotucknlexi said...

Love the trees out of patterned paper and also liked how you worked within the 9x11 block and changed the photos up a bit. Very cool! Please keep the inspiration coming.
Michelle

LouAnn said...

Love the versatility of these sketches.

Christy Carlson said...

love how there are so many pictures on this one! totally different from yesterdays!

Luv2talk said...

I LOVE how you are willing to MAKE YOUR OWN EMBELLISHMENTS! You don't let a little thing like NOT HAVING the right size/color Christmas tree stop you! LOL.

Way to ROCK IT!

Amy Powell said...

Those hills would be so cute as sand and waves for a beach theme!

scrapinbabygal said...

This is my favorite so far! I was wondering how to include a horizontal photo. Your trees are wonderful as well and are the perfect finishing touch!

4guysandagirl said...

This is so helpful! I wish you could teach a class in NC... hint,hint! :)

Kelly said...

SO cute! Love your tree!

AndreaFriebus said...

Wow! You get so many photos on your layouts!!

Amy from KC said...

Oh, border stickers as Christmas tree garland...such a simple yet inspired thing! I love it.

Jen Cro said...

I love the hills on the Christmas lo. Very cute and I also have tons of 4x6 photos so it is nice to see them used here.

Shannon said...

Those are the cutest snowmen I have seen in a long time! I just love these colors!

Ginny H said...

Love the Christmas tree!

Anonymous said...

Oh, this layout is my favorite so far! Love that tree and snowman!

K in PA

likearose said...

Love it! Thanks for stretching my imagination with this sketch. I always have so many little gift opening photos at Christmas and the photo block is perfect for them. Can't wait to use this one!

debbie susee said...

Love your Christmas tree.
I think I need to take more vertical pics. Time to change things up. Thanks for getting me out of a rut.

Michele Mc said...

I just realized that while Christmas LO's are one of my favorite subjects to look at and read about, I think I have only ever done one! And I have tons of related supplies. This is gorgeous! Love the color scheme, the patterns chosen and the tree/snowman embellishments. Too cute!

JLC said...

Suble detailing on the larger Christmas tree really pulls the colors together. Simply adorable and versatile.

Stacy said...

Wow! Super cool way to use the sketch. I really like the new BG paper! This one goes in my scraplift file for sure!

Rebekah said...

I love Christmas LO, I'm always trying to find new ways to shair the same story each year. Thanks! Also love the Basic Grey snowman!

Jen said...

I have so many Christmas photos that need to be scrapbooked! I love what you did here, and I'm thinking this moves to the top of my to-do list. I don't have much themed paper - was one of those BG packs a Christmas theme? ;o)

Amy13 said...

Love how many photos this layout uses. The trees are great! I think I'll try to use this sketch for some of my zoo layouts.

KarlaW said...

LOVE the big Christmas tree! Very detailed!

Cindy Leggett said...

Such a cute Christmas layout. The tree is so adorable.

holly b said...

Super cute LO. I think this would be perfect for my stack of Christmas pictures.

Robin W. said...

I always like how you use so many different patterned papers on a layout, and yet they don't overpower your photos. The hills are more versatile than I was thinking on Monday.

Anonymous said...

What a great Christmas! I love to put lots of my pictures on my pages.

Ann McKuin (numberfool)

Therese said...

Love the Christmas tree - I can't wait to make my own. This sketch is so versatile and the hills just seem to complement it all. Great layout!

Anonymous said...

The Christmas tree and snowman are so cute!! I sure do enjoy sketch week!!
MBrown

RacheT said...

I still can't find a better way to create the hills, but I did use the 9x11 photo block on a layout. Love the Christmas layout.

Erica Hettwer said...

Love this! The colors go wonderfully with both the theme and the pictures!

Jennifer said...

My favorite will always be your sketches but I love how you combine paper patterns.

Scrappinwendi said...

I am always having problems with finding layouts that will "hold" all my Christmas photos. I love this one! And you definately cant go wrong with using Basic Grey!

shelley said...

love the big tree!!!

Wendy F said...

Wow! This is gorgeous!! I totally love the Christmas theme! I still have to scrap my photos from last christmas, what a great way to get alot of them at one time!

Sue Althouse said...

That is a gorgeous background and yet the photos are still the stars!

Jennifer DeWolfe said...

Another great layout based on your sketch. You are so talented! And that snowman is just too cute for words!

Melanie said...

Love the photo block and the oh so cute tree :)

Anonymous said...

Another great layout, thanks!!
lg Manuela

Yvonne said...

I love this layout. Even after looking at all of your sketch weeks it still amazes me at how a few small adjustments and different papers can change a layout.

CreativeChretin said...

I love how you always seem to get so many pictures on your 2 page layouts (which seeming to be a dying art) :)

Heather K said...

This is a wonderful layout and a great way to get lots of pictures on the same page. I can't wait to try it.

Linda E said...

I love this sketch for Christmas. It's perfect since its so hard to narrow dow a Christmas layout to just a few photos! Thanks for the chance.

Samantha Taylor said...

Love, love, love this LO! Those hand made trees are especially fabulous!

Kristina said...

I almost forgot it was sketch week .... LOVE the Christmas tree!!

Unknown said...

Just when you think it can't get any more versatile...it does! I LOVE that snowman! Thanks Ali!

Avril Tanner said...

I can not believe how versatile this sketch is! Love the layout!

Brenda Johnston said...

Love the tree! So creative!

dlhfks said...

The tree is so cute!! I too love christmas trees.

Michele said...

Love it! I have a couple of ideas in mind ... shhhh, can't say just now, but I can't wait. I love this line, especially that funny little snowman.

Anonymous said...

I love all of the colors you used for this Christmas layout! So wonderful!

~Julie V.

Unknown said...

i definitely love all the variations you can get out of this one sketch.

~ Kim ~ said...

I love love love the snowman!! And the colors on this layout are great! TFS!

Anna said...

This looks great. I love how you adapted the sketch to include so many photos on the layout. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

A happy layout. Cute little snowman! Happyscrapn

Tammy said...

Fun layout! I love your handmade embellishments. :)

Stella said...

Too cute! I always find that scrapbooking Christmas pictures is difficult because the pages all look so similar, but you really managed to step "outside of the box" with this sketch!

cowie28 said...

OMG! I love it especially the tree!!! You're just so creative!

kimmcc69 said...

Adorable layout. Loving all of them this week. Can't wait to try this one.

molitva said...

Cute snowman!! Love the tree too. Seems simple but looks adorable!

Colleen said...

Awesome layout like all the others.

Karina said...

I just LOVE that tree and the journaling strips !!!

Thanks for such a wonderful and cute pages and sketch !!!

Karina

Merri Lynn said...

Love the creative use of phots and Xmas trees. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Charlene said...

Super cute idea. Love the tree!

Kim M said...

Each day the layout just gets cuter and cuter, that Christmas tree is divine. I can see using this sketch for each season of the year, it just has so many options.

Melanie said...

Fantastic layout! I love the Christmas tree...you always make such wonderful accents!

Unknown said...

You are so creative! These tutorials show the many ways the hills can be incorporated into the layout. Thank you so much!

Laurie W said...

The hills have inspired me to use this sketch for some ski photos that have been on my desk since last January!

MaryBez said...

I will totally use this for my christmas photos!! Great layout.

Rebecca H. said...

I love that the hills are not- traditional hill colors! So fun and Christmasy! Thanks!

Tammy said...

What a great LO, I {heart} that paper!

Joan S said...

Love the layouts! They are very inspiring. I especially like that it is not traditional red and green Christmas colors. Basic Grey is still my favorite brand.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to try this sketch. It seems so "user friendly", allowing us to use a lot of photos and different orientations (horizontal/vertical). That's what I love about these sketches, they make creating a l.o. so easy!

Christine said...

love it! And it makes me love BG Jovial even more :)

mmspiker said...

It is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle with this layout. What a final product!

cmw said...

I SO love your sketches and when you partner them with absolutely beautiful lines like the new BG it's amazing! Thanks for the inspiration :)

D's Place said...

Cute Paper, Awesome Layout! I have so many Christmas pics I need to get done.

Julie said...

Too cute! Does that snowman have a black eye? He is adorable!

Sharon said...

Love the colors you used! I can't say enough how much I am in love with this sketch!!

Precious Memories Scrapbooking & More said...

Oh this is a perfect lo for Christmas pics, there is always so many to scap, now I can fit just about all the favs on one lo! Great!!

Christa Allgood said...

The tree is perfect!! I like to make trees too!! There's so much you can do with a tree.

Barbara Ferguson said...

LOVE, LOVE this sketch! With grandbabies I always have so many photos to scrap, and this is perfect for any occasion! Fun layout. :-)

Abbey said...

Love these papers!

julie.schellin said...

another winner - thanks for sharing. Love the techniques you used to creat the tree.

lpaigeb1984 said...

love the snowmen and the tree!!!

lesley said...

I never bore of your sketches and layouts. Simply amazing, and so so inspiring!

Kirsten said...

Love this! Great focus on the photos, but still lots of "fun" space.

M Salazar said...

Okay, now I'm ready to tackle Chrismas pics from 09, starting with this example! Thank you for your easy to make embellishments, they are so cute and functional.

Emily said...

I'm loving how the photoblock is framed!

Anonymous said...

Love the trees.

Sandy from Missouri

Lara said...

I like the tree as well! Thanks for the ideas!

Melanie said...

SO cute!! That tree and snowman are amazing. Fun to see the different ways you are using the sketch.

Crystal said...

Hahha I love the tree but that cute snowman is the clencher for me!

Michele's Scrapy Creations said...

I just love how versitble this sketch is. I can't wait to work on my take on it. just waiting for pictures to come in.

Bonnie said...

I love your Christmas tree, so cute!! and of course your great take on the sketch, I have saved this sketch for a layout for my vaction photos. Thanks Allison

Misty R. said...

You're handmade embellishments are so intricate and pretty. I wish I could make stuff that looks like that!

Manhattan Mandie said...

What a fun idea for a Christmas layout! I don't think I would have come up with this on my own, LOL! Great job!

Anonymous said...

I am amazed at the versatility of this sketch! thanks for sharing it and for all the little tips as well!
--Tammy L

scrapinmo said...

Great layout variations! Would love to win!

Christina said...

Ummmm hello! Christmas trees! I never would have thought to do that! So stinking cute!

Penny{scraps} G said...

So very cute - love how you make these sketches come alive!

MeganL said...

Wow, another amazing version for sketch week. This is so fun.

Arjanne said...

That Christmas tree is so cute!

Jade Cook said...

it works for christmas LO too. This sketch is so versatile!

budletsmom said...

I love how versitile the collage blocks are. Another cute LO.

janet said...

Clean, concise and simple.
You can get much better than that!
thanks for sharing this week.