Add-on Week, Part 4

Have you ever started with a sketch but ended up going in a different direction and ended up with a project that didn't follow the sketch at all? A lot of times a sketch can be used as the spark to ignite an idea, and that includes the add-on sketches. Making your own embellishments can be a lot of fun but we all know that it's much easier and faster to use something pre-made. And who isn't for saving some time?

The two projects today all used the add-on sketch more for inspiration instead of looking at the sketch as a guide.

Add-on Sketch #4

 

You can download and print this sketch by clicking on the add-on sketches link found under the "printable sketches" tab on the right sidebar.

"When it Rains it Pours" by Carolyn Wolff
Supply List - Patterned Paper: Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker; Cardstock: Bazzill, Core-dinations; Alphabet: Alphalicious Cricut Cartridge; Floss: DMC; Embossing: ScorPal; Ink: Ranger Distress Ink, Vintage Photo, Papertrey; Raindrops: Dew Drops, Glossy Accents; Punch: Scalloped Circle Ek Success

As soon as I saw this sketch I thought of this adorable turtle holding an umbrella. The sketch inspired me to create this entire layout surrounding the umbrella.

Here are my variations on the sketch:

Variation #1 – I hand cut out the turtle and umbrella. I added Glossy Accents to the polka dots on the umbrella and his rubber boots to make them look like they were wet.

Variation #2 – I accented the squares with red stitching along with creating a border using a scalloped die-cut to poke the holes.

Variation #3 - I used a lot of foam adhesive to pop up my paper embellishments. This gives them lots of dimension and they appear to pop right off the page.

Variation #4 – I used my ScorPal to emboss a border on all of the photo mats. I accented the embossed line with white ink. This creates another layer for my photos without adding more paper.

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"When I Was the Letter U" by Jennifer Larson
Supplies - Patterned paper: Sassafras, Fancy Pants; Paint: Claudine Hellmuth; Letter Stickers: October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket; Ribbon: Crate Paper; Thread: DMC; Label Sticker: Scenic Route; Button: Crate Paper; Corner Rounder: EK Success; Die Cut Card: Sassafras; Stitching Template: Bazzill; Pens: Zig, American Crafts.

1. The umbrella made me think about the time I had to be the letter U in a Kindergarten show. The whole story came back to me, so I dug out these pictures and the umbrella die cut.

2. Using Photoshop Elements 7, I did an Auto Correct, then a Color Correction on the photos, which were from the 1970s. These two edits fixed many of the problems quickly.

3. I only used two pieces of patterned paper; one had many different strips in it, so I trimmed them to look like layers of different patterned paper. I even lay two pieces together to house the photos on a mat; if you look close, you can see the seam.

4. To make the thread on the patterned paper more dimensional, I glued down some DMC in random squiggles.

5. To make me stand out more in the center photo, I stitched a circle around me.

6. I also painted over the patterned paper to make the letter stickers stand out more.